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?

February 25

JOHN 10
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there. – John 10:31-42

JOHN 10 JESUS’ RESPONSE TO BLASPHEMY ACCUSATION
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
To falsely accuse Jesus of blasphemy indicates hard heartedness
Their unbelief manifests the Jews’ self centeredness
To accept Jesus’ claim that he is the Christ
Would make them give up their little gods
They cannot bow down to the One true God
For it would mean that they’ll have to give up their pride.

Jesus’ response to the blasphemy accusation of the Jewish leaders were straightforward. He challenged them to look back at what the Scripture said about small letter gods, which referred to the judges which God gave to his people because they didn’t want a divine God but an earthly and limited god. So, God gave the people’s request to have a judge and an earthly king later on to show how foolish it was of the Israelites to want to follow the other unbelieving nations who had their own king. God wanted to show them what happens if they reject the One true King. They will be blind to the truth.

REFLECTION
• Share how unbelief blocks the progress of someone who claims they have faith.