Day 47.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we commit this time to You and give You our full attention, in Jesus’ name Amen.

John 12: 12-19, Palm Sunday, lamb selection day, triumphal entry.

5 days before Passover on the 10th of Nisan, is Palm Sunday, lamb selection day or triumphal entry. This event is recorded in all the 4 gospels. On this day, a Jewish family selects a lamb, takes it home, and looked after it until the 14th day of Nisan to sacrifice it in the temple. On this day, the Lamb of God, entered Jerusalem on a donkey to triumph over sin.

V12- 13, 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

A great crowd of Israelites came to greet Jesus, waving palm branches as Jesus entered Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. They shouted the messianic Psalm 118: 25-26, “LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.’’ Hosanna means, ‘‘save us’’. They demanded Jesus to save them from the Romans. But Jesus came to save them from sin, not from the Romans.

VV14-15, 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion, see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfill the prophecy of Zech 9:9, ‘’Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey”. Jesus, the Prince of peace, enter Jersusalem on a donkey, a beast of peace.

V 16, At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him’

His disciples did not understand the significance all these until after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification.

VV 17-19, 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him”

Jesus’ popularity ranking with the Israelites was at an all time high because He raised Lazarus from death after 4 days in the tomb. The Pharisees were envious when they saw Jesus’ popularity with the Israelites.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Palm Sunday. Thank you for saving us from sin. in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 44.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we claim the promise that when two or more are gathered in Your name, You will be with us in our midst. Hear us when we pray, in Jesus, name, Amen.

John 11:1-35, Resurrection and the Life, the 5th I AM.

VV 1-3, 1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick”.

Mary, Marta, and Lazarus lived in Bethany. Mary and Marta sent a message to Jesus in Bethabara saying “the one You love is sick’’, speaking of Lazarus. They expected Jesus to come urgently but He did not. Greek for love is “phileo” which means friendship love.

VV4-8, 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.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Commenting that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, Jesus stayed back in Bethabara for 2 more days. Jesus loved Marta, Mary, and Lazarus. Greek for love is ‘’agape’’, the unconditional love of God. Jesus’ delay was not a denial. He had a reason to delay. After 2 days, Jesus announced His decision to return to Bethany, even though the Jews in Judea plotted to kill Him.

VV 9-16, 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Daylight speaks of life. You must do God’s work when it is still “day” for you. Night speaks of death. When you are dead, you cannot do God’s work. Jesus said Lazarus was asleep, meaning that he was dead. Thomas exclaimed, ‘’let us go and die with him’“.

VV 17-26, 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Marta was not disappointed with Jesus’s delay in returning to Bethany. Jesus assured Marta that Lazarus will rise again. Martha thought that Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection at the end of the age. John 11:35 is the 5th I AM, “I am the resurrection and the life”. Christians will rise at the rapture, 1 Thess 4: 16, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first”. The body of a Christisn who died will be buried or cremated, but the soul and spirit lives on eternally with Jesus in heaven.

VV 27-35,27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept.

Mary worshiped at Jesus’ feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the gospel, “Jesus wept”. God created Adam and Eve for eternity. But when sin entered the human race, death entered and sin reigned. Jesus identified with our sorrows. Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected,ma man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care”. When we weep, Jesus weeps with us. God collects our tears into a bottle when we weep, Psalm, 56:8, “You number my wanderings, Put my tears into Your bottle, Are they not in Your book?”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You that when we weep, You weep with us. You collect our tears in a bottle and records them in Your book. This is how much You loved and cared for us, in Jesus’ name, Amen.