The Ultimate Healing is Not Here

9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there. And they came not only because of Him, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus. (John 12:9-11)

Thoughts:  Today we did a memorial service for a miracle lady.  Ruth Palassis was healed from a melanoma 25 years ago (when they didn't know how to treat it well), and then from a Glioblastoma brain tumor.  Glioblastoma is the kind of cancer Ted Kennedy and John McCain died from.  The average life expectancy from diagnosis is 15 months. Ruth lived with it 14 years.  The doctors at Duke said it was a miracle.  Ruth and I did too.   She ended up dying from a third type of cancer- Sarcoma.  The Duke doctors had Ruth talk to others who were just diagnosed to give them hope. 
      Jesus raised three people from the dead by name: Lazarus, Jairus' daughter, and the widow of Nain's son.  Each of these would die again.  While Lazarus lived, he was a living testimony to the power and love of Jesus that reached even beyond the grave.  It was a testimony that God could indeed raise someone from the dead.  This gave people hope- and it should give us hope.  But the ultimate healing is not found in this life.  They tried to kill Lazarus (but couldn't Jesus just raise him again?).  In the end, tradition tells us Lazarus went to Cyprus and became a bishop there before he died.  But Lazarus' ultimate resurrection is in heaven.  That is where our ultimate resurrection and healing is as well.  All the people Jesus healed- the lepers, the lame, the blind, the deaf, the ones having seizures, eventually died.  His healing shows He cares about our pain now but it also points to His power to overcome each thing in the end.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to pray for healing to you here, but know my ultimate healing is not in this life.  

  

3-31-15 Refusing to Believe

37Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”^h

39For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

nor understand with their hearts,

nor turn—and I would heal them.”ⁱ

41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (John 12)

Thoughts: Some think that if they have enough evidence, they would believe.  Similarly, some Christians believe that if they could argue or debate better or present just a little more evidence those they hope would believe actually would.  This passage is a reminder that evidence is not the only thing that counts.  Some saw many miracles but would not believe, but would continually seek an explanation.  Just as there are some who still believe that man didn't go to the moon- but think the whole thing was a staged event in a Hollywood basement, some would rather make up other explanations.
    This passage says something else- God does not open everyone's eyes (vs. 40).  It is the Spirit who gives faith.
     Yet others believed, but squelched that belief out of a desire for the praise and riches of this world.  Both unbelief of the evidence and hiding the belief are evidence of human pride above love for God.  True belief comes with a deep love for God that is not hidden or silenced. 

Prayer: May my love for you overwhelm my eyes and my pride, O Lord.  Help me to see clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly day by day.  

3-30-15 Call to Serve

23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up^g from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. (John 12)

Thoughts: Jesus knew that he had come to die- to this very hour (vs. 27).  Jesus was very human and did not love pain.  He was no masochist.  His suffering was real and the prospect of His suffering made it that much worse.  His ultimate service to us is to give His life for us.
       He knew that His death would give much fruit.  But He also wanted to encourage His disciples to die to themselves.  That is, He wanted His followers to swallow their pride and die to selfishness in order to help other people.  We are called to follow Him.  If we seek to preserve our lives by seeking comfort, we may have temporary comfort but in the end we will lose our meaning,hope, and purpose. But if we give ourselves fully to the Lord, we will find our meaning and true eternal life.
       Then He gives a promise to those who walk in His way: if you serve me, I will be with you.  God blesses those who do His will with His presence.
        The voice of the Father was heard at the baptism and at the transfiguration as means of encouragement to answer the call.  This voice is for our benefit.  For the voice of God calls us and draws us to do what He asks us to do in life, even if it means discomfort or a cross.  For with each cross is a purpose.  After each cross is a resurrection.  

Prayer: Lord, Help me to answer your call to serve. 

3-28-15 Lessons from the "King of Israel"

9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

12The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!^d ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^e “Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12)

Thoughts: The context of Palm Sunday and Jesus' crucifixion began with what happened in Bethany.  The secularists miss this.  Without the miracles of Christ, and especially the two miracles that bookcased passion week (the resurrection of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus), Jesus would have been just a good teacher who died and the "movement" would have been snuffed out like the movement of Judas the Galilean in 6 AD or the rebellious movements of 70 and 120 AD that died out.  The crowds gathered at the top of the Mount of Olives- at Bethany- because of Lazarus' resurrection.  This happened just a few days before the Passover.  The crowds at Jerusalem swelled to over a million (like the crowds at the beach in the summertime swell).  The Romans and the Jewish authorities were nervous about another rebellion, and word that a king was proclaimed riding into Jerusalem no doubt made them more nervous.  But Pilate rightly knew Jesus was changing the religion more than the government.  The crowds that followed Jesus were children and the poorer folk who did not have places to stay in the city.  They were not afraid that the soldiers would stop their parade.  Jesus did not come on a war horse but on a baby donkey. We do not need to be afraid to praise God.  Our purpose is not to change the government or to achieve or deny civil rights.  Our purpose is the changing of the soul.  Jesus always cared for the needy- the physically needy.  But He was less concerned about laws than He was about individual treatment and fairness, and going the extra mile.  The church should care about justice.  Certainly Jesus kept the condemning from stoning the woman caught in adultery.  But when the church gets involved in government too much on the left or the right we lose our purpose and our soul.  The resurrection power of Christ changes and corrects all injustices.  It is not all up to us.  

Prayer: Lord, help to always look to help the helpless. But Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you and that your kingdom is not of this world.  

3-15-14 The King's Procession

12The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna! ”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”

14Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

15“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey’s colt.”

16At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

17Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (John 12:12-19)

Thoughts: John indicates that a lot of the excitement for Jesus' coming to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was because word spread because of Lazarus' resurrection.  Other gospels speak of the excitement caused by his "many" miracles (Lk. 19:37).  They called Jesus "King" which was bound to upset both the Romans and the Jewish authorities.  But Jesus was not that kind of king.  He rode a colt- the foal of a donkey into Jerusalem both in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy about the Messiah, and as a sign of being a prince of Israel (for the princes rode donkeys- Judges 10:4).  Jesus is the King who saves us (Hosanna means "Lord save.").  He is our Savior, and He came to Jerusalem at Passover to bring the salvation that comes from being the sacrificial "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  He is worthy of our praise. 

Prayer: Lord, you are worthy of our attention and praise.  Thank you for being my Savior and King. 

3-14-14 Jesus anointed by Mary

1Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pint^a of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.^b ” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you,^c but you will not always have me.”

9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (John 12:1-10)

Thoughts: John describes Bethany as "where Lazarus lived" (NIV) or "where Lazaerus was" (KJV).  Matthew's account has Jesus coming the house of Simon the Leper.  Some would just give up and say "scripture contradicts itself."  But if we wrestle with the text we may see that this is recording the same event from two different angles. The resurrection of Lazarus probably menat that the name of Bethany had changed to "the place where Lazarus lived."  Lazarus could have lived with Simon the Leper and we do not need to assume he lived with his sisters.  Regardless, this was in Bethany- a very small town not too far from the Mount of Olives.  Other differences are that Matthew did not name the woman while John names her as Mary.  Both have this event happening at the end of Jesus ministry and indicate this rite was a symbol of Jesus' death.  Mary was no doubt grateful that her brother was raised by Jesus and gave extravagantly to Him.  If we are convinced truly that Jesus gives us life- here and in the life to come- perhaps we will not be so reticent to give to Him, but would be grateful.
     The other really important thing is that Mary's extravagant gift was criticized by Judas (according to John) while Matthew adds other disciples joined in the criticism.  We often do not understand why people give the way they do, but we should reserve judgment.  The Spirit may prompt one to give to missions (and we may not understand that), while another may be prompted to give to buildings. Perhaps another thing to realize is that the Church does not exist solely to help the poor,  There is no doubt the Church is supposed to help the poor and love their neighbor.  But we do not need to forget the other command to love God.  Mary showed love for God by her act of worship.  Jesus was saying there is a time to give like this and perhaps inferring there is a time not to ("To everything there is a season"- Eccles. 3:1).  Jesus was not saying to not give to the poor because it is helpless to do so, but that while He was on earth it would be appropriate for an act of worship. So today there is a place to give to enhance the worship of God as well as helping the poor.  

Prayer: Help me to remember you are worthy of my time and gifts.  All I have is a gift from you- my life here and my life to come.  Help me to balance giving to the needy and giving to you.  

(Below- Mural of Mary's anointing of Jesus in Bethany church, Israel).