Browse Bible Study Resources

Daily Devotions

John

John 
Day 
Day 144

The ministry explained

Text: John 11 : 1 -16

THE MINISTRY EXPLAINED

The Disciples were greatly privileged people. Not only did they get to see the sign-miracles Jesus performed, they were also given explanations concerning the ministry. We have a number of examples of Jesus explaining things to His Disciples.

When Jesus spoke to the woman of Samaria, He taught His Disciples concerning how He saw His life’s work. He said,

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me,
and to finish His work.”
John 4:34

When there were defective approaches to work or ministry, Jesus did not hesitate to correct them. Where people may tend to procrastinate, He offered the better approach.

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months
And then comes the harvest?’
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes
and look at the fields, for they are already
white for harvest.”
John 4:35

Just before Jesus healed the man who was blind from birth, He said to His Disciples.

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,
but that the works of God should be revealed in Him.
I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;
the night is coming when no one can work.”
John 9:3-4

Jesus took time to explain to His Disciples in some depth how He saw the ministry God had given Him. We are reminded of what Matthew recorded in his Gospel.

“Because it has been given to you to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it has not been given.

But blessed are your eyes for they see,
and your ears for they hear.”
Matthew 13:11, 16

ANOTHER DEEP INSIGHT CONCERNING THE MINISTRY

As Jesus prepared His disciples to go to Judea, He explained why He was going there. It had to do with Lazarus.

“These things He said, and after that He
said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps,
but I go that I may wake him up.’ “
John 11:11

Jesus seemed to have always spoken to His Disciples in deep symbolic language. This way, His disciples would always be challenged to think more deeply. They would not take His words in a wooden-literal manner. However, the Disciples did not always show that they understood what their Teacher said. In this case, the Disciples missed by a mile the point of what Jesus said. In reply, the Disciples said,

“Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
John 11:12

John added a note of explanation in reflection.

“However, Jesus spoke of his (Lazarus) death,
But they thought that He was speaking about taking
rest in sleep.”
John 11:13

There were times when Jesus had to explain Himself even more explicitly.

“Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there,
that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.'”
John 11:14-15

Jesus was doing more than just using a euphemism to describe death. He was actually saying to His Disciples that where He was concerned, death was just like being asleep. To anybody else, death was so final. To Jesus, death was only “sleep”. He had the power to raise a person from the dead, as easily as a person awakens another who is sleeping!

Had Jesus responded to the summons of Mary and Martha and had He healed Lazarus from his illness, the Disciples would just have seen another “common miracle”. Jesus wanted His disciples to go even deeper in their faith in Him. One of the reasons He delayed in going to Lazarus even though he was desperately in need of help was because He wanted to help His Disciples to deepen their understanding and their faith.

The phrase, “That you may believe” is most intriguing. They all had “initial faith” or else they would not have given up their all and followed Him, with the exception of Judas Iscariot. However, more was needed. There must be even greater efforts made to cultivate their faith. This occasion of raising Lazarus from the dead would be one such opportunity to strengthen their faith.

HOW MUCH WAS REALLY UNDERSTOOD?

Whereas Jesus would be described as being a Deep Person, His Disciples couldn’t, not at this stage anyway. Thomas, one of the Disciples came up with a repartee. Did he really understand Jesus when he said,

“Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:16