August 8-12,2010

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die, Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26

In April I was hiking with a dear friend around Mount Maunganui in New Zealand. The walk took twice as long as was normal for my friend because, at every turn, I had to stop and take a picture. I was seeing things through eyes of wonder and enjoying every little path, tree, and rock formation; things that Kate had taken for granted because she’d passed them so many times before. Our trip around the “mountain” reminded Kate to take time to look at the small things that had escaped her notice. That’s what this week’s journey is like. We are visiting homes and walking paths that many of us have journeyed for years. The danger is that we can get so familiar with these places that we fail to find a different viewpoint and miss some very revealing Kodak moments!

Our week begins with some rather perplexing words from Jesus. If taken out of context, they could really wreak havoc in a marriage or family.

If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:2)6

Whoa! Does Jesus really mean that for me to become a disciple I have to hate my family? Surely the word “hate” must mean something other than “hate!” I’d encourage you to check it out. When you do, you will find that the word literally means “to despise,” “to hate.” Not only are we to hate father, mother, wife, children, sister, and brother, we are told to even hate ourselves!

We begin to find the clues to unravel this word puzzle when we see another place Jesus used this word.

No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)

There is a common thread that runs through both of these references; both speak about what rules you. Notice that it says that you will “love” the one that is your master, but you will “hate” and “despise” the one that isn’t. Jesus used two different words, “hate” and “despise.” We’ve looked at the word “hate,” but let’s examine the word “despise.” Literally it means “to disparage” (i.e. to refer disapprovingly to someone or something), or “to treat with disinterest.” If we put this principal in everyday life, I believe we will see exactly what Jesus was saying. Let’s say you are a person who really loves his job. You find fulfillment in the work you do and the pay that comes as a result. You also are someone who loves your spouse and family and you enjoy spending time together. You look forward to home projects, and helping your kids learn and mature. For a time, you are able to balance both, but when the job starts demanding long hours and starts cutting into your family time, you begin to despise what you once loved. It’s not that you actually hate the job, but you hate the demand and control that it places on your life. You’d much rather be serving your family. If this were to continue with no let up in sight, you would have to reevaluate which one would take precedence. When two influences fight for the same right of control in our hearts, one will have to give way to the other, and the one we love most will win. If the job wins out, it won’t be long before conflict begins in the home, and what you once loved is now despised. If the love of the family is greater, you can be sure your boss will notice that you treat the job with disinterest and his demands will cause you to hate the job.

When we examine Jesus’ words concerning the family from this concept, we quickly see the point Jesus was making. Jesus was defining for the multitudes what it really meant to be His disciple. A disciple is one who willingly gives up EVERYTHING to follow Him. If Jesus calls someone to follow and his parents, spouse, brother or sister, or his children protested, whose demands rule his heart? Would their family’s disapproval have about as much influence as someone who hated his guts? It’s one thing when someone you love disagrees with your actions; it’s another when it’s your enemy! When Peter rebuked Jesus for saying He was going to carry out the Father’s will by dying, Jesus responded to him as His enemy saying, “Get behind Me satan! You’ve set your desires on man’s interest and not God’s!” Did Jesus hate Peter? Of course not! But when it came to doing the Father’s will, Jesus made it very clear who was in control of His heart!!! Anything that opposed God’s desires was from His enemy!

Jesus also understood the dynamics that would result in their choice to follow Him against the wishes and opinions of close family. Often parents and family feel personally rejected; they can feel as though they are hated, or treated with disinterest. They wonder how one could be so insensitive to their feelings. Like Peter, their minds are set on the interest of man, not on God’s plans. Just ask many parents who have had children move away for the sake of the ministry and they will tell you of the sense of rejection they dealt with.

It is not just the control of others that must be put aside; Jesus says that we are to even hate our own “life.” This Greek word “psuche” takes in the mind, will, and emotions. It is not only the thoughts and opinions of others that must bow to the Master, we must be willing to bow our own hearts in surrender and treat our own desires with contempt if they set themselves against God’s will.

As we continue our journey, we find ourselves once again in Bethany. Lazarus has died and his two sisters are grieving. It is interesting to hear Jesus’ comments to the Pharisees shortly before He made His journey to Bethany. Jesus told them the story of a Rich man and a poor man whose name was Lazarus. I’d like to propose my personal theory. It is my belief that Jesus was not giving an account of something that had already happened, but something that was about to happen. It says that the Pharisees loved money, and so it is obvious who the rich man represents. Jesus doesn’t tell us the name of the rich man; therefore it could have been any Pharisee’s relative. Jesus tells us that Lazarus was a poor man. This would be in harmony with what we learned last week. Lazarus was from Bethany, “House of Poverty!!!” In the account, Abraham tells the rich man that even if Lazarus were raised from the dead, his brothers wouldn’t believe. I believe Jesus was prophesying what the Pharisees would do after Lazarus’ resurrection. As you will discover next week, the miracle Jesus preformed when He raised Lazarus from the dead only fueled their fire to plot His death. Truly the story came to pass just as Jesus had spoken it; even if Lazarus was raised from the dead, they would not believe!

The record of the events of Lazarus’ death and resurrection also gives us greater insight into this family that meant so much to Jesus. The Scriptures say that, “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” So often Martha is treated with a bit of mild contempt. After all, didn’t Mary choose the better portion when she chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn, while Martha manned the kitchen? And yet when it speaks about Jesus’ love for the threesome, Martha is mentioned first and by name. In the midst of her grief, it was Martha who left everyone to run to Jesus when she heard that He was coming. It was Martha’s confession of faith that Jesus was Messiah, the Son of God, which Jesus built on that day. It was her declaration that He encouraged when she questioned whether moving the stone was a good idea. We really can’t fault with Martha’s response to Jesus when He told her that Lazarus would rise again. Why shouldn’t she think that He was just comforting her with the promise of the resurrection of the dead? Aren’t those the words we’ve been told to comfort each other with?

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming o the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (I Thessalonians 4:14-18)

It doesn’t surprise me that Martha’s faith needed an extra boost from the Lord.

“Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God? (John 11:40)

Did you notice the word “if”? Obviously she believed because she certainly saw the glory of God!!! How exciting!!! Can’t you just feel her heart begin to beat with excitement as she realizes what Jesus is about to do?!?!? What encouragement to know that if we have even the smallest amount of faith, Jesus knows how to blow on the ember until the fire is ablaze. Thanks Martha for being an example and showing us what can happen with faith as small as a mustard seed. You gotta love this lady!!! Can’t wait to see what’s around the corner for next week!!!