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It is an amazing fact that the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 8 says that the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but that He had nowhere to lay His head! When we just pause and think about that it is almost unbelievable, yet we must believe it because it is true. The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son said it and we know that God cannot lie!
When we just begin to think about the statement it is amazing, the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth of every mine was here and had no home. Yet it is more amazing that the Son of God was here for us! When He was here, He made an impact on so many lives, He healed and transformed people.
One family that felt the transforming power of the Lord Jesus was a group of siblings in a poor village just outside Jerusalem called Bethany. Mary, Martha and Lazarus became followers of the Lord Jesus and He knew that their home was always open to Him. When He visited, He knew that there was always a meal, always a place to stay and that they would sit with Him and listen intently to his teaching. This was because they believed in Him, they knew that He was the Messiah, sent from God and that He had the power to forgive and through belief they knew that forgiveness of sin.
Yet one day this faith in the Lord Jesus would be tested in a great way!
Lazarus became sick, really sick, in fact he was dying! Both his sisters believed that the Lord Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus, so they sent a messenger with an urgent message, but the Lord Jesus, we read in John chapter 11, stayed where He was for two days.
This puzzled His disciples and made Mary and Martha frantic with anguish over their brother. Lazarus died. The Lord Jesus announced to His disciples that Lazarus is dead, then started on His journey to him.
When Martha and then Mary met the Lord Jesus, through their tears they both expressed their belief in the fact that if Jesus had been there earlier, He could have saved Lazarus’ life. The Lord Jesus then tells Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Martha, no doubt recalling the teachings of Jesus thinks that He is talking about Him rising in a future day. Yet although this was certainly true, the Lord Jesus was referring to the here and now. The Lord Jesus was going to do something that to all around was unbelievable! Martha expressed great belief, she says, ‘Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’
After weeping at the graveside, the Lord Jesus tells them to roll back the stone, I am sure there were many at that point who were still questioning the request of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus thanked God that He was being heard and that there were many that were standing around that were about to see the evidence that Jesus was in fact the Son of God sent from Heaven. Then raising His voice, He called, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ and the Bible tells us that Lazarus rose from the dead! That is astounding! It shocked the crowd around, could they believe their eyes?
Can you imagine the joy?
Yet just before this great event the Lord Jesus had said to Martha, ‘Did I not say that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ Those are profound words. She believed and God’s glory was certainly displayed that day.
The Lord Jesus also died. This was God’s plan, it was on a cross, where He suffered for our sin, He took our place. God raised Him from the dead! If we believe, we will see the glory of God! We will see our Saviour in the glory of Heaven for all eternity.
Messages with Meaning (27/01/21) Written by Stuart Scammell for Your542Day
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