2023-06-09
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As you know, the Holy Spirit has had me writing about the story of the raising of Lazarus from JN 11. I’m commanded to discuss the effect on the circumstances of Christ’s life that this story had. Both Martha and her sister, Mary, struggled with understanding why Jesus came four days after their brother, Lazarus, had died. And yet, their faith in Jesus was strong enough to remain intact. JN 11: 21-23, “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “If You had been here, my brother might not have died. But I know that even now, God will give You whatever You ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Quite naturally, Martha understood this to mean at the time of the resurrection on the last day. Mary, who was more of an introvert, also struggled to understand Christ’s tardiness. She too said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (She had been surrounded by their Jewish friends and was crying tears of grief and encountered Jesus on her way to Lazarus’ gravesite). She dropped to His feet, and as He saw her tears, Jesus was deeply moved. We get a view of Christ’s compassionate heart as He wept [vs 35].
The Jews pointed out that Jesus loved his friend, Lazarus, very much. We’ve been taught that Jesus, God’s second personality, is omniscient, meaning He knew the guaranteed outcome of this situation. This gives us insight into the Lord’s heart of compassion, despite His unparalleled power. Once standing at Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Then, He added, “Father, I think that You have heard Me, I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe You sent Me.” Then, Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out. Take off your grave clothes…” Those who have studied this story know that this was followed by Lazarus rising, walking out of the cave after the stone door had been rolled away, and Lazarus following the Lord’s command.
Now to the original command the Holy Spirit gave me to write about the impact of what happened there in Bethany on the circumstances of Christ’s life. True to the natural tendencies of humans, the Jews who had been there shared what happened with the Pharisees and the leaders at the meeting of the Sanhedrin [Jewish Ruling Council]. At this time, the Romans, who were occupying Israel, were a threat to take away both her temple and her nationhood. Caiaphas, the high priest, expressed his belief that it is better to remove this one Man than the nation and the temple. From that day on, they plotted to take Christ’s life [vs 50-53]. Christ knew what was happening, and He no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea, but withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where He stayed with His disciples. Near the Passover, the people walked uphill to Jerusalem looking for Jesus. The chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it, so that they might arrest Him [vs 55-57].
We should also look at our Lord’s goals to see what He achieved by what happened in JN 11. Often events in the Bible happened by illness or other trouble. An example is found in LK 13: 10-17. One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. He noticed a lady who had been crippled, bent over and unable to straighten up for 18 years by a spirit. When He saw her, Jesus called her forward and said, “Women, you are set free from your infirmity.” He put His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Incensed, because the Lord had healed on the Sabbath, the temple leader complained that work should only be done on six days of the work week, but not on the Sabbath. Jesus described this objection as that of hypocrisy, making the point that even on the Sabbath they would lead their ox or donkey from its stall and give it water to drink. However, they would choose to make this lady suffer a day longer than 18 years to be freed from Satan’s curse just because it was the Sabbath. The leader was humiliated, but the congregation was delighted with the wonderful things Jesus was doing.
PRAYER: O Lord, we haven’t fully discussed how You achieve goals You set in the actions You take. Often, we don’t understand what Your goals are or why You allow circumstances that challenge us. Those of us who are becoming familiar with them have come to understand that You have no evil in you [1 JN 1: 5]. This perfection sets the Lord Jesus apart from any other person who has ever lived. By spending our time studying the Scriptures, we can develop the faithful obedience to Him required for His goals to be accomplished and us to have happiness. Saying “thank You” and offering praise to You makes so much sense in our response to the daily blessings bestowed on us. We offer You both those things and the heartfelt love we feel for You, Lord, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to write about Christ’s goals and how He achieved them. As mentioned, we don’t always understand either His methods or His timing. Oftentimes, we disagree with His timing especially. It is only with hindsight that we ask, “What lesson in these circumstances does the Lord have for me?” The only real answers come from considering why does the Lord allow such and such to happen, and what advantages are there to His timing? [EPH 3: 12-13].
My own experience with this was in my 1 ½ -year long lesson in learning patience. Admittedly, I have a very active mind, one which was getting more and more impatient from the use of my computer. I drove in the path of a figure eight repeatedly over this time, through the neighborhood in which I was l searching for a condo to buy. My husband and I needed to sell our home in a more expensive neighborhood, since his job situation had changed. All the while, we were using up our savings in the process. Frustration reared its ugly head! At the end of that period, was it an accident that we sold our home on the very day that the right condo came available? With perfect hindsight I realized that God accomplishes His goal in a way and time to maximize the lesson He is teaching. So, I conclude that it was by no accident that we bought the right condo that would be our abode for the next 15 years. I guess I am a slow learner but can’t miss God’s amazing blessings! Thank Him for His amazing patience and valuable lessons for His human creation! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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