John Calvin Commentary John 11:9

"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world." — John 11:9 (ASV)

Are there not twelve hours in the day? This passage has been explained in various ways. Some have thought the meaning of these words to be that men sometimes adopt a new and different resolution every hour. This is very far from Christ’s meaning; and indeed I would not have considered it worthy of being mentioned, had it not been that it has passed into a common proverb. Let us therefore be satisfied with the simple and natural meaning.

First, Christ borrows a comparison from Day and Night. For if anyone performs a journey in the dark, we need not wonder if he frequently stumbles, or goes astray, or falls; but the light of the sun by day points out the road, so that there is no danger. Now the calling of God is like the light of day, which does not allow us to mistake our road or to stumble. Whoever, then, obeys the word of God, and undertakes nothing but according to His command, always has God to guide and direct him from heaven, and with this confidence he may safely and boldly pursue his journey. For, as we are informed:

Whoever walks in His ways has angels to guard him, and, under their direction, is safe, so that he cannot strike his foot against a stone,
(Psalms 91:11).

Relying on this protection, therefore, Christ advances boldly into Judea, without any dread of being stoned; for there is no danger of going astray when God, performing the part of the sun, shines on us and directs our course.

We are taught by these words that whenever a man allows himself to be guided by his own suggestions, without the calling of God, his whole life is nothing else than a course of wandering and mistake. Those who think themselves exceedingly wise, when they do not inquire at the mouth of God and do not have His Spirit to govern their actions, are blind men groping in the dark. The only proper way is to be fully assured of our divine calling and to always have God before our eyes as our guide.

This rule of regulating our life well is followed by a confident expectation of a prosperous result, because it is impossible that God will not govern successfully. And this knowledge is highly necessary for us; for believers can scarcely move a foot to follow Him, but Satan will immediately interpose a thousand obstructions, hold out a variety of dangers on every side, and contrive in every possible way to oppose their progress.

But when the Lord invites us to go forward, by holding out, as it were, His lamp to us, we ought to go forward courageously, though many deaths besiege our path. For He never commands us to advance without at the same time adding a promise to encourage us, so that we may be fully convinced that whatever we undertake agreeably to His command will have a good and prosperous outcome.

This is our chariot, and whoever resorts to it will never fail through weariness. Even though the obstacles were so formidable that we could not be conveyed through them by a chariot, yet, furnished with these wings, we will always succeed until we reach the goal. Not that believers never meet with any adversity, but because adverse occurrences are aids to their salvation.

It amounts to this: that the eyes of God will always be attentive to guard those who are attentive to His instructions. Hence we also learn that whenever men overlook and disregard the word of God, and consequently indulge themselves foolishly and undertake whatever they think right, the whole course of their life is accursed by God, and vengeance is always ready to punish their presumption and their blind passions. Again, Christ here divides the day into twelve hours, according to ancient custom; for though the days are longer in summer and shorter in winter, they always had twelve hours of the day and twelve of the night.