John 11:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

NIV: Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light.

NASB: Jesus replied, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

CSB: "Aren't there twelve hours in a day? " Jesus answered. "If anyone walks during the day, he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

NLT: Jesus replied, 'There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.

KJV: Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

NKJV: Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

Verses 9 and 10 contain Jesus' cryptic remark to the disciples, after the confusion over His intent to go back into Judea. It has been two days since Jesus received a message saying His friend, Lazarus, was sick (John 11:1–3). Lazarus lives in Bethany, very close to Jerusalem and the hostile religious leaders who want Jesus dead (John 5:18; 10:39; 11:8). When Jesus sends back a comforting response (John 11:4) and waits two more days, the disciples would have assumed that was the end of the issue (John 11:6). To their surprise, Jesus states His intent to head back to see Mary, Martha, and their now-dead brother (John 11:7). Naturally, the disciples protest by pointing out how dangerous this is.

Jesus' answer in these verses hinges on the idea of walking according to the will of God. It's not unusual for God's commands to be perplexing. Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his own son (Genesis 22:1–2). Naaman was commanded to wash his leprous body in a muddy creek (2 Kings 5:1–12). Jesus has just told two sisters that their brother's illness will not result in death—and their brother had already died. But Abraham saw God's eventual plan (Genesis 22:11–14), Naaman was healed (2 Kings 5:13–14), and Lazarus will soon be resurrected (John 11:43–44).

In the same way, following God's will can seem dangerous, from an earthly perspective. To be sure, there are times when being a follower of Christ means losing one's life for the sake of faith (John 16:1–2). But when God has other plans, then we can trust that His guidance will result in good outcomes. In this case, Jesus is pointing out that it's important to act while there is still daylight. That light prevents danger which comes after dark. Since Jesus is "walking in the light"—according to the knowledge and will of God—His actions are only as dangerous as God intends them to be.

John 11:1–16 sets up the most spectacular of Jesus' earthly miracles: the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus is given word that Lazarus is sick but delays several days before leaving to see the family. As it turns out, by the time this message gets to Jesus, Lazarus has already died. The disciples assume Jesus won't go back to Judea, since local religious leaders want to kill Him. When Jesus plans to head into dangerous territory, His followers are frightened and pessimistic. The following passage will show Jesus arriving four days after Lazarus had passed away.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.