While it is daytimeThis phrase emphasizes the urgency and limited time available for Jesus' earthly ministry. In biblical symbolism, "daytime" often represents a period of opportunity and divine presence. Jesus, the Light of the World, is present, and His works must be accomplished while He is with His disciples. The concept of "day" as a time for work is rooted in Jewish culture, where daylight hours were traditionally used for labor.
we must do the works of Him who sent Me
The use of "we" indicates a collective responsibility shared by Jesus and His followers. The "works" refer to the divine mission and miracles that testify to Jesus' identity and authority. The phrase "Him who sent Me" underscores Jesus' divine commission from the Father, aligning with passages likeJohn 5:36, where Jesus speaks of the works given to Him by the Father as a testimony to His divine mission. This highlights the unity and purpose between Jesus and God the Father.
Night is coming
"Night" symbolizes a time when Jesus will no longer be physically present to perform His works, pointing to His impending crucifixion and death. In a broader sense, it can also refer to spiritual darkness and the absence of opportunity to witness and work for the Kingdom. This imagery is consistent with other biblical references to night as a time of danger or absence of God's presence, such as inJohn 11:10.
when no one can work
This phrase indicates a period when the opportunity to perform the works of God will be hindered or impossible. It serves as a warning to the disciples and believers to seize the moment and fulfill their mission while they have the chance. The urgency is echoed in other scriptures, such asEphesians 5:16, which encourages believers to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. This reflects the transient nature of life and the importance of acting in accordance with God's will while it is possible.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe central figure in this passage, emphasizing the urgency of His mission and the works He must accomplish.
2.
DisciplesImplied participants in the "we" who are called to join in the works of God.
3.
The Blind ManThe immediate context involves Jesus healing a man born blind, illustrating the works of God being manifested.
4.
JerusalemThe setting of this event, where Jesus performs many of His miracles and teachings.
5.
The PhariseesReligious leaders who often challenge Jesus, providing a backdrop of opposition to His works.
Teaching Points
Urgency of MissionJesus emphasizes the limited time available to accomplish God's work. Believers are called to recognize the urgency of their mission in the world.
Partnership in MinistryThe use of "we" indicates that Jesus invites His followers to join Him in His work. Christians are co-laborers with Christ.
Discernment of TimeUnderstanding the "day" as a metaphor for the present opportunity to serve God, believers must discern the times and act accordingly.
Eternal PerspectiveThe coming "night" serves as a reminder of the finite nature of earthly life and the importance of focusing on eternal matters.
Manifestation of God's WorksJust as Jesus healed the blind man, believers are called to manifest God's works through acts of compassion and service.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of John 9:4?
2.How does John 9:4 emphasize the urgency of doing God's work today?
3.What does "night is coming" symbolize in John 9:4 for believers?
4.How can we discern God's work for us in our daily lives?
5.Connect John 9:4 with Ephesians 5:16 about making the most of time.
6.In what ways can we actively participate in God's work as a community?
7.What does John 9:4 mean by "the works of Him who sent Me"?
8.How does John 9:4 relate to the urgency of Christian mission?
9.Why does John 9:4 emphasize working "while it is day"?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 9?
11.What does the Bible say about self-forgiveness?
12.What will happen to the righteous and the wicked?
13.How can we work effectively during the day?
14.Does God still perform miracles today?What Does John 9:4 Mean
While it is daytimeJesus pictures the present moment as bright, open, and full of possibility. Daylight lets a traveler see clearly, plan wisely, and move freely. In the same way, the Father has given each believer a span of earthly life—our “day”—in which to serve.
•John 11:9-10 reminds us that “If anyone walks in the day, he will not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”
•Psalm 90:12 urges us to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
•Ephesians 5:15-16 presses the point: “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
The daylight of God’s grace is shining now; wasting it means squinting at eternity unprepared.
We must do the works of Him who sent MeThe Lord’s wording is deliberate: “we must.” The task is shared—His disciples join Him in the Father’s agenda.
•John 4:34 shows Jesus’ passion: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” Our satisfaction is tied to that same obedience.
•John 14:12 promises, “Whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing.” The power that enabled Christ’s miracles empowers our faithful service today.
•Matthew 5:16 calls us to live so that others “may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Whether speaking the gospel, showing compassion, or standing for truth, every assignment is the Father’s work placed in our hands.
Night is comingThe Lord never soft-pedals reality. A time approaches when the window for earthly ministry will close. For Jesus, the “night” hinted at His arrest, crucifixion, and burial (John 13:30). For us, it may arrive through death, persecution, or the culmination of history.
•Romans 13:11-12 warns that “the night is nearly over; the day has drawn near,” urging readiness for Christ’s return.
•1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 contrasts those who sleep in the night with alert, sober believers.
Knowing night is certain keeps the church from drifting into complacency; urgency is a mark of faithfulness.
When no one can workAfter death, or after the Lord’s decisive intervention in history, opportunities to influence others for Christ end.
•Luke 16:26 pictures an uncrossable chasm after this life.
•Revelation 14:13 declares, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…their deeds will follow them.” The work itself stops, but its fruit endures.
•2 Corinthians 6:2 therefore pleads, “Now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation.”
The phrase is not a threat but a sober reminder: whatever we intend to do for God must be done now, not someday.
summaryJohn 9:4 shines like a wake-up call: daylight is on the clock, and the Father’s business is waiting. Jesus, our perfect example, pressed forward with compassion and clarity, knowing the night was near. Following Him means embracing the same urgency—redeeming the time, serving people, proclaiming truth—so that when darkness falls, our day’s work is complete and our Master is glorified.
(4)
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day.--The better reading is probably that which has
we, instead of "I," and perhaps also that which has
us, instead of "me"; but this latter change is not so well supported by MS. authority. The clause would read then,
We must work the works of Him that sent Me (or
us)
while it is day. He identifies the disciples with Himself in the redemptive work of His mission. There is before them a striking instance of the power of evil. He and they are there to manifest the power of good. They must gird themselves to the task. If we are right in placing the whole section from
John 7:37 to
John 10:21 on the same great day of the Feast (comp. Note on
John 9:14), then this work must have come near the close of the day. The sun sinking to the west may have reminded them that the day was passing away, and that the night was approaching. He was reminded of the day of life, and the night of death. He will not be long in the world (
John 9:5). That night will be the close of His human work, and the shadows of evening are already falling upon Him.
The night cometh, when no man can work.--He does not except even Himself from the proverbial law. The day of opportunity passes, never to return. His own great work of doing the work of Him that sent Him, could only be done when that day was present. It has, of course, been ever done in the work of His church under the guidance of His Spirit; but the work of His own human activity on earth ceased when the night came. Comp.John 11:9 for this thought of the hours of the day. . . .
Verse 4. -
Wemust work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day. The emendation of the text certainly throws much beauty into the statement. Christ identifies himself with his disciples. They are pledged by accepting his call, and he has been himself charged by his own sublime mission to work while it is called day. The sun was going down over the holy city on that sabbath day, and Jesus will not wait, nor lose the opportunity of doing the merciful will of the Father. He did not say, "Him that sent
us" (as Tischendorf reads), for "As the Father had sent him, so
he sent them." But he adds,
The night cometh, when no man can work. The materialistic interpretation of Paulus, "Christ must have daylight for a delicate operation," is too puerile to deserve refutation. The suggestion of the Greek Fathers (Chrysostom, Theophylact, etc.), who here drew a distinction between the work of this world and the work of the future world, between work done before and after his Passion, representing the work of his earthly ministry as done in the day, and that of the Spirit as work done in the night, is singularly unfortunate. Our Lord is merely adopting the phrase as a customary image for life and death. Death puts an end to all human activity on earth, even to Christ's own, as a human Friend and Teacher. Numerous attempts have been made to suppose some emphatic contrast between the lifetime of Christ and the period that should follow his Passion. They all fail, because Christ's own activity resumes another form by his resurrection and the gift of his Spirit. The night of death, accompanied by the cessation of active labor, is the general idea. The day's work must be done in the day. The probation involved in the bare fact of its limitation, and in this case its rapidly approaching consummation, is the main thought, without pressing the imagery too far. By saying, "We must work," etc., he gave a lesson and an example for all time. The 'Pirke Aboth,' "The Sayings of the Fathers," record the words of R. Tryphon, "The day is short, and the task is great, and the workmen are sluggish, and the reward is much, and the Master of the house is urgent."
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Whileἕως(heōs)Conjunction
Strong's 2193:A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.it isἐστίν(estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.daytime,ἡμέρα(hēmera)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2250:A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.weἡμᾶς(hēmas)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473:I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.mustδεῖ(dei)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1163:Third person singular active present of deo; also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is Necessary.doἐργάζεσθαι(ergazesthai)Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 2038:To work, trade, perform, do, practice, commit, acquire by labor.theτὰ(ta)Article - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.worksἔργα(erga)Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2041:From a primary ergo; toil; by implication, an act.of Him whoτοῦ(tou)Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.sentπέμψαντός(pempsantos)Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3992:To send, transmit, permit to go, put forth.Me.με(me)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473:I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.Nightνὺξ(nyx)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3571:The night, night-time. A primary word; 'night'.is coming,ἔρχεται(erchetai)Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064:To come, go.whenὅτε(hote)Adverb
Strong's 3753:When, at which time. From hos and te; at which too, i.e. When.no oneοὐδεὶς(oudeis)Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3762:No one, none, nothing.canδύναται(dynatai)Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1410:(a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.work.ἐργάζεσθαι(ergazesthai)Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 2038:To work, trade, perform, do, practice, commit, acquire by labor.
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NT Gospels: John 9:4 I must work the works of him (Jhn Jo Jn) 
