Through the Bible - 1 Chronicles 18-20, John 11:1-27
Good morning,
Today's verse comes from John 11 which is on the read through the Bible plan for today.
In our High School Sunday school class we've been going over the life of Jesus, most recently the various miracles. We've looked at the changing the water into wine, the healing of the leper, raising Jairus' daughter, the calming of the sea, the feeding of the five thousand and in today's passage the raising of Lazarus.
In each of these instances Christ was showing His power and authority over different things from nature, to the body, over life itself.
The disciples were being taught in increasing measure that this truly was the Son of God.
John 11:14 Then Jesus became explicit: "Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let's go to him."
(from THE MESSAGE:)
I chose the Message for today's verse. Think about the statement "You're about to be given new grounds for believing". Looking back over trials in your life and how God has brought you through, did some things that initially brought doubt actually turned into "new grounds for believing."
The situation here seemed hopeless. Not only had Lazarus died but he had been dead for four days to the point where the KJV said "he stinketh". But Jesus was still in control. He had waited a couple of extra days to come there.
Other people had been raised from the dead but naysayers would say that they had not really been dead, they may have been given what we would call CPR. In this passage there was no doubt.
Jesus had compassion for Mary and Martha, His "everlasting arms" were underneath them the whole time. They can be for us as well if we will lean on, and trust in Him.
So frail is human strength, though behind it is tenderest, truest love. All that love can do, all that money can do, all that skill can do--avail nothing. Human arms may clasp us very firmly, yet their clasp cannot keep us from the power of disease--or from the cold hand of death.
But the love and strength of God are everlasting. Nothing can ever separate us from Him! An Old Testament promise reads: "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27. If we are stayed upon the eternal God, nothing ever can disturb us--for nothing can disturb Him on whom we are reposing. If we are held in the clasp of His everlasting arms--we need not fear that we shall ever be separated from the enfolding.
The position of the everlasting arms in this picture is suggestive--"Underneath." They are always underneath us. No matter how low we sink--in weakness, in faintness, in pain, in sorrow--we never can sink below these everlasting arms! We never can drop out of their clasp! J. R. Miller - In Perfect Peace
May we remain stayed on God through our troubled times and be able to look back on them as "new grounds for believing".
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
John 11:12-45
The disciples said, "Master, if he's gone to sleep, he'll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine." Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.
Then Jesus became explicit: "Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let's go to him."
That's when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, "Come along. We might as well die with him."
When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.
Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you."
Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up."
Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time."
"You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world."
After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."
The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?"
"Master, come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept.
The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him."
Others among them said, "Well, if he loved him so much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man."
Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone."
The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"
Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
Then, to the others, "Go ahead, take away the stone."
They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."
Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.
Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."
T
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