< Previous51 41 LOVE’S PROVIDENCE Read: John 11:1-16 Marooned on a small island after being adrift in the ocean for many weeks, a man set to and built a hut with a few pieces of driftwood and some palm branches. Days later as he was return- ing from a walk, he saw a cloud of smoke drifting out to sea from where his lean-to was situated. Everything he owned was in the hut, and all was lost in the flames. Forced to sleep under the stars that night, the man became angry with God. “Why did you let this happen? Don’t you care for me?” His anger turned to shame when a few hours later a ship anchored in the harbour. “We saw the smoke coming from an uninhabited island and came to see if someone was in trouble!” the captain said. God’s providence is His ability to control all the circumstances of our lives and work all things together for good. At times our circumstances may cause us to think that He is not in control, but His inaction is part of His wise and loving purpose. Martha and Mary were close friends of Jesus. When their brother Lazarus became critically ill, they sent word to Him because they knew He had the power to heal him. Upon receiving their mes- sage, He remained a few extra days in the place where He was, and finally arrived after Lazarus had died. The funeral was over, and the body had been laid to rest for days! Both sisters could not understand. Why did Jesus not come in time. If only He had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus could have spoken the word and healed him from a distance. After all, He loved him! Jesus always acts on His own initiative in union with His Father. He chooses the right time to act, and acts the way He decides is best. His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. At times He does not act when we think He should, or how we expect Him to, leading us to doubt His love and control. Some people have sought Jesus at a time when they felt they needed Him, and He seemed to be deaf to their prayers. He waits for the time He knows best to answer the deepest needs people face. His providence and His love will cause a true seeker to find Him at the right time and in the right way. When Jesus does not answer our call, it is because He has something better in store. When our hopes go up in smoke, and He seems distant and disinterested, trust Him anyway. He cares.52 42 DEAD DOGMA Read: John 11:17-32 The church has always had her dogma; the doctrines or formal beliefs that she holds. Martha knew the dogma of resurrection. For her it was part of the system of belief she had been taught since childhood. Now her brother was dead, and Jesus spoke of resurrection. “Your brother will rise again” He said. “I know he will rise again” she affirmed, but went on to say: “in the resurrection at the last day”. Dogma can bring a certain degree of comfort, especially if a belief has special relevance. But Jesus wanted her to look beyond the formal dogma to the source of what she believed. To know the dogma of resurrection is one thing. To know the One who is that very life and power is another! “I am the resurrection and the life” Jesus said. Martha was encouraged to put her faith in a living person, instead of a dead dogma. She responded to Jesus with a clear statement of faith “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God” (verse 27). Because resurrection has its source in the person of Jesus Christ, the only way to share in it is by trusting in Him. For those like Martha who are willing to put their faith in Jesus, He pledges Himself to them. If they die, they will live (“He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies” - verse 25). Jesus is speaking here of a future day when He will restore the spirits of His people to bodily life, by giving them a permanent new body that will be far more wonderful than the original (Philippians 3:21). Before that day of resurrection takes place, Jesus will still save His people from death. He said, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (verse 26). When Christians face physical death Jesus pledges that He will shelter them from the power of death. When a believer passes away, the soul and spirit leave the body and enter immediately into the presence of God. The real person is not dead, but very much alive. Physical death merely becomes a gateway to life - life on a far higher plain than before. To trust in the Lord Jesus is all we need to do. Jesus Christ is the source of life and power - He is the resurrection and the life! He is trustworthy, and has pledged Himself to save you from death’s power, and give you a brand new body in a future day.53 THINKING IT THROUGH John 8:48 - 11:32 1. What did Jesus claim about Himself in John 8:58 (compare Exodus 3:13-14)? If Jesus’ claim to be God was false, what would we be forced to conclude about His character? 2. What kind of blindness did the Pharisees have (9:39-41), and how did Jesus respond to them? 3. As the Shepherd of His sheep, what does Jesus promise those who follow Him (John 10:9,10,28)? How did Jesus show that He really does care for us individually? (compare 10:11-13 with Luke 15:4-7) 4. How do Jesus’ miracles prove He was equal with God the Father (verses 37-38)? 5. How do you think Mary and Martha felt when Jesus seemed to be slow in responding to their urgent prayers for help (John 11:6, 21)? How did Jesus show He was in complete control? QUESTIONS AND DIFFICULTIES:54 PASSION AND POWER Read: John 11:33-44 Advertising can be deceptive. You almost believe the soap- powder company is really concerned about your wash! They make extravagant claims about the extra-super-dazzling white- ness of your sheets after using their brand! Promises come easy, they are just words. Jesus had made a startling promise to Martha (verses 25 and 26), but His words were not idle. To promise resurrection to a grieving sister would be cruel if He didn't match them with His display of divine power. Jesus' promise was not merely a statement of truth, it was a word of comfort that was born out of genuine concern. Jesus wept! His tears showed the depth of His love for His friends in grief. Sometimes we can think of God as aloof - sure He loves us, but even that seems to be 'at a distance'. But here we see the kind of love God has for us. The all-powerful creator who is unrivalled in glory and honour is touched deeply in His emotions by the agony of heart engulfing His friends. But Jesus felt more than sympathy. The words “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (verse 33) are unusually intense in the original Greek language. They indicate that Jesus was enraged and disturbed in spirit. As a Mother whose child had been molested and strangled, sorrow would be mixed with anger. So Jesus is filled with indignation. He went to the tomb like a lioness who has lost her cubs. His passion is stirred by the tragic consequences that sin has brought into the world. Passion and power join together as He stood before the tomb and commanded Lazarus to come out. The One who is the source of life demonstrated openly that His claims are not hollow words. Lazarus entered life on earth for a second time after experiencing death for four days! Today Jesus is still moved in spirit. He is touched by our feelings when we go through times of suffering (Hebrews 4:15-16). The same passion which moved Him to raise Lazarus, and later led Him to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross, now motivates Him to reach out in love to us. He may not immediately remove the consequences of sin (death and suffering), but if we trust in Him, He promises to do so after we pass through the gateway of physical death and live with Him forever in His Fa- ther’s home. 4355 GOD IN CONTROL Read: John 11:45-57 The Bible teaches that God is sovereign. He is in complete control. He is reigning on the throne of the universe. Nothing happens by accident and nothing takes Him by surprise. He controls the affairs of men from behind the scenes. He even takes the things that men do against Him, and uses them to fulfil His own plans. When the Jewish leaders observed the growing excitement about Jesus, climaxing in the people’s exuberant response to the res- urrection of Lazarus, their fear and jealousy came to a head. Little did they know that their hatred was to be used in the controlling hands of God to fulfil His loving purpose. Unless Jesus died for the sin of the world there would be no way for mankind to be saved from judgement. God took the worst evil that man could do to Him (killing His Son) and turned it around to become the greatest love-gift He has ever given! In Acts 2:23, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter tells the people that the crucifixion was not a mistake. He says that it was according to the set purpose and foreknowledge of God. It is heartening to know that God is in full control! The death of Christ may seem to be a failure. If He died, and died such a shameful death, some may doubt His claims to be the Son of God. Knowing that His death was part of God’s eternal plan, and believing in the truth of His resurrection, strengthens our faith in Jesus as the Lord and Saviour. Evidence of the control of God over the death of His Son is seen in the High Priest’s prophecy. Every year the High priest would be expected to speak on behalf of God. In his sin and anger, he said that it is better for one man to die for the people than the whole nation perish. He meant that if Jesus wasn’t silenced, there would be such a following of Him by the common people, that Rome would be aroused and destroy Jerusalem in order to prevent a revolution. The words he spoke were true, though the meaning he attached to them was wrong. Jesus was to die instead of the nation, not to save Israel from perishing under the Romans, but from perishing under God’s judgement for their sins. The death of Jesus was no mere accident. God planned that your sins could be removed by the sacrifice of His Son. He sent the Lord Jesus into the world to die on a cross. God's love was the motive, and He did it for you! 4456 IS HE WORTH IT? Read: John 12:1-11 Mary had come to appreciate the Lord Jesus while sitting at His feet as He taught (Luke 10:39), and following Him as He went about doing good. Perhaps more than any other disciple, Mary believed Him when He spoke of His approaching death. She had observed the growing hatred of the Jewish leaders, and, not wanting to be unprepared, had purchased at great cost a pound of pure spikenard perfume. This was no ordinary perfume. It was customary to use spikenard to anoint the bodies of loved ones before burial, as an act of love. Knowing this, Mary took from her meager savings to be prepared should Jesus suddenly be murdered by a group of angry Pharisees. But now her appreciation of the Lord was raised to new heights. The special mention in verse two of Lazarus being at the table indicated that the occasion of the feast was probably to celebrate the miracle of his return to life after being dead four days. Mary, having experienced first hand the Lord’s power and grace in her brother’s new life, was filled with an uncontrollable urge to show her love. She takes the white alabaster container of ointment and broke it, pouring the expensive contents on Jesus. The response was immediate. Those present in the room looked with disapproval. Mary had loosened her hair, a disgrace for a woman in that culture. She had acted spontaneously with no second thought to what people might think. Judas spoke out against such an extravagant waste. She had worked the best part of a year to earn enough to buy the perfume! Why not pour a little on Jesus and keep the rest for other times? Why not sell it and give the money to the poor? Jesus came to her defence. The selfish heart of Judas was so alien to the generous love of Mary. Judas' concern for the poor was a smoke-screen for his greed and love of money. Mary knew the value of the spikenard but she valued Jesus above all else. He was more precious than her most treasured possession. When people today grasp the wonder of who Jesus really is, and decide to commit their lives fully to Him, there are others who regard it as a waste. The question everyone has to face is this - “Is He worth it?” Your response to Jesus reveals your true assessment of Him. 4557 46 BEHOLD YOUR KING! Read: John 12:12-19 It was decision time. Israel had to make up her mind. The three years of public teaching, miracles and godly living had placed Jesus centre-stage in a great controversy. Is He the Son of God? Is He Messiah? Is He an impostor? Who is He? Gradually the gap between believers and non-believers wid- ened. Minds became set. Unbelief turned to hatred and faith grew into love. There was no value in prolonging the decision. Would God’s chosen nation receive her king or reject Him? The triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem was His official presentation of Himself as Messiah, the King of Israel. Visiting Jerusalem at that time were many country folk who believed in Him. Their expectation that Jesus would take author- ity and reign as King in Jerusalem was raised to great heights when they learned of the resurrection of Lazarus. They threw palm leaves and clothing in front of Jesus as He made His way on a young donkey up the incline towards the city gate. Jesus accepted their praise. The event fulfilled what the prophet Zechariah had said over four hundred years earlier: “See, your King comes to you... riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). The whole of Jerusalem heard about it, and could not ignore the significance. Jesus’ triumphal entry formally declared to Israel that He was their King. Neutral ground was now impossible. The nation had to decide whether or not to accept Him. They chose! A few days later they were crying out, “Away with Him ... crucify Him ... we will not have this man to reign over us ... we have no king except Caesar!” Just as the nation of Israel was forced to choose, so must we. God gives us time to look at His claims, listen to His word and read of His miracles. Mental acknowledgement of Christ is not enough. Christ forces us out into the open. There is a time to decide, and that decision is binding. Christ presents Himself to us as Saviour and Lord. We cannot avoid Christ, but neither can we avoid the consequences of rejecting Him. The decision is ours.58 LIFE EXTINGUISHER Read: John 12:20-26 Can you imagine the frustration of trying to put out a small fire in your home with a fire extinguisher which scatters the fire into hundreds of small flames around the room. Each of these in turn grows into a new fire. Your extinguisher would create a raging inferno within minutes! Like a fire, Jesus came from Heaven and His flame took hold in the few years He went about teaching and healing. Having shown His power and glory, He knew what the response of some would be. They would try to extinguish Him. Many times He told His disciples that He would be killed by His enemies. But the crucifixion would not be able to put out Jesus’ flame! In resurrection He would share His life with all His disciples, who in turn would spread the same flame to their neighbours, friends and families. The death of Christ would only serve to ignite a great, spreading, circle of fire, beginning in Jerusalem, and spreading out to the furthest parts of the earth. In the book of Acts we read about His disciples receiving the Spirit (symbolised by tongues of fire coming down on everyone's head). Prior to these events taking place, Jesus predicted it in a parable. In verse 24 He pictures Himself as a grain of wheat. While He is alive and walking around on earth His life is imprisoned within His body - it cannot be shared with even His closest family and friends. But just as a seed dies when it is planted, and from that death a plant grows and produces many seeds; so Jesus, through His death and resurrection, will grow His church. He will reproduce His very own life in the hearts of His followers. After His resurrection the Spirit of Christ came upon one hundred and twenty disciples and indwelt them (Acts 2). They immediately went out and reproduced another three thousand. Then another five thousand believed. The early church was persecuted, caus- ing the believers to scatter. The flame spread through the whole Roman empire in a very short time. Even today in places where Christians have been severely persecuted, the church of Jesus Christ is growing. Jesus gave up His life in order to share it with others, and He calls us to apply the same principle to ourselves (verse 25). If you prefer to live your life without Christ (love your life), you may seem to gain it, but in the end you will lose it for eternity. However, if you are willing to die (to your independent life) and follow Christ, He will give you eternal life (verse 25). 4759 WHO’S JUDGING WHO? Read: John 12:27-33 A tourist being shown through an art gallery in Europe stood in front of one of the world’s greatest masterpieces. The tourist surveyed the canvas and turned to the tour leader. “I don’t think much of it” she said, to which the guide replied, “Madam your judgement does not matter. The picture is not on trial - you are the one who is on trial!” Speaking of His approaching death, Jesus said it was a time when the world would be judged (verse 31). “Now is the time for judgement on this world” He said. The ones who thought they were judging Him, were in fact condemning themselves. It is in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that the sinfulness of mankind is fully expressed. Pious, religious and law-keeping people show their true hearts when they reject the Son of God. He also saw the victory of His death - a victory over the devil. Where the evil one seemed to win, the death of Christ would in fact be the devil’s defeat. In Jesus’ death, all of mankind’s rebellion and sin were paid for in full. The devil now has no legal right to the earth or its inhabitants. He still may seem to be in control, but he is defeated. The victory of the cross also means that people of every race and standing can enter into a saving relationship with God. The death of Christ would draw people from every people group across the whole earth to trust in the Lord Jesus as Saviour. Only days before His execution, Jesus knew the anguish He was about to endure. He was human, and shrank in anticipation of the suffering He would have to go through. But He could not ask His Father to save Him from it, for His death was the great purpose of His coming into the world. His deepest desire was to glorify His Father by obediently doing His will. He knew the outcome would be victory, but that knowledge did not take away the horror of the prospect. He went willingly to the cross to die as a sacrifice for our sins. His love was not sentiment. He gave His all. Our response to Jesus Christ today determines our judgement. We may not have stood in the crowd crying out “crucify Him”, but our response to Him seals our destiny. What will your response be? 4860 HIDE AND SEEK Read: John 12:34-50 Jesus hid Himself! The people looked everywhere but were unable to find Him. They asked His disciples, who were not able to help. The sudden disappearance of Jesus worked to emphasise the last words He had spoken (verses 35-36). Every day for three years He had openly revealed Himself as God’s Son. Though He had performed so many great miracles, and His teaching was so fresh and unique, and His perfect life measured up, most did not believe. He had just told them that the time was close when He would no longer be with them. He warns them that when He does go, the light also goes. If they do not believe when the light of God is in their midst, they would be left in darkness, without any sure means to find the truth. Even if they believed in God and read the Bible, they would be unable, by them- selves, to know how to become children of God. Without Christ, their religion would be in vain. But if they believed in the Light (Jesus), they would become Sons of Light (verse 36). The Lord wanted them to know the serious nature of their decision. He was not just another prophet or holy-man. He was the truth of God in human flesh. He was God and man in one! It may sound illogical, but when God reveals Himself, He always hides Himself at the same time. For those who genuinely seek Him, He reveals enough to form a solid foundation to build their faith on. For those who do not really want to know God, He hides Himself. For example, a person with sincere faith will have his belief strengthened by reading the Bible, while a sceptic or closed-minded person may read the same pages and never see the light. God has chosen this method to screen out the genuine seekers from the rest. When God’s full revelation of Himself came into the world (Jesus Christ) He operated in the same way. His use of parables (Matthew 13:10-13) and miracles (Luke 11:29-32) and His personal dealings with people (Matthew 11:25-26) were used as a means to reveal truth and conceal truth at the same time. Many wanted more proof, but the disciples had proof enough. John quoted from the Old Testament to show that the rejection of Christ by Israel was not because of Him, but because they were blind due to their hardened hearts. The same principle is at work today. When faced with the light of Jesus Christ we are forced to make a decision. If we play around the fringe and refuse to make a commitment, there comes a time when the Lord Jesus hides Himself from us and we are left in darkness. 49Next >