Art by Johannes Jan Vermeer – Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

(…continued from part four…)

5)            John 11:5-44, 5) “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6) When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7) Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 8) His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?……14) Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15) And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him……20) Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21) Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22) But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23) Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24) Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live……32) Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

                33) When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34) And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35) Jesus wept……36) Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37) And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?……39) Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40) Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41) Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42) And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43) And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44) And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”

Mary & Martha celebrate the resurrection of Lazarus

                For four gruelling days of mental discomfort, the family of the deceased Lazarus continued to ask, “Why us; where is Jesus, the supposedly Friend of our dear brother?” Questions that refused to supply some meaningful answers. God must do things in style. When He eventually showed up –God always shows up to people of faith—, Jesus told them what they never knew of Him, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” Verse 40 reads, “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” The Author of soteriology took them back to the day of old, the day when as the Visitant He ask of Abraham’s understanding, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD” [Genesis 18:14]?

                Four days of perplexing delay was absolutely not of denial! Amen!

”…he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” [John 11:43]

                Lucifer’s unholy desiderative crave is to render the Adamic race completely an impotent fruitlessness. He remembered how absolutely distraught he felt in the hopelessness of ever being reinstated to his archangel status. All was indubitably lost! In the very second that the serpentine of Satanism was able to manipulate the woman into erroneously speaking for the Adamic headship, the Devil successfully sowed the seed of hopelessness in man’s psyche.

                Adam began to see his race as an alien before the thrice holy God. He had forgotten that he was created, not only in the anthropomorphic façade of the Divinity, but in absolute facticity also of the grand image of the One seated eternally on the empyreal throne of the Rainbow Administration. The Image of Elohiym is Christ. So, what we read in Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…;” the ‘image’ is tselem (tseh’-lem), meaning: ‘to shade; a phantom, that is, (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence a representative figure, especially an idol.’ The image of Genesis 1:26 points to a Personage. 2Corinthians 4:4 reveals, “…lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The ‘glorious light’ is not the image, Christ is the Image.

                Get born again. Say this simple prayer, believing it with all your heart. Say:

 “Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”      

(…to be continued…)

Click to read part four

Read part six by clicking here

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