Daily Devotions
John
The decision to return to Judea
Text: John 11 : 1 -16
THE DECISION TO RETURN TO JUDEA
What did Jesus do with the information sent by Mary and Martha? Mary and Martha must have sent that message in the hope that He would drop everything He was doing and come and heal Lazarus, for after all He did love this family very dearly.
John noted that Jesus loved this dear family in particular. He wrote,
“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So, when He heard that he was sick,
He stayed two more days in the place where He was. “
John 11:5-6
We recall another occasion, when Mary, the mother of Jesus came up to Him with a problem. The wedding feast that they had attended faced a socially embarrassing situation. They were running out of wine. Could Jesus help?
On both occasions, Jesus did not respond to those “emergencies” as we normally would, as typical human beings! We might push the panic button and rush to deal with the problem at hand. In due time He would attend to the problems at hand. We can imagine that Jesus being who He was must have been in constant communion with His Father as to when He should respond and how He should respond.
After two days, Jesus informed His Disciples that He was leaving the region. He said,
“Let us go to Judea again.”
John 11:7
The Disciples were hesitant when they heard what Jesus said. They were reluctant to go to Judea. Mildly, they protested.
“Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You,
and are You going there again?”
John 11:8
Obviously, the Disciples had not fully understood their Rabbi. They did not realize that He was going to minister to Mary and Martha. They feared that Jesus would once again get into another heated debate with the Jews, and perhaps this time, Jesus might get Himself stoned! Was it safe to go to Judea at all? Was Jesus correct in this decision to go to Judea again?
DEEP PRINCIPLES OF MINISTRY
Jesus, the Master-Teacher, used this opportunity to teach His Disciples deep lessons about how He did His ministry. The language may appear cryptic; nevertheless His words contained wondrous wisdom. To their question, prompted partially by fear, Jesus replied,
“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.
But if one walks in the night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
John 11:9-10
What did Jesus mean when He spoke these words? He was explaining to His Disciples the principles of His ministry. They were so clear and distinct in His mind that they may indeed be compared to sunlight. The Jews divided the normal day into two segments. The first twelve hours were called “Day”. The second set of twelve hours was called “Night”. It follows that when one walks in the day, he would not stumble.
From making reference to “daylight” Jesus spoke about how He worked. His principles were as clear as daylight. Better still, He could even say that He had light in Himself. He who has light in Himself, as it were, walks with great certainty. He was walking in broad daylight. He need not fear stumbling. The person who walks in the night has every reason to be concerned, for he may indeed stumble.
The decision to go to Judea was not an unwise one. He walked in His own light. He was the Light of the world. Thus the Disciples need not fear any decision that He made, even though their very human feelings may cause them to be doubtful at times.
THE IMAGERY OF LIGHT APPLIED TO JESUS
Let us recall what John had written about Jesus with particular application of the imagery of “light”.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
John 1:4-5
The Disciples needed to review their understanding of who Jesus was! He was the Light Himself. No matter how dark the hour may seem, the darkness could never snuff out the Light. They must not yield to their fear of the Jews.
Had He not taught them earlier this great truth?
“I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life.”
John 8:12
“As long as I am in the world, I am the
light of the world.”
John 9:5
The Disciples must learn to have greater confidence and trust in their Master! If they really believed that He was the Light of the world, then they must trust His leading. The decision to return to Judea with all its inherent dangers was not an unwise decision. He who was Light would always lead unerringly. Could the Disciples believe that?