Exegesis of the LectionaryStudying, expounding, and interpreting the Bible readings through the Church Year

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

By His Word of the Gospel, Jesus Calls Us Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light

Isaiah 42:14–21; Ephesians 5:8–14; John 9:1–41; John 9:1–7, 13–17, 34–39; Psalm 142

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

 

Isaiah 42:14–21

Ephesians 5:8–14

John 9:1–41

or John 9:1–7, 13–17, 34–39

 

By His Word of the Gospel, Jesus Calls Us Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light

 The Lord is grieved by the spiritual blindness of His people, yet in mercy He does not forsake them. He restrains His anger and keeps His peace, until He opens their ears and eyes to hear and see Him. “For His righteousness’ sake” He magnifies His Word and makes it glorious in the coming of Christ Jesus (Is. 42:21). Jesus turns “the darkness before them into light” (Is. 42:16), because He is “the Light of the world” (John 9:5). The incarnate Son of God works the works of His Father and displays the divine glory in His own flesh “while it is day” until that night “when no one can work” (John 9:4). By the washing of water with His Word He opens the eyes of the blind and grants rest to the weary. Therefore, though “at one time you were darkness,” now “you are light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8). By our Baptism into Christ we live in the eternal day of His Resurrection, wherein He shines upon us. As often as we fall back into the darkness of sin, He calls us by the Gospel to “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead” (Eph. 5:14).

Darkness into light  

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.Martin Luther King, Jr.

Plato has Socrates describe a gathering of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to designate names to these shadows. The shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

LSB 5711 God loved the world so that He gaveHis only Son the lost to save,That all who would in Him believeShould everlasting life receive.

2 Christ Jesus is the ground of faith,Who was made flesh and suffered death;All then who trust in Him aloneAre built on this chief cornerstone.

3 God would not have the sinner die,His Son with saving grace is nigh;His Spirit in the Word declaresHow we in Christ are heaven's heirs.

4 Be of good cheer, for God's own SonForgives all sins which you have done;And, justified by Jesus' blood,Your Baptism grants the highest good.

5 If you are sick, if death is near,This truth your troubled heart can cheer:Christ Jesus saves your soul from death;That is the firmest ground of faith.

6 Glory to God the Father, Son,And Holy Spirit, Three in One!To Thee, O blessed Trinity,Be praise now and eternally!

Prayer Activity

Use your prayer notes.

Use a verse from the bible to reflect on.

Pray for enlightenment.

P raiseR epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

God’s Word declares that once we were in darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. As people of God, called out of the darkness of our sins into the light of Christ in Holy Baptism, let us pray for ourselves, for the Church of God and for everyone in need. Gracious Lord and Father, You are the light and the salvation of Your people, and You guide us on paths we have not known. You turn the darkness into light and make the rough places into level ground. We thank and praise You that You have enlightened our spiritual darkness and shone the light of Your grace upon us, a love shining clearly for us and for all in the face of our Savior. Since You have called us to be Your own shining city on a hill, bright with the light of Christ, we ask You to graciously bless the outreach efforts of our congregation, circuit, district

and Synod. Guide and sustain all missionaries and Bible translators here and abroad, and protect them and their families from danger. Empower us by Your Spirit to reflect the light of Your love to all people in what we say and do. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. God of mercy and comfort, look with Your grace upon the poor, the homeless and the hungry. Open the hearts of Your people to respond with compassion and generosity to all who are in need. Surround the unemployed with Your care, and keep them from discouragement and despair as they seek employment. Sustain them in their time of need and open new doors of opportunity and avenues of service to use the gifts You have given to them. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Prayer Activity

Use your prayer notes.

Use a verse from the bible to reflect on.

Pray for enlightenment.

P raiseR epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Great Physician, we praise You for the healing that You have granted to _________ [names of those who have been hospitalized or who have recently undergone surgery] and ask You to grant healing to _________ [names of those who are ill, injured or hospitalized]. Continue to provide for their every need, and grant them ongoing health and renewed strength according to Your good and gracious will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Loving Father, we come as Your wayward children to the banquet of Your grace that You have

prepared for us. Here again You greet us with open arms of welcome in spite of our unworthiness. Graciously feed us with Your Son’s body and blood, assure us of the forgiveness of our sins, clothe us with the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness and increase our faith so that we may cling to You alone and glorify You in all that we say and do. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Into Your hands, dear Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Group Time Meet w/teams

3-5 min per box

What are the major points of your text?

How does your topic fit the pericope theme?

How does it connect to the other texts? How is it unique?

By His Word of the Gospel, Jesus Calls Us Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light

Isaiah 42:14-2114 For a long time I have held my peace;    I have kept still and restrained myself;now I will cry out like a woman in labor;    I will gasp and pant.15 I will lay waste mountains and hills,    and dry up all their vegetation;I will turn the rivers into islands,[a]

    and dry up the pools.16 And I will lead the blind    in a way that they do not know,in paths that they have not known    I will guide them.I will turn the darkness before them into light,    the rough places into level ground.These are the things I do,

    and I do not forsake them.17 They are turned back and utterly put to shame,    who trust in carved idols,who say to metal images,    “You are our gods.”

Israel's Failure to Hear and See18 Hear, you deaf,    and look, you blind, that you may see!19 Who is blind but my servant,    or deaf as my messenger whom I send?Who is blind as my dedicated one,[b]

    or blind as the servant of the LORD?20 He sees many things, but does not observe them;    his ears are open, but he does not hear.21 The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness' sake,    to magnify his law and make it glorious.

Ephesians 5:8-148 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in theunfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

    and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”

John 9:1-41

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”18 The Jews[a] did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents

answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus[b] to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know thatthis man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this isan amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[c] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt;[d] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Psalm 142You Are My RefugeA Maskil[a] of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.142 With my voice I cry out to the LORD;    with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.2 I pour out my complaint before him;    I tell my trouble before him.3 When my spirit faints within me,    you know my way!In the path where I walk    they have hidden a trap for me.4 Look to the right and see:    there is none who takes

notice of me;no refuge remains to me;    no one cares for my soul.5 I cry to you, O LORD;    I say, “You are my refuge,    my portion in the land of the living.”6 Attend to my cry,    for I am brought very low!Deliver me from my persecutors,    for they are too strong for me!7 Bring me out of prison,    that I may give thanks to your name!The righteous will surround me,    for you will deal bountifully with me.

Next Week…FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

 Jesus Christ Is the Resurrection & the Life

Ezekiel 37:1–14 The Valley of Dry Bones

Romans 8:1–11 Life Through the Spirit

John 11:1–53 The Death and Raising of Lazarus

Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord

 

Ezekiel 37:1–14; Romans 8:1–11; John 11:1–53; John 11:17–27, 38–53; Psalm 130

Ezekiel 37:1-14

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley;it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath[a

] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

Romans 8:1-11

Life Through the Spirit

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d]because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodiesbecause of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.

John 11:1-53

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friendLazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice,“Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;2     Lord, hear my voice.Let your ears be attentive    to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,    Lord, who could stand?4 But with you there is forgiveness,    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,    and in his word I put my hope.6 I wait for the Lord    more than watchmen wait for the morning,    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,    for with the LORD is unfailing love    and with him is full redemption.8 He himself will redeem Israel    from all their sins.