I was thinking about Lazarus this morning. I wonder how grateful he was to Jesus for raising him from the dead. We know he was around Jesus after that.
John 12:2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
I wonder how sacrificially he gave his all to Jesus after Jesus raised him from the dead. I wonder how many people were drawn to Jesus through the testimony and witness of Lazarus' new life.
John 12:9-11 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was
there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put
Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews
were going away and believing in Jesus.
I wonder if there is anything Lazarus would have held back from Jesus after that, or considered too great a price to pay to love and follow Jesus.
Then I thought about:
Colossians 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having
forgiven us all our trespasses,
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I
who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me.
Romans 6:13b . . . but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
I was dead in my sin. Cut off from God, Who is Himself life. And He raised me from the dead. And so I wonder . . . I wonder how grateful I am to Jesus for raising me from the dead. I wonder how sacrificially I give my all to Jesus after Jesus raised me from the dead. I wonder how many people are drawn to Jesus through
the testimony and witness of my new life. I wonder if there is anything I would have held back from Jesus
after that, or consider too great a price to pay to love and follow
Jesus.
What is the proper response when someone has raised you from the dead?
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
3 comments:
Thanks for your comments, I look forward to and value your sharing. Due to a large number of SPAM comments, you will need to enter a word verification before your comment will be sent to me for moderation. Your comment will be visible after I publish it. Erick
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Saying thanks and will repent all my sins :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I will follow Him for rest of my life :)
According to the Bible, how many Old Testament prophets raised people from the dead? Answer: Two. Elijah and Elisha.
ReplyDeleteThat's it. And they only did it three times. So the act of raising someone from the dead would have been seen as a very, very big deal. It was not like healing someone of a disease or casting out demons. Lots of people, it seems, could do those miracles. Nope, raising someone from the dead was the big kahuna of all miracles! Is there any instance in the Bible of a false prophet or a prophet of another god raising the dead?
In the Gospel of John chapter 11, we are told that Lazarus had been dead for four days. His body was decomposing to the point that he stunk. Lazarus death and burial were very public events. His tomb was a known location. Many Jews had come to mourn with Mary and Martha and some of them were wondering why the great miracle worker, Jesus, had not come and healed his friend Lazarus; essentially blaming Jesus for letting Lazarus die.
Let's step back and look at the facts asserted in this passage: Only two OT prophets had raised people from the dead, and these two prophets were considered probably the two greatest Jewish prophets of all time: Elijah and Elisha. If this story is true, the supernatural powers of Jesus were on par with the supernatural powers of the greatest Jewish prophets of all time! If this event really did occur, it should have shocked the Jewish people to their very core---a new Elijah was among them! This event must have been the most shocking event to have occurred in the lives of every living Jewish man and woman on the planet. The news of this event would have spread to every Jewish community across the globe.
And yet...Paul, a devout and highly educated Jew, says not one word about it. Not one. Not in his epistles; not in the Book of Acts. Think about that. What would be the most powerful sign to the Jews living in Asia Minor and Greece---the very people to whom Paul was preaching and attempting to convert---to support the claim that Jesus of Nazareth himself had been raised from the dead? Answer: The very public, very well documented raising from the dead of Lazarus of Bethany by Jesus!
But nope. No mention of this great miracle by Paul. (A review of Paul's epistles indicates that Paul seems to have known very little if anything about the historical Jesus. Read here.)
And there is one more very, very odd thing about the Raising-of-Lazarus-from-the-Dead Miracle: the author of the Gospel of John, the very last gospel to be written, is the only gospel author to mention this amazing miracle! The authors of Mark, Matthew, and Luke say NOTHING about the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Nothing.
To continue reading:
http://www.lutherwasnotbornagain.com/2016/01/the-story-of-lazarus-is-blatant.html
Thanks, Gary, for sharing your thoughts. I visited your blog and you and I are coming from two starting points so divergent they can not meet. I, after a long journey, have arrived where you, after a journey, left. I believe the Bible to be the inspired, written Word of God and I trust it for wisdom and revelation for my life. As such, for me, the story of Lazarus is true and I can use it to reflect on and draw from. I know you do not come from that point or place. Again, thanks for taking the time to read and to share your thoughts. —Erick
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