Wednesday in the Word...John 11:17-29...and a few more Maine pictures & sermon video
Some more film has come back from far, far away and we get to see what I captured. The above is the inside shot from the balcony of the Congregational Church in East Machias, Maine. The organ pipes are so ornate and originally it was played with the assistance of a man behind the curtains on the side hand pumping the billows. The addition was built around this organ. The sad part of the story is that the church has not been occupied for a year as the 8 to 12 people meet in the parsonage living room next door. This is a common story with many of the churches in the small towns of Maine.
This is another coastline shot from a beach further east than we reside. The tides here range from 13 to 15 feet and therefore the large rocks in the foreground are covered at least once a day. I wish I could picture how smooth they are just like the little ones on the beach. The salt of the ocean works its magic to produce such precious sites.
This last photo is from the deck of a good friend's pontoon boat. We are on Gardner Lake at sunset and there have been many evenings this summer that have ended with a sky that is on fire. So a few more pictures of our life in Maine.
Today's Wednesday in the Word will cover John chapter 11 and verses 17 through 27.
v.17-19 - So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
Last Wednesday we ended our time with Jesus delaying His coming for 2 more days. The disciples were concerned that Jesus would be walking back into a stone throwing crowd. Thomas ended our time with a loyal sounding statement but it was pessimistic in the outcome of this venture.
Look at all the details that John gives us. We have the number of days that Lazarus is in the tomb. We have the detail that Lazarus was in a tomb and not just a hole in the ground. We have the town of Bethany and also its distance from the holy city of Jerusalem. We are given that the crowd gathered was a crowd and many were there to give comfort to the grieving sisters. I love that the Bible is like no other religious book and gives us details to pinpoint what is happening and where it is happening.
v.20-22 - Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
Martha wishes Lazarus wouldn't have went through the agony of death but she also says a statement of faith that sounds like she believes if Jesus prayed to God, God would grant what He asked. At this point maybe Martha isn't thinking about the possibility of a prayer that would raise the dead but maybe a prayer to comfort the many gathered who were grieving.
v.23-26 - Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus' first response to Martha doesn't give her a clear message that Lazarus would rise again today. It could be taken that Jesus was talking about the resurrection on the last day. Martha gives the right answer but Jesus wants her to understand something more about Himself. Jesus will attach the resurrection to Himself and give us the fifth "I am" statement.
- I AM the Bread of life
- I AM the Light of the world
- I AM the Door of the sheep
- I AM the Good Shepherd
- I AM the Resurrection and the Life
Eternal life is a reality for those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Physical death does not negate this reality. Eternal life means a spiritual life, a born again or born anew experience has happened and that spiritual life can not die. Jesus is asking Martha if she believes in the eternity of those who believe in Him and moreover that He is tied directly to that eternal life.
v.27 - She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world."
This is quite the confession from Martha. This is a confession of something she has settled on already. She has believed already that Jesus is the Anointed One of God and God's very Son. This Son, the Messiah, was prophesied to come into the world and Martha declares that Jesus is the very one the Scriptures talk about.
This statement will be tested in future verses when Jesus asks for the stone to be rolled away but for the time being Martha says what we all should say about Jesus. Maybe we have said this about Jesus but haven't come to the deep realization that we, the saved, have started eternal life when we responded to Jesus' call with repentance, surrender, and obedience. Our physical death can not be compared to our eternal spiritual life. It is not a future event to happen but a now event because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The resurrection and life has come and therefore our physical death has lost its sting.
Martha's confession is what John was hoping would happen with his gospel of Jesus. John chapter 20 and verses 30 and 31 says,
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Sounds like Martha doesn't it? With that we will stop and come upon our next conversation next Wednesday. Mary will have her own dialogue with Jesus. Let us pray.
"Heavenly Father may we live today like we believe in the eternity that we already possess. May it change our words and actions to be more bold about who You are. Help us to replace the sting of death with the comfort of Your provision for our eternity with You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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