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, representing 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 reference. There, Jesus implied His role in salvation. Here, Jesus is speaking of "light" in a more general sense, which explains His use of the phrase "as long as I am in the world." In the prior verse, Jesus made careful use of the word "we" in describing those who needed to work while they had the opportunity. He pointed out that He, like any other man, had a limited earthly life with 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.

John 9:1–12 contains the sixth of the gospel of John'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, as they purposefully ignore the spiritual message being proven by Jesus' works.

Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his entire life. In typical fashion for that era, the disciples assume this condition is due to some specific sin--either the man's sin or his parents' sin. Jesus challenges this idea, and heals the man. His restoration leads to interrogation, as 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 is able to meet with the 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, where Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham. This resulted in an attempted stoning for blasphemy. 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, recorded in chapter 10, including several crucial teachings on His role as Shepherd.

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.