John 11:7 “Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9 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. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”
After a sufficient delay, our Lord said “to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again”; knowing that by the time that they would arrive “Lazarus” would be already dead for four days. The Apostles, not knowing this, were more concerned about our Lord’s safety, reminding Him that “the Jews of late sought to stone” Him. And, they questioned the wisdom of knowingly walking right into harm’s way. Our Lord’s magnificent answer ought to serve as an authoritative guide for us, in our day, as we go about worshiping and serving Him. He graphically emphasizes that what we do, we should do openly for all to see, without shame, without fear, and without hesitation. Furthermore, we should not cower and back down just because there is opposition. He asks, “Are there not twelve hours in the day?”; doesn’t God give us light in which to do our work? Then, He goes on to explain that if we work in the light of the day we do not stumble and fall and hurt ourselves and fail in our work. On the other hand, if we try to work in the darkness of night we stumble and fail in our work. The Lord explains that this failure is ultimately “because there is no light in him”; that is, no spiritual wisdom and understanding “in him”. The Lord had previously explained His overriding point: “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4-5); that is, He is “the light of the world” and there were certain things that He came to do while He was here, and nothing, not even the vicious Jewish authorities, could prevent Him. In our Lord’s illustration, those who can work, “walk in the day”, are those who “seeth the light of this world” (the Son of God), which burns brightly within them. Those who cannot, have “no light in him”! The only way to get this blessed “light” is to have been given Spiritual Birth, which is an exclusive act of the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-8). We should also note that our Lord, did not cower in the face of opposition. Like our Lord’s example, when opposition to Christianity arises, as the Lord fills us with the “light” of His grace and mercy, we must not shy away, but we must “take unto” us “the whole armour of God, that” we “may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). That is, “withstand” “the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16); meaning, endure whatever the wicked flings at us and do not lose courage. Furthermore, we are “to stand”; that is, do not give up one inch of Biblical ground. We are to openly, in the “light” of our Glorious Savior, for all to see, “stand” firm in Biblical Doctrine, Practice, Morality, Integrity, and Brotherly Love; and certainly not fail to meet together to worship (Hebrews 10:25). Among the various Christian orders, we can and should reason together on the details of these things. But, on the greater plane, the wicked hate and are opposed to all who strive to worship and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, is the time for us to stand firm together and “walk in the day”, plainly and openly worshiping and serving our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God!