All posts by Luella Campbell

JOHN’S GOSPEL… LOVE IS THE KEY – 22

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John 13:1 NIV
[1] “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

These words preface five chapters in John’s gospel rich in the revelation of the Trinity… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… working together in harmony to bring about the greatest event in human history, the death and resurrection of the God-man, and to bring the effects of that event into the lives of ordinary people.

Jesus’ first intention, in these final treasured moments in the Upper Room, alone with His disciples, was to show them that love is the key to all that He was about to reveal and to do to bring heaven to earth.

How did He demonstrate this love? ? He washed their feet!

No big deal for us who live in the 21st century. Most of us still have water in our taps. We wear closed shoes. Farm animals don’t coexist with us. At least many of us are not obliged to walk on dirt paths contaminated with filth!

In Jesus’ day, washing feet was both essential and the task of the lowliest of slaves… not in the job description of a rabbi, least of all a rabbi with authority, and certainly not the task of the one whom they held in highest honour and treated with the greatest respect.

Yet, Jesus deliberately disrobed, took a basin of water, and a towel, and knelt on the floor to wash His disciples’ feet. What a reversal of roles! What a demonstration, what a way to reinforce a lesson! A leader is a servant, not a boss… a slave, not a slave-driver.

Love alone makes it possible to ignore, to cancel rights, position, protocol… whatever elevates one above another, obliterating everything but common humanity to serve, to lift others up at the expense of the server.

Jesus could do this because He had nothing to prove and nothing to defend.

John 13:3-5 NIV
[3] “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. [5] After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

How unique it was to enjoy the company of one so free that no provocation caused offense, no situation created crisis, or displayed emotional immaturity. Jesus was just such a person. He could wash filthy feet with the same dignity as when He engaged people in discussion or debate.

This love was the love Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13,the famous “love” chapter.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
[4] “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Jesus’ demonstration of love was not so much to give them a new ceremony to follow but to highlight the attitude in the heart of a true disciple. Real love puts aside self for the sake of others. Only when we can do the lowliest, the most undignified or humiliating task for another without revulsion, can we show the love in our hearts that mirrors the love of Jesus.

This is a standard so high that few ever reach it in our ministry to one another. There is often a sneaky attitude of pride even in our most humble service. “Look at me…” However, Jesus urges us, not to carry out another ceremonial act for show but to serve each other with the selfless devotion that comes from a heart transformed by grace.

Our old nature rebels against any affront to its ego. Our self-centred pride demands to be protected at all costs. The disciples, especially Peter, balked against this demonstration of the kind of love which was absolutely foreign to him. He first resisted then went overboard…

John 13:8-9 NIV
[8] “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” [9] “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus had to drive home the message…washing their feet was symbolic of the daily cleansing from the contamination of their walk in the world. The deeper cleansing of their souls was effected by the work of the cross. It was their role, as members of one body, to care about the way they related to each other, preserving unity and fellowship by transparent and loving service.

John 13:10 NIV
[10] “Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

Later on, He would explain…

John 15:3 NIV
[3] “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”

Through the message He was to them, His disciples were aready washed by the Word. Their role was to apply that cleansing to their daily walk, in their togetherness and fellowship.

What was Jesus showing and telling them?

John 13:34-35 NIV
[34] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

By His demonstration of love, He showed them that all the commandments of the Old Covenant would be fulfilled by their loving service to one another. So, John, with understanding, would later write…

1 John 3:16, 23-24 NIV
[16] This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters…
[23] And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

And Jesus’ final disclosure? How is His message ever going to reach the world of wicked and rebellious people?…

John 13:35 NIV
[35] “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

… Not by bashing people with Bible but by the power of the sacrificial love of Jesus poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… THE OUTCOME – 21

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Let’s finish the story.

Six days before Passover, Jesus returned to Bethany for a celebration. Once again the scene was set, the three siblings finally in their appointed places… Martha serving, Mary worshipping at Jesus’ feet, and Lazarus…

John 12:2-3 NLT
[2] “A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. [3] Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.”

…”was among those who ate with Him.”

What happened to Lazarus that changed everything? Let me again, use a little “poetic license”.

If Lazarus had a difference with Jesus that kept him out of the company when Jesus visited, perhaps Jesus used this opportunity to reveal something important to this man. He had a “near death experience”, except that he was really dead… for four days… already decaying in the tomb.

Is it possible that he tasted, for a brief time, the horrors of the place reserved for unbelievers? Was he the same Lazarus who featured in Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus, the only Lazarus named in Scripture? If so, then, in Jesus’ story, he was in paradise, not in hell, but what happened to change him from an absentee to a guest at the celebration? Did Jesus purposely let him die so that he would experience what it was like to die in unbelief? There must be some explanation for the change that came over him.

In no way am I trying to add to Scripture. I am only asking the question, what happened to Lazarus? The Jesus of Scripture is the Saviour of sinners, full of mercy, using every opportunity to search for the lost sheep, to bring it home, rejoicing in its rescue. As He always did, perhaps Jesus did the unthinkable…He purposely let Lazarus die to save him from hell!

Let’s examine the outcomes, all of which fitted into Jesus’ perfect timetable.

  1. Lazarus rose from the dead, a new man with a new attitude and a new destiny.
  2. The Father was glorified, always Jesus’ goal in doing miracles.

The blind man..

John 9:3 NLT
[3] “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”

Lazarus…

John 11:4 NLT
[4] But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”

  1. This miracle was Jesus’ opportunity to throw down the gauntlet, sealing His own fate.

John 11:47-48, 53 NLT
[47] “Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. [48] If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”…
[53] So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.”

  1. Judas was humiliated in public, and strengthened in his resolve to betray Jesus.

John 12:3-5, 7 NLT
[3]” Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. [4] But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, [5] “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”
[6] Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
[7] Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.”

John 13:21, 26-27 NLT
[21] “Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”…
[26] Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. [27] When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”

John 18:1-3 NLT
[1] “After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. [2] Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. [3] The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.”

  1. Jesus was in charge of His own timetable. Everything regarding His arrest and crucifixion was on course. How amazing that Jesus, knowing that He had come from heaven to die for the sin of the world, deliberately orchestrated the circumstances that led to His arrest and crucifixion. Before the right time came, He evaded arrest. However, when all the circumstances came came together for the perfect moment, He was in charge, even to the exact time He died, when the Passover lambs were being sacrificed.

When Jesus predicted that He would lay down His life for His sheep, He meant exactly that.

John 10:17-18 NLT
[17] “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. [18] No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

So, even in His earthly life, Jesus was always in charge, exercising His sovereignty in union with the Father, to fulfill His purpose. What people did or did not do fell in line with His will then and always, will now since, He is Lord.

The Lazarus event forms the apex of His miracles, the trigger for His death, and the perfect confirmation of His declaration..

John 11:25-26 NIV
[25]… “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; [26] and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

JOHN’S GOSPEL… THE PLOT THICKENS – 20

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Let’s return to our story. Let’s watch how Jesus’ movements played out in this magnificent drama, to achieve, precisely, His purposes for each player, as He grasped His opportunity.

What was His ultimate purpose for doing His many miracles? According to John, they were signs… signs pointing to what? John records only seven miracles, each a sign pointing to and confirming an aspect of His identity as God’s Son. Some of those who witnessed His miracles believed in Him, e.g., His disciples after the wedding in Cana.

John 2:11 NLT
[11] “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

How imperative that Jesus’ dearest friends would also be convinced that He was who He said He was. What better opportunity to do a miracle for them so great that they would never forget.

The sisters’ reactions were different, but for both, life-changing. Martha, the practical one, confronted Jesus with a rebuke…

John 11:20-22 NLT
[20] “When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. [21] Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha ran out to meet Him, chiding Him for His delay, expressing both a spoken rebuke and a hidden hope. Just like Andrew’s tentative response to Jesus’ question when they were confronted with a vast crowd of people to feed (John 6:8-9), so Martha hesitantly expressed faith in Jesus, that He would do something, she knew not what…

John 11:21-24 NLT
[21] “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” [23] Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
[24] “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

What was Martha saying? Would she have to settle for the hope that Lazarus would eventually come back to life in the general resurrection of the dead? Cold comfort for her in a time of devastating loss!

For Martha, this miracle demonstrated that Jesus Himself was the key to the resurrection. Outside of Him, there was no hope of resurrection. This was huge. Martha’s hope moved from a vague notion about resurrection to a powerful conviction that there would be a resurrection and that it would happen because of Jesus. Was Jesus telling her, in advance, that He would rise from the dead?

Martha saw, in the resurrection of Lazarus, the Jesus who was who He said He was because He did what He said He would do. “Your brother will rise again.”…and she believed.

As for Mary, the sensitive one, her disappointment in Jesus was so great that she didn’t even want to see Him. When He arrived in Bethany, she refused to meet Him. She stayed in the house, wallowing in her grief, compounded by her misery because Jesus has failed them. Hammering in her brain was the accusation, “You didn’t come!”

When Jesus called her, all she could say was, “It’s your fault! You didn’t come!” Unlike Martha, her devastation was complete. She could see nothing beyond the moment.

It’s no wonder Jesus wept, no because Lazarus was dead but because Mary had failed to trust Him. His compassion for Mary overwhelmed Him. If only she had trusted Him, she would not have put herself through so much pain.

What was Mary’s lesson in this great miracle? “Before you collapse in a heap of misery, Mary, let Jesus finish what He started. Trust in Him. That will save you from unnecessary emotional pain.”

How much we also need this lesson when trouble hits and we can find no way out! God will always finish what He started. Instead of descending into depression, if we trust Him, our faith is refined, like gold in a crucible in the fire, when we wait for the Lord to complete His work.

Philippians 1:6 NLT
[6] “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

What will it take for us to trust Him when the fire is hottest? Will it take a “Mary meltdown” before we learn to trust Him in the process?

God is always faithful to His promises. We will inherit them when we wait in faith and patience for Him to act, fully convinced that He will do what He said He will do.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… LAZARUS, COME OUT – 19

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The light shines on the third sibling in this saga, the one who set it in motion. This is the story of Lazarus, the over-indulged little brother, the darling of the two sisters. (I’m using poetic licence here, assuming what is not written in the text).

Why was Lazarus not mentioned when Jesus visited the home in Bethany? Was his resistance to Jesus so great that he went AWOL when Jesus arrived? Was Lazarus among those already condemned because he refused to believe in Him?

I ask these qestions because of the deliberate way in which John described the outcome.

Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus would not die and yet, his death was for God’s glory. How would He work out this riddle?

John 11:4 NIV
[4] When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Was resurrection from physical death the best way to glority the Father? I suggest that Lazarus died, not only a physical death but also a spiritual death in those four days in the grave. Did he have a taste of hell? Did Jesus allow him a near death experience specifically to shake him out of his unbelief? What transformed him from a constant absentee to one who was present in the company at a dinner in Jesus’ honour? Why did John take pains to write, in John 12, that Lazarus was present at the table with Jesus?

John 12:1-2 NIV
[1] “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. [2] Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.”

Without specifically saying so, was John declaring that Lazarus had become a believer? How better to reveal God’s glory than to present a man, separated from Jesus through his unbelief, transformed by grace through his encounter with death!

So, is it possible that Jesus, through the use of this opportunity, and under the Father’s direction, reached deep into the heart of this man whom He loved? Understanding his reservations, and leading him, through a horrifying encounter with hell, to faith and a new life back in his body, Jesus called him out, and Lazarus emerged from the tomb.

In this mighty miracle, Jesus declared, not only His power over death but His promise of resurrection for all who believe in Him by defeating His own death.

Once again, as He so often did, He magnified His name, “I am… Yahweh…”, this time, the resurrection and the life, by confirming it with a demonstration of God’s power working through Him.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… THE LAZARUS EVENT – 18

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John’s gospel, the story another opportuty, reached its pinnacle in John 11. John was the only one who recorded the “Lazarus event”, a miracle so great that it, finally and forever as far as John was concerned, confirmed the identity of Jesus as the Son of God.

Let’s trace the events, one by one.

The Bethany home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus became an oasis for Jesus, a familiar place where He visited often, was always welcome, and felt at home. The sisters and He became good friends, although the brother, Lazarus, didn’t seem to feature much in the story.

Martha, the eldest and the busiest, always made sure that the company was well fed. Mary, probably the next in line, was the pensive one, sensitive and emotional. She ignored protocol to be close to Jesus when He used the time in their home to teach His disciples, sitting at His feet in the company of men!

And Lazarus? Where was he? Despite their friendship, did he have issues with Jesus? Why was he specifically described as one that Jesus loved and yet, he was never in the company when Jesus visited? Somehow, it seems, Jesus loved the ones who weren’t sure about Him…even like the rich young ruler.

John 11:1, 3 NLT
[1] “A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha…
[3] So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

There must have been some connection between Jesus and Lazarus, a friendship on the quiet despite their differences, that prompted the comment, “Your dear friend,”…

Jesus had withdrawn from public view because the Pharisees were after His blood, and He knew that it was not yet His time.

John 10:39-40 NLT
[39] “Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. [40] He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.”

So, when Lazarusc fell ill, Jesus was out of town. A frantic message to Him took days to reach Him. Then He waited a few more days before responding. What was going on here? It’s almost as though Jesus had His ear to the ground, waiting for a signal from the Father before He made a move. He dawdled long enough for the inevitable to happen. Lazarus died and was buried…and the He made His move.

But, for the sisters, Jesus didn’t come!

Imagine the disappointment, the disillusionment, the devastation these sisters felt! The Jesus whom, they thought, loved them, whom they trusted, believed in, and worshipped as Lord, had failed them! He didn’t even send them a message, “I’m coming…” Just silence!

Despite appearances, Jesus was right on track. Always listening for the inward voice of the Father, He understood that this was another opportunity. He must act at each precise moment for the greatest impact of the “Lazarus event”.

John 11:4 NLT
[4] But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”

John 11:5-7, 11 NLT
[5] So, although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, [6] he stayed where he was for the next two days. [7] Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”…
[11] Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

His disciples were puzzled. Why did act so strangely, never in a hurry, His actions decisive and precise, even in a crisis? If Lazarus was dead, why go back into danger?

John 11:14-15 NLT
[14] So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. [15] And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

Slowly, piece by piece, the picture in the puzzle was taking shape. Jesus’ deliberate delay prepared the scene for the greatest miracle they would ever witness. If ever they had doubts about the identity of their rabbi, this miracle would catapult them beyond doubt.

So, in this story and its various players, each one had opinions about Jesus, and each one responded differently to His mysterious behaviour…until it all came together in one unforgettable miracle too public, too visible, and too undeniable to ignore, that clinched the deal for all concerned.

Jesus knew what He was doing. This miracle formed the final great divide between faith and unbelief and their consequences. Some chose faith, and with it, eternal life. Others chose unbelief, and drove them to do the worst they could do…eliminate the one who stood in their way.

John 11:53 NLT
[53] “So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.”…