Burunche’s Blog

John 12:12-19 The Triumphal Entry

“The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!”

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

Therefore, the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason, the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

The Pharisees are incensed and muttering among themselves! “Can you believe it? Not only has this ridiculous carpenter from Galilee raised a man from the dead after his body has started rotting, but now he’s riding into Jerusalem on an untrained donkey’s colt! The nerve of this man! Who does this guy think he is? Does he think he can convince people he’s fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy just because he’s doing this? Certainly, Zechariah prophesied, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.” So what? If anybody will know when the Messiah comes, we are the ones who will know!”

So, while the common people are hailing Jesus as Messiah and King, the religious leaders are already plotting his demise. But what can these men do? The crowds are supporting Jesus. Unless the religious leaders can convince the Romans that Jesus is a credible threat, they are helpless.  

Jesus’ own disciples really don’t understand what is going on either. When Jesus asked the disciples to untie that donkey’s colt and bring it, they were aghast. Everyone knows that an unbroken colt will buck as soon as someone tries to sit on it. When the colt proves docile and behaves beautifully, the disciples look at one another and shrug their shoulders. Jesus makes his own rules, and the disciples can only go along with him. And it’s invigorating to march into Jerusalem while people are waving palm branches and spreading their cloaks on the ground for the donkey to walk on. The disciples are really encouraged. Surely, surely, surely, all this adulation will lead to something good. All these gloomy predictions Jesus has been making about his death must be the product of an overactive imagination.

Impressed by the fervor of the crowds, the disciples want to believe that everything is going to be fine; in fact, everything is going to be great! Jesus is entering Jerusalem to fulfill Scripture, and very soon he should be calling down legions of angels to wipe out the Romans and to bring in a heavenly kingdom….shouldn’t he?

Let’s leave the disciples for a minute and consider the donkey. Donkeys aren’t very bright. Once the crowd begins to cheer and wave palm branches, the donkey starts strutting. By the time people are throwing cloaks on the ground, the donkey is practically dancing down the street. The donkey might be thinking, “Wow! This is great! All these people coming out just to greet ME!” Every time the crowd shouts “Hosanna!” the donkey gets a bit prouder.

Sadly, the disciples are wrong and so is the donkey. Impressed by the enthusiasm of the crowds, the disciples can’t imagine that in five days the crowds will be screaming for Jesus’ blood. As Jesus’ close associates, the disciples are certain that they have gotten in on the beginnings of God’s new kingdom, a kingdom in which they should certainly occupy seats of importance.

The donkey may very well recognize Jesus as the Son of God, for animals are frequently much closer to God than people are. But the donkey assumes that people are there to see him, not realizing all the excitement is about Jesus.

Jesus is the only one who really understands what’s going on. As Jesus rides down the street, the Holy Spirit is whispering to his heart, “Remember the rest of the prophecies. Don’t get too impressed. Crowds can turn to mobs in the blink of an eye.”

What can we learn from these verses? Rather than believing Jesus, the disciples are jumping to their own conclusions, conclusions that will prove to be completely false by the end of the week. Many times, we assume that we know what God wants to do in a given situation, only to find that we have completely misread things. When we assume rather than asking God for wisdom, we will always think wrongly. Unless we listen to the Holy Spirit, we can head in ungodly directions and make bad decisions. If we listen to gossip and believe it, we can take actions that will have terrible consequences.

Sometimes we might behave like the donkey. Although we are only carrying the good news of the Gospel, we might begin giving ourselves airs and thinking that we are far more important than we actually are. The message of God’s redeeming love is important; we are not. It’s sobering to remember that when God wanted to speak to the pagan prophet Balaam, He spoke through Balaam’s donkey. When we first came to the mission field, veteran missionaries told us that God was not nearly so concerned with our ABILITY as He was with our AVAILABILITY.

May God help us, so that we always remember that we are only conduits of His love and grace. May the humility that clothed Jesus on that first Palm Sunday also be ours!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, keep us humble and close to You. Help us to listen to You and to nobody else. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 12:1-8 The Anointing at Bethany

“Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

John 12:9-11 “Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.”

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem so what is more logical than to stop in Bethany and spend time with Mary and Martha and Lazarus? As usual, Martha bustles around and creates a feast while Mary retreats to her room, confused. One of the few treasures of this home is a pound of oil of spikenard, something so rare that it must be imported from the Himalayas. This amount of spikenard represents a year’s wages for a working man and would be worth tens of thousands of dollars today. The family used a small bit of this oil on Lazarus when he died recently; however, they are keeping the rest of it safe for to use on other family members at their deaths. But now Mary feels God tugging at her heart; meanwhile, she can hear the guests seating themselves at table and preparing to eat. What should Mary do?

Gathering her courage, Mary swiftly walks to the dining area, kneels at Jesus’ feet, and pours the spikenard over his feet, wiping his feet with her hair. The disciples watch in horrified fascination. Even though a servant has washed all their feet as they have entered the home, Jesus has been walking for days. How clean are Jesus’ feet? UGH! Traditionally, Jewish girls keep their hair bound up and covered to protect it; yet, here is Mary fearlessly wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair. Amazing!

As the pungent fragrance of spikenard fills the room, Judas Iscariot just has to speak up. “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” The other disciples simply stare at Judas. While Judas thinks he’s so clever, the other disciples have known for a long time that he’s been helping himself to the money earmarked for the poor. A few of the disciples are muttering behind their beards, “Hmph! This guy! All he thinks about is how much he can get for himself! Why has Jesus persisted in keeping him as a disciple, for goodness’ sakes? And why is Mary wasting this spikenard on Jesus? Surely, Jesus; enemies won’t be able to touch him. After all, he IS the Messiah, the Son of God!”

Meanwhile, Jesus and his Heavenly Father have been engaged in a quiet conversation. Jesus: “Father, what’s happening? Why are You having her do this?” God the Heavenly Father: “It’s for your burial, Jesus. When you die, they won’t have time for anointing then.” It’s after this silent conversation that Jesus defends Mary’s actions. “But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

Jesus blesses Mary’s sacrifice on behalf of her entire family because he knows that the Holy Spirit has moved her to this act. Although many people focus on the spikenard and its cost, Mary’s willingness to get her hair dirty is equally important. Throughout the Bible, there are repeated references to a woman’s hair as a sign of her femininity and glory. The only thing Mary might do with her hair that would be more radical would be to shave her head, giving up her hair completely. As it is, the entire room and everyone’s clothes will smell of spikenard for some time. Mary’s hair will likely smell of spikenard for weeks; in fact, Mary’s hair might still smell of spikenard as she and other women cluster at the foot of Jesus’ cross on Calvary. The fragrance of that sacrifice will last a very long time.

What can we learn from this story? Many times, we work diligently and sacrifice, only to have our efforts ignored or even scorned. But when we are working for God, God sees all and knows all and understands all. Nothing done for God is ever wasted, provided it is truly done in His spirit and not as a calculated act to gain divine favor. True sacrifice carries its own scent with it, pervading everything it encounters.

Luke 18:28-30 tells of a time when the disciples were beginning to feel a bit sorry for themselves and wondering if they would be recompensed for their sacrifices. ^“Peter said to him, ‘We have left all we had to follow you!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.’”

In this story, Mary is acting on behalf of her entire family. People have flocked to see Lazarus since his resurrection, and religious authorities are plotting to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus. “But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” Does Mary’s sacrificial act put her family at even greater risk than before? Quite possibly. But when we are acting under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must act, trusting that God is guiding us and that He will protect us.

There are several different traditions surrounding Lazarus; however, several of them agree that he moved to Cyprus and eventually became a bishop there, dying in about 63 AD. No matter which story is correct, the Jews never succeeded in slaughtering Lazarus or either of his sisters.

May God help us, so that we will sacrifice faithfully, fearlessly, and totally!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to sacrifice faithfully, fearlessly, and totally, knowing that You are the One who will reward us. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 11:45-57 The Plot to Kill Jesus

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.”

“Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.”

The Pharisees and Sadducees are shaking in their sandals! Jesus is doing miracles and people are believing in him! Never mind the fact that Jesus is teaching people to be kind, merciful, humble, and to serve others. All the religious leaders can see is a radical threatening to take away their positions of authority. After all, this bumbling upstart carpenter from the Galilee claims to be the Son of God; meanwhile, the Roman emperors now demand that they should be worshiped as gods. The Jews have so far succeeded in dodging Roman demands that they worship the Emperor; however, this guy’s popularity might push the Romans over the edge. The Jewish religious authorities live in stark fear that the Romans will simply begin eliminating them as threats to the Empire, carrying out what will later be called a pogrom.

“And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” What’s so important about Caiaphas’ position as high priest that year? Traditionally, the high priest might also function as a prophet, and that’s what Caiaphas is doing. God is using Caiaphas, even though Caiaphas might not be aware of it.

“Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.” Messiah has come, the One for whom believers have longed for centuries, but religious leaders are plotting to kill him somehow.

You can be sent by God but remain a threat to men through no fault of your own. John Wycliffe was a priest and an Oxford professor in the fourteenth century. Wycliffe translated the Bible into English and spoke out against corruption within the Catholic Church. The Church viewed him as a threat and persecuted him. Wycliffe Bible Translators takes its name from John Wycliffe. (For a thorough discussion of Wycliffe’s life and works, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wycliffe )

Ultimately, we must follow God and not men, even when persecuted. May God help us so that we will be able to follow His Call, even if that means persecution or even death.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You and nobody else, trusting that You will keep us and guide us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 11:28-44 Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy“

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

Lazarus Raised from the Dead

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

I must say that Martha is my kind of gal! While Mary sits weeping in the house, Martha boldly confronts Jesus: “Why didn’t you come sooner? Sure, we believe in a resurrection, but who knows when that will happen?” Then Martha goes in the house and informs Mary that Jesus has come and is asking for her.

“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Mary confronts Jesus about the delay between his receiving the message and his arrival.  

“Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” Verse 35 “Jesus wept” is the shortest verse in the entire Bible, but it is an important one. Many times, we think Jesus must have been impervious to pain, unmoved by human emotions. But Jesus is both Son of God and son of man and God has given people emotions; therefore, it is quite reasonable that Jesus would be grief-stricken.

Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus is tempted to grieve for Lazarus along with Mary and Martha; however, he has another work to accomplish.

Jesus comes to the tomb and commands that the stone be rolled away from the mouth of the cave where Lazarus has been buried. Ever practical, Martha warns that by now the body will be rotting and the smell will be intolerable. But Jesus insists, and the stone is removed.

“And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

The miracle is complete, Lazurus has come back to life, and people are tearing off the graveclothes as fast as possible, weeping for joy as they do so. Earlier, Jesus raised a young man in Nain from the dead, so why has he handled this situation differently?

Jesus wants us to know that even when all hope is gone, HE is the One who controls life and death. Although God the Father has already given Jesus that power, when Jesus rises from the dead, he will have complete power over death, hell, and the grave.

What does this story mean for us? Many times, we feel called into a situation, only to encounter one roadblock after another. At such times, it is tempting to give up, making the excuse that we must not have heard God properly. At such times, we need to remember Hudson Taylor, Founder of the China Inland Mission, “There are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”

Taylor is further quoted as having said, “All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.” And, he added, “Perhaps the greatest hindrance to our work is our own imagined strength.” So, the three stages are God’s work from man’s perspective: impossible—difficult—done. But the men and women witnessing this tide turn are not spectators or armchair critics—they are men and women of faith. Faith is not a warm, upward thought. Rather faith is action displayed and lived out in the arena of our days to the glory of God and the advance of His Gospel. Paul described his preaching, teaching, travel—and jail trips in between—as hard labor energized by God, “Struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29). Therefore, faith is speaking and writing for the sake of the Gospel. It is working and risking. It is winning and losing. It is going and not always returning. It is asking, seeking, and knocking. It’s what Jesus said “moves mountains.” https://www.challies.com/articles/beginning-with-impossible/

It’s quite possible that Jesus didn’t want to stay away from Lazarus when he first received the message; however, God the Father instructed him to do so. Jesus was always in contact with God the Father, taking orders from Him. If we want our efforts to bear fruit, we too must remain in constant contact with our Heavenly Father, for only then will our work be effective.

When Lazarus came out of the grave, he was wrapped in grave clothes designed to hold his rotting body in place. But those graveclothes only hindered the movements of Lazarus once he came back to life. Today, are you allowing old beliefs, old prejudices, old assumptions, the opinions of others, and any other blighted thing to wrap around your heart and mind like the graveclothes? May God help all of us so that we throw off those things that bind us and follow Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have allowed our stinking thinking and the judgments of others to bind us so that we can’t do Your Will. We repudiate these things and ask that You help us to walk free into Your glorious future. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 11:1-27 The Death of Lazarus

“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

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 one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

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

Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

“Jesus, you’ve GOT to be kidding! What do you think you’re doing?” The disciples are shocked and outraged. Here Jesus has just learned that his good friend Lazarus is sick, and he’s not rushing to heal him. After all, Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha have entertained Jesus and the disciples many times, feeding them and accommodating them. One time, Mary even broke a flask of fragrant oil, anointing Jesus and wiping his feet with her long glistening hair. If any family deserves primo consideration, it’s this one. To make matters even worse, the religious authorities in Judea are still out for Jesus’ blood, and they might be willing to wipe out the disciples also.

“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Now the disciples KNOW that Jesus is mashugana, crazy! Jesus has already delayed until Lazarus is dead, so what can he possibly do about the situation? And why risk being stoned? Thomas is likely representing the rest of the disciples with his fatalistic pronouncement.

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

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

Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Previously, Martha was the one who was too busy to listen to Jesus; however, Martha has learned and grown in her faith. While Mary is weeping inside the house, Martha confronts Jesus and makes a statement of faith that will echo through the ages.

God’s delays are not God’s denials. The disciples want Jesus to operate on a human schedule, and by their reckoning, Jesus has already blown it. But Jesus has a much bigger miracle in view, one that requires Lazarus to remain in the grave long enough for his body to begin to rot. When Jesus says that he is the resurrection and the life, he wants to graphically demonstrate that affirmation!

So many times, we want God to run on our schedules and we are upset when He refuses to do so. But God has bigger plans than we do and His plans are perfect while ours are anything but perfect. Here Jesus is waiting until all hope is completely gone so that nobody will say that Lazarus was simply in a coma and woke up. In the days before good medical care, that phenomenon was so frequent that the practice of wake keeping came about-family and friends sitting near the dead body in case the person woke from a coma. Jesus is setting the stage for a mind-blowing miracle, one that will be recounted throughout time.

As I am writing this, we are struggling to recruit some key staff for the mission hospital where we work. Vicious rumors plus our remote location are making things difficult, and we are struggling to trust God’s timing. But this is God’s facility, and therefore He is responsible for preserving it. We continue to pray that God will move key people in or out, depending on His Will. Truly, we are in a Martha situation.

Delays are not denials. Trust that if God has called you, God will keep you. And if God is keeping you, God has His timing all worked out. Hang onto God’s hand and praise Him for the answers that are coming!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel we need You to work immediately, not realizing that Your timing is perfect while ours is not. Please help us to patiently wait for Your complete solutions to our problems and show us what to do while we wait. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 10:31-42 Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods?”’ If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” And many believed in Him there.

People are weird! Sometimes the people who should most readily accept you and believe in you refuse to listen while those least likely to do so believe you.

“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

The Jewish religious leaders have asked a question, and Jesus has answered honestly. But because Jesus has told them that he is the Son of God, they are certain that he is blaspheming. And nothing gets these guys’ blood up like the chance to STONE A BLASPHEMER!!! WOO HOO!

But there’s a tiny problem. “Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods?”’ If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 

Jesus knows these men love to split legal hairs, so he puts out an argument that will engage their love of debating legalities. The accusers are stuck, for Jesus has quoted Scripture quite accurately and succinctly, and they have no answer. As these men are attempting to seize Jesus, he walks through the crowd and disappears, walking on to the Jordan River where John the Baptist first baptized.

“And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” And many believed in Him there.”  Forget the religious authorities, the common people follow Jesus and listen to him. Remembering everything that John the Baptist has spoken about Jesus and the miracles Jesus has done, these people have no problems believing in him.

Two different groups of people and two totally different responses: religious authorities can think of nothing but incriminating Jesus while the common people recognize him for what he truly is, namely, the Son of God, the Messiah.

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, there have been repeated cases of religious authorities rejecting someone whom God has sent. John Wesley was an Oxford-educated Anglican cleric and a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford when he encountered the Holy Spirit during a Moravian prayer meeting in 1738. Wesley left the Moravian prayer group, founding his own movement, Methodism. The Methodist movement spoke to the lower classes, with Methodist societies and study groups springing up throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Not only did these groups emphasize Bible study, prayer, and personal accountability, but they also served as educational centers in which many working people learned to read the Bible for themselves. Wesley preached wherever he could, frequently speaking to thousands of people in the open air. The Methodists also led in many different movements that transformed the face of British society, including the abolitionist movement, support for un-ordained preachers of both sexes, improved working conditions in factories, etc. It has been argued that Britain would have suffered the same bloody revolt against the monarchy that convulsed France had it not been for the Methodists. Although eventually Wesley was considered one of the best-loved men in England, at the beginning of his ministry he faced severe persecution, much of it from the established church.

We are called to be faithful to God’s Word and to his Will for our lives. God does not call us to be popular, as the stories of Jesus and Wesley amply illustrate. May God help us so that we will be faithful to Him, no matter what!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to love You more each day than we did the day before. Help us to look to You for approval and not to men. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 10:22-30 The Shepherd Knows His Sheep

“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

Israel is NOT a tropical country, even if it does have palm trees in some places! The winters can be bitterly cold with humidity making the cold penetrate even more deeply. Jesus has gone to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, but he’s inside the temple when a crowd of men surrounds him. While the Pharisees and Sadducees may be leading the crowd, there are also large numbers of men who have heard of Jesus but who have never seen him and are curious to see what this man looks like. Out in the villages, they say that Jesus is a prophet, and some say he might even be the Christ, the Messiah for whom the Jews have been waiting. This is a golden opportunity to learn what this man is really about.

“Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” The Jews referred to here are the religious leaders, for there were many Jews who already believe in Jesus, having just seen him restore sight to a man born blind.

“Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” Jesus has no illusions about the men leading this group; he knows they don’t believe in him but are only seeking excuses to eliminate him by any means possible. To the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus is simply an excrescence, a road block, and an obstacle to smooth relations with the Romans that must be removed by any means possible. Just watch the Roman soldiers striding through Jerusalem, snatching fruit from fruit sellers and pushing people out of their way, threatening anyone who opposes them. It takes virtually nothing to set the Romans off, and Jesus might give the Romans the excuse they need to destroy Jerusalem, hunting down Jews wherever they find them. So even as Jesus is performing miracles that convince those hungry for God to believe in him, the religious leaders are hardening their hearts, denying that such acts must come from the God they claim to worship.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”  Once more, Jesus uses the indelible image of a good shepherd calling his sheep to follow him. Good shepherds lead their flocks to places where they may graze safely and drink from clear quiet streams or pools, bringing them back to the sheep fold at night to rest safely, protected from all evil. But Jesus promises something even better-eternal life and security. Once someone follows Jesus, nobody can snatch that person out of Jesus’ hand!

Later, Saint Paul will write to the Romans, assuring them, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)

These are worrisome times. School shootings, air disasters, uncertainty about new governmental policies, economic upheavals-many of us may feel like anxious sheep quaking in our wool and longing for safety. Things were no safer in Jesus’ day, for there was the added burden of infectious diseases that could wipe out entire populations. The night before Jesus was betrayed, he gave as many instructions to his disciples as possible, but he did not sugar coat anything. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Want peace in the midst of chaos? Learn to know the Shepherd. Want rest for your soul? Learn to know the Shepherd. Want assurance of eternal life after death? Learn to know the Shepherd. “But,” you say, “how can I meet the Shepherd, let alone get to know about Him?” That’s simple. Just ask. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please introduce us to Jesus and to Your Holy Spirit. Open our eyes to see that You have been there all of our lives, simply waiting for us to turn to You. Please teach us everything there is to know about You and Your Kingdom. And please give us that peace and assurance that You are the Giver of eternal life and that NOBODY can snatch us out of Your hands once we turn to You. We pray in the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.