Page 12 12 ENCOUNTER 2 Early A.D. 30 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha . . . Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” . . . Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was . . . “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up” . . . Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” . . . Jesus wept . . . Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days” . . . Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:1-44) This story, which I’ve abbreviated above, takes us further into the meaning of Bethany as it relates to the Lord’s heart for His church. Love and Friendship Note that at the beginning of this narrative, we are told that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. And that love was felt and understood. Listen to Mary and Martha’s words, “He whom you love is sick.” The Lord’s love for them wasn’t an abstract idea. They knew it, and they were confident in it. Notice also that Jesus called Lazarus His friend. Listen to His words: “Our friend Lazarus sleeps.” In John 15, the Lord said to His disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Love and friendship. These two words sum up the heart of Bethany. Bethany is the
If you have assurance, be careful you do not lose it; keep it, for it is your life… Keep assurance. First, by prayer, Ps. 36:10, “O continue Thy lovingkindness.” Lord, continue assurance; do not take away this privy seal from me. Secondly, keep assurance by humility. Pride estrangeth God from the soul; when you are high in assurance, be low in humility. St. Paul had assurance, and he baptizeth himself with this name, “Chief of sinners,” 1 Tim. 1:15. The jewel of assurance is best kept in the cabinet of a humble heart.
Thomas Watson