God values and uses families and their homes for His Glory. John 11 & 12
In John 11 we see the fifth ‘I AM’ statement of Jesus and it’s demonstration and outworking in a grieving family;
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you(Martha) believe this? (Thankfully, Martha confessed she did believe). John 11:25
The story begins in John 11 with an introduction to a family, a family loved by the Lord, each one individually named. John 11:5 Jesus received news that Lazarus, the brother, was sick but He didn’t go to him immediately. Lazarus had in fact been dead for four days by the time Jesus arrived at their home in Bethany. Such was their faith in the Lord that both sisters greeted Jesus with the same words, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”. John 11:21, 32 Though Jesus had foretold what was going to happen, He was still moved by the sisters’ words and we have the shortest verse in the Bible in this chapter, “Jesus wept”. John 11:35
Happy Ending; Jesus went to the tomb/cave and had the stone rolled away and called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out”. Lazarus came out and Jesus told the people around to “Take off the grave clothes and let him go”. John 11:43, 44
As a result of this miracle, Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, became a marked man by the chief priests. They decided to kill him again and stop the story of his resurrection spreading any further( not a word of Lazarus’ testimony is recorded for us, but the Lord’s proclamation and His fifth ‘I AM’ statement had wider impact than the resurrection of one dead man. John 12:10, 11
At the beginning of John 12 we see a house and household set apart for the Lord. Martha was serving a dinner in Jesus honour, Lazarus waited in Jesus’ company and Mary (the one who listened attentively) poured a pint of pure nard on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair(to prepare His own body for soon coming burial).
“The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”. John 12:3
The Lord blesses and uses households and whole families where He is welcome and where there is harmony in His presence. The home in Bethany was an example of this and that story is recorded for us today.
Does the fragrance of Jesus fill our homes and our lives as the nard ‘poured out’ filled their whole house. The Lord needs such places for His purposes today! Are we willing to be poured out for Him and have His presence filling our homes and lives today? There is a room in our home where my wife prays and sits before the Lord and people sense the Lord’s presence there! They don’t want to leave. The perfume is there, the sense of His presence.
What can we offer the Lord today, in our homes that will release a fresh sense of His Glory? He needs our hearts and our homes today if we’ll yield them up for Him.
God bless and keep you in these days.