OPENING PRAYER
Having received this day as a gift, I (We) thank You Holy Trinity, for through Your goodness and patience You were not wrathful with me, and idler and sinner, neither have You cast me down in my sins...But You have shown Your love towards me (us) and have guided me (us) to keep my (our) daily watch to glorify Your power...Enlighten my (our) mind (minds) to study Your teachings in Scripture...Help me (us) to apply what I (we) learn and to praise You with all my (our) heart and glorify Your Holy Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever...Amen!!!
Shine within my (our) hearts, loving Master, the pure Light of Your Divine Knowledge, and open the eyes of my mind that I may understand Your teachings...Instill in me (us) also reverence for Your Blessed commandments, so having conquered sinful desires I (we) may pursue a spiritual way of life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You...For You, Christ my God, are my light, and to You I (we) give, glory, together with Your Father and Your Holy Spirit, now and forever...Amen!!!
CHANT PSALM 23
INTO YOUR HANDS LORD YESHUA (JESUS CHRIST) WE COMMIT OUR SOULS AND BODIES, BLESS US AND HAVE MERCY ON US AND GRANT US ETERNAL LIFE!!!
AMEN!!!
JOHN 11- STUDY & BREAKDOWN
LAZARUS DIES
JOHN 11:1-16
11:1-45: THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS: is the seventh sign in John's Gospel (see- my notes John 2:1-11), The sign that sealed the Jewish authorities' decision to put Yeshua (Jesus) to death (vv. 47-50): This event is celebrated liturgically on Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday: BETHANY is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem- (v. 18): Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" (translated- "God helps"):
11:4: THIS MESSAGE IS SENT BACK TO MARY AND MARTHA: to strengthen them so that when Lazarus had died, they may take confidence in the Word's of Christ: THE SON OF GOD BEING GLORIFIED must not be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying; instead, this indicates Christ will be glorified as a result of his DEATH (which occurred from a natural illness) and his being raised from the dead!!!
11:6: THE LORD DELAYS: in order for Lazarus to be dead long enough that the corruption of his body could set in (v. 39): So, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all!!!
11:8: See- My John 10:29-39- Notes
11:11: SLEEPS: COMPARE: To Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30; & 15:6:
ACTS 7:60: Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. here in imitation of his Savior- (Luke 23:34): Stephen offers his soul to God and prays for the forgiveness of his enemies!!!
1 CORINTHIANS 11:30: For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many [a]sleep. There is such power in the body and blood of Christ communicated to us in the eating and drinking of His gifts - (John 6:54-56): that to do so in willful disregard of the Lord could result in sickness or even death:
1 CORINTHIANS 15:6: After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have [a]fallen asleep. Here up until (vv. 5-8): Paul lists those who would testify to the truth of the Resurrection, from the first witnesses to Paul himself:
11:16: THOMAS'S STATEMENT: is an unwitting prophecy of his won future martyrdom: It also illustrates the path that all believers must take-that we DIE daily to the world for the sake of following Christ-(Luke 9:23-24- & Notes):
I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
JOHN 11:17-37
11:17: THERE EXISTED A RABBINICAL OPINION: that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but after FOUR DAYS resuscitation would be impossible:
11:19: MOURNING BEGAN: on the day of a person's death: Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week; and general mourning lasted for 30 days!!!
11:20: NOT UNLIKE THE INCIDENT OF (LUKE 10:38-42-See notes too!!!): The two sisters react differently to Christ's arrival: MARTHA, being inclined to active service, rushes out to meet JESUS, while MARY remains in mourning until called by Christ- (vv. 28, 29): SITTING was the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners- (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14):
11:21-22: WHILE MARTHA: possesses great faith, her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Christ: Saying: "if You had been here, my brother would have not died", Martha is revealing she does not fully see that Christ is indeed God, thinking He needed to be present to effect healings- (contrast John 5:46-54): Saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You", she shows her lack of understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills!!!
11:23-27: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE: To correct Martha's misunderstanding- (see-my notes above), Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead AT THE LAST DAY (v. 24) as well as here in this world: Such is the power of these words that Martha is immediately led to her great confession of faith- (v. 27): DO YOU BELIEVE THIS??? Is a question directed not only to Martha, but to all us...
11:28: See my notes above for v. 20:
11:32: MARY APPROACHES CHRIST: with the identical words Martha used (v. 21): While Yeshua (Jesus) engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds-the raising of her brother from the dead- (vv. 38-44):
11:35: JOHN EMPHASIZES THAT YESHUA (JESUS) WEPT: and groaned in spirit- (vv. 33, 38) to show He had fully taken on human nature and was subject to grief as any man would be: weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death: At Compline of Lazarus Saturday, we sing, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof to Your heartfelt love":
LAZARUS IS RAISED
JOHN 11:38-44
11:39-40: THOUGH MARTHA'S FAITH: had increased (vv. 23-27), she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power: The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the STENCH of decomposition at bay for a short time- (see notes John 11:6):
11:41-42: TO SHOW HIS DIVINE WILL: was one with the Father's, and that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's, Christ prays aloud for the sake of THE PEOPLE:
11:43: SEE- JOHN 5:28-29: CHRIST CALLS LAZARUS FORTH: not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority: This is showing the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority Himself:
11:44: THAT LAZARUS CAME OUT BOUND IN HIS GRAVECLOTHES: is seen by man early Saints and Church Fathers as an indication that he will need them again- that his resurrection continues an earthly life- but will again one day end in death: The Savior's graveclothes, by contrast, would be left in the tomb- (John 20:5-7): Unlike Lazarus's. Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature; He will never die again!!! This sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but in the words of the hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection", proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise- (Ezekiel 37:1-13):
THE SANHEDRIN PLOTS TO KILL YESHUA (JESUS)
JOHN 11:45-57
11:49-52: CAIAPHAS, BEING HIGH PRIEST: is given the authority to speak prophetically: The failings and even the wickedness of all the officeholders do not diminish the grace of the office itself: Here, Caiaphas means only that the death of Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention: god's meaning, however, is that all PEOPLE will be saved through the death of the Son:
11:55: BECAUSE YESHUA (JESUS) IS THE LAMB OF GOD (JOHN 1:29): the connection between THE PASSOVER, when lambs were slaughtered to save THE JEWS from death -(Exodus 12:1-13), and the death of Yeshua (Jesus), which saves mankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized throughout the entire Bible from both the OT- and The NT!!!
" I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!!!"
" I can witness to the truth of Yeshua (Jesus) and what He has done in my life!!! I finally understand what He meant when He said go and sin no more!!! I finally understand and even when I know it's hard ,
what it means to pray for those who hate and persecute you...Lastly Living for the New being that new creation in Christ is more glorifying and more peaceful from the eternal aspect of it only a fool would deny Christ, and only a fool would truly believe our lives were meaningless, but truth is our lives do have meaning our real homes are in Heaven!!!
"WE DEPART IN PEACE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD- MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST!!!
END WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER!!!
JPCE SPIRITUAL TALK
NEVER HOLD BACK
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
JEHOVAH SHALOM!!!