Two Year Gospel Study Week 93

The Gospel of John Week 15
Scripture: John 10:34-11:53, Psalm 82.

John wrote his Gospel to make us understand that Jesus is just who He says He is. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and this Gospel of John. When we read it with open eyes and ears and minds, we see and understand who Jesus is.

As our text opens today, we see the religious leaders again trying to trap Jesus and seize Him. Killing Him is their goal.  We read again that He escapes, but not because He is afraid, but because the time has not yet come. When the time does come, Jesus will be absolutely fearless.  We will see this developing as we move into chapter 11.

As we enter chapter 11, Pastor shares some of the more recent archaeological discoveries in the area of the Jordan River Valley. Pastor shares the possible discovery of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the interesting information we learn from this discovery.

As we begin chapter 11 we hear that Lazarus, who lives  in Bethany is sick. Jesus is about 20 miles from Bethany and is across the Jordan River on the opposite side.

Lazarus has two sisters, Mary and Martha. Pastor does some speculating about Mary. He shares that both early and late in Jesus’ ministry a woman anoints His feet and wipes them with her hair. In the first anointing Jesus tells the woman her sins are forgiven. Pastor poses the possibility that both anointing were done by Mary, Lazarus’ sister, and he goes further with the possibility that Mary of Bethany (Lazarus’ sister) may also be Mary Magdalene (the one from whom Jesus cast out seven demons.)

Back to our story… Jesus is about 20 miles away when He receives word of Lazarus’ sickness from a messenger sent by Mary and Martha. When Jesus hears Lazarus is sick He says that the sickness is not going to end in death, but in the glory of God. Jesus does not head to Bethany yet.

By the time Jesus does finally head to Bethany Lazarus is dead and when He arrives Lazarus has already been in the tomb four days.

Martha greets Jesus as He arrives. Jesus says to Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life and that the one who believes in Him will live even though they die and that whoever lives by believing in Him will never die. Then He asks Martha, “Do you believer this?” And she replies with a statement of faith that He is the Messiah and the Son of God.

Then Jesus asks Martha to send Mary to Him. Mary comes and falls at Jesus feet saying that had He been there her brother would not have died. 

Reminder: Jesus had said to the messenger that had come to tell Him of Lazarus’ sickness, that Lazarus’ illness would not end in death, but it did…… and Mary weeps.  Jesus asks where Lazarus has been laid and He weeps too.  Jesus understands our sorrows.
Then Jesus asks them to open the tomb and though reluctant as the body has been dead four days, they move the stone.

Pastor talks about the process of a Jewish burial in the days of Jesus and also shares pictures and information on ossuaries that have been discovered.

Back to our story….  Jesus says for them to roll the stone away, and adds, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

The stone is rolled away - Jesus prays to the Father - then He says, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus comes out of the tomb alive and covered in the linen burial wrappings.

The wrappings are removed and many believed in Jesus after seeing this - others went to the religious leaders and told them what Jesus had just done. Now their desire to get rid of Jesus rises even more. Caiaphas then says, “isn’t it better for one man to die for the people, than that the whole nation perish” and Caiaphas unknowingly speaks a prophetic word. And from that day on the religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus.

We begin to see Jesus set His own execution into motion. This is not something that happens by accident, it is the Father’s will and it is something Jesus runs toward. He willingly sets Himself in this position the leads to His death and ends with His resurrection!

In today’s study we see there is a great difference between religion and a relationship with the Living God.

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    ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. 
    ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!