Jn.11:7-10 – Then after this He *said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” The disciples *said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and yet You are going there again?” Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks during the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
This is a great example of how humans seem to think they have the best ideas about how things should unfold in our lives. I wonder how much of our prayer is wasted on trying to tell the Lord how things should be done rather than just listening and then yielding to His plans? The disciples had recognized the gathering storm around the ministry of Jesus and were afraid when He decided to go to Bethany (so near to Jerusalem) in light of the threats coming from the religious leaders. What was the Lord’s answer? Walk in the light, follow God’s plan and everything will work out just fine. Here is how Augustine describes this conversation.
“What did the Lord mean? As far as I can judge … he wanted to dissuade them from their doubting and unbelief. For their words were meant to keep the Lord from death, who had come to die, in order to save themselves from death too. … And so, when [these] men presumed to give advice to God, disciples to their Master, servants to their Lord, patients to their physician, our Lord reproved them, saying, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble.” Follow me if you do not want to stumble. Do not give counsel to me when you should be receiving it from me instead.…”
The world we live in is dark and foreboding, focusing on all of that will cause us to make bad choices. Jesus knew that the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead was part of God’s plan picturing His own resurrection as well as the resurrection of all of us. He is the Resurrection and the Life. This miracle serves as a prophesy of that first Easter morning as well as our coming resurrection day. In the meantime we walk in the light and in the power of His resurrection life. Its still daytime but night time for this world is rapidly approaching.