15 April 2011

Psalm 22; Jer. 29:1-13; Rom. 11:13-24; John 11:1-27

Settle in and settle down. That is what Jeremiah tells the exiles. This won’t be a short outing, it will be seventy years up there in Babylon so you may as well buy a place to live, do all the stuff you would normally do in life, don’t put anything on hold. The other side of that is that they are not to be bitter exiles but solid citizens, seeking the welfare of the cities where they live because they will find their own welfare improving with that of the places where the Lord has sent them. As Christians we understand that we are all exiles and our true home is in the new creation, the better place we see from afar and so we are all called to be seeking the welfare of the places where we live. We are called to be those who make life better in our own place where the Lord has set us in this earthly life, this life matters to God. His promises are for those who seek Him and to those He promises a future of blessing.

This illness, like the blindness in John 9, is for the glory of God. The disciples know that things are hot in Jerusalem and Bethany is too close for their comfort. They misunderstand Jesus’ words and his hesitation in going to Lazarus and the family and attempt to dissuade Him from going for fear of the Jews. Ultimately, the decision is His alone and Thomas grudgingly agrees that they may as well go and die with Him there. There isn’t much faith in him at this point. The faith of Martha and Mary, on the other hand, is quite strong, if Jesus had been there they believe He could certainly have prevented their brother’s death. (Is there perhaps a slight dig in there that Jesus didn’t come when He was called and could have done something?) Martha’s faith is strong enough to affirm that she believes Jesus to be the Christ but where are the limits of her faith?

Paul’s admonition to the Gentile believers is that they/we are wild branches grafted into the natural tree. It is by mercy that we live and are part of this tree. There is no room for pride vis a vis the Jewish unbelievers for it is only through their unbelief that we have any opportunity to come to the tree ourselves, not through any merits of our own. Paul certainly sees a time when the Jews will come to faith and he seems to indicate that he believes this will come near the end of things, “…what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” We must recognize God’s unfailing and enduring love for the Jewish people, even in waywardness and unbelief, He has loved them from the beginning and we should have God’s love for Israel that sees realistically not sentimentally and we should also understand that He has not forsaken His first love. They, like we, are in exile from the place of our true home.

O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
Forever shall abide!