John 9:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

NIV: While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

NASB: While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.'

CSB: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

NLT: But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.'

KJV: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

NKJV: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

In ancient Hebrew philosophy, "light" was the ultimate ideal. Light symbolized both knowledge and morality. This is one reason Scripture uses blindness as a spiritual metaphor. Those who are blind are incapable of seeing light, even when it's presented to them. Those who are "spiritually blind" reject God, making it literally impossible for them to perceive His truth.

In chapter 8, Jesus referred to Himself as "the light of the world" (John 8:12). That comment was in a slightly different context than this verse. There, Jesus implied His role in salvation. Here, Jesus is speaking of "light" in a more general sense—which is why He uses the phrase "as long as I am in the world."

Jesus made careful use of the word "we" (John 9:4) in describing those who needed to work while they had the opportunity. He, like any other man (Hebrews 4:15), had a limited earthly life during which to follow God's will (John 9:4). This reference to light describes the way Christ will be the bearer of the gospel up until His death and resurrection. At that point, His apostles and their disciples will become the "lights" bringing truth to the world (Matthew 28:19–20).

John 9:1–12 contains the sixth of this gospel's seven miraculous ''signs'' of Jesus' divinity. This miracle is the healing of a man who has been blind since birth. Jesus corrects His disciples' misconceptions about sin and suffering, then grants this man an ability he has never had before. This will lead to more angry confrontations with local religious leaders. Critics continue to purposefully ignore the spiritual message being proven by Jesus' works.

Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his entire life. Consistent with notions of that era, the disciples assume the disability is due to some specific sin: either the man's or his parents'. Jesus challenges this idea and heals the man. His restoration leads to interrogation. The Pharisees try to discredit Jesus' miraculous work. The healed man's simple, straightforward perspective embarrasses the religious leaders, who excommunicate him in frustration. Jesus meets with the healed man, explaining more about His identity and the purpose of His ministry. Jesus also reminds the Pharisees that those who ought to know better, spiritually, will be held more accountable as a result.

Jesus has begun to actively confront the false teachings of local religious leaders. His most recent debate included a heated exchange with the Pharisees. There, Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham. This resulted in an attempted stoning for blasphemy (John 8). Here, Jesus continues to antagonize religious hypocrites by healing a man who was born blind. The ensuing ruckus further exposes Jerusalem's religious leaders as shallow, prejudiced, and false. This event launches Jesus into another lengthy discussion of His ministry. That, recorded in chapter 10, includes several crucial teachings on His role as Shepherd.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.