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Re: Gleanings from the "Gospels" [message #10979 is a reply to message #10893]

Sat, 29 March 2014 13:47

Gary
Messages: 1025
Registered: August 2008
Location: Indiana

Senior Member

What an amazing situation the disciples and other followers of Jesus must of found themselves in. They personally were there and was able hear the Lord teach and to see all the works that He performed. Blind eyes opened, the deaf could hear, demons screaming out at His presence.

Then we see the story about Lazarus.

Mary and Martha sent word that their brother was sick, Jesus decided to stay where He was at for a couple more days.

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11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

When it was time to leave He tells his disciples that Lazarus is asleep, which they thought he was healed, but Jesus told them he was dead.

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7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Jesus tells them I am glad He is dead and that He was not there to heal him so, They would "believe".[/quote]

To really know and believe that He was the "Son of God".

When they arrived, Martha runs out to meet the Lord and confesses, Lord I believe you are the Son of God, and one day Lazarus will arise in the resurrection, Mary being warned by Martha the Jesus had arrived and basically says the same thing. Many friends and family follow Mary out to Jesus was and hear the conversation taking place. They told Him to come to the grave and see for yourself.

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17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Even though everyone was saying Jesus is the Son of God, I don't know fully if they understood all that was taking place.

Jesus then raises a man from the dead who had been in the grave for four days.

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33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.[d] And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.

45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

Many of the Jews who witnessed this event believed Jesus was the Son of God from that point on.

What a wonderful time to have lived on the Earth, to actually know and see the Son of God and to see all the works that He did among them.

Shortly there after a horrible tragedy takes place. They come and take Jesus and crucified Him.

That must of been overwhelming for the disciples as well. All the teachings they heard, all the miracles they seen, and then have it all take away. Fear caused them to go into hiding. Peter who was part of the inner circle denies the Lord before everybody and then runs out weeping because he had remembered what the Lord told him. They probably at that time thought that the High priest or the Roman guards would be knocking at their door, or why else would they hide?

Many doubted that He was the Son of God and some even said; We thought this is the one who would redeem Israel.

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21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.

Then to top it off the woman come running in to where they were hiding and said, we just saw angels at the tomb and Mary spoke with Jesus.

Every one was so amazed they thought these women sounded like they were telling idle tales. What kind of gossip is this.

Quote:

Luke 24:11
And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

When Jesus appeared to them they still did not believe.

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40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.

It wasn't until the Lord opened their "understanding" that they believed the scriptures.

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45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Its amazing that we were not there personally but by being born again, we know that all these scriptures are true, and that all of this did take place. Faith is being convinced in your heart, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.

Everything written in the Bible is true, every word has been inspired by the Spirit of God. His sheep can hear His voice and they follow Him wherever He goes.

No matter what the world is saying, and it does not matter if the whole world chooses the broad way, we know that what God has said is true and is for all of us today.

We can take comfort in God's Word and those who choose to follow His way, and will and word, He will in no way cast out. We know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that's all glory to God's name that we can know this.

Praise God the word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Gary

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