Scripture: John 11: 4, 14, 17, 23, 26

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.” ¹⁴ So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁷ When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Scripture Commentary:

The story of Lazarus is one of the most popular in the New Testament. When Jesus hears about Lazarus, Jesus knows that he has to die. If Jesus had been there the day Lazarus died, the people would have said that Jesus healed him of his sickness. In itself, this miracle would have been good; however, Lazarus dying and being in his grave for four days was something entirely difference.

The villagers loved and held Mary, Martha and Lazarus in high esteem. They had been witness to the funeral and saw the body go into the tomb. Jesus waited before entering the village to perform the miracle to show the people that he is the Son of God. He has power over the grave.

Lazarus is not the only one who Jesus raised from the dead. Jesus brought back the daughter of the synogogue leader (Matthew 9: 18-26) and the widow’s only son (Luke 7: 12 -15). However, neither of these people had been in the grave. Lazarus, on the other hand, had been in the grave and had started to decay.

With this miracle some rejected Jesus and started plotting to kill him. Do you accept Jesus as your Savior … or are you rejecting him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 11

Matthew 9

Luke 7

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

What Do You Say?

Scriptures:

John 4: 50

⁵⁰ Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

John 5: 8

⁸ Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

John 11: 43

⁴³ Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”

Scripture Commentary:

These scriptures show us the power of God working through Jesus. He told one man to “Go back home. Your son will live!” And he told another to stand and walk. He didn’t have to touch them or have them do anything. He just spoke the word.

Even now, 2000 years later, if you believe, all Christ has to do is speak the word into your life. His Holy Spirit is with us. All you have to do is believe and ask.

John recorded these miracles so that we can see Christ’s power, both then and now. The government official believed without question. The man at the pool just took up his bed and walked away.

Do you know the sound of his voice?

In order to hear him you must first accept him into your life. Otherwise you don’t know who is speaking to you.

Do you know him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 4, John 5, and John 11

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

Jesus Is the Door to Salvation

All Is Possible For Those Who Believe

Scripture: John 10: 1

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from some other place [on the stone wall], that one is a thief and a robber.

Scripture Commentary: You can only enter the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

Most robbers won’t enter by the front door. If they do their intentions aren’t good. We come into contact with all types of people who have various intentions. Jesus gives truth and salvation to contrast the thief who only wants to harm or mislead you. What Christ offers is abundantly more full and eternal.

A self-centered person neither loves nor cares for you or anyone else. They are only out for themselves. Satan and his followers do what they do to enhance themselves.

Enter through the narrow gate that leads to eternal life.

Ezekiel 34:23 tells us of the Messiah, the good shepherd. Satan and his followers resent Jesus who stands at the gate of the pen protecting his flock. They know they can’t get at those who are protected. Jesus took away our sins when he died on the cross and rose on the third day. His protection is for eternity.

Christ’s death and resurrection are part of God’s plan for our salvation. Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. This was done by his consent. So when you follow Jesus, he leads you straight to his Father who sits on the heavenly throne.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 10

Ezekiel 34

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

God Is the Beginning of Everything

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Scripture: Amos 4: 11-12

¹¹ “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. ¹² “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”

Scripture Commentary: Don’t be hard-headed. Return to God.

God warned His children through famine, drought, blight, locusts, plagues and war but to no avail. They did not return to Him. Through it all, they continued to do their own thing and ignored God.

Is God trying to tell or show you something and are you ignoring Him? You can run but you can’t hide from God. The Israelites ran but they couldn’t outrun God. They had to meet Him face to face.

When it is your time to meet God face to face, He will ask what you’ve done in His name. You won’t be able to run or hide. You can’t ignore Him.

It’s your choice.

He gives you a choice every day to get yourself in order and do His work. Help others, love Him, and spread His gospel. If you are ignoring Him, you still have time to change. God forgets and forgives your sins when you ask Him. He loves you. Are you prepared to meet Him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Amos 4

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Amos:

How Will It Be in the Last Days?

Seek to Learn and Understand the Words of the Lord

Scripture: Matthew 9: 9-11

Jesus calls Matthew.

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. ¹⁰ Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. ¹¹ But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?^[c]”

Scripture Commentary:

Just think how blessed we are that Jesus not only calls us to sit at his table but also he breaks bread with us. We are all sinners who come up short. Matthew was a tax collector working for the Romans. The tax collectors not only collected taxes for the Roman government but also charged extra to line their own pockets. They were hated by the Jews because most of them were Jews exploiting their own people. But this all changed for Matthew when he answered Jesus’s call to follow him.

Have you answered Jesus’s call to follow him or are you still doing your own thing?

Jesus is telling us right now to follow him. Thank him for the day when you awake in the morning and ask him what he has for you to do. Share Jesus’s gospel with everyone.

Jesus came for the lost and the sick. Sick Matthew became well when he answered Jesus’s call. Jesus calls to you now.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 9

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew:

Jesus Spoke Plainly About His Purpose

What Favor Do You Ask of Jesus?

Scripture: Matthew 14: 25-28

 ²⁵ About three o’clock in the morning^[b] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” ²⁷ But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!^[c]” ²⁸ Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

Scripture Commentary:

Peter is the disciple who always had something to say, challenging Jesus at all times in his ministry. It is through Peter that God shows us ourselves as we go through life questioning our faith. God has given us the plan for salvation yet we go about life as if we don’t understand it.

The people in Jesus’s time came to him for physical healing, not the spiritual healing that he offered. The physical is only temporary but the spiritual is for eternity.

When Peter asked Jesus to call to him to walk on water, his focus was on Jesus. When he took his focus off Jesus, he got into trouble. Likewise, when you take your focus off Jesus and put your priorities on worldly things, you get into trouble.

The number of your days from birth to death are written down. Don’t worry about your physical being. Instead work on your spiritual self that is the Holy Spirit God placed within you. When you understand and accept Jesus Christ, then and only then can you truly appreciate the message of God’s ministry.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 14

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew 14:

Listen! Jesus Said Come to Him.

How Can Anyone Walk On Water?

Scripture: John 6: 5, 7-9

⁵ Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” ⁷ Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money^[a] to feed them!” ⁸ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ⁹ “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

Scripture Commentary:

The miracle where Jesus feeds five thousand with two fish and 5 barley loaves is recorded in all 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Many of us have heard sermons about this miracle.

Are you waiting for a miracle to believe?

Jesus sees the crowd of people coming toward him to listen to him speak. The Bible only gives us the number of the men (5,000). It doesn’t tell us the number of women and children present. For argument sake, let’s say there are 5,000 to 7,000 women and children.

Jesus asks Philip where they could buy enough loaves and fish to feed the multitude, knowing that there was no place that would have enough to feed them. So why did Jesus ask the question?

Earlier Jesus had turned water into wine, cleaned the temple of merchants, and healed the nobleman’s son. He had spoken to Nicodemus and to the woman of Samaria but still the disciples did not fully understand. With this miracle they fully understood and said he is the true prophet!

Why did it take them so long? And what about you? Are you waiting for a miracle before you believe? Do you need a miracle to believe? If so and you are reading this, this is your miracle.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 6

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

Who I Am Not

Do You Know Who Jesus Is?

Scripture: James 2: 1-4

My dear brothers and sisters,^[a] how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? ² For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting^[b] dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. ³ If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, ⁴ doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

Scripture Commentary: Don’t discriminate based on the world’s standards.

Why do we discriminate based on earthly wealth? In James 2, we are presented with two people. We assume one is wealthy based on his fancy clothes and expensive jewelry. We assume the other is poor based on his dirty clothes.

What if both men were plainly dressed? How could we distinguish one against the other? What would we judge each on?

Would you see love, gratefulness or greed and selfishness? The poor man could have so much bitterness that it blocks his way to salvation. On the other hand, the rich man can be using his wealth to help others.

Jesus taught us to love one another as he loves us.

We don’t have the right to judge others. We must treat everyone as we would want to be treated. Don’t place one person over another. As God’s children we are to be Christ-like. Walk in the light that God has revealed to us.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

James 2

Read Other Commentary from the Book of James:

Tame Your Tongue – Watch What You Say

Can A Man Have Faith Without Works?

Scripture: Romans 2: 21-22, 25

²¹ Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? ²² You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?^{[b] 25} The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. 

Scripture Commentary:

Sometimes we question people about what they say and do. We become judge and jury based on our experiences. We think we can teach or correct a mistake being made based on our past experience. Don’t say something is wrong or that you would do things differently. We are all human.

Don’t Teach What You Don’t Live.

Don’t criticize someone you don’t know or who is just beginning to learn about God. Help that person. Don’t be judgmental. Paul tells us that we are responsible for teaching ourselves the lifestyle God has for us, and then live by it. God’s law is more than legalistic; it’s the blueprint to live according to His will. It tells us that we cannot have a proper relationship with God until we accept and live a Christian lifestyle. This is how we please God.

Look inward. Remove any ungodly thing that you are doing or holding onto. Ask for forgiveness and repent. Live the life God has for you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Romans 2

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Romans:

Jesus Will Prepare A Place For You

Give Thanks to God; Praise His Holy Name

Scripture: John 8: 3-5

³ As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

Scripture Commentary: What do you say?

The Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus into being judge, jury and executioner. At times, we are placed in a similar situation. What do you say when you find yourself there?

What does Jesus say?

Who are we to judge someone? Do you pray, give your opinion or stay out of it? If you read on, you will see Jesus putting the question back unto the Pharisees. In the end Jesus says that if anyone is sinless, let him cast the first stone. Who among us is sinless? Who can say that they haven’t thought or committed sin in their life?

We are to pray and forgive, not judge others. Only God has the right or authority to judge. He gives us each day to get it right. Jesus forgave the woman and told her to go and sin no more. He tells us the same.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 8

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

Jesus Is the Way to Eternal Life

Can You Hear the Voice of Jesus?