John 12:9-11

John 12:9-11

Therefore, a great crowd out of the Jews knew that He is there.  And they came not because of Jesus only but in order that they should also see Lazarus, whom He raised up out of the dead.  And the chief priests planned in order that they should kill Lazarus also because many out of the Jews were going away and believing into Jesus because of him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The people are fascinated by Jesus and His demonstrations of power.  Everywhere He went, people gathered in droves.  They wanted to see the spectacle.  They didn’t want to miss out.  They wanted to be in the know so that when people were talking about Jesus they would have something to contribute.  This passage really helps us understand the crowd.  Sure, some were there because they wanted to be there for discipleship.  But many were not.

Why do you come into Jesus’ proximity?  Is it to follow Him and submit to Him or is it for some other reason?

Second Thought:

Because of Lazarus, many were believing in Jesus.  There are two reasons for this.  First, of course, Lazarus was alive.  His mere presence was proof of God’s power over death.  Being able to see and talk to Lazarus was evidence of Jesus’ power.  However, Lazarus continued to hang out at Jesus’ side.  We heard in the last passage that Lazarus was sitting at the table with Jesus in Bethany.  He became a disciple of Jesus, absorbing what He taught.

How would seeing Lazarus have inspired you into faith?  Is there any way you can find similar inspiration in your life today?

As an interesting aside, this actually leads many people to call this family the Witness, Worship, and Work of Jesus.  Lazarus was a witness to God’s power, Mary worshipped at Jesus’ feet, and Martha was about the work that needed to happen around Jesus.

Third Thought:

Note that Lazarus’ life was not all cake and ice cream.  Because he was alive, the Jews wanted him dead.  They knew that as long as he lived he would be evidence of Jesus’ power.  They knew that Lazarus would need to be taken care of if they wanted to quench Jesus and His preaching.  Because Lazarus was raised, he was a marked man.  Proximity to Christ often causes us to be marked as enemies by the world.

Have you ever considered the consequences to Lazarus brought on because he was raised from the dead?  How might this verse help us understand why Jesus wept before raising Lazarus from the dead?  In what ways is your life marked as an enemy from the perspective of the world?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 12:12-19