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April 27, 2008)
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April 27, 2008 – Mark 12.30b (John
11:17-37)
Open It
1. What
is one of your greatest disappointments in life?
2. In
what different ways do people respond when a loved one dies?
Explore It
3. What
did Jesus find when He arrived at Bethany? (11:17)
4. What
did Mary and Martha do when they heard that Jesus was coming? (11:20)
5. What
did Martha say to Jesus about His having come after Lazarus had died?
(11:21-22)
6. What
did Jesus tell Martha Lazarus would do? (11:23)
7. How
did Martha misunderstand Jesus? (11:24)
8. What
did Martha and the others learn about Jesus' identity? (11:25)
9. What
did Jesus say would happen to those who believed in Him? (11:26)
10. What
belief did Martha express to Jesus? (11:27)
11. What
did Martha tell Mary? (11:28)
12. What
did Mary do after Martha told her Jesus was asking for her? (11:29)
13. Where
did the Jews think Mary was going? (11:30-31)
14. How did
Mary respond when she saw Jesus? (11:32)
15. What
did Mary say to Jesus when He finally arrived? (11:32)
16. How did
Jesus respond to the weeping by Mary and the others? (11:33-35)
17. What
question did some people have about what Jesus could have done? (11:37)
Get It
18. When
has God's response to your situation in life seemed untimely?
19. In what
way do we sometimes second-guess God?
20. When do
we tend to second-guess God?
21. How and
when has God disappointed you?
22. Why are
we sometimes disappointed by God?
23. How
should we respond to disappointment?
24. When has
God given you comfort in the middle of a sad time of life?
25. In what
way is Jesus' response to Lazarus's death a model for us to follow?
Apply It
26. What
attitude of disappointment do you need to confess to God and change to trust in
His sovereign control?
27. How can
you be a comfort to a struggling or hurting believer this week?
John 11:25-26: Jesus has power over life and
death as well as power to forgive sins. This is because he is the Creator of
life (see John 14:6). He who is life can surely restore life. Whoever
believes in Christ has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer or diminish
in any way. When we realize his power and how wonderful his offer to us really
is, how can we help but commit our lives to him! To those of us who believe,
what wonderful assurance and certainty we have: "Because I live, you also
will live" (John 14:19).
John 11:27: Martha is best known for being
too busy to sit down and talk with Jesus (Luke 10:38-42). But here we see her
as a woman of deep faith. Her statement of faith is exactly the response that
Jesus wants from us.
John 11:33-38: John stresses that we have a God
who cares. This portrait contrasts with the Greek concept of God that was
popular in that day-a God with no emotions and no messy involvement with
humans. Here we see many of Jesus' emotions-compassion, indignation, sorrow,
even frustration. He often expressed deep emotion, and we must never be afraid
to reveal our true feelings to him. He understands them, for he experienced
them. Be honest, and don't try to hide anything from your Savior. He cares.
11:35 When Jesus saw the weeping and wailing, he too wept
openly. Perhaps he empathized with their grief, or perhaps he was troubled at
their unbelief. In either case, Jesus showed that he cares enough for us to
weep with us in our sorrow.
11:38 Tombs at this time were usually caves carved in the
limestone rock of a hillside. A tomb was often large enough for people to walk
inside. Several bodies would be placed in one tomb. After burial, a large stone
was rolled across the entrance to the tomb.
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April 27, 2008)
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