City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Luke 16:31 (ESV)

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.

John 12:10-11 (ESV)

Reflection

In John chapter 12, one of Jesus’ last recorded miracles, He raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been in a tomb for three days and no one believed that there was anything else to do but grieve. Yet, Jesus came and called Lazarus out of the tomb and many believed this great miracle from God. And no, this is not the same Lazarus as was mentioned in the parable in Luke 16, but the name “God has helped” plays just as an important role for both stories.

In Luke 16, Jesus was saying that if someone cannot believe Moses and the prophets for who the coming Messiah is, then would they even believe if someone rose from the dead? So when Jesus brought the real Lazarus back from the dead, there were many who did not want to believe, including the chief priests. They wanted to put Lazarus to death and hide the miracle that Jesus performed. They were blinded and wrapped in their own pride to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah.

For us, as Christians, we cannot imagine how someone is unable to believe based on a miracle done in front of their very eyes, especially if it’s someone who rose from the dead! But, that’s because we believe already. Many refuse to believe in God and it’s not because of the failure to recognize Truth, but because they refuse to believe that it could be true. There is a difference there that we need to see. Most people who do not believe in God has an emotional blockage to faith rather than an intellectual one. It can be wealth(as the parable above), childhood trauma, a bad church experience, or many other factors. We have to recognize this and pray for the Holy Spirit to open up their hearts to the Truth before they can accept Jesus for who He is.

Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort to meet the poor person outside of the gate and let them in? Isn’t that what Jesus did for us?

Application

When you see others who live their lives in opposition to God and refuse to believe, take a moment to dwell on why. Do you take the time to ask this individual why they cannot accept God and listen to their reasons for it? If you do, you may realize that it’s probably not an intellectual reason.

Most of us give up on someone because it is hard to invest into a person’s life if you do not see any possibility for the planted seed to spring up from the ground. But, what if God gave up on you that quickly?

Prayer

Father, thank You for being patient with me and allowing me to see the Truth of who You are. Where would I be without Your love and care for me? Help me to seek after others so that they will be open to Your gospel and Your love for us. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.