The Great Commandment

Melinda Song

The word great catches our attention. The Great Wall of China, the great Pyramids etc. or the greatest footballer, Pele and the greatest squash player, our very own Nicole David.

When they asked Jesus, which is the greatest commandment, it came with a motive to trap him.

Matthew 22:34-40
The Greatest Commandment
22: 34- 40pp – Mk 12: 28- 31
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Mark 12:28-34
The Greatest Commandment
12: 28- 34pp – Mt 22: 34- 40
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

There were constant debates during the time of Jesus. The passage above showed Jesus faced challenges from the the experts of the time.

v16 The Herodians posed questions to Jesus about paying taxes hoping to trap Jesus. Jesus answered them by showing the Roman coin

v28 The Sadducees, the influentials wanted to trap Jesus by questioning him about the woman who married seven times.

Jesus answered them via the scriptures and they were silenced.

The Pharisees, the separated ones expert in the law took Jesus to task. They sent a lawyer, a scribe to ask Jesus a difficult question.

Which is the greatest commandment? This was a question they themselves could not answer. If Jesus were to contradict Moses, he would be labelled a heretic.

Jesus answered by keeping to the law but emphasis was not on can or cannot but on love.

Mark 12:29
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Jesus said: Love the Lord your God. The "love" here is a verb not a noun. Love here is an action. Jesus demonstrated that love on the cross. Paul said it is this love that compels him.

If we love God, it needs to be shown through action. It is not just an expression of the word. Love is not just what we say. It's what we do.

The second lesson we can learn is that: If we get the love right, we will get the law right.

The first part of the 10 commandments is about loving God and the second part is on loving others. It hangs on love.

As Christians, it is not about what we can or cannot do, it is about what we want or don't want to do.

When you love someone, you will not stray. And our love to God is total. The verse says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Our lives cannot be compartmentalised, it is total. Note the "all" that is being emphasised.

This love is with our mind too and not just emotional. It takes both to love God. It is with our all.

We need to live a God saturated, Christ centred, Spirit filled life.

A Few Good Men

David’s Mighty Men

by Pastor Gideon Lee

2 Samuel 23:8-17

8 These are the names of David’s mighty men:

Josheb- Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered [at Pas Dammim] for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, 

10 but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 

12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord.

17 “Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

David, though great did not achieve success on his own. He needed his 30 mighty men.

First was Josheb-Basshebeth, one of the three in the inner circle who struck down 800 on that day.

Then there was Eleazar, who stood his ground when his men fled and abandoned him. He fought and won till his sword froze on his hand.

Shammah, the third of the great men defended a field and the Lord granted them victory.

David was longing for a drink during the hot harvesting season, when the three men responded to his need by going into enemy territory and drawing water for David. He did not ask the men to get the water, nor commanded them. He was just thinking to himself but the men immediately went to get the water without his knowledge.

But David did something unexpected, he poured it onto the ground as an offering to the Lord. He knew how difficult it was to get the water. But he felt the water was brought with great risk of his men.

Lessons to Learn

1. They were loyal to David.

They were committed to his cause. They followed David without question.

2. They were close to David.

If we want to be mighty men of God, we need to be close to God. It has to be a lifestyle. How?

• pray always (pray without ceasing - in constant communication with God)
• worship (draws us close to God)
• listening to God (what does God says to you in His still small voice. Can only happen when you set aside quiet time)

3. They were committed.

They did what he wished for and not just what he commanded. They knew his heart. Are we committed to God? Or are we only committed when it suits us. Our giving, our time. Today God needs Christians who are committed. It's okay to be labelled a fanatic for God by unbelievers. Our commitment is visible.

4. They were courageous.

They were willing to do exploits in the face of danger. They brought water just for David, not for themselves. Christianity is not for wimps. God asked Joshua to be STRONG and COURAGEOUS. These mighty men possessed these qualities. Courage is not the absence of fear but the mastery of fear. To stand up for God takes courage. It is done humbly, never brash.

Our courage stems from the fact that the Lord our God is with us.

David was known as a man after God's heart. This is because everything God put in David's hand brought glory to the Lord. A cup in his hand was offered to God. It is an act of dedication where his life is poured out as an offering to God.

From Fear to Faith

Pastor Gideon

Matthew 14:23-33
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

In today's age, this passage of scripture may not make sense to many. It will attract cynics and critics who says no one can walk on water. But we all miss the point of this scripture.

The previous verses showed he fed 5,000 which was a great miracle. The disciples partnered with Jesus as they helped distribute the fish and bread.

Verse 22 says "immediately". This is a lesson we can learn. We have no time to bask in the work of God. All glory goes to God. Jesus needed rest and he went up to the mountains to pray. There is no better place of rest than the presence of God.

V27, when they were afraid Jesus immediately told them to take courage, do not be afraid. Peter's response was typical of him, act first think later. He just wanted to be with Jesus, not so much to walk on water.

We all have dreams and desires, but let it be God centred. Peter was the first to ask Jesus and he is the only other that walked on water. He dared to ask God for the impossible. We must dare to dream and we must dare to ask God to fulfill that dream as long as it is God centred.

Sis Melinda once shared: "Where there is no vision the people perish. Where there are no people the vision perish." This is so true.

What are our dreams for our church? That dream needs to have Jesus as the foundation. If we want to walk on water, we need to step up and step out. Peter had to step out of the boat, his comfort zone. We need to step up and step out and follow Him.

Henry Ford had a dream to make cars for everyone. But he made mistakes. His first car never had a reverse gear. His car was too big to leave the garage door. He made mistakes but we need to make mistakes falling forward. It is progress.

Church is made of believers, not doubters. We have to be a people of action. Let's dare to dream for TOP. It's not about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Let's work on getting OUR grass greener.

Moses and David was busy tending sheep when God called them. God love doers. They were faithful in what they do.

Peter may be bold, but that does not mean we are not being cautious. We will not do anything that risk our relationship with God.

As we step out, the thing that will stop us is fear. Jesus said "fear not". It's not no fear. Doubt is our enemy, fear our adversary.

If you want to walk on water, you must focus on Jesus. The moment we take our eyes off Jesus, we're going to sink. Jesus took hold of the sinking Peter and called him "you of little faith". In the process of our dreaming and venturing, let's fix our eyes on Jesus. Otherwise, we will accomplish nothing.

When God says "do it", let's not be afraid.

We have a dream for this church. We want a bigger place where people who come is fed, a vibrant youth and Sunday school. It will be a cutting edge church that reaches out to the community. The church of God must advance.

We may dare to dream, but let's not just dream. Let's do it.

Salt of the Earth

Kenny
Mission Trip to Pengkalan Hulu by GLO Cell Group (Now called Sungai Nibong Cell)
The message were for Christians here, to challenge them to make a difference in their community. It was translated into Bahasa Malaysia by Pastor Loh.

Matthew 5:13-16

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Jesus uses these different words to help us understand His teaching. We can better understand the deeper meaning of what we are supposed to do, and what we are supposed to be, through common, everyday examples that Jesus used.

The focus of God’s action is the world - not just the Church or Christians. ‘Let your light shine before people that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.’ It is about what we say, what we do, in our everyday life.

Christians are not to spend time thinking of how to escape from the world. Nor are we to be only concern with church matters. The Church is not the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is about this world, and about our life and witness in the world. Jesus said: You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.

What is salt?
In the ancient world, salt was highly valued. The Greeks called salt divine. It was invaluable. We can get along in this world without a lot of things. We could get along better, perhaps, without chocolate or ice cream. And, we probably could become vegetarian and not eat meat. We could do OK without sugar or pepper. But one thing that we cannot do without is salt.

When Napoleon was at war with Russia, thousands of his soldiers died in a retreat from Moscow. Historians reported how those soldiers died from wounds that would not heal because the soldiers’ bodies had been deprived of salt.

1. Salt is an absolute necessity

If we were to look at the world today, and removed ALL Christians, the world as we know it would be plunged into spiritual darkness. The preaching of the Gospel, the Great Commission, was entrusted to you and I. In Matt 28:18-19, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus was talking to His disciples—the men and women who would carry the Gospel plan of salvation to others. Christians, the ones who have been instructed to go and preach the Gospel. We are necessary to bring the good news to this world.

2. Salt works at its own expense

When you put in salt, it dissolves to work. It dissappears.

In Luke 19:10, we read that Jesus came to “seek and save that which was lost.” How did Jesus save those that are lost? He did so by giving His life. He did this through His death on the cross. As we follow the life of Paul, it is easy to how he gave of himself. He went through shipwrecks, famines, and all kinds of dangers. He said in Phil 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Everything that Paul did during his life as a Christian was for the glory of God and Jesus Christ. He too gave of himself.

3. Salt must come into contact with the substance to be preserved or flavored

We need to have contact with the world in order to share Jesus. Our unsaved families, our friends, our neighbour, our colleagues. We cannot do it if our christian walk is church-centered. As salt works, it retains its saltiness. Why did Jesus said "Go into the world..." when we are already in the world? Phil 2:15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." In seeking to save the world, we must not become like the world.

4. Salt preserves and prevent decay

Compare fish and salted fish. Meats are salted to preserve them.

Christians, like meats that are salted and preserved, are to preserve the Earth. The end will not come until the gospel is preached in every nation. Christians are to take the Gospel into the world, while it is still day. Without Christians to share the Gospel, the lost in the world would have no hope of Heaven. We are preserving the world from God's final judgement, which will eventually come.

5. Salt purifies

Salt promotes healing, is a natural antiseptic and removes impurities. Before modern medicine, when someone had a cut or a scratch, it was washed with salt. Sore throat and ulcers are examples. Of course, that burned badly. But it did promote healing. Some people with skin disease bath in salt lakes for healing? Salt also is used in some water-purification systems? Salt can remove impurities in water.

Just as salt purifies, have you ever noticed what happens when a Christian walks up to a group of ungodly people, or when immoral people learn that they are speaking with a Christian? When I was a young christian in school and I walk up to my friends who were cracking dirty jokes, they'll suddenly keep quiet and say change of topic, the preacher is here! The presence of a Christian makes a difference.

6. Salt can be destructive

Salt is often used in the winter to melt ice on the roads. It changes the freezing point of water. Pouring salt on grass causes the grass to die. Reclaimed sea to land cannot plant trees because of salt.

As God’s people, we are to be a disruptive force at times. Jeremiah was given instructions by God in Jer 1:9-10. “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.’” Notice that in the six items that Jeremiah was to do, four were negative: root out, pull down, destroy, and throw down. To build and to plant were also parts of his responsibility, of course. In 2 Tim 4:2 where Paul said, “Preach the word. Be ready, in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” KJV says that he was to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” Two-thirds of those are negative, and one-third is the building up. We as Christians sometimes need to be destructive. Paul explained it this way in Eph 5:11, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” At times, God’s Word expose and destroy before the building or healing takes place.

7. Salt creates thirst

We have a need to create a spiritual thirst in others. In Matt 5:6, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Salt creates a thirst. We, as Christians, ought to create a spiritual thirst among those who are in the world, causing them to want that which we have. As Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her of a living water of which she could drink, and never thirst again. Jesus created in her a spiritual thirst —a desire to have that which He was offering. Do you remember what the woman said in response? In John 4:15, she said, “Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst or come here to draw.” She did not understand what Jesus was saying at that point but she eventually would come to know what she had to do to be saved.

8. Salt speaks for itself

As you taste salt, you do not have to wonder what it is. Salt speaks for itself.

We as Christians ought not to have to wear a cross that says “CHRISTIAN”. By our words and by our deeds we should be known to others as Christians. In Acts 4:13 “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” By the words that Peter and John spoke, and by the actions they carried out, the people knew that these two men had “been with Jesus".

The illustration of comparing believers to salt is made clearer by the Lord's using the comparison also of believers being like light. But for today, we will stop at what marvelous lessons Jesus is teaching us when he called us to be the salt of the earth.

Are you the "salt of the earth?" Do the people around you see Jesus in you. Do the things you say and do reflect the changed life that God has given you?

We were greeted as we arrived at the church.

Was surprised that there were many young ones and those in their teens.

Makan time before service starts. We were served pretty good food.

Getting ready for service. Many of them had ambition to be teachers, nurses and policemen. Very different from the ambitions of school children in the cities. These are ambitions to serve the people.

We had a very good worship session before the word.

"We are called to be the salt of the earth..." Pastor Loh was my translator.

Ministry time as we prayed for the people with needs.

We visited homes of some members. These are homes where their cells meet.

We also prayed for those who cannot make it to the service at their homes.

Revisiting Our Dreams

Ps Steven Tan

2Kings 4:1-7 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." 2 Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil." 3 Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side." 5 She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

3 Characteristics of a Dream

1. Dreams can be forgotten
Note: the oil stopped pouring when the vessels are no longer available.
God did not stop the oil. We need to go back to our dreams, our passion. God can often bring fruits through our talents, our hobbies. Chase your dreams. Dream big. Go back to those forgotten vessels.

2. Never despise small beginnings
Note: She replied we have nothing except a little oil.
That is all God needs to make sufficient your needs for the future, with abundance.
Most big things is the result of small things. Success often come from being faithful to the little. The huge Australian bush fire started from a small spark when conditions were favourable.

3. Do not throw away your confidence
Note: She saw her desperate situation and creditors were after her children
The prophet asked 'how can I help you' when it was obvious. He asked 'what do you have?'
He knew she has lost hope and confidence. Her salvation is found in her home.
Confidence is a language of faith. It is not dependent on feelings or circumstances. She needs to trust God during the crisis.

Heb 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Jesus Wept

Kenny at Cell Group

What is the shortest verse in the Bible?

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

John 11:11-45

These things He said, and after that He said to them, “ Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 Then His disciples said, “ Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “ Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “ Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “ I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “ Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “ Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “ Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “ See how He loved him!”

37 And some of them said, “ Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

Lazarus Raised from the Dead

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “ Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “ Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “ Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “ Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “ Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “ Loose him, and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

Why did Jesus weep?
This is the shortest verse of the Bible, yet one of the most profound and misunderstood. What comes to mind when reading this? The Jews standing there as Jesus was weeping thought he wept for his dead friend whom he loved (John 11:36). But is this really true?

We all know the story, Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick and he remained where he was for two days. He shows up in Judea and Lazarus is dead. He had been dead for four days and decay had begun. Ask yourself this... Why did Jesus go to Judea? The answer is simple... To raise Lazarus from the dead. So why would he weep because his friend was dead? His express purpose for waiting to go and then showing up when he did was to raise Lazarus back to the land of the living and show the power and glory of God.

Now, let's take a look at the exchange between Jesus and Lazarus' sister Martha."Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." (John 11:20-27)

Notice the first words that Martha spoke to Jesus... "if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died." What kind of greeting is this? Martha continues by saying that she knows God will do for His Son whatever His Son asks, and Jesus tells her His intention, to raise her brother from the dead. Does she reply with a thank you? No... She responds by saying that she knows he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day. So now we must ask if this was a confession of faith on the part of Martha? And if so, was it a confession of faith in the Lord Jesus? Jesus proceeds to tell Martha that he IS the resurrection and that whoever believes in Him shall never die, and then asks her if she believes this. Does she answer him with a resounding YES? No, she dodged the question altogether and responded by saying that she believed He was the Messiah that was to come.

Now let's pick it up from there.

"And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled," (John 11:28-33)

Mary greeted the Lord the same exact way that her sister Martha did. Jesus was greeted with more tears and another word of blame. Now after seeing Martha, Mary, and all the Jews who were at the house mourning with them weeping, the Bible declares that Jesus groaned in the spirit. That word "groaned" is the Greek, "enebrimēsato" which means to snort with anger and have indignation. Jesus was not happy.

But we have to back track just a bit to see why. Notice that right after Jesus told Martha that Lazarus shall live and that he was the resurrection, she went and told her sister secretly that the Lord called for her. But wait a minute, Jesus never called for Mary. Martha should have returned to the house where everyone was mourning, joyfully praising the Lord for his declaration of being the resurrection. But instead she returned to the house and didn't share the good news at all... In fact, she returned with the same unbelief that she had when she left Jesus. Not only did Jesus groan in the spirit, but he was "troubled" as well. The word "troubled" in Greek is "etaraxen" and means to agitate, to stir up or make restless. What could have been the cause of such agitation?

The text continues saying,

"And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it." (John 11:34-38)

Why did Jesus weep? The Jews seemed to think that he wept for his dead friend. But remember, Jesus had just revealed that he is the resurrection and that he came to raise Lazarus. So why did he weep? The Jews continue along the same line that Mary and Martha were following. They said couldn't this man who heals blind eyes have kept Lazarus from dying. This caused Jesus to groan in himself once again. But why? Why is the Lord so agitated? Why is this so troubling for him?

The story continues...

"Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." (John 11:39-45)

Martha responds by saying that it had been four days and his body stunk by his time. Decay had begun and by this time surely it was useless. Jesus continues by reminding her of His words when she had first met Him. He reminds her that if she believes she would see the glory of God. They proceed to remove the stone from the tomb and Jesus prays a short prayer. And in praying this prayer, he tells us why he prayed it... He prayed it for the same reason that He groaned in the spirit and was troubled... He prayed it for the same reason that He wept... He prayed this prayer aloud to his Father in front of this group of mourning Jews for one reason... Because of their UNBELIEF!!!

Jesus knew that his Father always heard Him. Jesus knew that Lazarus would rise. But Jesus prayed that prayer that they may believe on him who the Father had sent. Jesus didn't weep because His friend was dead... He wept because no one believed that He came to raise him. Even after He had told Martha, they were still filled with unbelief. They had it in their minds that had Jesus gotten there sooner He could have kept Lazarus from dying, while neglecting to consider that Jesus was able to raise him from death and renew his body from decay. Jesus gave opportunity after opportunity for them to believe, but they did not until they saw the works.

You may be in a situation where a crisis, an uncertain future, a fear is greatly troubling you. What is your attitude when you approach God with these troubles. Do you believe he cares for you? Really belief? Regardless of what is the evidence before you, whether your situation is in a state of decay or not, do not succumb to unbelief. Do not grieve the holy Spirit and brings tears to our Lord's eyes.

Paul said something concerning this kind of hope... he said, "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?" (Romans 8:24). Hebrews 11:1 defines faith for us saying, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It was a lack of this kind of faith that caused Jesus to weep and things have not changed in the last 2000 years. Jesus still weeps because of the unbelief of his followers.


Paul also warned believers saying, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12)