INTERESTING FACTS : Oliver Wolcott, born Nov. 20, 1726, Windsor, Conn. [U.S.] died Dec. 1, 1797, Litchfield, Conn., U.S. ;  American public official who signed the Declaration of Independence (1776) and helped negotiate a settlement with the Iroquois (1784).,   Military general, Governor of Connecticut [1]

 

"Through various scenes of life, God has sustained me. May He ever be my unfailing friend; may His love cherish my soul; may my heart with gratitude acknowledge His goodness; and may my desires be to Him and to the remembrance of His name....May we then turn our eyes to the bright objects above, and may God give us strength to travel the upward road. May the Divine Redeemer conduct us to that seat of bliss which He himself has prepared for His friends; at the approach of which every sorrow shall vanish from the human heart and endless scenes of glory open upon the enraptured eye. There our love to God and each other will grow stronger, and our pleasures never be dampened by the fear of future separation. How indifferent will it then be to us whether we obtained felicity by travailing the thorny or the agreeable paths of life - whether we arrived at our rest by passing through the envied and unfragrant road of greatness or sustained hardship and unmerited reproach in our journey. God's Providence and support through the perilous perplexing labyrinths of human life will then forever excite our astonishment and love. May a happiness be granted to those I most tenderly love, which shall continue and increase through an endless existence. Your cares and burdens must be many and great, but put your trust in that God Who has hitherto supported you and me; He will not fail to take care of those who put their trust in Him....It is most evident that this land is under the protection of the Almighty, and that we shall be saved not by our wisdom nor by our might, but by the Lord of Host Who is wonderful in counsel and Almighty in all His operations"[2]

 

Daily Reading : JOHN 11 - 12

 

TEXT : John  11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.  11:15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.  11:16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.  11:17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.  11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:  11:19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  11:20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.  11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.  11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.  11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.  11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,  11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.  11:35 Jesus wept.  11:36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!  11:37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

 

THEME : THE POWER OF CHRIST

 

John 11 

 

In this chapter we have the history of that illustrious miracle which Christ wrought a little before his death - the raising of Lazarus to life, which is recorded only by this evangelist; for the other three confine themselves to what Christ did in Galilee, where he resided most, and scarcely ever carried their history into Jerusalem till the passion-week: whereas John's memoirs relate chiefly to what passed at Jerusalem; this passage therefore was reserved for his pen. Some suggest that, when the other evangelists wrote, Lazarus was alive, and it would not well agree either with his safety or with his humility to have it recorded till now, when it is supposed he was dead. It is more largely recorded than any other of Christ's miracles, not only because there are many circumstances of it so very instructive and the miracle of itself so great a proof of Christ's mission, but because it was an earnest of that which was to be the crowning proof of all - Christ's own resurrection. Here is,  I. The tidings sent to our Lord Jesus of the sickness of Lazarus, and his entertainment of those tidings (v. 1-16).  II. The visit he made to Lazarus's relations when he had heard of his death, and their entertainment of the visit (v. 17-32).  III. The miracle wrought in the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Joh_11:33-44).  IV. The effect wrought by this miracle upon others (Joh_11:45-57).  (Matthew Henry)[3]

 

John 12 

 

It was a melancholy account which we had in the close of the foregoing chapter of the dishonour done to our Lord Jesus, when the scribes and Pharisees proclaimed him a traitor to their church, and put upon him all the marks of ignominy they could: but the story of this chapter balances that, by giving us an account of the honour done to the Redeemer, notwithstanding all that reproach thrown upon him. Thus the one was set over against the other. Let us see what honours were heaped on the head of the Lord Jesus, even in the depths of his humiliation.  I. Mary did him honour, by anointing his feet at the supper in Bethany (Joh_12:1-11).  II. The common people did him honour, with their acclamations of joy, when he rode in triumph into Jerusalem (Joh_12:12-19).  III. The Greeks did him honour, by enquiring after him with a longing desire to see him (Joh_12:20-26).  IV. God the Father did him honour, by a voice from heaven, bearing testimony to him (Joh_12:27-36).  V. He had honour done him by the Old Testament prophets, who foretold the infidelity of those that heard the report of him (Joh_12:37-41).  VI. He had honour done him by some of the chief rulers, whose consciences witnessed for him, though they had not courage to own it (Joh_12:42, Joh_12:43.  VII. He claimed honour to himself, by asserting his divine mission, and the account he gave of his errand into the world (Joh_12:44-50).  (Matthew Henry)[4]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "ALL POWER IN HEAVEN AND THE EARTH BELONGS TO CHRIST."

 

Lazarus was dead.  Nothing else could be done, or so the Apostles thought.  After all, when someone is dead it is final.  Healing the sick is one thing, but raising the dead is another.  When there is life in someone there is always hope.  However, if a person is dead that life -biological, psychological, and spiritual are gone.  Many believed, and many still believe, once you are dead there is nothing after that.  Although the Apostles and Jesus' disciples believed in an afterlife, they have little knowledge of the power of Christ.  That is, all power in heaven and on the earth belongs to him.  After his resurrection Jesus made an astonishing statement.  "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." The Apostles had yet to learn this.

 

Jesus was called in plenty of time to heal Lazarus when he was sick.  However, the Gospel of John is specific that Jesus waited and did not go immediately to the town of Bethany.  Jesus also said in John 11:4 that Lazarus' "sickness is not unto to death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified  thereby." Nevertheless, Lazarus did die.  This is a seeming contradiction.  It is the kind that antagonists of the Bible point out trying to disparage the inspiration of the Scriptures.  Yet, Jesus knew Lazarus would indeed die, but also be raised up again.  Therefore, there was a deeper meaning and intention in Jesus' words.  Thus, when you read the Bible make sure you give the Book of Books the "benefit of your doubt;" because the Bible has a way of interpreting itself when you compare Scripture with Scripture.  The Bible is known as a - "self-interpreting book."

 

In John 11:14, Jesus  plainly states that Lazarus is dead.  Prior to this, Jesus speaks of Lazarus "sleeping." This word "sleeping" is a euphemism for death used in the Bible.  It is the substitution of a pleasant word (sleepeth) for a most unpleasant word - death.  In any case, when Jesus arrives at Bethany he tells Martha "thy brother shall rise again." As a believer in the resurrection Martha stated that she knew this.  At the last day, Lazarus would rise again, according to Martha.  This is true.  She was right.  This is the doctrine of the "first resurrection." However, Jesus had something else in mind when he told Martha that her brother would rise.  He meant -Lazarus is coming out of the grave today.

 

Martha, like the Apostles was confused.  You, when you read the Bible, have the advantage of a "closed canon." This means, the 66 books of the Bible are complete.  Further, if you have read through the Bible even once, you anticipate the ending of events and stories.  However, trying to put yourself in the place of Martha and the Apostles who do not know the ending of the story.  For this reason, Jesus words, teachings, parables, etc. and so forth, were often confusing to his students (disciples).  Thus, when Jesus said to Martha that her brother shall rise again, in her mind she went immediately to the doctrine of the first resurrection.  This is only natural.  Still, Jesus had something to say to her that is imperative  that you see as well.  Namely, all power is given unto him.

 

Jesus tells Martha - " I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he  were dead, yet sure he live: and  whosoever liveth and believeth  in me shall never die." ( John 11:25-26) This statement of Jesus is one of the many "I am"[5] assertions Jesus made during his lifetime and  ministry.  Jesus would say - "I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world;  I am the good shepherd; I am the door; I am the way, the truth, and the  life; I am the true vine." Most astonishingly when Jesus was asked how he could have seen Abraham not yet being fifty years old, he stated - "before Abraham was, ‘I am'." ( John 8:58) With that amazing declaration, Jesus claimed to be equal with God; which, is exactly what the New Testament says about Jesus.  Namely, he is God come in the flesh.

 

A touching scene enfolds in John chapter eight, particularly in verse 35.  It  tersely states that-"Jesus wept." The shortest verse in the Bible, is nevertheless engorged and pregnant with thought.  Why did Jesus weep?  He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Therefore, one can surmise that Jesus tears were due to his empathy with the suffering and sorrow of the family and friends of Lazarus.  Perhaps, it was also related to the fact that his friends -Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, where disappointed in him.  Remember, he was called before Lazarus died.  He never came.  In any case, it seems reasonable to assume that Jesus felt the pathos of the situation.  This is encouraging for you.  Specifically, Jesus  knows about and feels for you and your situation, whatever it may be.  There is nothing too small or too large that he - as God come in the flesh, cannot, or will not handle.

 

At the grave of Lazarus' Jesus shouts in stentorian fashion saying - "Lazarus, come forth." Someone has noted that if Jesus did not say "Lazarus," and simply gave a general command to "come fourth," every person in that cemetery or in the vicinity would have risen from the dead.  Such is the power of the Christ.  All power in heaven and earth is given to him.  Jesus does not merely raise the dead, he himself is the resurrection and the life (that is, the eternal life of God).

 

Today, whatever your circumstance may be, you can completely trust in Jesus Christ.  The Bible indicates clearly that you can "cast all your fears on him for he cares for you."[6] Keep in mind, that Jesus is alive.  All other philosophers and teachers of religion are dead.  Jesus is not.  He is raised from the dead, seated at the right hand of God the Father, and coming again to judge the living and the dead.  He is also your intercessor - your great high priest, who will answer your prayers as the mediator (savior) between God and man.  Therefore, take hope.   All power in heaven and on the earth belongs to Christ -and no one else.