August 7
________________________________________
FOLLOW ME & THE FATHER WILL HONOR YOU
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. – John 12:20-26
________________________________________
After the raising of Lazarus, many people seek to see Jesus. The Greeks were some of these people. So, Philip and Andrew consulted Jesus if He was going to see these people. Jesus gave them an answer that reveals to them things about God’s plan. When Jesus says “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” in verse 23. He is declaring His deity again. He knows exactly God’s plan and timing because He is God Himself. When He says it is time for Him to be praised, then He is acknowledging that He never operates on His own but with His Father’s approval and timing. The next verse He says to Philip and Andrew is a revelation that has to do with what it cost to be a disciple. These Greeks were seeking to be part of Jesus’ Ministry.
Whenever Jesus says “truly, truly”, He is revealing a secret to whomever He is talking to. He is handing them truth. He speaks in parables and figures of speech to those who wants to follow Him and usually explains only to his 12 apostles the meaning because He has trained them three years already and can comprehend what He is revealing to them. Jesus talks about the cost of following Him in verses 24-26. He likens their lives to a wheat that needs to fall on earth and die so it can bear fruit. Whoever wants to follow Him must die to their own wants, desires or let go of all things that will not make Jesus their priority. In other words, nothing should be more important than Jesus. He explains that a disciple is present only where Jesus is. They must be slaves of Jesus. He becomes their master. They only do as the Master or Lord says. They lose their lives for Him.
Many Christians fail to understand the cost of being a follower of Jesus. They think it is just a religion they follow. It is becoming slaves of righteousness and truth.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why do one need to count the cost before following Jesus?
Monthly Archives: August 2020
HOSANNA TO THE KING OF ISRAEL ILMA’S VLOG
August 6
_______________________________________
HOSANNA TO THE KING OF ISRAEL
12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”– John 12:12-19
________________________________________
In this story, we witness the crowd praising Jesus for raising Lazarus back to life and welcomed Him as he was coming in to Jerusalem. Jesus was sitting on a young donkey, which fulfills what was written in Scriptures. The disciples didn’t realize that it was a fulfilled prophecy until later. When they were shouting Hosanna, they eventually remembered. Those who witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the tomb, continued to witness to Jesus. They have never seen anything like it.
Meanwhile, when all were busy to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem and they were all honoring His coming in, the Pharisees were at the height of their envy. They fear losing their power and control over the popularity and following that resulted from Jesus bringing to life the dead. They needed to put a stop to it or they will be in trouble.
What interesting reactions we get from varied people here. Many believed only because they witnessed the miracles that Jesus did. They focused on the works but not really on the person of Jesus, who is God as well. We often do this when we get attracted to the works of people who serve God or get into the details of other things. We fail to focus on God and His truth and get distracted by other stuff. We fail to recognize that evil can lurk behind miracles. There will be people who will feel insecure and threatened when they are exposed with the evil things they do.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can people flip-flop from belief and unbelief despite signs and wonders?
MARY ANOINTS JESUS WITH COSTLY PERFUME ILMA’S VLOG
August 5
________________________________________
MARY ANOINTS JESUS WITH COSTLY PERFUME
Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” 9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. – John 12:1-11
________________________________________
Lazarus was resurrected from death in this account. It was six days after Passover and Jesus passed by his friends’ house in Bethany. We see on some occasions in the bible that Jesus frequented the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. It establishes how close He was with these people. While having supper with Jesus and the disciples, Mary got her most expensive perfume and began to anoint Jesus’ feet with it and used her hair to wipe His feet with. It must have been very costly to use pure nard because it made Judas Iscariot cringed at the thought that he could have profited from the value of that perfume. It really shows his character. He wasn’t there for Jesus but to use Jesus so he can benefit personally from the funds. In verse 6, we see the true color of Judas, he was a thief who embezzled money from the funds of the group. Mary’s act of using the best perfume to anoint Jesus feet is exactly the opposite of Judas’ greed. She had to honor the Lord with all she has because He was her master.
How easily can we forget that everything we have comes from the Lord? Some people forget that Jesus must come first in all that we have and all that we do.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why did Mary anoint Jesus’ feet?
• What was the significance of such anointing?
JESUS’ POWER OVER DEATH ILMA’S VLOG
August 3
________________________________________
JESUS’ POWER OVER DEATH
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
– John 11:38-46
________________________________________
This part of John’s gospel tells us the miracle of all miracles that Jesus did for the glory of His Father. He brought life to the dead. It took four days before Jesus came to Bethany when He heard of the death of his beloved friend, Lazarus. Why did it take Him that long? Because the longer his friend is dead, the greater the opportunity to witness the power of God in him who have been long dead. In verse 42, Jesus proclaims in His prayer to God that He already knows God hears Him all the time, but for the sake of those who are witnessing this work He was doing, it will be better in order for their unbelief to turn to belief. In those days, they wrap their dead in wrappings and anoint them with oil. They didn’t have a way to preserve them long enough to remove the stench from the decay. Can you imagine how it must have smelled with four days of decaying dead body?
When Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise up, everyone was probably expecting the smell that they will be confronted with. I don’t think he stunk as much as they think He would. I am sure, as soon as Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out, He also dealt with the stench of the smell coming from his dead body. Death was overpowered and even the smell that goes with death was removed. This miracle clearly illustrates the power of Jesus when He gives life to the dead: whether it is in the spirit or in the physical realm.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What were you resurrected from when you made Jesus your Lord and Master?
JESUS DEEPLY MOVED ILMA’S VLOG
August 2
________________________________________
JESUS DEEPLY MOVED
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
– John 11:30-37
________________________________________
In the story of Lazarus’ death, there were so many questions going through the minds of those who were mourning with Mary and Martha. They knew that Jesus was a close friend of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Jesus was a constant visitor in their house. The people couldn’t understand how Jesus, who have done so many miracles couldn’t have done it for those who are closest to Him. Why did Jesus allow this beloved friend to die? What was riveting in this part of the story is how Jesus was deeply moved in His spirit. It was interesting how he could feel what they were feeling: the grief over the death of their beloved Lazarus. Once again, we see the human side of Jesus. He was grieving over the death of His beloved friend, but He wasn’t overcome by earthly grief. He had godly sorrow because He also knew that it was an occasion for Him to bring God the glory. He was going to use the death of His beloved friend to proclaim God’s name.
How often to we feel compassion for others? Compassion alludes to kindness and sympathy, but there is something deeper, something even more profoundly powerful, in its meaning. The origin of the word helps us grasp the true breadth and significance of compassion. In Latin, ‘compati’ means “suffer with.” Compassion means someone else’s heartbreak becomes your heartbreak. Another’s suffering becomes your suffering. True compassion changes the way we live. It brings about the love that Jesus sampled to us when he was still on earth.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Are you a compassionate person? How can one cultivate a compassionate heart?