March 7

JOHN 12
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “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 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. – John 12:20-26

JOHN 12 LED TO THE TRUTH
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When one is led to the truth, one goes against traditions
The lies begin to be exposed and bondages become visible
The truth sets one free and it leads one to the light
Darkness and evil are no longer powerful in one’s life
If you believe in God, you will be given eternity
But obedience and emulating Christ is essential.

In this account, we witness how the unbelieving Greeks were led to seek Jesus after hearing of his signs and power. When some of his disciples made known to Jesus of the Greek seekers, Jesus said “the hour has come.” What did he mean by this? His mission was to bring all people to glorify God and the seeking Gentiles (which includes Greeks) are probably one of the signs that his death is nearing. The coming of those who are outside the Jewish community indicates that his salvation of mankind is almost there.
In verse 24, he explains in metaphor how and why he needs to sacrifice his life. Jesus is comparing the act of a grain of wheat dying in the ground to produce new life to the concept of self-sacrifice and the idea that one must “die” to their own desires in order to complete his purpose of coming on earth.
Then Jesus added the requirements for following him, which involves sacrifice, obedience to his Father’s will and serving him by loving and serving one another.

REFLECTION
• How were you led to the truth? Share if it was a long or short process?

March 6

JOHN 12
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”– John 12:9-19

JOHN 12 HAIL KING JESUS!
In this account, we see how much following Jesus had after he raised Lazarus from the dead. As a result of such a crowd who wanted to see Jesus at Bethany, the Jewish leaders also plotted to kill Lazarus. What irony it is that they call themselves religious leaders when they act like criminals! Every time there is a threat to their reputation, they would stop it.
The crowds were unstoppable to hail someone like Jesus who had the power to bring back to life the dead. They used palm branches to hail Jesus as king. These people were hungry to be released from the Roman Empire’s enslavement. They thought that Jesus could be their king to save them from the political tyranny that the Romans had on them. It looks like they have no idea what kind of kingdom Jesus represented. They wanted a political leader but that is hardly what Jesus came to save them from.
Ironically, Jesus came sitting on a humble donkey as he entered Jerusalem which was a fulfillment Zechariah 9:9. He didn’t look like any worldly king on earth.

REFLECTION
• Why do you think the crowd hailed Jesus as king?

March 3

JOHN 11
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
– John 11:45-53

JOHN 11 INSECURITIES LEAD TO SCHEMES
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When insecurities set in, schemes are on their way
Envy and low self esteem lead to self-doubt and make us stray
Because of lack of love and understanding of our true image
We easily mistrust our own uniqueness and start to compare
As we liken ourselves with others, we begin to have preferences
These prejudices can lead us to plot against those who are different.

Do you wonder why these Jews were so relentless to plot and have Jesus stopped from his ministry? Verse 48 gives us an answer to this. They were so insecure about their place in society if many will believe Jesus. It would ruin their reputation and would lose the respect and honor they receive from the people before Jesus performed all these signs and began teaching with much authority and power. Their many years of education would be trashed because Jesus didn’t go through all the studies they did. They were very insecure and jealous of the following that Jesus had. The book of James 3:16 explains the offshoot of selfish ambition and jealousy. It leads to disorder and every vile practice. This is what led the Jewish leaders to plot and kill Jesus: jealousy and selfish ambition.

REFLECTION
• What could be the causes of envy, jealousy and insecurities?

March 2

JOHN 11
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 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.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” – John 11:38-44

JOHN 11 RAISING THE DEAD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Before the Son of God came and became human
We were all dead in our sins and we were in bondage
If you believe in Christ, you will be raised from the dead
He will resurrect your spirit and you’ll be cleansed from sin
Jesus Christ is the light that leads mankind from darkness
Without him, we will not be free from God’s wrath and anger.

This is the greatest miracle Jesus performed while he was on earth. It is a foreshadowing of his coming victory over death. Notice how he wept before he raised Lazarus in verse 35 when he was deeply moved by Mary’s weeping and also the other Jews. The death of a loved one is one of the most painful events one can ever experience. He loved Lazarus so much and our Lord also experienced the pain of losing a loved one. There were a lot of people in Bethany who witnessed this miracle. They were all mourning for Lazarus’ death. This was the best time to raise Lazarus from the dead. He was already dead for four days and it would make people experience the power of God. This miracle was done so that many would believe and it would also predict Jesus’ coming death. This miracle will also anger the Jewish leaders and instigate their plot to kill him. This was the prelude to his arrest and death on the cross which will lead to his victory over death.

REFLECTION
• What has Jesus raised you from when you became a believer?

March 1

JOHN 11
32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”– John 11:32-37

JOHN 11 COMPASSION FOR THE TROUBLED
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you are in trouble and suffering, do not despair
The Lord Jesus knows every tear and pain you encounter
He has compassion for the troubled and the oppressed
He died so that they can be free and have life abundantly
Just as he loved, we also must show love for others
He wants us to share in each other’s agony and burdens.

When Jesus saw Mary and the other Jews weeping over Lazarus’ death, he was greatly moved, stirred and troubled. We witness Jesus’ compassion and humanity in this account. Lazarus, Mary and Martha were one of his closest friends. He was filled with sorrow for their loss and also wept with them. Jesus did not just weep because he is human, but because he manifests love and compassion and godly sorrow when his people undergo sorrow, pain and suffering. Psalm 56:8 tells us that God is aware and keeps count of every tear that falls from our eyes. He has a record of it. That is how compassionate and full of love the God we serve is.
1 John 4:8 says that whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. Since God loves us tremendously, shouldn’t we all love each other too? Shouldn’t we show compassion to those who are hurting, oppressed and troubled? Jesus gave us a great example of loving concern and deep empathy for those who are undergoing such adversities, losses and miseries. Let us all emulate him.

REFLECTION
• What do you think is the source of apathy in our world today?

February 27

JOHN 11
12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you– John 11:12-22

JOHN 11 TRUE FAITH MANIFESTED
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Do you believe Jesus just because you see works and signs?
Do you believe that the word of God brings healing and life?
If we have faith even though we don’t see proofs
It manifests true faith because you have that confident hope.

David Guzik’s commentary says that Thomas the Twin was called such according to church tradition because he looked like Jesus. This puts him at special risk. If any among the disciples of Jesus were potential targets of persecution it would be the one who looked like Jesus., When Thomas said “Let us also go, that we may die with him,” it seemed like he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was going to foreshadow his resurrection when he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. When Thomas uttered these words, he almost declared his dying faithfulness to Jesus.
When Martha met up with Jesus and said “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” it was another Spirit led statement. She believed that Jesus could have healed her brother. Her following statement was another confident hope that knows that Jesus will ask his Father and he will be granted whatever he asked him.

REFLECTION
• Do you consider “believing only after seeing” true faith? Why or why not?

February 26

JOHN 11
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” – John 11:1-11

JOHN 11 FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Jesus never did anything unless it is for the glory of his Father
We also ought to follow his example and praise our Maker
Whatever you do, do it to praise the One who created you
If you live for yourself, you will be blind to the truth
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind
So that your life will be righteous and holy so that he may be glorified.

In this account, we hear of Lazarus’ illness. Martha, Mary and Lazarus are Jesus’ closest friends. They lived in Bethany, a small village in Judea, south of Mount Olives near Jerusalem. It was a quiet and friendly village where Jesus often visited to fellowship with his friends and disciples. So, one would expect that as soon as Jesus heard his closest friend sick, he would rush to go and see him. Instead, he stayed two days longer where he was. Of course, he knew what he was doing and why he delayed going. He was God and knew all things. He was going to give God glory by waiting longer. He does not think like we humans do. He sees everything and always goes with God’s timing.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important for us to be mindful if what we do always glorified God?