Journey through John 11:7-16

Good Morning Church Family – Journey Through John

Read John 11:7-16

Devo Thought: As you read the gospels, have you ever noticed that Jesus sometimes asks really odd questions? These questions don’t seem to fit within the context of the larger discussion or situation. Let me state clearly, none of these questions is accidental. So, here we find one of those odd questions. Jesus and the disciples are in the middle of waiting to go and see Lazarus. Two days pass from when they found out about Lazarus’ illness, and then Jesus tells them it is time to return to Judea. The disciples are confused and remind Jesus that the people there just tried to stone him. Then, Jesus asks the question, “Aren’t there twelve hours in a day?” If you are like me, you are probably wondering what this question has to do with anything related to the conversation. Here’s what I think Jesus is trying to show his disciples. The answer is in what follows his question. He says, “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of the world. But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble because the light is not in him.” What he means is that he knows what he is doing. He can see what is going to happen, even if they can’t. He is the light of the world (he said so in John 8:12), and his disciples just need to follow him. He knows what he is doing. In fact, this whole story is about him knowing what he is doing. They simply need to trust him, to follow the light of the world, and then they won’t stumble. This is an important reminder for us. We can walk in the light because we know the light of the world, and because we know him, when we follow him, we won’t stumble.

Let us thank God that we know the light of the world.