Looking Beyond
Tony Bucz
John 12:9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
10 ¶ But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
You may remember how Jesus intentionally waited 3 days after Lazarus had died to visit the family in their time of grief. And how He took heat even from the family for waiting so long. Of course Jesus had a reason for doing so, and it became clear very quickly what He was attempting to teach those who believed on Him. The example was even greater than they could conceive,
What I wanted to highlight here though is the action of the chief priests in light of the miracle Jesus had performed. As I read various news stories this morning I couldn’t help but be reminded of the similarity between this situation and what is going on now in our world.
I’m learning it’s a human trait to want to bury any news, or get rid of anyone who stands in the way of people attempting to gain or hold on to power.
Rather than rejoice that someone had been literally raised from the dead (and that was why Jesus waited so long – to prove he was dead beyond any shadow of doubt) the elites, the power-holders of the day, plotted how to just get rid of the evidence.
They had to stop MORE people from seeing it. They were losing followers much too quickly, and they perceived their power over the people was slipping away with each new witness. Sure some people had already seen the guy alive again, but it was easy enough to start a smear campaign or maybe spread a story of mass hysteria to silence the witnesses.
After all, if they could just kill this Lazarus guy again, someone wanting proof of this tale would have nothing but a dead body to see. Instant debunking.
It seems that in our day the same thing is happening on multiple fronts. Those who hold the power positions are trying desperately to keep them, even at the expense of others. But there is hope – Jesus example of raising Lazarus went beyond anything his friends thought would happen, and so too, what He has planned in our day will go beyond anything we can imagine as well.
Trusting in the Lord – really trusting in the Lord, might cause distress for us sometimes because we can’t imagine what He is doing or why He allows certain things to happen. It might mean hurt and grief for a short time. But the result? I think the Apostle Paul sums it up nicely: 1Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
I encourage you to look beyond what is happening in the power centers of the world and keep your eyes on the Lord, remember what He has already done, and what He promised He will do in the future for those who love Him. It will truly be a glorious day when that happens.