SATURDAY, DAY 16 OF LENT 2025

John 11:47-53 reports the rationalization for "killing Jesus" and in this conversation Caiaphas declares that it would be better for one man to die for the country than for all of them to "lose their position - and even their country." What he said was prophetic - but the idea didn't originate with him. It originated with God. It is wonderful to be able to see the master plan when we look at it in the rear view mirror. We know the end of the story - and we know it all had to fall in place in God's timing. 

But - what is tumbling around in my brain most saliently is that they were under Roman rule, and they obviously very clearly knew that! Yet just a few chapters ago, in John 8, when they argued with Jesus (with their limited perspective and erroneous view) they claimed in John 8:33 that they had never been slaves of anyone.  Seriously? They were under the rule of the Romans at that point, and their people historically had been enslaved multiple times. 

The account in John 8 is a very interesting read. They were arguing from two totally different perspectives, yet the truths Jesus left for us are amazing and provide us building blocks for our Christian faith. I love Verse 8:58 that records Jesus statement to them: "Before Abraham was I am." Before he received his earthly name, Jesus (actually Yeshua) lived in heaven. He was "I AM", God! And he chose to come to earth to redeem us from Sin - to be the one and only sacrifice that could satisfy the debt that was created when Adam and Eve sinned. What an amazing God. The God who sees me, knows me - and loved me anyway. It is impossible to grasp the expanse of God's Agape love!

 

FRIDAY, DAY 15 OF LENT 2025

Continuing in John 11: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he was in the tomb for 4 days! When he called Lazarus from the tomb after the stone was rolled away, Lazarus shuffled out, bound from head to toe in strips of cloth, with a cloth over his face. That was their custom. (And we will soon see that done with Jesus' body as well.) 

Verse 45 provides us a segue to what happened next! Many of the Jews there that day believed in Jesus because of what he just did - that they saw with their own eyes, after hearing Jesus in a booming outdoor voice command Lazarus to come forth. He didn't have to be loud, but he had to be sure the people heard - for their sake, not God's. Verse 46 continues: 'But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done' - and their response was to plot to kill him! 

So after all the good things he had done, and John names some of them....: 

1. John 2. His first miracle of turning water into wine. Not just a few bottles, but I have heard it said the estimate  was likely 120 - 180 gallons!

2. John 4. "emotional and spiritual healing" for the Samaritan woman

3. John 4:46. Healing the official's son - long distance, I might add!

4. John 5. Healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been blind, lame, and paralyzed for 38 years 

5. John 6. Feeding the 5,000+ from 5 loaves and two small fish, with 12 baskets full left over. 

6. Also John 6. Walking on water from shore to the disciples in the middle of the lake - and calming the storm

7. John 9. Healing the man blind from birth by Jesus making mud with his spit and dabbing it on the man's eyes, and telling him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam

After that, in John 10:32 Jesus asked the Jews who intended to stone him, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?" (He eluded their grasp.)

8. John 11. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. 

...and their response was, as I said, to hatch a plan to kill him. Heartbreaking!

It is really HARD to imagine, or is it, when we look at our own world today. Lord, have mercy!  

John 11:25-26 states, Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die...."And of course we know he was talking about ETERNAL life. And then - after weeping - he raised Lazarus from the dead!

THURSDAY, DAY 14 OF LENT 2025

John 11. I am intrigued by the account John writes in comparison to what Jesus actually already knew. John writes from his perspective, but it is clear that Jesus knew all along that Lazarus had died, and he intentionally waited to go to Bethany so God's majesty could be revealed. 

Even so, Jesus felt all the human feelings and the pain that his friends were experiencing in what they believed was a final goodbye, and he wept. He already knew he was going to bring Lazarus back from the dead, and he wept. 

How awesome it is to know we have a loving Savior who feels our pain, shares our sorrows, grieves with us. Jesus wept with those who thought they had lost Lazarus permanently - and he weeps with us!  

He also gives us HOPE for when we will be resurrected to eternal life with him. No matter what our "illness" or age that takes us from this life, his words are still true: "This illness does not lead to death." Yes, this cocoon stage of our body will end in physical death, but all who  believe in Jesus as their Savior are saved from eternal death - which is separation from God for all eternity. Thank God for that confidence. 

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

Did Jesus Know?

Not long ago our pastor preached a sermon in which he retold the story of the woman with an issue of blood who believed that if she touched even the edge of Jesus' garment she would be healed - - and after years of illness and a drained bank account, she was miraculously and immediately healed when she reached through the people crowded around Him and touched his clothing....  The miracle happened precisely as she believed it would be.

And even though there was a crowd pressing in around Him, when she touched Him, according to the report recorded in the Bible, Jesus asked, "Who touched me?"  

I believe the reporter of the incident made some assumptions at that point....  He assumed that when Jesus asked who touched Him that He didn't already know who had caused power to go  out of Him.  But I believe Jesus knew precisely who touched Him in faith, believing in His healing power.  And, I suspect that when he asked the question, His eyes were lovingly locked with hers.  Why did He ask?  Because in her confession and His public declaration of her healing she would become socially healed as well as physically healed.  

I know the Bible doesn't specifically provide all that information, but I believe our translation of and understanding of the Bible is found within its pages.  When Jesus 'saw' Nathanael under the fig tree before Philip even called Nathanael, he demonstrated His divine power to see what others don't see.  When Jesus 'heard that Lazarus was ill' he intentionally stayed 2 additional days before heading back to Bethany.  In His explanation to the disciples with Him at that point, he initially told them that He was going to go awaken him - - but then was absolutely clear that Lazarus had died - - and by the time they walked back to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days.  That corroborates that Jesus knew circumstances that were not shared with Him by others.  

So, with those 2 instances as examples, and allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible, it is logical to believe that Jesus knew precisely who touched Him.

With that established, the question is why did He ask her?  The answer:  because she was unclean.  She had been totally isolated for years.  She shouldn't have been out in the crowd at all, because according to Jewish law, no one could even sit on a chair she had sat on.  And the only way people were determined touchable again after being an untouchable was by going to the priest and having him corroborate and declare it.  Jesus did that for her.  

In another healing example, when Jesus healed the 10 lepers, he instructed them to go to the priest so their purity could be established.  Only one came back to thank him...but it wasn't because he was the only one filled with gratitude, it was because he was a Samaritan and wasn't eligible to go to the priest.   

When we sift through the layers to see what is meant behind the words on the page, there is so much depth to be plumbed....

Jesus knew!  

And that gives me enormous comfort.  He knows me, my circumstances, my needs, my future.  And He has it all in His very capable hands.... 






Mark 5
Luke 8
John 1: 48 - 50
John 11
Leviticus 15:19 - 33

Journey to the Cross 2017, Day 33

Friday, Day 33:        Countdown – 9 days

Reading for today:
Matthew 26:6-13
Mark 14:3-9
John 11:55-57 and 12:1-11
John is the only one of the Gospel writers who tells us that Jesus arrived 6 days before the Passover, and I am using his statement for establishing this portion of my timeline. Matthew and Mark’s accounts have led some to believe that Mary didn’t anoint Jesus with the expensive oil of Nard until the next Tuesday, but I hardly see how that could be possible. I’m not a scholar – and we don’t know for certain – but this is where I am dealing with that event and I think it fits. It also puts us on a day-by-day linear path in our journey toward the cross. 

We know from history that the whole ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread’ lasted a week. We also know that Jesus waited until just the right time to go up to Jerusalem. His journey to Jerusalem takes him through Bethany where He just raised Lazarus from the dead about 2 months earlier. On this night, Jesus is being entertained at the home of Simon the Leper. The dinner is in Jesus’ honor. I suspect Simon was a leper Jesus had healed. He wouldn’t have been hosting dinner if he were still a leper – but the moniker stuck....

We note that Lazarus is one of the guests at the meal – and that Jesus’ dear friend Martha is there helping serve. But not Mary. Mary, in gratitude for all Jesus had done for her family, including raising her brother from the dead, has brought a very expensive jar of perfume, and as Jesus reclines at the table – as was the custom in that day – she comes in and pours about a pint of the costly perfume onto his head. A pint is 2 cups. It would have soaked his hair and spilled down onto his clothing. John alone tells us that the woman was Mary. John alone tells us that the one who objected was Judas Iscariot.

Greedy Judas is infuriated at the waste of a year’s earnings:  money he says should have been spent helping the poor – and with what we know about him, more realistically intent on lining his own pockets.... Jesus defends her, and asserts that what she has done will be told throughout time for as long as people tell His story....

The scent of the Nard wafted through Simon’s home. Being so expensive, I doubt it washed off right away. It was a gift that lived on and ‘kept on giving’ for awhile....

The large crowd of Jews that came that evening to see this Jesus, who raised Lazarus from the dead – and to see Lazarus who was raised – certainly would have smelled it. Another story. Another memory. Another detail.

And while all of this wonderful was occurring, John lets us know that the Chief Priests are making plans to kill not just Jesus, but Lazarus as well. Lazarus was a liability, for because of the miracle of Jesus’ resurrecting him from the dead, many people were placing their faith in Jesus. All thorough criminals destroy the evidence, and that is what the religious elite were plotting.

It just amazes me that with so great a Savior performing such amazing miracles that they chose to pursue death instead of life – Eternal Life at that! What is sad is that it is the same today. In spite of all of the evidence that surrounds us, many do not see the Truth. Lord, as you walk with us, make blind eyes see!

Humor for today: More Bulletin Bloopers:
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married Friday evening in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

Journey to the Cross 2017, Fourth Sunday of Easter

The Fourth Sunday of Easter                    

Reading for today:

John 11:45 - 54

Jesus went about doing good: healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, casting out demons, restoring relationships, bringing hope, teaching, loving, being present – and for all those crimes, culminating with his unforgivable good deed of raising Lazarus from the dead, He who knew no sin became a liability to the political balance of the day – enough so that he was targeted for termination.

I mean, really...doesn’t it sound preposterous? All He had ever done was good. The only castigations ever uttered from his lips were against those who pompously paraded their phony religiosity – and it is this collection of religious leaders who unite behind one cause: to do away with the one individual who is upsetting the balance of things as they were. Their fear is a political one. But what a horrible trade-off.

Verse 48 reports their fear: “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” All they cared about was their position. They had no vision  – and, even though they were the supposed spiritual leaders, they had no grasp of the many prophecies foretelling their Messiah. Yet, they were acting out their ‘scripted’ roles in perfect rhythm.

For Jesus at this juncture, it is ‘time to get out of Dodge’ and John tells us He withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim.

From this passage, we know that in the last couple of months of Jesus’ life, he stayed away from Jerusalem. We know from earlier reading that he spent some time in Capernaum. We know he was ‘beyond the Jordan.’ We know he was in Jericho. And we know from this passage that he was in Ephraim. He stayed away because of timing. He had a keen sense of God’s will – and also knew precisely when the drama had to play out to fit into prophecy, and to fulfill God’s perfect plan.

In real time, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead about 2 months before his own death – so we are stepping back in time just a bit to focus on the plot to kill him...but it deserves our careful consideration, and helps confirm where he was during these weeks before he came back to ‘face the music.’

I wrote a children’s musical titled A Letter From G. O. D. that God gave me to write. It was at the top of my ‘bucket list’ for completing for a couple of years, but one delay after another kept it from being ready for publication.  During that time I was at the mercy of some other peoples’ promises which never materialized. I got discouraged and frustrated – and began to doubt whether I was wrong when I heard God directing me to follow through on it...and then I came to this reminder, and I realized it is absolutely imperative to listen carefully for God’s timing and what He is doing in this process. While I needed to pursue what He called me to do, I also needed to submit the opening of doors to His hand. My plan would have had it done a lot sooner than when it was ultimately done...and I pursued getting it finished pretty intently for over 2 years.

So – I had to submit the timing to God in its initial coming to fruition and now, again, I have to submit to God’s timing to see what He chooses to do with it.  The point is, when we know we are doing what the Lord has asked of us we have to keep asking, keep pursuing, but not lose faith in His timing. Unlike Jesus I do not have the ability to see ahead to know what the purpose is in God’s timing – but I do know I can trust it. It’s an aha! moment.

Humor for today:
THE CHILDREN’S BIBLE IN A NUTSHELL (part 1)

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness and some gas.

The Bible says, “The Lord thy God is one,” but I think he must be older than that.

Anyway, God said, “Give me a light!” and someone did.

Then God made the world.

He split Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.... I’m not sure what they were driven in, though, because they didn’t have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

to be continued....

JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 23

I thought I was ready to move past chapter 11 - but there is the matter of one last bit of text which follows the story of Lazarus' resurrection still to be addressed.

I've mentioned already that Lazarus was raised from the dead no more than 2 months prior to when Jesus would die (then be resurrected! So glad we know that in advance....) Because of this specific miracle, which was reported back to the Pharisees, the Pharisees, their chief priests and their council of elders, got together to discuss the dilemma that faced them.

The thing about life in their times was that they were under Roman rule, but the Romans were willing to let them practice their religion as long as no one created any issues for them to contend with. Jesus was a threat. The word on the streets was that He claimed to be a King. They didn't understand that He was not a political King - He was THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! And, never mind that what He said was true - their eyes were blinded. The spiritual leaders of Israel didn't recognize Him or accept Him as the promised Messiah. They saw Him as a radical who had the potential of creating a problem for them. The Romans wanted the Jews to keep their own people in line - and that just wasn't going to happen with Jesus - not when He violated their own weighty laws for what one could do on the Sabbath . . . not when He brought people back from the dead. That created a furor of support for Him, and they had to do something about it.... He was a political liability.

The question that they raised reflected that. (47ff) ..."What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come take away both our place and our nation." But one of them, Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish."

John tells us immediately that Caiaphas didn't say this of his own accord . . . the words he spoke were prophetic words. They are certainly shocking words coming from the high priest's lips! He intended them to mean that it was better to get rid of Jesus than to lose their political station and their puppet-rule of their nation, but what he said had a much broader meaning, as John points out.

One would die for the nation - and not for that nation only, but for all who are scattered abroad. Caiaphas nailed it. And, as John reports, from that day they made plans to put Jesus to death. Jesus knew that, so he no longer walked openly among the Jews.... He came to His own and His own rejected Him....

Jesus and His disciples got out of Dodge. They went to the area of Ephraim, near the wilderness, situated about 12 1/2 miles NE of Jerusalem. The Passover was approaching. The timing of Jesus' death had to coincide with Passover to fulfill His purpose in becoming the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world. All of the symbolism of the Old Testament was to be fulfilled in Him, and the timing had to be just right.

In the final weeks leading toward Palm Sunday, Jesus was not among the crowds. He was in Ephraim with His disciples.... This time of absence gave time for the Pharisees' fervor to intensify, as they had put the order out that anyone who knew where Jesus was should tell them so they could arrest Him. And so the chapter ends....

....................

There were masses of people who had seen Jesus' miracles, who had been miraculously fed by Him, who had walked miles just to hear Him. Many believed He was the Messiah. Some just wanted to see the miracles. But they are alarmingly silent in this story....or perhaps that is just something I am projecting onto today...

I got copies of Referendum 74 yesterday, and read through every word.... R-74 is a referendum calling for the repeal of the Bill passed in our 2012 legislative session, which allows for same sex marriage.

The truth is: we cannot legislate morality. Oh, we've tried - but without God as part of the equation it is impossible. The only reason my beliefs are my beliefs is that the Bible is my plumb line. The Bible condemns many sins - and one of them is homosexual behavior. And - the Bible is the guidebook for marriage. If people don't want to follow God's guidelines, why do they want to use His word for their relationship?

In my 'live and let live' view of the world I agree that people need to be cared for well. While I pity those who feel trapped in bodies that lead them to be attracted to members of the same sex, I still believe all people need to be treated fairly. All of those issues were addressed in prior legislation which honors domestic partnerships. And - that's all same-sex relationships can be in God's eyes. They may want to call it marriage, but it's not.

The truth is, marriage is broken - not just by same-sex partners wanting to justify their sinful relationship by calling it marriage, but by all who view marriage solely as a legal contract. Marriage was meant to be a covenant between a man, a woman and God, and was to be entered into as a spiritual commitment. There cannot ever be 'holy' matrimony unless the union includes and honors God; and the final challenge of the marriage ceremony, which states, "What God has joined together let no man put asunder" cannot be part of a same-sex ceremony, whether it is called marriage or not, because God does not put His stamp of approval on any union that is not between a man and a woman....

Because I believed right from the start, that this issue should have gone to the people for a vote, I will help accumulate signatures so that can happen. Then the voice of the people will be heard. Anyone who goes by His name - Christian - and who is a registered voter - should have the opportunity to sign this petition! R-74 needs to be voted on by the people! And signatures have to be gathered quickly!

My main concern is an issue not even stated in the Bill. This was treated as a civil rights issue, and if that concept is cemented in peoples' minds, speaking the truth - which rightfully calls homosexuality sin - will be an infraction of their civil rights.

The rights of religious institutions have been protected, insofar as they are not required to perform these ceremonies, but the rights of people who speak out against homosexuality as sin have not been protected..... The bottom line is that this is a case of men calling evil good, and calling good evil.

I already addressed this issue in my blog recently....so won't repeat all I have already said....

JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 22

I took this picture on my trip to Israel in 2006. Our guide pointed out the gravesite - and I pleaded for the driver to stop so I could get a picture.... It is not the grave Lazarus or Jesus arose from - it just shows the type of graves common at that time. Some were taller - the type a man could walk out of - but this shows the stone that would have been rolled in front of the doorway to the 'cave' and that helps provide a visual of 'the stone being rolled away'. For years I thought of the stone as a boulder rather than a disk. I am visual, so seeing the reality of what was being referenced helps me visualize as I read. It helps the Bible come alive!

....................

Just a few random thoughts before I am ready to leave John 11:

We are often directed to Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah, recorded in Matthew 16, when he declared, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Martha's statement is another witness to that Truth, and to her personal faith in Jesus as Truth. "Yes, Lord, I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is come into the world." I paraphrased it just slightly. Different versions state it differently - was to come or is to come. She knew He was the Messiah and that he was present . . . but even with that knowledge she didn't know how that reality would play out. We don't fully realize either. We have some insight - but we see through a glass darkly. All I know is that everything is in God's hands, and hindsight is 20/20.

Another thing that occurred to me early this morning as I lay in bed thinking was the target that Jesus placed on Lazarus' back when Jesus resurrected Lazarus. And then I started thinking about what it might have been like to be Lazarus. He was a faithful follower of the Lord. In spite of his sisters' deep grief at losing him, he was safe in Abraham's bosom. His illness was resolved. His pain had ended. And after being resurrected he had to die again! There was no 'It is appointed to man once to die and after that the judgment' for him. The others were celebrating that day, but Lazarus was exemplifying the epitome of obedience. He was willing to live for Yeshua ha Mashiach (Jesus the Messiah) when he'd rather be dead.

That is a thought that had never occurred to me before. It is a reminder that we must determine to live the life the Lord designs for us even when it is not the life we think we'd choose. Being faithful in spite of circumstances matters. Not withholding praise to the Lord because of our circumstances matters. He deserves our praise and worship no matter what our circumstances - and our most transparent and authentic worship is when we live out our lives to honor Him . . . no matter what comes our way. Mountains. Valleys. All of it is in His hands.

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Today is St Patty's Day! Erin go bragh! It's a family tradition of sorts to state that annually. Our middle daughter is Erin, and she loves that her name is synonymous with the old sod, even though she is only about 1/4 Irish! She's about a 1/4 each English, Irish, Scotch and German, in fact....(with a sprinkling of Dutch and Choctaw thrown in for added flavor)....but 100% Christian!

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, and may the Lord bless and keep you and make His face shine upon you, now and forever. Amen.

JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 21

In the midst of the emotional distress of Lazarus' death, Jesus speaks words to Martha that encapsulate the best good news ever spoken - the gospel of Jesus being the promised Messiah!

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she ran out to meet Him outside the village. Lazarus had already been buried for four days, but her faith in Jesus was unflappable. She said to Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

Jesus responded, "Your brother will rise again."

Martha said, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

And Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Mary responded, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

Wow! These are power-packed verses. Martha was in the throes of deepest grief. She was absolutely confident that if Jesus was there with them Lazarus would not have died. And she believed Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead even now, after Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days!

Jesus used this opportunity as a teaching moment, and John recorded it for historical integrity and the benefit of future generations. This "I am" statement leaves no room for any other. Our hope is in Christ alone. He is the One who will raise us up at the resurrection in the last day. He is the One who is life. Even though our physical body will die (unless we are among those who will be gathered together with Him in the clouds in the Second Coming), if we believe in Him our Spirit - the real us - lives on with Him for eternity.

Following Martha's affirmation that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised One whom they'd been waiting for, she went to call Mary. And Mary, who had sat lovingly at His feet time after time, soaking up everything He shared, came to Jesus weeping. Her first words to Him echoed what Martha had said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Jesus wept.

Mary and Martha were right. Jesus could have prevented this tragedy. The Jews who came to console them, who followed along when Mary got up and quickly left the cottage, had varied reactions. Some noted his tears, felt His compassion for the sisters and sensed His own deep love for Lazarus. Some criticized: "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this man from dying?"

Their response wasn't so very different from what both Mary and Martha stated, but the sisters' statements came from hearts of love, and this question came from hearts of doubt.

Which people do you suppose had hearts that were open to what was going to happen next? I think their present words reveal the delineation of their coming responses.

Still I know we grapple with the same dilemma. If Jesus were here. If He wanted to. He could heal. Sometimes He does. That day He did!

Jesus went to the tomb, had them roll the stone away, and called Lazarus forth. And why? So people would believe He was sent from God. Some believed, but others who saw the miracle went back to Jerusalem to tell the Pharisees what He had done.

You'd think there'd be dancing in the streets - but, no! You'd think this would have brought the Pharisees to their knees - not so!

But back in Bethany, there was a celebration! We aren't given insight into the jubilant expression of the joy they were experiencing in that moment - but there is no doubt in my mind that Jesus was rightfully honored! Those who believed in Him were thinking, "Soon He will become King." They were overwhelmed by joy! But they hadn't heard what He'd been telling them....they couldn't. Their ears were deaf to hear the future for Himself that He had so clearly expressed. They were looking for earthly solutions to their earthly problems.

To be continued....

JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 20

Halfway! Hooray! We wade through the deepest sorrow before the most ebullient joy springs forth. True for the present in Jesus' life as He walked His final days on earth - and true for us as we plod onward through times of challenge, being faithful in spite of circumstances . . . knowing JOY will come in the morning.... We just don't necessarily know which morning!

We face difficulties - but we don't face them alone. We shrink away from pain, take a few steps back, reassess, pray, pray, and then pray some more.... What perfect timing for me to come to the story in chapter 11 of John.

Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived in Bethany, a very small village about 2 miles outside Jerusalem. Bethany was on the southeast slope of the Mt. of Olives, very familiar territory to Jesus. In fact, Jesus stopped in and spent time with these three siblings often. They were among his dearest friends. Verse 5 affirms that. And they loved Him. Mary proved that publicly when she anointed him with ointment and wiped his feet with her long, beautiful hair.... She proved it when she sat at His feet, absorbing every word He spoke.... And Martha proved it by cooking and cleaning and washing dishes . . . doing everything she could to honor Him by the things she did for Him.

In John 10, Jesus left and went across the Jordan to get away from those who were intent on killing Him, so He wasn't nearby when He got the news that Lazarus was sick. Still, when Jesus first heard that Lazarus was ill, he intentionally stayed 2 more days before he decided to start the trip back to Judea.

And - when He did decide to go, His disciples were wary. They knew He would be walking back into dangerous territory. After all, Jesus had already told them that this sickness was not going to lead to death, so they couldn't figure out why He wanted to go back into harm's way, where people sought to kill Him.

Jesus used the opportunity of Lazarus' demise as a teaching moment. They would remember later that Jesus knew what was, and what was to come.... Lazarus' illness was for the glory of God. He got sick so Jesus could bring him back to life! That's a difficult concept to grasp.

After telling them this illness wasn't going to led to death, 2 days later when Jesus announced that they were going back to Judea, He had to be bluntly clear that Lazarus had died. The indicator of the purpose of the illness is revealed: it was so the disciples would believe.

Thomas - who would later be the 'doubting Thomas' - declared they should go die with Lazarus! I must observe, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, for when the true test of that statement came, related to Jesus and the disciples, Thomas was no where to be found.... I understand. It's easier to express bravery than to follow through when the moment of truth arises. Jesus knew that and loved anyway.

Also, Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but when He was in the reality of the circumstances, and experiencing the grief in the gathered pain of those who loved Lazarus, Jesus wept right along with them. I could readily extrapolate that there was more going through His mind than just the pain of losing Lazarus.... It was about 2 months before His own death and resurrection when He raised Lazarus from the grave.... It was personal.

But, I'm getting ahead of the story....

To be continued....