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Tag: love

In case you missed it, disciple
Disciples receive a New Command

John witnessed previously a NEW COMMANDMENT of Jesus, who also said:

You are My friends if you do what I command you.
John 15:14

The setting was the table of Communion of the ‘last supper,’ our picture of the scene most likely too Italian and not accurately set in first century Jerusalem. So for a moment let’s take a closer first century look at Jesus with His Disciples. But first, let’s define discipleship.

Who is a disciple anyway?

אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֗ה נָ֤תַן לִי֙ לְשֹׁ֣ון לִמּוּדִ֔ים לָדַ֛עַת לָע֥וּת אֶת־יָעֵ֖ף דָּבָ֑ר יָעִ֣יר בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֗קֶר יָעִ֥יר לִי֙ אֹ֔זֶן לִשְׁמֹ֖עַ כַּלִּמּוּדִֽים׃
Isaiah 50:4 Masoretic Text

Isaiah 50:

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.

Isaiah here refers to himself as a disciple of ‘Adonay Yĕhovah.

‘disciples’ – לִמּוּד – “taught, learned, discipled, from לָמַד – lä·mad’ – to learn. teach, exercise in

That is to learn and exercise the teaching of the Lord God as in:

Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn H3925 them and observe them carefully.
Deuteronomy 5:1 – Strong’s H3925 – לָמַד

Has the Lord God given you ‘the tongue of disciples’ ‘to sustain the weary one?’

And are your beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord not weary ones in need of encouragement in the Word?

Even Jesus’ example of obedience to our Father God can be seen in this same prophecy of Isaiah.

Prophecy of the Suffering Servant

6 I will offer my back to those who whip me
and my cheeks to those who pluck hairs out of my beard.

I will not turn my face away from those who humiliate me
and spit on me.

Who accuses me?
Let him confront me!

9 The Almighty Lord helps me.
Who will find me guilty?

11 But all of you light fires
and arm yourselves with flaming torches.
So walk in your own light
and among the torches you have lit.

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Isaiah 51:1a NASB

“It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
The words of Jesus – John 6:45

Who is Jesus’ disciple?

Of course we correctly speak of Jesus’ twelve “Apostles” or “Disciples” (with a capital ‘D’), even appropriately adding Matthias who replaced Judas and Paul, the “Apostle to the gentiles” (though he was a Jew among jews in all his jewish learning).

These were all chosen by our Lord as an intimate inner circle of teachers to be sent into the world with the Gospel (except His betrayer, Judas Iscariot).

Again, it comes down to a definition.

μαθητής – ‘disciple‘
- a learner, pupil, disciple
The Greek, Hebrew and other concepts imply that a disciple is a student and follower of a teacher. The ONE teacher IS JESUS, Son of God, Son of Man, a Personal Teacher to His disciples.

This, of course, includes the Twelve, includes Paul and also includes the many diciples who witnessed Jesus in the flesh (both before and after His resurrection of the Body).

Those who call Him Master and Lord AND obey the Very Word of God.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32 NASB

Jesus is speaking to all the disciples following Him (just like now), however His lesson and command speak only to those who truly believe and obey our Master and Lord, the Teacher Who IS the Word.

Disciples include those who continue to believe Jesus as our Lord, our Master and Teacher, those pupils schooled by the Living God.

Therefore, Jesus’ disciples include any of all generations of faith who belong to Him, those who obey our Lord and Savior.

The saints (small ‘s’) of the Church belong to Christ and therefore must obey the Lord’s command – including a new command to the church:
a new commandment from our Teacher and Lord that we LOVE ONE ANOTHER as Jesus has loved us.

And to emphasis the importance of this relationship of pupils our Teacher Jesus adds His reason for giving us a new commandment:

Why does Jesus give his disciples a NEW COMMANDMENT so specific to His Own love?
So that we also love each other.
Roger Harned – talkofJesus.com – on John 13:34

To be continued, Lord-willing... What Jesus' New Commandment means to the church.
April 25, 2020
Lazarus – Death and Resurrection
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Death and Resurrection
 Hosea 13:4 I have been the Lord your God
 ever since the land of Egypt;
 you know no God but me,
 and no Savior exists besides me.
 5 I knew you in the wilderness,
 in the land of drought.
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“Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. God’s bread is the man who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Yeshua told them, “I am the bread of life…
John 6:32b,34a NOG

The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

John has already introduced us to those Jesus loves. Lazarus – HELP from the grave.

Now after a considerable walk from somewhere beyond Judea, Jesus arrives in Bethany.

Jesus walks into a scene of death visited by mourners who loved Lazarus but also religious officials from Jerusalem who sought to accuse their Messiah of blasphemy for previous signs on the Sabbath.

As reminder of both heavy hearts and hard hearts in the crowds:

John 6:

30 So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?

… 40 My Father wants all those who see the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. He wants me to bring them back to life on the last day.”

John 11

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem (less than two miles away).

He arrives at the funeral of Lazarus. No talk of death and resurrection here, just wailing and mourning his loss.

19 Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Yeshua was coming, she went to meet him.

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask him.”

Lord God

Ἰησοῦν κύριε – Iēsous kyrios – Jesus Lord

Martha addresses their Messiah and friend.

“I know that God, theos in greek referring to any gods, but for Jews and followers of Christ (a Greek word for Messiah), Martha’s confidence in God includes a mysterious relationship between this Son of Man and the HOLY SPIRIT of the LORD God!

“God with” – ὁ – ho – with the Holy Spirit, the very breath of life which hovered over creation.
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Gen 1:2
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהֹום וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּֽיִם׃
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“Who are you with,” we would ask?

Jesus, God with us, frequently answered religious critics with personally relational replies like,

“God is spirit, and those G3588 who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Now, out of compassion for a deceased friend and love for the family of Lazarus, the Messiah Jesus returns to Judea with nothing more to prove. (For the Lord had already raised others from death and healed some near to death of likely life-ending ailments to a cleansing of the flesh with life!)

Death and Resurrection

Death and resurrection always have connection. Will you rise again from the grave?

For Jesus’ friend Lazarus, temporary restoration of health and life in his case. Yet all understand judgment by the Lord God requires a raising of the spirit of your soul to life.

After flesh fails and bones decay to dust and ashes will the Lord also breathe life into a new body of each soul?

“..even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask him.”

23 Yeshua told Martha, “Your brother will come back to life.”

24 Martha answered Yeshua, “I know that he’ll come back to life on the last day, when everyone will come back to life.”

25 Yeshua said to her,

“I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

The Messiah of God!

Do you believe that?”

Pause to think:

“I am life itself!” Those who believe in Jesus ( יְהוֹשׁוּעַ ) will live even though we die. The Lord God IS our Salvation!

27 Martha said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was expected to come into the world.”

She has said this – that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God – with witnesses surrounding her home — Jews who believe and Jews looking for excuse to kill Jesus.

… she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly,

“The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

When Mary heard this she sprang to her feet and went to him.

30 (Yeshua had not yet come into the village but was still where Martha had met him.) The Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave. So they followed her…

The Messiah approaching death and resurrection

Compelling drama! – with much expectation.

Those who loved this family and mourned the loss of Lazarus would not have expected Mary’s sudden joy. Rather, they followed her to continue their expected public mouring for the death of a fellow Jew.

Imagine their surprise at the scene about to unfold.

33 When Yeshua saw her crying, and the Jews who were crying with her, he was deeply moved and troubled.

34 So Yeshua asked, “Where did you put Lazarus?”

They answered him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Yeshua cried.

36 The Jews said, “See how much Yeshua loved him.”

An appropriate witness of the true personal compassion of the Lord Jesus. Yet listen to the dissent of hardened hearts.

37 But some of the Jews asked, “Couldn’t this man who gave a blind man sight keep Lazarus from dying?”

Jesus hears our complaints and the Messiah hears our kind words. All those comments of the crowds did not matter to the Son of Man sent to this place to weep – sent here to suffer for our sins.

38 Deeply moved again, Yeshua went to the tomb.

It was a cave with a stone covering the entrance.

39 Yeshua said, “Take the stone away.”
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To be continued...
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March 28, 2020
Lazarus – HELP from the grave
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name;
And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.

עָזְרֵ֤נוּ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י יִשְׁעֵ֗נוּ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר כְּבֹֽוד־שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וְהַצִּילֵ֥נוּ וְכַפֵּ֥ר עַל־֝חַטֹּאתֵ֗ינוּ לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
Psalm 79:9 – NASB, Masoretic Text

Where does my help come from?

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 KJV

Each year as the festival crowds approached Jerusalem, weary and faithful Jews making the pilgrimage would pause to rest in places nearby before their walking ascent up the hill leading to the Temple.

Bethany would have been one of these places – a town where Jesus would stay with a good friend and later perform a sign the He IS the Messiah of Israel.

John 11:

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany…

John’s Gospel begins by mentioning the village along with details of Mary and Martha which do not happen until later, but of course have already happened by the time John writes his Good News to the churches and unbelievers.

Although we have just read of a story from the festival of Hanukkah where Jesus may have also stayed over at Bethany (we cannot be certain), I remind us that John’s Gospel is not strictly chronoligical.

The importance here relates to the characters – the real people of this family living in the village of Bethany outside Jerusalem. And what we are about to witness is not only a miracle and sign of Jesus, but the human love of true friends of this family by the Lord.

A messenger asks Jesus to help a friend

3 So the sisters sent a messenger to tell Yeshua, “Lord, your close friend is sick.”

These friends knew where to find Jesus, where He was preaching.

Jesus most likely had already been in this part of Judea, but departed for Samaria and other distant places as was His custom traveling from town to town preaching the Good News.

4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

John gives us an important background to their friendship without providing specific details of where Jesus was teaching, but he tells us something important about this family in Jesus’ earthly relationships.

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11:5

It is the same description John uses so often to describe the Incarnate Lord Jesus – ἀγαπάω – agapaō – ‘of persons to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly.

Christians are to love the world in this same way Jesus loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus. For John uses this same word to describe how God ‘loved’ humans made in his image.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NASB – agapaō

Yet the messenger might have thought Jesus’s response to be somewhat dismissive. “This sickness is not to end in death…”

6 Yet, when Yeshua heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. Then, after the two days, Yeshua said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

What do we fear?

Even in the unexpected crisis of these last days what does man fear most?

Death!

It was the death of their brother Mary and Martha feared. And the Apostles also fear capture and death due to several previous attempts by Jerusalem’s religious officials to kill their friend Jesus. The Disciples fear death even though Jesus had demonstrated His power over nature time and time again.

8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, not long ago the Jews wanted to stone you to death. Do you really want to go back there?”

9 Yeshua answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day don’t stumble, because they see the light of this world. However, those who walk at night stumble because they have no light in themselves.”

Jesus again assures His own Apostles that He is the Light of the world and reminds that Jerusalem’s leaders have no light of God in their actions.

Lazarus

… and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”

Of course the Apostles continue in their regular banter questioning the Lord as to His motives. Yet before we proceed to Jesus’ sign, let’s take a closer look at His friend Lazarus.

Λάζαρον –

Λάζαρος
Lazaros – Lazarus = “whom God helps” (a form of the Hebrew name Eleazar)

Jesus also tells a parable of another man, Lazarus, a poor beggar who died and God helped.

אֶלְעָזָר

el·ä·zär’ – same meaning in Hebrew was the name of Aaron’s son, also a Levite Priest, as well as several others in this Bible.

Clearly, if Jesus is going to help Lazarus it is God who helps the man close to death.

Lazarus is dead

Jesus has not spelled it out in His first mention to the Apostles as they attempt to convince the Lord not to return to Judea.

12 Then the disciples said to him,

“Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”

(The Disciples certainly do not care to risk returning to Bethany near Jerusalem.)

14 Then Yeshua told them plainly,

“Lazarus has died, but I’m glad that I wasn’t there so that you can grow in faith. Let’s go to Lazarus.”

How does Jesus know these things?

Can a mere man know such truths?

Of course the Disciples had witnessed such knowledge possible only from God before. Yet like us, they lack faith that Jesus can take authority over the situation as it involves their mortal lives.

16 Thomas, who was called Didymus, said to the rest of the disciples,

“Let’s go so that we, too, can die with Yeshua.”

Isn’t that how we feel when confronted by death?

How will Jesus help us, we ask ourselves?

Can the Son of Man HELP a man already dead?

That’s the question lurking in the back of our minds when we pray to God.

Can God help me even though I am dead? Will the Lord keep me from death?

Jesus returns to Bethany and eventually Jerusalem to answer the immediate questions of Lazarus’ death, the soon-to-be asked questions about the Disciples’ deaths due to following Jesus and most importantly our eternal questions about death appointed to each mortal man and our only hope of resurrection to the Light of eternal life.
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To be continued, God-willing...
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March 27, 2020