John 11:45-57

Read,Relax, Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our Hearts and Open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

The Plot to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place^a]'> and our nation."

⁴⁹Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."

⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

⁵⁴Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

⁵⁵When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. ⁵⁶They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?" ⁵⁷But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.

Jesus had raised his friend Lazarus from the dead and the word got back to the Pharisees. Actually, now things had gone past just the priests, now the whole council, (Sanhedrin) becomes involved. After word got to them that Jesus is raising people from the dead, the Sanhedrin realized that Jesus could be very dangerous! If people started to believe that He was Messiah, the Jews would raise up and this would upset the Romans.

Caiaphas, the high priest, utters a big prophecy in vs. 49-53. For the sake of the nation-Jesus must die. He was correct, but not as he wished it. Jesus was to die to save a nation, but not the nation of Israel. Jesus was to die for all! The stakes have been raised, now Jesus could not have turned back even if he wanted to. Soon he would have to go to Jerusalem!

Questions:

1. What did the Sanhedrin fear?

2. What was Caiaphas willing to do? (for the sake of the nation.)

3. Do you think the people knew who Jesus was and what he must do? Do we?

Prayer- Lord, We can not ever thank you enough for loving us so much that you sent Jesus as a living sacrifice for us. Give the the strength and courage to spread the news with others. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 11:28-44

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

²⁸And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." ²⁹When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³²When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

³⁷But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹"Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

⁴⁰Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

I will refrain, (kind of,) from making any zombie or mummy comments about this reading. This passage really does show that Jesus was a human, and had human relationships and emotions. Jesus had already talked to Martha, now Mary came to see him as he was making his way to their house. The other mourners followed, thinking Mary was going to the grave to mourn. As she and Jesus visited Jesus became very moved and cried. ( Many people say that John 11:35 is their favorite verse because it showed his human side, but we all know it is because it is only two words long and easy to memorize.)

They go to the tomb and Jesus tells them to move away the rock, (foreshadowing?) but the people hesitate. Laz has been there for four days and is starting to get rank. Jesus tells them that if they believe they would see the glory of God. He then calls Laz to come on out- and he does!

Questions:

1. Why would Jesus cry if he knew he could give life?

2. Both Mary and Martha had told Jesus that they knew he could have healed their brother, why were they hesitant about the dead raising?

3. What does this story say to you about faith in Jesus?

Prayer- Lord, we know that all things are possible in you. We know that you feel our pain, our sadness and our joy. Please be with us as we go through life. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 11:17-27

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Comforts the Sisters

¹⁷On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸Bethany was less than two miles^a]'> from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

²¹"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

²³Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

²⁴Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

²⁷"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,^b]'> the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

Lazarus, Jesus' friend, has died. People are already gathering to comfort his family. Martha, Lazarus' sister, meets Jesus as he approaches. She tells Jesus that if he had been hear earlier Lazarus would still be living. Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again, and she agrees that on the day of judgement Laz will rise again.

Jesus tells her that He is the resurrection, and who believes in him will never die. He even asks Martha if she believes. She does. What does this mean?

Questions:

1. Does this mean that people who truly believe that Jesus is Christ will live forever?

2. Do our physical bodies wear out? If we live forever the world should get crowded?

3. Is Jesus the judge? What is the evidence that He is looking for?

Prayer- Lord, help us remember that when we accept your love and grace, we will be with you forever. Help us share that great news with the world. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 11:1-16

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Death of Lazarus

¹Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." ⁵Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

⁷Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

⁸"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"

⁹Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. ¹⁰It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

¹¹After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

¹²His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." ¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

¹⁶Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

The family of Lazarus was very close to Jesus and His disciples. When Jesus hears that Lazarus is ill, he lingers for a few days instead of rushing to the sick bed. Of course, the Jews in Judea were still upset with Jesus and may have killed him. His disciples wondered why Jesus would even think of going back.

His answer of the twelve hours of daylight and darkness mean that there are things in this world we can not change. If the Jews want to kill Jesus, they will. But it would be when God willed it- not His enemies. He is also using this as another way to show miracles for his followers and the people of Judea.

Questions:

1. Why did Jesus linger away when he heard his friend Lazarus was ill?

2.Why were the disciples scared if Jesus was not?

3. If Lazarus was dead, why did Thomas say "we will go die with him".

Prayer- Lord, help us remember that things happen on your time table. It is your will that we do here on earth, give us the strength to carry that out. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 10:31-42

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

³¹Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, ³²but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

³³"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

³⁴Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'^a]'>? ³⁵If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— ³⁶what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? ³⁷Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. ³⁸But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." ³⁹Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed ⁴¹and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." ⁴²And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Jesus is not doing as many miracles, He is now concentrating on teaching, and some of the people aren't digging it. Again they want to chunk rocks at him. He asks why? The crowd says that they like the miracles and all, they just don't like the blasphemy. Jesus bows up. He reasserts that He is God's son. He then asks them to believe through the things he has done and said. The crowd is not swayed and bum-rushes Jesus, but He escapes. He heads back across the Jordan to where John had been working earlier, and there many people started to believe.

Questions:

1. Why do the people want to kill Jesus?

2. How does Jesus compare Himself to God?

3. Why is it important that Jesus goes to a place where John had been baptising?

Prayer- Dear Lord, Watch over us. Please protect us from evil and help us see the Truth in all we do and say. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.