Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, dear ones.
I’m scheduled to be at the site ready to take down a bunch of trees at 9am. So I need to keep moving to prepare. There’s not much more to do. I think I’ll fuel up the crane truck on the way. I’ll have Thano drive my pickup. It’s full of the saws, ladders, cables, chains, fuel, oil, etc. One reason I scheduled this for today is because Thano is not working at Safeway and can assist with this operation.
Do you notice any familiar parallels between the elitist Jews in our reading and the elitist government leadership in our own nation?…and world?...manipulating the masses by fear and manipulation of facts?
I hope you have a great day doing what you’re supposed to be doing.
Love, Dad/Ray.
I urge you to take time to memorize these two verses—John 11:25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Notice that the condition to this awesome promise is “He who believes in me.” So I hereby repeat Jesus’ question: “Do you (I mean YOU) believe this?”—and what He said? If your answer happens to be something like, “Mostly yes…but not fully,” a good follow-up question would be, “What would it take to influence you to fully believe?” Notice that for some in this account—those who did not want to believe—even seeing a dead man raised to life was insufficient to convince them. But the wonderful benefit to those who choose to believe, even though they cannot fully understand every facet of that belief, any and all reasons for fearing death is now completely removed. I’ll choose that over the alternatives any day!
Let’s review some key exchanges in this passage. Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that IF YOU BELIEVED, you would see the glory of God?” (v. 40). Then Jesus prayed while standing before the open tomb of Lazarus, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I 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” (vv. 41-42). Many of the people “who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, PUT THEIR FAITH IN HIM (believed)” (v. 45). But the angry and frustrated Jewish leaders exclaimed, “If we let him go on like this, EVERYONE WILL BELIEVE IN HIM (Oh—how terrible!), and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (v. 48). Do you see what’s going on here? These guys are now fabricating the appearance of a noble concern for their nation as a smoke screen for justifying their hatred of Jesus. “So from that day on they plotted to take his life” (v. 53). Such is the natural outcome of refusing to believe. Indeed, no one can peacefully coexist with the claims of Christ without believing.
Why is believing so critically important? Because BELIEF DETERMINES BEHAVIOR—and BEHAVIOR CONFIRMS BELIEF. For “faith (belief) without deeds (evidential behavior) is dead (worthless, not true)” (James 2:26).
In chapter 6 of John, Jesus presents Himself as THE BREAD OF LIFE (6:35). In chapter 7 He claims to be LIVING WATER (7:37-38). In chapter 8 He is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (8:12). In chapter 9 Jesus clearly states that He is THE SON OF MAN (MESSIAH) (9:35-37). In chapter 10 Jesus says He is THE GOOD SHEPHERD (10:14). And now in chapter 11, Jesus states that He is THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE (11:25). The BIG question remains: DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?