The light is not in him

John 11: 9-10 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. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

I often marvel at my cat. She can walk, or run, through a dark house and not run into anything. Me, I am confident I will stumble into something or stub my toe walking in the dark.

It is good, and bad that we are often judged by the company we keep. If you hang out with good people, you are judged as being of good character. If you hang out with the dangerous crowd, you are judged as being dangerous.  In the John 11:9-10 passage we are cautioned about walking in the dark. “If anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” That warning, from Jesus, has a dual meaning I would like to unwrap. On one hand, Jesus himself walked among those in the dark. He called those who were not the elite, scholarly crowd to be disciples. He chose to call a tax collector to be a disciple. He went so far as to defend an adulteress from a self-righteous crowd that would have stoned her to death. But He was in the light because He is the light, and the life. He could confidently walk among sinners because He was completely, not just closely, connected to God the Father and the Holy Spirit. What does this portend to those who would also minister to those in the darkness we call sin? We are all sinners, yet some seem to be deeper in the darkness. Some are in so deep they do not even know they are lost to sin. Or they may be so lost they have given up even trying. Are we to just avoid those in the darkness? The answer is found in the words of Jesus from Matthew 9:9-13. Key to this is discussion is verse 12 in the NIV. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” The saved are already saved, it is the lost who need to be saved.

The second part of the message is stumbling in the night. If we minister to those in the darkness of sin, we must be careful to not fall into the trap that is within the darkness. Many have fallen along the way. As the old saying goes, the path of good intentions is littered with the wrecks of failure. We must ourselves stay connected closely to the light when we serve those who are in need. We must put on the armor of Christ, and keep that armor around us. There is a very slippery slope that is waiting to claim the next victim. Keeping your footing involves staying in the light. Be very careful my brothers and sisters in Christ.

PRAYER: Lord we look to You for the light that drives away the darkness. We seek the brilliance that is Your Son. As we go forward sharing the Gospel with those who need to hear of the Good News that is Jesus, let Your light shine around us. Keep us close Father, that we will not stumble and fall into sin. Guide us on Your path with the light of Christ. This we ask in the name of Jesus, the light and the life on all mankind, Amen.