09 November

Bible In 365 Days

John 11-12

John 11

Here we have the account of the last sign wrought by Jesus as recorded by John, namely, the raising of Lazarus. Very beautiful in this connection is the depiction of the sorrow of the sisters, and our Lord's method of dealing with each of them in turn. His approach to the grave revealed some of the deepest things in His own attitude. He was troubled in the presence of the sin and unbelief which had its final expression in death. Nevertheless, He acted with complete authority, and as a sign of His redeeming power raised Lazarus, and restored him to his loved ones.

This last sign raised the opposition of His foes to definite activity. The degraded condition of things is seen in the fact that the chief priests, who were Sadducees, made common with the Pharisees in their action against Jesus. It was at this point that Caiaphas gave his advice characterized by cunning and his contempt for Jesus. As a result, the council determined on the Master's death. It was then that Jesus retired into "a country near to the wilderness," where He tarried for a while with His disciples.

John 12

The shadows of the Passion were now falling across the path of the Christ. In what happened at the supper we have a vivid contrast. Mary and Judas arrest our attention. She, discovering the sorrows of His heart, pressed closely to Him, and sacramentally expressed her love. Judas, blinded in self-interest, criticized her action, and so revealed himself as utterly opposed to the very spirit of the Lord Himself.

From Bethany Jesus passed to Jerusalem, where a stupendous outburst of welcome greeted Him. It was of little worth, as subsequent events proved. Nevertheless, He moved through the worthless present, transmuting it into the triumphant future.

The incident of the coming of the Greeks is full of revelation, for it drew from our Lord that contemplation of His own death and its issue expressed in the symbol of the grain of wheat.

At this point in his narrative, John shows how, notwithstanding all the signs, the people did not believe; and then records what would seem to be the last public testimony of Jesus. It is a summarized statement of His claims, made just as the light of the working day was passing and the hour of darkness was approaching. Nothing can possibly be more sublime than these closing public utterances of our Lord. They are in perfect harmony with the marvelous conception of Him presented to us in this Gospel as the revealed Love and Light and Life of heaven.