Page 4 4 INTRODUCTION When the Lord Jesus Christ entered this world, He was not received. Do you remember His birth? The entire town of Bethlehem closed its doors to Him. So He was born in a stable amid the stain and stench of cow dung. When He was two years old, He was hunted by the government. (There were no boys in his kindergarten class.) Then, when He began His ministry, He was rejected by His own people–the Jews. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). The religious leaders who dominated Jerusalem also rejected Him. Remember how He wept over the city because they rejected their Messiah (Luke 13:34). When He sought entrance into Samaria, He was rejected by that city as well. “For the people there did not receive Him because He was headed toward Jerusalem” (Luke 9:53). He was also rejected by His own hometown, Nazareth. Remember His words–“A prophet is without honor in his own hometown” (Mark 6:4). In fact, the Lord Himself said that He had no home in this world. “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests; but the Son of man has no place to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). Do you see the irony? Here is the Creator of the universe. Here is the One who not only made all things, but the One for whom all things were made. And He is rejected by the very world that He created. He is neither welcomed nor received. There was only one exception. Throughout His entire human life, there was only one place on earth where Jesus Christ was welcomed. There was only one place where He was received. It was a little village called Bethany. And it played a prominent role in the Lord’s life. This afternoon, I would like to trace the footsteps of the Lord as He traveled to the village of Bethany. My reason for doing so is simple. I believe that Bethany represents the Lord’s desire for His church. God wants a Bethany in every city on this planet. That includes Saint Augustine, Florida. The Gospels give us four narratives which take place in Bethany. Before we look at each one, I want to give you the historical context of this little village.
Leaders who want to show sensitivity should listen often and long, and talk short and seldom. Many so-called leaders are too busy to listen. True leaders know that time spent listening is well invested.
Oswald Sanders