This week we have been considering John's Gospel account of Jesus raising His close friend Lazarus from the dead. His sisters Mary and Martha had sent for Jesus when Lazarus became sick but Jesus delayed coming and by the time He got there, Lazarus had died and been in the grave for four days! Upon Jesus' arrival, Martha came out and told Jesus that He had missed His chance to heal her brother. Even so, she expressed hope that Jesus could do something to help. Shortly after that, Martha's sister Mary came told Jesus that she knew that He could have healed her brother but He had missed His chance. Jesus then told some people to remove the stone blocking the entrance to the tomb and called Lazarus to come out...and Lazarus did! Let's finish this series by jumping back into the story and listening to what happened after that: 

Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.  Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.” 
(John 11:45-48) 

There were many witnesses present when Lazarus walked out of that tomb and you can just imagine the chain reaction that took place in Bethany over that event. Of course, we could have guessed who didn't like what Jesus had done – the religious leaders. Let's listen to their response again: “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.” Their issue wasn't whether or not Jesus had supernatural power; they said plainly that He "certainly" performed many miraculous signs...but they didn't want people to believe in Him. They had accumulated power and influence and didn't want to lose it. They also thought that Jesus might present a danger to the Hebrew people in the Roman Empire. They were certainly right about one thing - when people start believing in Jesus and acting on that belief, things change! How about you? Are you believing Jesus for change? Most of us might say we believe in Him but we often put our real faith in our ability to change laws and enact better programs. Remember, after Jesus had been crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, the Jews remained under the boot heel of Rome for the next 400 years. If you are trusting your favorite concept of government to save you and to give your life direction and purpose, you're going to waste your life.  

Jesus came that you and I might have abundant life and share that life with others...and that's very Good News!