John 12:10, “So the chief priests
made plans to put Lazarus to death as well.”
Jesus raised Lazarus from the
dead. Lazarus had been dead and lying in
a cave for four days. By His mere word
Jesus called him forth. It was an
amazing miracle that testified clearly to the true identity and glory of Jesus
(John 11:40). There were many witnesses:
“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did,
believed in him” (John 11:45). There
were two differing responses to that remarkable event. There were those who believed and those who refused
to accept the truth.
The chief priests and Pharisees
heard about what happened. They “gathered
the council and said, ‘What are we to do?
For this man performs many signs.
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the
Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation’” (John 11:47). They had no heart or concern for the truth,
but were concerned instead about their “place” and the earthly benefits
associated with it. The verdict of their
council? “From that day on they made
plans to put him to death” (John 11:53).
The miraculous raising of Lazarus
from the dead was a problem for them. A
great multitude sought after Lazarus (John 12:9). “The crowd that had been with him when he
called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear
witness” (John 12:17). The word regarding
Jesus was spreading.
The light of the world came into
the world—and there are but two possible responses to Him—come to the light
(love the light) or hate the light. John
3:19-21, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and
people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were
evil. For everyone who does wicked
things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be
exposed. But whoever does what is true
comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been
carried out in God.”
So the religious leaders met
together and came up with a plan. Kill
Lazarus. Put him back in a tomb. Put a stop to his living testimony regarding
Christ. Stop the word from
spreading. Stop people from believing in
Him. It mattered not what the truth was. They hated the light. He revealed things about them that they
didn’t want disclosed. He was a threat
to their livelihood. Instead of
accepting the clear testimony borne by the miracle, they plotted to put Lazarus
back in the grave!
Jesus Christ died on a cross and
was buried in a tomb. A stone, a seal,
and a Roman guard were set in place to keep the light extinguished. Their evil deed accomplished, the religious
leaders rested. But the light escaped. The religious leaders assembled, took
counsel, and bribed the soldiers to lie about what happened (Cf. Matthew
28:11-15).
Risen from the dead “He presented
himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs” (Acts 1:3; Cf. 1
Corinthians 15:5-7). Peter and John and
the others were witnesses to the light.
Filled with the Spirit they were boldly “proclaiming in Jesus the
resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2).
So the religious leaders “gathered together” in another council (Acts
4:5). They put Peter and John on trial
and conspired again to extinguish the light of the truth (Acts 4:9). They charged Peter and John “not to speak or
teach at all in the name of Jesus” Acts 4:18).
But the light, the witness to the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, could
not be stopped. People kept on
believing. The religious leaders kept on
threatening and even murdering, the Apostles kept on preaching (Acts 4:31, 7:57-60,
12:1-2). And so it has been ever since.
Light-haters are always working to suppress
the truth. But the Sun still shines as
does the truth concerning the Son of God.
Lazarus lived. Jesus now
lives. Nothing can change the
truth. You can try to shut up or lock up
those who bear witness to the truth, “but the Word of God is not bound” (2
Timothy 2:9)! And not all will hate the
Light. Some hear the truth of the
gospel—the power of God unto salvation—and believe (Cf. Romans 1:16). They come into the light and rejoice in His
glory!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
THE LAZARUS PLOT (John Chapter 12)
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