The Day Before Jesus’ Final Week
The day before Jesus’ last visit to Jerusalem He dealt with death on a broad scale at the tomb of His dear friend Lazarus.
Jesus’ response at the death of His friend Lazarus gives insight into His attitude regarding sin and death. The story is recorded in John 11: 17 – 45.
When Jesus arrived in Bethany from Jericho, He was greeted by Mary and “…He saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in His spirit and was troubled. (John 11: 33)
How did Jesus react to the death of someone He loved?
“Jesus wept.” (11: 35) It’s the shortest verse of the Bible. The expression means He cried deeply. He didn’t just get misty eyed…Jesus wept. He was sad.
In the face of death, Jesus didn’t only cry. He had a second reaction, He got angry. Yes, Jesus got mad. Jesus was “deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” (11:33) “Deeply moved” translates the Greek word embrimaomai. (Embre-my-o-my)
NLT translates it: “a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.”
For emphasis it is said three times in John 11 that Jesus was angry. Two of the words are the same, and they are the strongest Greek words for furious indignation. The expression uses a pictorial word that literally means “to snort.” It is a metaphor. A metaphor is a term for something it isn’t. Some athletic metaphors are: “the team was hungry,” “they were on fire,” “the team cooled off,” and “the play blew up.” Metaphors appear elsewhere in the Bible, such as, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. (II Timothy 4: 7)
The Greek word used in the account is a metaphor which was used to depict the fury of a warhorse about to charge into battle. The steed rears up on his hind legs, snorts through its nostrils, an expression for fury, paws the air, and charges into the conflict. To snort in spirit was the strongest Greek word for anger. It is the word used of Jesus. Face to face with evil, in this premature death of His good friend, He is outraged. Why? Jesus was angry and troubled at the destruction and power of the great enemy of humanity: death. Jesus would soon break the dominating power of death. Evil is not normal. As the Creator Jesus made the world good, beautiful, full of life, joy, and justice. Evil despoiled these.
About what was Jesus angry? Summarily His anger was at Satan for introducing evil into the world. He was angry over sin because it produced death. James 1:15 notes “…sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
He was angry with death because of the grief death brought. His anger was because of these four combined factors. His holy indignation was so strong He snorted. The term applied to humans is a metaphor for anger.
His response resulted in two emotions, sorrow, He wept, and anger, He snorted. Action followed.
As a precursor for His soon to be final encounter with these interlopers to what life was intended to be, Jesus was about to take action to overcome them.
He overcame death when “He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’” (11:43)
Jesus’ snort, that is His anger at Lazarus’ grave, was to be followed a few days later when He charged into His final conflict and overcame sin, death, and the grave by His sinless death and bodily resurrection. In doing so He overcame the four evils introduced into the world by Satan, which caused Him to express his sorrow by weeping, and His anger, by snorting.
All that because He loves you.
When the Possible Is Impossible
“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” Romans 12: 18
Have you ever had a relationship with someone for which you have great regard that suddenly inexplicably goes in the tank? It seems every act of goodwill is interpreted as offensive. The more lovingly you try to share love the more your efforts are repelled. Instead of your efforts of reconciliation healing the hurt the more dramatically the breach opens. You are locked out and put down. What then?
The text noted above says, “If it is possible….” The relationship in question proved it is not always possible. The door is locked and you are outside. Make sure the lock is not on your side of the door. Accept the pain that the door is locked and it is from the other side.
Next note in the text the expression, “…as much as depends on you….” Over others’ conduct we have no control; but the initiative in disturbing the peace is never to lie with the Christian. Make sure you are open to reconciliation then “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” Romans 12: 19.
Don’t strike back. When the opportunity presents itself, forgive and forget. As used here “forget” means I will never hold it against you. That is the way God reacts to us. His love is the prototype for us.
Make sure your conduct is according to James 5: 17, “…the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
The text notes the impossibility of restoration does sometimes exist. Having done their best unsuccessfully to live in peace, a person might be tempted to think the failure was necessarily owing to themselves. At this point some Christians who have made a conscientious effort of reconciliation without success feel they have failed. If every effort has failed don’t ride off into the sunset on the guilt horse.
At the point of irreconcilable, pray for the estranged former friend and ask God to put someone in their life to help them be reconciled to the Lord. That is the point of reconciliation. Their conduct related to you is foreign to God and therefore they must first be reconciled to Him before they can be reconciled to you.
When a point is reached in a desired relationship that your every act of love is undesired and repelled, remain open to reconciliation. Don’t continue to offend the hostile by association with them. This is because every good action is responded to by a negative reaction and further alienation.
When the slightest openness is sensed, respond warmly and lovingly. Keep in mind: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” Romans 12: 18.
Love Like God
When we love God we love like God. Who does He love? The “whosoever” of John 3: 16 and so should we.
Petty little selfish children and adolescents play games and use their friends as pawns. They play the game of “You can’t be my friend if you are going to be with —-.” They even push it to the point of “you can’t be my friend if you speak to ——.” Unfortunately some adults never grow out of it either.
Youth and adults alike, if you encounter such a person speak to them boldly about changing their attitude and if they don’t they will have identified themselves as a person who does not love the Lord properly.
People who play these games are revealing themselves to you. They are showing they feel inferior to the person they are trying to alienate. They want to shut out the person they feel inferior to and can’t compete with them. Their solution is to exclude that person from their world and try to get those with whom they want to be friends to do the same. It is a sure sign of inferiority.
Bitterness blows out the candle of joy and leaves the soul in darkness.
We must learn to break down the barrier of evasiveness and stop excusing ourselves. This involves moving beyond theory to practice. Sooner or later we have got to stop quoting Scripture and start practicing it. Don’t just parrot platitudes practice principles. Here is a practical test for this kind of love:
It believes the best about a person until proven wrong.
It wishes the best for others though they might not deserve it.
It refuses to accept all rumors which the bearer will not confirm with —- “Yes, you can quote me.”
It silences all gossip until truth can be seen to be true.
It takes the initiative in giving the fallen repentant person another chance.
Edward Markham, the renowned poet, confided in and invested his life savings with a financial advisor who robbed him of his life savings. Broken and bitter he moved beyond his feelings and drew on his will. When asked what of his many poems was his favorite. Among them were favorites such as “Lincoln,” and the famous “Man with a Hoe.” Markham replied:
“He drew a circle and shut me out,
A heretic, rebel, thing of flout,
Love and I had a will to win,
We drew a circle and took him in.”
Had a will to win! Did you catch it, “will?”
He relied on his will and overcame his feelings. Once he did then he recovered from his bitterness and the emotional depression he was suffering.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” Romans 12: 18. Markham did and benefited from it. When we do we benefit also.
Loving When You Don’t Feel Like It
“Thou shall love the Lord thy God….” Are there times you just don’t feel like it? Does it ever seem to you that you just can’t work up an emotional thrill over loving God and your brothers and sisters? The occasional absence of this religious emotion causes confusion. It helps to find your way out of this dark shadow into the cheerful sunlight when you realize there are two kinds of love. One of feelings and one of the will. God never intended you to be a plaything of your emotions.
Just make sure your feelings are not caused by remoteness to God.
God loves you. If He had a refrigerator your picture would be on the door.
If God had a wallet your photo would be in it.
He sends you sunshine every morning and flowers every spring.
Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen.
Having the right to live anywhere in the universe He has chosen to live in your heart.
Don’t forget that Christmas present He gave you or that special outing on Easter morning.
Face it! God is crazy about you.
He has drawn near to you. Won’t you draw near to Him?
The Lord said of Israel: “Their heart is far from me.” The words don’t refer to physical distance, but to likeness. It is not physical distance but dissimilarity that causes a sense of remoteness. Two creatures may be so close physically that they touch yet so unalike that they are far apart. Man and a gorilla are Exhibit A.
For this moral unlikeness the Bible uses the word, alienation. Look in your inner life for evidence of the dissimilarity. Things such as a wrong attitude, evil thoughts, or dispositional flaws.
Sir Edmond Hillery spoke about climbing Everest. He said, “You have to fix your mind before you leave the base camp because it has a tendency to wander in the rarified atmosphere of such heights.” Climb the Everest within you. Fix your will to love.
You can’t love God without loving people. We are exhorted to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Don’t try loving your neighbor without loving God. Don’t profess you love God if you don’t love your neighbor. Don’t engage in an exercise of evasion by narrowly defining who your neighbor is. Don’t narrow the definition like the Pharisees tried to do. Pharisees considered only Pharisees as “neighbors.” Jesus explained away this approach:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43, 44).
Perhaps, like me, there are times you just don’t feel like that. It is then we have to superimpose our will on our feelings.
Overcoming Faith
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.” I John 5: 4
Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good courage I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33
What a dreadful truth followed by an even more dynamic provision.
Because of His victory, we don’t work for victory; we work from victory.
Jesus realistically let us know we would have — opposition.
The Greek word for world is “kosmos” in this case meaning alienation from and opposition to God, all forces opposing new life in Jesus. Such is a summary for any and all opposing the believer. It is spiritual adversity in any form.
Faith overcomes the world. Such faith [faith or believe] does not merely mean to believe, but to trust, to confide in, to commit to, entrust with, and so forth; the very marrow of the meaning of faith is confidence in, reliance upon.
Faith enables believers to overcome by applying:
Reason teaches we are “overcomes.” This is a verb form speaking of a continuous victory in an unceasing struggle.
“Victory” is in a verb form which speaks of a single victory. The single victory was Jesus’ victory over the world. Because of that single victory, we have the potential of a continuous victory. Because of His victory, we are called “overcomers.”
We quote wonderful truths, BUT do we live according with the truth?
“If God be for us…” “I can do all things…”
Resources are twofold.
Birth is the basis for “whoever is born of God.” The birth factor gives us a new nature which has the capacity for combat with and conquest of the world.
Belief, “our faith,” is likewise a basis.
It is simply to take God at His word and act on it. Faith is not saying that what God says is true; it is acting on what God says because it is true. It is not believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence. We have the victory.
There is a story of a Civil War vet who spoke often of his friend Mr. Lincoln. Because of his injury, he was unable to hold a steady job. He was a virtual beggar who told stories about “Mr. Lincoln” for bed and food.
One day a skeptic said, “Prove you know Mr. Lincoln.”
He pulled out a piece of paper with pride to show them Mr. Lincoln’s signature. He couldn’t read; but when a spectator saw the paper, he exclaimed: “Do you know what you have here? You have a generous federal pension authorized by President Lincoln. You don’t have to walk around like a poor beggar. Mr. Lincoln has made you rich.”
Jesus has done the same for us. We don’t have to walk around defeated… Jesus has made us overcomers. That doesn’t immune us from worldly assault but it enables us to deal with and overcome them…. by faith.