Today, as I was reading the narrative in John 11, I asked that question.
Lazarus was dead...four days dead...which meant no hope of resuscitation according to Jewish beliefs of the day. With a simple prayer, Jesus raised him back to life.
Following the miracle, things get interesting...
"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)
And so what do they decide to do?...
"From that day on, the council planned to kill Jesus." (John 11:53)
What were they thinking? Did they really think they could exterminate a guy who had just raised someone from the dead? Really?!
And yet, isn't that just like us at times? All too often we somehow think we can do what we want and ignore the fact that God is GOD.
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purposes of the Lord that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21)
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