Notice that it was Jesus’ love for these people that prompted His delay in going to Lazarus and his sisters. It says, “Now Jesus loved…so, He stayed…” (John 11:5-6, ESV).
What was the initial result of Jesus’ decision? Lazarus died. In fact, by the time Jesus arrived at Lazarus’ hometown, he had already been dead four days. His body was tucked away in a tomb. When Jesus plainly revealed to the disciples that Lazarus was dead,
Read MoreMany Christians may or may not know this, but the English Bible we have in our houses or in our churches is a translation. The original books of the Bible were written in different languages—Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament, Greek for the New Testament. Thankfully, men and women have devoted time to learning these languages and translating the Bible into English so that most people can read it.
Read MoreIf you have ever flown at night, you can see pinpoints of light miles away as your plane ascends into the sky. The darkness is not complete but is invaded by the light. Those points of light are evidence of life: Someone is there who has turned on the lights!
Read MoreJesus’ ministry was attacked by the religious leaders at every turn. They were on a diligent mission to destroy His influence, His message of forgiveness and grace. The Pharisees’ job was to enforce Moses’ Law as the only authority to gain acceptance by God. Jesus’ message of grace was totally foreign to their paradigm of thinking. Jesus’ entrance as the fulfillment of that great sacrificial system shook their power structure, so they eagerly take another opportunity to discredit Jesus.
Read MoreWhether they knew it or not, “Who do you say that I am?”, was the question that everyone was trying to answer about Jesus in this passage of scripture (Matthew 15:16, ESV). What we observe is a spectrum of answers. “He is a good man.” “No, He is leading the people astray.” “But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where He comes from” (John 7:12, 27, ESV). Favor, opposition, and ambiguity were the overlapping conclusions among this conversation of the masses.
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