Jesus Revealed Pt. 11 - I AM The Resurrection And The LifeSample

People respond to Lazarus  

Thoughts on the Passage

How does one respond to a man raised from the dead? Today we see.

When Jesus raises Lazarus, there is obviously a lot of excitement and joy. We do not hear the response of Mary and Martha – I think their response would be obvious. We do hear about the people who came with Mary to the tomb – they believe! They believe Jesus is the Son of God; this is what John is writing about in this book. He wants us to know that Jesus is the Son of God.

There are two other responses mentioned. 

First, people run off and tell the leaders in Jerusalem. These people may or may not have believed, but they have to go tell people who hate Jesus. I shake my head at this. It was not wise nor was it necessary – it created problems. Do not be people who create problems.

Second, the religious leaders respond. They do not join in the joy and excitement. They see problems. They see people running to Jesus – and away from them. They see their power being threatened. They have rejected Jesus and if Jesus becomes too powerful, then He must be removed. That causes them to look at what they must do.

Jesus gave a story about a second (different) Lazarus in Luke 16 – a beggar. This story compares the eternity of the two men, Lazarus and the rich man. One has a great eternity, the other has eternal torment. He wants his five brothers to repent and not come to this place of torment. He wants Lazarus to be sent back (to rise from the dead) so that they will repent and not come. Abraham says that if they will not obey the Word of God, then they will not believe if one rises from the dead… And that is just what happened.

Application

The issue is not whether God can do a miracle in our lives. It is whether we are willing to receive it.
 

Many things get in the way… 

· Unbelief can stop God from doing it

· Pride can stop us from receiving it, and we can disregard it because it does not fit into what we think God should do.

We have been waiting on God for the last few days. We have been obedient (as best we can), now God is acting. How are we responding? Unbelief? Inaction? Joy and Thanksgiving? Humility?

When God gives an answer, let’s celebrate.

Time to Pray

Father, this reminds me how important it is to rejoice and give thanks to You for all that You do for us. Every day You release blessings to us – health, strength, opportunities and challenges. I start my day by giving thanks for all of them. I also still wait…. I am waiting for my answer. I do not know when You will bring it. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. I wait though. I know that it will come. Give me a patient heart while I wait. Give me a rejoicing heart when the answer comes. Give me a thankful heart always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.