With some internet difficulties over the last couple days, I was unable to post anything until now. The beauty of this method and these questions are that you can use them for any length of reading, no matter how short or long. It's easy to play "catch-up." With that in mind, here are my thoughts on John chapters 11-14.
Right off the bat in John 11 we get the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Some people might not realize that the Mary and Martha of this story are also the Mary and Martha that host Jesus when he "scolds" Martha for worrying about household chores. I feel like Martha always gets a bad reputation for being a workaholic and worrywart. But in this story, we can see that Martha's faith is far from lacking. In fact she makes a clear, bold claim that few others in Scripture say so definitively. She says, "I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask...Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." So rather than chide Martha, this story lifts her up as a woman of incredible faith. I wish we had more Martha's in this world.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
In Philippians 2, Paul spends much time describing the humility of Jesus, who understood that God was greater than he was, who humbled himself by becoming a man, and who became like a servant - giving his life to others until his dying breath. I don't know of many other chapters in Scripture that show this characteristic in Jesus than John 13. Jesus does the job that usually a slave or servant would do, and he washes the dirty feet of the disciples. He also shares that if Jesus, their Lord and leader, gives his life in service to others, then they too should take on the same approach. And they do. As the church sparks in Acts 2, we find the disciples sharing what they have to care for the poor. They are following in the footsteps of Jesus.
3. What does this mean for my life?
In John 12:24 Jesus says, "...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." He then talks about following Jesus to mean serving him and losing your life for him. I don't think he is only talking about dying, like a martyr in a persecuted country. I think his is talking about living your life for God - keeping his kingdom purposes at the forefront of your life and devoting time, energy, and resources to do what God has called you to do. The apostle Paul uses the analogy of being "poured out like a drink offering" to describe how he is spending/investing his life for God's purposes.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
In John 14:13-14, Jesus says, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." What does he mean by "anything"? I would guess he means anything, but why don't things happen when we pray in Jesus's name? I know some, even many, prayers are answered, but there are a lot left unanswered or the answer is no. So is it because we ask without enough faith? any faith? Is it because of sin in our life? Does "anything" mean "anything that God already wants to do?" I'm just not sure. In the meantime, I'm going to keep praying boldly in Jesus' name and watching for God's hand at work.
Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!
In Christ,
Dan
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