“The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

Matthew 4:16

(spoken from the prophet Isaiah)

“the people dwelling in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.”

Completely in awe of this verse…For starters, it has nothing to do with you and me but everything to do with God’s providence and mercy…

• Those that are without Christ, are in darkness itself; as the darkness that was upon the face of the deep...Gen.1:2 ~ “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” 

This is the same face that hovered over your own life...By his power, transfused the Holy Spirit into your own heart that was void. 

  

• They were in the region and shadow of death…Which denotes not only great darkness, as the grave is a land of darkness, but great danger. A man that is desperately sick, and not likely to recover, is in the valley of the shadow of death, though not quite dead.  The poor people were on the borders of damnation, though not yet damned-dead in law. And, which is worst of all, they were sitting in this condition!  They chose to stay there…They were in the dark and despairing to find the way out. But, choosing to stay in this contented posture, they loved darkness.  They chose it rather than light, and were willingly ignorant.

Three important things to note:

1. It is just with God, to take the gospel and the means of grace from those that slight them, and thrust them away.  Christ will not stay long where he is not welcome.
2. If some reject Christ, yet others will receive him, and bid him welcome.
3. When the gospel comes, light comes; when it comes to any place, when it comes to any soul, it makes day there, Jn. 3:19; Lu. 1:78, 79. Light is discovering, it is directing; so is the gospel!

• It is a great light denoting the clearness and evidence of gospel-revelations, not like the light of a candle, but the light of the sun when he goes forth in his strength…Great in comparison with the light of the law, the shadows of which were now done away. It is a great light, for it discovers great things and of vast consequence; it will last long, and spread far.  And it is a growing light, intimated in that word, It is sprung up.  It was but spring of day with them; now the day dawned, which afterward shone more and more.  The gospel-kingdom, like a grain of mustard-seed or the morning light, was small in its beginnings, gradual in its growth, but great in its perfection…

• Observe that the light sprang up to them…They did not go to seek it, but were prevented with the blessings of this goodness!  It came upon  the time appointed, by the disposal of him who commandeth the morning, and causes the day-spring to know its place, that it may take hold of the ends of the earth. Job 38:12, 13.

The Gospel is such good news for those who live in hopelessness…We have a savior, he is the Sun, and his name is Jesus… Even the moon and stars are lost when the sun rises!

We rejoice and celebrate this freedom with others. Those who have experienced this kind of love and grace, want to be transporters of this light.  This is shone in our marriages, homes, neighborhoods and workplace…We run and bask in the light, even when we fall.  

Are you ready to take a small step of faith, to lead you to the light?  Today is your invitation!

Matt. 5:14-16  ~ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

(Matthew Henry's Commentary)

"From Lying to Living Lazarus"

Lazarus

(Larazus = Hebrew name “Eleazer,” which means “God helps…”) 

 

Life is hard. Pain is real. Loss is inevitable….

Seems like this year, Spring has definitely emerged early for us Texans! How can you not help but smile when looking at the beautiful bluebonnets?  Or listening to our little wren friend who greets us every morning?  Yep, the season is upon us…and it all points to what has been transpiring over the past month – the resurrection of life.

The past few weeks, I have been soaking in John 11. Can’t seem to get enough of it, and can’t wrap my mind around the power of this story.  Lazarus, a person of distinction within his community, was resurrected from a decaying dead corpse to a real live breathing person!  “Dumbfounded” doesn’t begin to describe how I feel!

Every time I read it, I find more and more that this story isn’t so much about this mind-blowing miracle that went down (However, I can’t think of a better way of getting my attention). No, it’s all about a portrait of Jesus displayed for us:  this is what Faith and Belief looks like!

 

The most crucial part in the story is when Jesus prays to the Father….(verses 41-42), “And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.’”

Martha’s role in the story actually brings great comfort to me. I often relate with her “wishy-washy” responses. I don’t debate whether or not she actually believed. Rather, I believe that she thought she believed, and knew how to believe, with what beliefs she had been given!  LOL!

But just like her, my faith tends to wobble off-and-on the fence as real doubt sets in. Instead of looking up and believing in the unseen (Hello? Jesus!), I tend to focus on what I can see, thinking I’m in control. Here are a few examples of what I like to call:

“Martha’s Mixed Bag of Moodiness”

•    The famous “If Only….” Looking back in life with regret. 
  In John 11:21, we see the significant impact Jesus played out in Martha’s life...“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  How many times do we often go down the same rabbit trail trying to get answers?  Thinking if we could have changed the past, we wouldn’t be in these circumstances.  This gives us a false sense of control, and even worse, leads us to blaming others.

• Typical text book response when we “think” we already know the answer…
  In verses 23-25, Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha responds back with, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I AM THE RESURRECTION!”  Talk about getting schooled!!!  How often do we get caught up in our own “mania” of logic and totally miss the point. Not only that, but we tend to makes things much more complicated than they already are.

• Resisting change when hard work is involved!  I just want to stay in my comfort zone...
  In verses 39-40, Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, (love how God keeps reiterating Lazarus is dead, just in case you got up for some popcorn!) She said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you  that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”  Ouch!!!  Sometimes it takes the stern words from people we love and trust to wake us up to reality! Jesus is done with hearing the petty excuses of it will “smell” and “too much time has gone by.” 

How often I can relate to all of  this. Why is it so hard to trust? But thank God, our loving Christ already knows! Check out verses 33, 35 and 38.  He wept, mourned, and grieved just like we do. Even though he already knows he’s won the victory in the war, it’s amazing to see the details of emotions in each moment along the way.  He remembers, and hears us….

Stay tuned for Part II, of this incredible story! “From Lying to Living Lazarus.”