A Human Flaw
John 12:37-50
Should Jesus have raised Lazarus from the dead?
Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them." Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God. Then Jesus cried aloud: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me." - John 12:37-50
After raising Lazarus from the dead, word spread that Jesus had performed this miracle and so people came from all around to see Lazarus as well as Jesus.
I can imagine Lazarus standing in the doorway, watching the crowds arriving, saying to Jesus, "You should have left me dead."
According to John, Caiaphas, the head of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of seventy Jews, this Jesus was going to be a problem.
If they did nothing, Rome would get wind of the insurrection among the people and would come down on them. Caiaphas and others would lose their jobs and maybe their lives.
So, they had to do something. But what?
Caiaphas prophesies that killing Jesus could be a bigger problem. It is as if God wanted to warn him that such action would foment a greater uprising against them and Rome.
Self-preservation wins out, in this case, as it does in so many, and they decide to remove the threat of Jesus any way they can.
This is how we act when we are afraid for our future.
We see this today as well. The one stirring up the pot is the one that must be taken care of.
The question is who today represents Rome? Who is it that we are all afraid will come in and destroy our lives?
Just asking that question shows that we have not learned the lesson. We continue to seek our own preservation of this life, rather than work toward our eternal life with God.
It's a human flaw or trait, I'm sure.
More to come...