Then Jesus said, ”Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ”Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
During WWII there was an Army recruitment poster that had a picture of Uncle Sam with his finger pointed at you, the reader. The caption read, “Uncle Sam Wants You!” The idea was that you, too, had a place waiting for you in the service of the country.
Jesus wants you, too. But not because he needs you or that there is anything you can do for him. Jesus wants you because he is your Maker, and he loves you. He wants you to know him and believe in him, and he is willing to go to the ends of the earth to earn your trust.
In today’s passage, Jesus is standing among three worlds: The first is the world of what might be called the “living.” People like you and I. Then there are the dead, the people like Lazarus. Finally, there is the unseen world of God’s abode, heaven.
To allow people to see the glory of God and glimpse the power and majesty of heaven, Jesus allows someone he loves very dearly to die so that he can demonstrate the power of his Father, God. All because he loves you and wants you to believe.
Let’s Discuss: How do you convince someone to believe what you tell them?
Well, I cannot convince someone without their cooperation. I can make a strong legal or reasonable case, I can love them and show actions that are caring and loving, but ultimately they must choose their path. I believe the Lord also allows us to choose, but He did many good works, showed us the truth of who He is, and the cross stands as an emblem of His total commitment and love.
Thanks Rich! You make a very important point. We each stand alone before God eventually, responsible for our own decisions and our own beliefs. When that happens, when we are faced with the ultimate truth, beliefs will not be a question because all the facts will be right before us.
I agree, I don’t have the power to do this and conviction ultimately comes from the Holy Spirit, but I can make convincing arguments all the same and try live the best example before others that I am able. I am to be persuasive, but I do not believe I have any power beyond this, aside from ultimately praying and asking God. This is a spiritual battle that we are in, but that does not mean it is the only of our faculties involved, though in and through Christs is ultimately where we place our trust he will ask us to engage our whole created being. I believe we are to prepare for the day of battle and always be ready to give an account/defense, but in that moment we are to look to the Lord to provide the victory/salvation/conversion.
Hi NMOP3PISdn!
This is a spiritual battle we are in, and Jesus is the One who will pull us all though.
In the sense that he is God and therefore has no needs I would agree with the statement :
“But not because he needs you or that there is anything you can do him.”
But because he has committed himself to work through his body the body of Christ, then as Paul said to the Corinthians the head cannot say to the body I don’t need you. 1st Corinthians 12:21.
In the sense that he is God and therefore has no needs I would agree with the statement :
“But not because he needs you or that there is anything you can do him.”
But because he has committed himself to work through his body the body of Christ, then as Paul said to the Corinthians the head cannot say to the body I don’t need you. 1st Corinthians 12:21.
Tad,
I understand your point and agree with it. When I wrote those words I was aware that I was walking (or typing!) a fine line. I probably could have said it better. I think I meant the word “need” in the sense that God has no need that I have to provide for him so that he can exist. In a broader sense of the word, God may in fact have a need to be in relationship with his creation, but this is different than the kind of “need” I had in mind.
Thank you for sharing your thought on this. I hope the clarification is useful to others.
I laugh a little because an abbreviation for USMC is uncle Sam’s misguided children. I love the fact that he hears us and always hears us.
. Then Jesus looked up and said, ”Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
I’m having trouble understanding why Jesus said ” but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me”.
Does anyone know what Jesus meant by this.?
Hi Jeanelle,
Thank you for stopping by! Jesus wants you to know that he is the Son of God. In this passage, he is about to bring someone back from the dead. Why would he do that? He is demonstrating his love for us, and he is demonstrating his authority.