Daily Dose of the Word of God - John 11: 14-16

Erin Pacheco, Director of Worship

Transcript

Erin Pacheco  0:07  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. Today is Friday, March 7 and Sunday is coming. I’m Erin Pacheco. It’s the season of Lent, and as we journey with Jesus toward the cross, we’re zeroing in on the story of Jesus and Lazarus found in the Gospel of John. Here’s the next part of that story, in John 11: 14-16.

Erin Pacheco 0:35  

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

Erin Pacheco  0:58  

Yesterday, we heard that the disciples thought Lazarus was just sleeping. So Jesus here tells it to them straight. Their friend is dead. Not only that, but Jesus is glad he wasn’t there in time to heal him — because, he says, “now you will really believe.” Whatever is about to happen, it’s going to increase their faith and trust. The disciples are probably, again, confused. Why isn’t Jesus sad? Why didn’t he go to see Lazarus earlier? And why does he want to go see him now if he’s already dead? They’ve already told Jesus that it’s not safe to go — that’s where the people who want to kill him are.   But then Thomas pipes up. “Let’s go, too,” he says. “Even if it means we die with Jesus.”

Erin Pacheco  1:53

 
I feel bad for Thomas; he always gets a bad rap. He’s usually known as Doubting Thomas, because he didn’t trust the other disciples’ report after Jesus is raised from the dead. But I think there’s a strong case to be made for St. Thomas the Brave. After all, the only reason he wasn’t with the other disciples when they saw the risen Jesus was because he was the only one brave enough to go out in the city after Jesus was killed! And here he’s willing to go and die with Jesus,  and he invites all of Jesus’ disciples along on that journey — us included. “Let’s go too, and die with Jesus.”  In a way, that’s the invitation to us in this season of Lent. Let’s go and die with Jesus. Let’s let our sin and selfishness be put to death in some way, and see what new life Jesus gives us as a result. 

Erin Pacheco  3:01  

Let’s pray. Jesus, you said that “unless a seed falls in the ground and dies, it’s still just a seed. But if it is planted in the soil and dies, it leads to new life and much fruit.” Help us, like Thomas, to be willing to die with you — die to ourselves, in little ways each day — so that your new life can bear fruit in us. Amen.