“When many of the Jews learned that He was there, they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” John 12:9-11 (Read John 11:55 — 12:11)

The chief priests and the Pharisees were watching for Jesus at the Passover feast so they could arrest Him and put Him to death. In fact, they “had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him” (John 11:57).

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany (about two miles east of Jerusalem), the village where He had raised Lazarus from the dead. There, a supper was prepared for Jesus. Lazarus joined Jesus at the supper, Martha served, and Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly ointment and wiped them with her hair.

Jerusalem was crowded with people coming for the Passover feast, with some coming early to purify themselves before the feast began. When they learned that Jesus was in nearby Bethany, many of the Jews came there to see Him, not only Jesus but also Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

The Gospel of John tells us: “So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus” (John 12:10-11).

The chief priests and religious rulers of the Jews were so opposed to anyone believing in Jesus that they were excommunicating anyone who professed faith in Him (cf. John 9:22,34-35), and now they planned to put Lazarus to death, as well, because he was living and breathing proof, after being dead and in the grave four days, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and has the power to raise the dead. They planned to kill Lazarus because he was a back-from-the-dead, living witness for Jesus and caused many to believe in Jesus as the Christ.

What happens when people reject Jesus and refuse to believe in Him? They become hardened in their unbelief and refuse to accept the obvious truth. After all, how could Jesus call forth the dead from their graves if He were not the Son of God? The chief priests and religious leaders of the people heard about and saw the mighty miracles of Jesus, and they knew the Scriptures that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah — who He is and what He would do! Yet, they clung so tightly to their religious system of rites and works that they refused to believe and planned to silence the truth by killing Jesus — and Lazarus — and excommunicating all who professed faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior.

And what of Lazarus? Do you think he was shaking in his sandals at the thought of being put to death for his witness to Jesus? He had already been dead once and Jesus raised him from the dead by calling him forth from the tomb, saying, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43-44). Could death hold him and silence him? He had nothing to fear!

Jesus’ enemies were so blinded by their unbelief that they failed to consider Jesus’ power to raise the dead — to raise Lazarus again should they kill him and to rise from the dead Himself on the third day after being crucified! They failed to see that they were fighting against the truth — against God Himself — and would not prevail.

My question is: What about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came into this world as a man to atone for your sins and provide a way for you to be pardoned, forgiven, and have eternal life in communion with God? Or are you so set against the truth that Jesus is God the Son and the only way of salvation that you fight against the truth and seek to silence it and keep it out of your life?

It’s not too smart to reject and oppose the one who will one day soon call forth all the dead from their graves and be our Judge (cf. John 5:28-29; Psalm 2). Not only did He raise from the dead the daughter of Jairus (Matt. 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), the young man of Nain (cf. Luke 7:11-17) and Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:1-44); He Himself rose from the dead after being crucified for our sins (Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21)!

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, grant that I not ignore or reject the truth of who You are and what You have done for me, but trust in You as my God and Savior and look to You and Your cross for pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting in fellowship with You. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“Then Mary took a pint of very costly ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.” John 12:3 (Read John 12:1-9)

Not much is told to us in the Bible about Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. We know that she sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word on one occasion when Martha was busy serving (Luke 10:38-42), and we know that she was present when Lazarus died and when Jesus came and raised him from the dead (John 11).

Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, Jesus was the honored guest at a supper in Bethany. Martha served, and Mary came and anointed the head and feet of Jesus with a very costly ointment (cf. Matt. 26:6-13), worth around 300 denarii (approximately 300 days wages).

The disciples, and especially Judas who kept the money box and stole from it, were upset and indignant over this extravagant act, but Jesus told them to leave Mary alone. She was anointing His body for burial, and this deed of hers would be remembered and spoken of wherever the Gospel was preached.

Mary acted in love for her Lord and Savior. She understood what Jesus’ disciples had not yet grasped: that Jesus was going to the cross to suffer and die for her sins and the sins of all.

Do you know the love of Jesus? Do you realize the tremendous love He has for you — love which moved Him to willingly lay down His life for your sins so that you might have forgiveness and life everlasting rather than the condemnation and eternal punishment of God you deserve? Have you taken the time to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word? Through His Word, God desires to graciously bless you with an understanding of His love and mercy toward you for Jesus’ sake!

Consider God’s great love for us sinners: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8); “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10); “Jesus Christ … loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5).

O dearest Jesus, thank You for loving me so much that You came into this world and willingly went to the cross to bear the punishment for my sins. Forgive me for all that I have done wrong and for my failure to love You and appreciate Your great gift of salvation. Give me the desire to sit at Your feet and read and study Your Word, and open up my heart and mind so that I might understand what You have done for me, trust in You, and follow You unto life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26 (Read all of John 11.)

If only Jesus had been there, Lazarus would not have died! So thought both Martha and Mary, Lazarus’ sisters (John 11:21,32). We, too, may have had similar thoughts when we lost a loved one to death — if only Jesus would have been here!

Yet Lazarus’ death was for the glory of Jesus Christ, God the Son in human flesh (John 11:4). Jesus was going to raise him up from the dead. When those who have trusted in Christ are raised up again on the Last Day and given everlasting life in heaven, this too will bring glory to God the Son; for without His innocent sufferings and death in our stead and His glorious resurrection, we could only rise to the eternal torments of hell!

When Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again, she said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (John 11:24). It is then that Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

Jesus was telling Martha that not only would her brother rise again on the Last Day, but He (Jesus) is “the resurrection and the life”! Jesus is the one who will raise up all the dead on the Last Day, and Jesus is the one who gives life. He breathed life into Adam’s breathless body at creation (Gen. 2:7); He breathes spiritual life into us today (John 1:4; 5:21,24-26; 10:10); and He will raise up all the dead on the Last Day and give eternal life to all who have believed on Him (John 5:27-29)!

And so it is that the one who trusts in Jesus as his Savior, even if he dies, shall live again; for Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, will raise him up at the Last Day. And whoever lives and trusts in Jesus shall in no way [a Greek double negative amplifying the negative] ever die, forever and ever into eternity; for even when their body dies, their soul goes to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven (Phil. 1:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Rev. 7:9-17). Then, on the Last Day, when Jesus returns and raises the dead, their bodies will be raised up and reunited with their souls, and they will live forever with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15)!

Do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that it is He who will raise the dead and give everlasting life to all who believe in Him? Consider the evidence. Not only did He heal the sick and open the eyes of the blind, He raised the dead. When Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus, who had already been dead for four days, He said, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43); Lazarus walked from the tomb alive!

Not only this but after His own death on the cross for our sins, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day in victory so that we might trust in Him and be assured of forgiveness and everlasting life in His name!

O dearest Jesus, grant us faith to trust in You as our Savior and hold fast to You, even in death, that we might be raised up on the Last Day, at the sound of Your voice, unto life everlasting and to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. … So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom You love is sick.’ When Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He remained where He was two more days.” John 11:1,3-6 (Read John 10:1-7)

Lazarus from Bethany (just outside of Jerusalem), the brother of Mary and Martha, was very sick, and his sisters sent word to Jesus to seek His help and aid. The Scriptures clearly tell us of Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. Yet, when Jesus received word that Lazarus was sick, He remained in the place where He was for two more days before traveling to Bethany to aid His friend.

Jesus said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” God had a reason for allowing Lazarus to be sick. It was that Jesus would be glorified by raising Lazarus from the dead, providing further witness to the fact that Jesus was and is the Son of God in human flesh who came into this world to atone for our sins and give us new life in communion with God through faith in Him.

And Jesus promised to raise the dead and give eternal life to all who believe in Him. His raising of Lazarus from the grave after being dead for four days is evidence that He can raise us up from the grave on the Last Day, as He promised, and give eternal life to all who have trusted in Him. Thus, Lazarus’ death was for the glory of Jesus, the Son of God and the Savior of lost mankind.

This raises important questions for us to consider. What if we or a loved one becomes seriously ill and faces death, and our prayers for healing and recovery seem to go unanswered? If God delays or even allows death to come, has he failed to answer our prayers? Not at all. He has a reason, often unknown to us, but for our good and for His glory.

We trust “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). If God wills that our lives in this world end, that is better for us and our loved ones than continuing to live on in this world, even though we are unable to see and understand His divine reasoning now.

And when we do become ill, face death, or even die, do we bring glory to God through it? Do we accept God’s will and die in the faith that Jesus paid in full for our sins when He died on the cross as our atoning sacrifice? Do we die with the assurance that, through faith in Jesus, we are pardoned and forgiven and will not be condemned in the final judgment? Do we die in the confidence that Jesus, who raised Lazarus from the dead and who Himself rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion, will also raise us up as He has promised and give unto us and all believers eternal life with Him in His kingdom?

Let your life and your death be to the glory of Christ Jesus by trusting in Him and His cross for pardon, forgiveness, and the eternal joys of heaven!

O precious Jesus, our resurrection and our life, grant that we trust You in all things and glorify Your name while we live and when we die. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“Again, the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, claim to be 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 has sanctified and sent into the world, “You blaspheme,” because I said, “I am the Son of God”? If I am not doing the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do them, 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.’ Again they tried to seize Him, but He escaped from their hands. Then He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and He remained there. Many came to Him and said, ‘John did no sign. But everything that John said about this Man was true.’ And many believed in Him there.” John 10:31-42

So often, the truth’s worst persecutors come from within the outward, visible church — from those who should accept and embrace the truth but do not because it calls into question the validity of established beliefs and traditions.

It happened to Jesus because He claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God — a claim His teaching and many mighty miracles verified. But the truth He revealed challenged the religious beliefs and traditions of His day — that one could be acceptable to God by living according to traditions and a strict interpretation of God’s law passed down by the rabbis and elders revered in Jesus’ day. Instead of studying the Scriptures and accepting the truth, they rejected the truth and sought to kill Jesus.

Does this still happen today? Let a minister or church member challenge established church dogma or tradition with the clear words of Scripture and see what happens! It almost always results in a rejection of the truth in order to preserve long-held doctrines and traditions, even when such are clearly contrary to the Bible’s teaching. Instead of honest examination and comparison of church dogma and traditions with the Bible, it almost always ends in expulsions, ex-communications, and character assassinations.

Notice where Jesus went — beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing early in his ministry (cf. John 1:28). Jesus and His doctrine were not accepted in Jerusalem, the center and headquarters (so to speak) of Jewish worship in Jesus’ day. His claims and teaching were rejected and condemned by the “seminaries” and mainline “churches” of His day, so Jesus crossed over to the east side of the Jordan.

And what happened there? The seed of truth planted by John the Baptist took root. John testified of Jesus, saying He was the Son of God and the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He said Jesus was before him, greater than him, and that he wasn’t even worthy to stoop down and unloose Jesus’ sandals. He called upon all his hearers to repent of their sinful ways and believe in Jesus, the promised Messiah and Savior of the world (cf. Mark 1:4-8; Matt. 3:1-12; Luke 3:1-20; John 1:14-36). And when those who had heard the preaching of John now heard the preaching of Jesus and witnessed His miracles, many believed in Him there.

So also today. It is not always the religious rulers and church officials who come to know and trust in Jesus — many times, they reject Him and the truth He proclaims and hold to their own religious traditions and teachings — but it is those who humbly hear God’s Word and see in Jesus the fulfillment of all that God has promised who are brought to believe.

Jesus is the Seed of the woman in Genesis 3, the Seed of Abraham in Genesis 12, the substitute sacrifice of Genesis 22, the virgin-born Immanuel of Isaiah 7, the Mighty God of Isaiah 9, the sin-bearing Servant of Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, the only-begotten Son of God in Psalms 2 and 110, the one who provides abundant redemption in Psalm 130, the only-begotten Son of God and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in John 1.

The true Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, may challenge your beliefs and traditions. He might even be rejected by your church or religious leaders in favor of another idea of Jesus imagined in men’s hearts. However, it is only the true Jesus revealed to us in the Bible who gives life. He is God the Son in human flesh. He is the one who fulfilled all that God said of Him in the ancient prophesies and promises of Scripture. He paid the penalty for your sins when He suffered and died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all. He rose again and will be your Judge on the Last Day. Those who trust in Him have pardon, peace, and the promise of the eternal joys of heaven. Those who reject him have no forgiveness, no peace, and will be condemned to the eternal torments of hell. (Cf. John 3:16-18,36; 1 John 5:11-12.)

Look at what God’s prophets (including John the Baptist) say of Jesus in God’s Word. Look at Jesus’ teaching and works. Look at the teaching of Jesus’ apostles recorded for us in the Bible. Place your faith, your hope, your confidence in Jesus, the Son of God and Your Savior!

O gracious and merciful God, grant that I not let my own views and traditions keep me from believing Your Word and placing my faith in Jesus, Your Son, and my Savior. In His name, I pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]