Light

John 12:45-49 – The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.

John 1:4 – In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 14:30-31 – I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Application:

• ·         The Gospel of John links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination. He is the “light of the world”, who holds out wonderful hope for humanity and for the creation.
• ·         It is not the purpose of the sun’s shining to cast shadows, but when the sun shines, shadows are inevitable.
• ·         Jesus’ hearers have a great responsibility. His “words” are what the Father commanded Him to say. To reject them, therefore, is to reject God.
• ·         Jesus had stressed the importance of His followers being obedient, and He set the example.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Believes In Me

John 12:42-44 – Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God. Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

Romans 2:29 – No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

John 5:24 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

John 20:31 – But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 4:34 – “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Application:

• ·         People were not to believe “in” John the Baptist but “through” him.
• ·         The true sign of belonging to God is not an outward mark on the physical body but the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit within—what Paul meant by “circumcision of the heart”.
• ·         Faith and life are connected.
• ·         The whole Gospel of John is written to show the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship and to present Him as the Son of God, so that the readers may believe in Him.
• ·         John often mentions that Jesus depended on the Father and did the work the Father sent Him to do.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Saw Jesus' Glory

John 12:41 – Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Ezekiel 1:28 – Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 43:1-2 – Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.

Isaiah 6:10 – Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Application:

• ·         Isaiah spoke primarily of the glory of God. John spoke of the glory of Jesus and made no basic distinction between the two, attesting Jesus’ oneness with God. The thought of glory here is complex. There is the idea of majesty, and there is also the idea that Jesus’ death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection and exaltation show His real glory.
• ·         This is the cross and this is glory, for the cross, resurrection and exaltation portray both suffering and healing, rejection and triumph, humiliation and glory.
• ·         When God’s glory was symbolically revealed, it took the form of brilliant light. What is remarkable about Ezekiel’s experience is that God’s glory had for centuries been associated with the temple in Jerusalem. In his vision of the restored Jerusalem the prophet saw the glory of the Lord returning.
• ·         In the book of Ezekiel God’s glory is always active. God’s visible glory is frequently described as being very bright.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Calloused

John 12:37-40 – Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

John 2:11 – What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Isaiah 6:10 – Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Mark 4:11-12 – He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

Luke 8:10 – He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

Application:

• ·         John always refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs”, a word emphasizing the significance of the action rather than the marvel. There are seven such “signs” in the main body of this Gospel; the large catch of fish is in the epilogue.
• ·         The Jewish leaders purposely rejected God and chose evil and God in turn brought on them a judicial blinding of eyes and hardening of hearts.
• ·         In that very blindness, they will accomplish God’s purpose of salvation through the death of the Messiah.
• ·         “Secrets of the kingdom of God” are truths that can be known only by revelation from God.
• ·         The quotation (“though seeing, they may not see”) from Isaiah does not express a desire that some would not understand but simply states the sad truth that those who are not willing to receive Jesus’ message will find the truth hidden from them.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Light

John 12:35-36 – Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

John 1:4 – In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 8:12,59 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”… At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Application:

• ·         This Gospel also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination. He is the “light of the world”, who holds out wonderful hope for humanity and for the creation.
• ·         It is also true that “God is light”. And as Jesus’ followers reflect the light that comes from Him, they too are “the light of the world”. “God is light”, but Jesus is also the light from God that lights the way for life—as the pillar of fire lit the way for the Israelites.
• ·         Jesus hid Himself.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Law

John 12:33-34 – He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

Psalm 110:4 – The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Isaiah 9:7 – Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Luke 24:44 – He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

John 1:24-25 – Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Mark 8:31 – He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

Application:

• ·         David and his royal sons, as chief representatives of the rule of God, performed many worship-focused activities, such as overseeing the ark of the covenant, building and overseeing the temple and overseeing the work of the priests and Levites and the temple liturgy. In all these duties they exercised authority over even the high priest. But they could not engage in those specifically priestly functions that had been assigned to the Aaronic priesthood.
• ·         God is like a jealous lover who will not abandon His people.
• ·         God, through the Messiah, came to bring about the full and final redemption of His people and the full and final restoration of all things.
• ·         In Old Testament times anointing signified being set apart for service, particularly as king or priest.
• ·         The Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Lifted Up

John 12:32,41 – And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”… Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Application:

• ·         Christ will draw people to Himself, without regard for nationality, ethnic affiliation or status.
• ·         People do not come to Christ strictly on their own initiative; the Father draws them.
• ·         This is the cross and this is glory, for the cross, resurrection and exaltation portray both suffering and healing, rejection and triumph, humiliation and glory.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Father, Glorify Your Name!

John 12:28-31 – Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

Matthew 6:9 – “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

2 Corinthians 4:4 – The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Application:

• ·         By God’s saving and judging acts in history He proves Himself holy.
• ·         The cross was God’s judgment on the world.
• ·         “God of this age” is the devil, who is the archenemy of God and the unseen power behind all unbelief and ungodliness. Those who follow him have in effect made him their god.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Troubled

John 12:26-27 – Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

2 Corinthians 5:8,21 – We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord…God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Philippians 1:23 – I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Mark 14:36 – “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Application:

• ·         “Away from the body…at home with the Lord” is the situation of believers after death, when they are no longer living in their mortal bodies.
• ·         Being with Christ after death must involve some kind of conscious presence and fellowship.
• ·         Jesus considered praying for God to save Him from this death but refused to do so, because the very reason He had come was to die for sinners.
• ·         What Jesus dreaded was not death as such but the manner of His death as the one who was taking “the sin of the world” upon Himself.
• ·         Christ, the only entirely righteous one, took our sin upon Himself at Calvary and endured the punishment we deserved, namely, death and separation from God. Thus, by a marvelous exchange, He made it possible for us to receive His righteousness and thereby be reconciled to God.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Anyone Who Hates Their Life...Will Keep It

John 12:22-25,41 – Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life… Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Mark 8:34-35 – Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Luke 14:26 – “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

Luke 9:23 – Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Malachi 1:2-3 – “I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

Application:

• ·         Isaiah spoke primarily of the glory of God. John spoke of the glory of Jesus and made no basic distinction between the two, attesting Jesus’ oneness with God. The thought of glory here is complex. There is the idea of majesty, and there is also the idea that Jesus’ death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection and exaltation show His real glory. This is the cross and this is glory, for the cross, resurrection and exaltation portray both suffering and healing, rejection and triumph, humiliation and glory.
• ·         To love one’s life here and now—to concentrate on one’s own success—is to lose what truly matters. Love for God must be such that all other loves are, by comparison, hatred.
• ·         Physical life may be saved by denying Jesus, but eternal life will be lost. Conversely, discipleship may result in the loss of physical life, but that loss is insignificant when compared with gaining eternal life.
• ·         “Hate father and mother” was a vivid hyperbole, meaning that one must love Jesus even more than one’s immediate family.
• ·         Cross-bearing includes a willingness to suffer and die for the Lord’s sake.
• ·         To follow Jesus requires self-denial, complete dedication and willing obedience.
• ·         If God’s people doubt His covenant love, they should consider the contrast between God’s ways with them and His ways with Jacob’s brother, Esau. Paul explains God’s love for Jacob and hatred for Esau on the basis of election. God chose Jacob, not Esau.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Donkey

John 12:14-21,32,41 – Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 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. 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. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”…And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”…Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Application:

• ·         “Riding on a donkey” was a suitable choice, since the donkey was a lowly animal of peace, as well as a princely mount before the horse came into common use.
• ·         Isaiah spoke primarily of the glory of God. John spoke of the glory of Jesus and made no basic distinction between the two, attesting Jesus’ oneness with God. The thought of glory here is complex. There is the idea of majesty, and there is also the idea that Jesus’ death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection and exaltation show His real glory. This is the cross and this is glory, for the cross, resurrection and exaltation portray both suffering and healing, rejection and triumph, humiliation and glory.
• ·         Jesus came to die for the world, and the coming of these Gentiles indicates the scope of the effectiveness of His approaching crucifixion.
• ·         Christ will draw people to Himself, without regard for nationality, ethnic affiliation or status.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Name Of The Lord

John 12:9-13 – Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 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!”

James 1:15 – Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Psalm 118:26 – Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.

Application:

• ·         Sin grows.
• ·         The three stages—desire, sin, death—are seen in temptations of Eve and David.
• ·         John had a special interest in Jesus’ royalty, which he brings out throughout the passion narrative.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Nard

John 12:2-8 – Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

John 13:5 – 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.

John 17:12 – While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Deuteronomy 15:11 – There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Mark 14:7 – The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

Application:

• ·         Jesus’ life of service would culminate on the cross.
• ·         Christ’s power is adequate for every need.
• ·         Even in the best of societies under the most enlightened laws, the uncertainties of life and the variations among citizens result in some people becoming poor.
• ·         In such cases the Lord commands that generosity and kindness be extended to them.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Ceremonial Cleansing

John 11:53-12:1 – So from that day on they plotted to take his life. Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him. Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

Exodus 12:13 – The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

1 Corinthians 11:28 – Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

Mark 14:7 – The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

Luke 7:47,50 – Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”… Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Application:

• ·         Just as the plagues were miraculous signs of judgment on the pharaoh and His people, so the Lord’s “passing over” the Israelites who placed themselves under the sign of blood was a pledge of God’s mercy.
• ·         All participants should test the attitude of their own hearts and actions and their awareness of the significance of the Supper, thus making the Supper, under God, a spiritual means of grace.
• ·         Jesus’ did not express lack of concern for the poor, for their needs lay close to His heart. He simply stated the truth.
• ·         The woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair: her love was evidence of her forgiveness, but not the basis for it. She was saved by faith.
• ·         Her sins were forgiven and she could experience God’s peace.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

For The Scattered Children Of God

John 11:46-52 – But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

John 2:11 – What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Isaiah 49:5-6 – And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

John 10:16 – I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

John 1:29 – The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 4:42 – They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Application:

• ·         Signs revealed Jesus’ glory and likely also pointed to the fullness of the salvation He came to effect.
• ·         Christ is the light of the world, and Christians are to reflect His light.
• ·         All God’s people have the same Shepherd.
• ·         It may be that John chose to point to the sacrificial offering that Jesus would become and to His subsequent conquest of all evil powers—the two ways by which He “takes away the sin of the world”.
• ·         “God so loved the word” is the great truth that motivated God’s plan of salvation.
• ·         Jesus not only teaches but also saves and His salvation extends to the world.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Many Of The Jews...Believed In Him

John 11:25-26,39-45 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”…“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

John 20:31 – But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Application:

• ·         Jesus not only is life, but He also conveys life to believers so that death will never triumph over them.
• ·         People were not to believe “in” John the Baptist but “through” him.
• ·         The whole Gospel of John is written to show the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship and to present Him as the Son of God, so that the readers may believe in Him.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Troubled

John 11:28-38 – 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.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 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. 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.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.

John 12:27 – “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

Application:

• ·         “The Teacher” was a significant description to be given by a woman. The rabbis would not teach women, but Jesus taught them frequently.
• ·         Jesus faced the prospect of becoming sin for sinful people.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Never Die

John 11:25-27 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Luke 2:11 – Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

John 6:14 – After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Application:

• ·         Believers may die physically but, as those who have eternal life, their physical death is not their ultimate end.
• ·         Death cannot destroy the life Christ gives.
• ·         Jesus not only is life, but He also conveys life to believers so that death will never triumph over them.
• ·         Many Jews were looking for a political leader to deliver them from Roman rule, while others were hoping for a savior to deliver them from sickness and physical hardship.
• ·         The sign pointed people to the Son of Man and the food for eternal life that He gives, but they thought only of the Prophet, i.e., the prophet who would be like Moses.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV