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Page 13 13 place where Jesus Christ loves His own, and His own do not doubt it. It is also the place of friendship. Friendship with the living God. These two words reveal the heart of Christ. He desires friends, not servants. He desires love, not servitude. In the cold temple of Jerusalem, God was served. But in the warmth of a Bethany home, He was loved and befriended. When I read this passage, I see a Lord who is saying, “I didn’t come to this earth to be served. I came to have friends. I came to love and be loved. I came to take a people into my very bosom. I came to disclose the secrets of my heart to my friends. For I am at home with them.” This is the meaning of Bethany. And it’s what the Lord is after in His church. Crisis in Bethany Let’s go further. A crisis has occurred in Bethany. Lazarus has died. I’m impressed with the fact that Jesus is master of the situation. He’s in complete control. There’s no worry, no hurry, and no anxiety on His part. It is clear that He has heard from the Father on the entire situation. Note that Martha acts according to character. She runs ahead of her sister. But watch Mary. She is also acting according to character. She is at the Lord’s feet again. The scene is chaotic. Grief is all around Him. Mourning and sorrow are everywhere. His greatest enemy–death–has taken one whom He loves. The Lord is deeply troubled and disturbed. Here we discover that God is sensitive to our sorrow. Even though He knows He’s going to raise Larazus from the dead, He is still touched by the sorrow that has afflicted Mary, Martha, and the whole village. It is a heart-stopping moment. The One who created the universe is weeping at the grave of His friend. And He, the Resurrection and the Life, raises His friend from the dead. Here we have another feature of Bethany. Crisis and then resurrection. In resurrection, God starts all over again with a new creation. But resurrection always follows suffering and death. There is crisis in Bethany. There is suffering in Bethany. And I will dare say, there is death in Bethany. The cross sits at the very center of a body of believers who are standing for the restoration of the church. They will experience death–dry spells, sufferings with one another, death to their agendas, aspirations, opinions, preferences, and ambitions. But this is how God builds His house. Out of the dying, the Lord’s life is expressed and we are built together into a home for Jesus Christ. God brings death into our lives so that He can dispense His resurrection. To put it another way: If you will make a home for the Lord Jesus Christ, hard times