Stumbling Questions

Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." (John 11:9-10)

I keep having more questions regarding these verses the longer I think about them. I am going to add these to the ones I listed previously.

What does it mean to stumble?

What would cause one to stumble that light could prevent from happening?

Notice that the cause of stumbling is not what Jesus talks about seeing. Rather it is seeing the light that prevents one from stumbling. That seems compelling.

What is meant by walking?

Why is it assumed that one will stumble at night? You don't always have to stumble just because it is dark, unless of course there are unseen, unavoidable obstacles to trip over.

One is not likely to stumble if they are not walking. One way to prevent stumbling is to remain still and not try to walk anywhere. But Jesus does not seem to consider that an option here.

In the daytime phase of this verse it seems that the light is external since it is something you can see. But then in the nighttime version Jesus implies that the light should be inside of you. But then by implication also, if the light is inside it evidently would not be night. Does that mean that even in the day the light is supposed to be on the inside?

Are there lights both on the inside and the outside at the same time? I don't yet see much evidence of that concept.

It is not mentioned specifically, but the night was also divided into twelve hours. Why did Jesus only mention the hours of the day and not the night?

The use of the word anyone has strong implications. It seems all inclusive and allows for no exceptions. This seems to be a very emphatic black and white statement with no alternatives.

Walk in the day seeing the light – don't stumble; walk in the night without internal light – stumble. There seems to be no other options.

What are the basic ingredients in this cryptic statement?

• Time
• Walking
• Stumbling
• Light

The mixture of these ingredients revolves around the choices of the person involved.

• Will I choose to walk? Or is that a given to start with that I am going to walk?
• When will I choose to do my walking?
• Will I stumble or not stumble? What factors play into the answer to that question?

The two main factors that seem most important to remember when making decisions seems to be the issues of time and light. How do I need to prioritize my life in relationship to these two things?

I believe that other passages that talk about stumbling can shed significant light on this passage. Stumbling is most often associated with offenses. This ties back very tightly to the subject of the trap of offense and the issue of forgiveness. How do those things figure into the context of this story and what might Jesus be trying to say to His disciples under these circumstances?

The disciples were afraid of going back to where people wanted to kill Jesus. That is understandable. How was Jesus relating to those fears? And what was going on in Jesus' mind about His own situation?

Obviously He was thinking about His friends in Bethany and the situation with Lazarus. But there was much more emerging in this story than just His plans to work a stunning miracle by resurrecting Lazarus. The whole scheme of history was coming to a head and He knew that this overwhelming evidence of His divinity would be the final straw that would catapult Him toward His death at the hands of those who hated what He represented.

How do these verses apply to Jesus personally? Clearly He lived His life very carefully so as not to stumble. Living as a human being totally dependent on His Father's guidance through the Holy Spirit in every moment of His life, Jesus was showing His disciples and everyone else how to live in perfect harmony with heaven. Jesus chose to live as a weakened human being avoiding occasions to stumble just as all of us need to do. So, what in these circumstances would have been an occasion to stumble that Jesus needed to avoid?