John 10:38-11:3

38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 

39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 

41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.”

42 And many believed in Him there.

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 

2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 

3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

“Many Believed in Jesus Because of John’s Testimony”

“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me.” (vs. 37) Jesus was saying, paraphrasing, “If My works are not from God, then I wouldn’t expect you to believe in Me.” Then He expounded on that in verse 38, paraphrasing, “Even if you don’t believe what I say, you can believe the works that I perform, because they are from God. If you believe My works are from God, then you should believe that God is within Me, and I am within God.” Well, this statement enraged them again, and they tried to take Him captive, but He escaped. How did He escape? I’m sure He was outnumbered. He escaped because it wasn’t time for Him to be glorified just yet. It wasn’t time for Him to fulfill the will of His Father just yet. God’s timetable was at work, as it always is. Then Jesus retreated to the place where John was first baptizing, and stayed there. Several people came to Him and told Him that even though John didn’t perform any signs or miracles, they realized that everything he said about Jesus was true. This tells us that they believed in Jesus because they believed John’s testimony about Him. This shows us the importance of John’s testimony about Jesus. What about our testimony about Jesus? Is it relevant to the people around us? Our testimony is highly relevant, and Jesus commanded that we go, baptize, and teach in Matthew 28:18-20. How else are others going to come to Christ if not through our testimony about Jesus?

Chapter 10 ends on a good note with many believing in Jesus. If we look back to John 1:12, it reads, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” These people who came to Jesus on this day when He was beyond the Jordan professed their belief in Him. If they remained faithful in their belief until their deaths, and we remain faithful, then we will meet them in heaven someday. 

In John 11:1, we are told about a man named Lazarus from the town of Bethany who is sick. Mary and Martha are his sisters. Verse 2 confirms which Mary is being talked about. She is the Mary who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil and wiped His feet with her hair (John 12:3). Jesus would stay with this family sometimes, because Bethany was only 2 miles from Jerusalem. 

Just as a side note, I would like to focus on Mary and Martha for a bit.  Of course, this is the same Mary and Martha that we read about in Luke 10:38-42, where Jesus taught a powerful lesson through these two sisters. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, hanging on every word that He said, while Martha was busy getting everyone served dinner. Martha was very frustrated with her sister for not helping her and voiced her frustration to Jesus. She says to Jesus, paraphrasing, “Don’t you care that my sister is not helping me at all? Please make her help me.” (Luke 10:40) I fully believe Martha expects Jesus to reprimand Mary and tell her she needs to help her sister, but that is not what happens at all. I can just hear the love that Jesus has for both of these ladies in His response to Martha’s frustration. He says in Luke 10:41-42, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” In other words, Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about things that are not really that urgent at this moment. There is only one truly urgent thing: listening to and following Me. Mary has made the wise choice, and I won’t tell her to do anything different.” I am sure this had a huge impact on Martha and caused her to think about what is truly important in life. And it caused her to examine her harsh judgment of her sister. This account should make us all realize what Jesus is truly looking for in His followers. Jesus loved both of these ladies so much. He knew that Martha meant well in serving everyone, but He wanted her to see that her sister’s heart was in the right place. The fact that Martha was serving the guests was not the problem. At some point, someone would need to serve the guests dinner. It was Martha’s attitude towards her sister, who was fully focused on Jesus, that was the problem. It was also the fact that Martha was so wrapped up in serving that she didn’t realize what a gift she had sitting in her living room…..Jesus, the Messiah. I mean… who cares about what needs to be done at such a special time as this! Mary wasn’t being lazy by not helping her sister serve their guests. She was just simply in awe of Jesus! We could be seeing the classic type A and type B personalities in these two sisters. We see type A in Martha, a perfectionist, who thrives on competition and has a more stressed personality. We see type B in Mary, a laid-back person who is more flexible and less stressed. Both of these types of people are valuable in the kingdom for these very characteristics. At the same time, both types of people can be too far one way or the other, and hurt the kingdom.  Are we in awe of Jesus like Mary was? Do we allow worldly activities, chores, and life in general to distract us from what is truly urgent? Such as praying? Bible study? Attending church services? Do we take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus as Mary did? Or are we too busy? 

Jesus had a close relationship with this family, as we can see from the message sent to Him from these sisters regarding their brother being sick… ”Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” This is very touching to me. These two sisters knew that Jesus loved their brother and wouldn’t want anything to happen to him. They also knew that Jesus could make him well. As we study through this chapter, we will see the faith that Martha shows in a statement she soon makes. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we must remain faithful until death or until Jesus returns, whichever comes first. (Rev. 2:10)

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!