As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. John 9:4
A successful businessman spent the last few decades of his life doing all he could to give away his fortune. A multibillionaire, he donated cash to a variety of causes such as bringing peace to Northern Ireland and modernizing Vietnam’s health care system; and not long before he died, he spent $350 million to turn New York City’s Roosevelt Island into a technology hub. The man said, “I believe strongly in giving while living. I see little reason to delay giving. . . . Besides, it’s a lot more fun to give while you live than to give while you’re dead.” Give while you live—what an amazing attitude to have.
In John’s account of the man born blind, Jesus’ disciples were trying to determine “who sinned” (9:2). Jesus briefly addressed their question by saying, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned . . . but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me” (vv. 3–4). Though our work is very different from Jesus’ miracles, no matter how we give of ourselves, we’re to do so with a ready and loving spirit. Whether through our time, resources, or actions, our goal is that the works of God might be displayed.
For God so loved the world that He gave. In turn, let’s give while we live.
Read: John 9:1-12 (NIV)
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi,p who sinned,q this manr or his parents,s that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.t
4 As long as it is day,u we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”v
6 After saying this, he spitw on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”x (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.y
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”z
9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”a
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
INSIGHT
- When it comes to giving, what’s one thing you’ve been delaying?
- What would it mean for you to give while you live?
In John 9, we sense a great divide. Most of the religious leaders were in the process of rejecting Jesus. He wasn’t what they expected the Messiah to be. The man born blind, however, would become a genuine believer in Christ. The religious leaders indignantly argued over technicalities of the law, saying, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath” (v. 16). In contrast, the man who received his sight understood that the One who’d healed him must come from God (vv. 30–33). Soon he would tell Jesus, “Lord, I believe” (v. 38).
PRAYER
Giving God, please show me places where I can give today. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: John 9:1-12 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Exodus 1-3; Matthew 14:1-21
