John 21:20-23 NKJV

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”  21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” 23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

We find ourselves on the precipice of Jesus’ ascension back to heaven to forever be with our Father. He has done the miraculous, died on the cross for all of our sins, then on the third day, was raised from the dead to walk on earth another 40 days amongst His disciples. 

Jesus has just restored Peter following his denial. Jesus is even giving Peter clear insight into his future ministry and death. This honestly has to be one of the more impactful conversations Peter has ever had, which is why it was a bit off-putting when Peter started minding John’s business. 

The term “Mind Your Business” is an old English expression used to tell someone to stop asking about your personal life or meddling in affairs that do not concern them. This is ultimately what Jesus said to Peter, Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Mind Your Business and Do What I Tell You To Do. 

This is a lesson we should all learn: stop worrying about what others are doing and focus on what the Lord asks of you. 

Peter and John would be two of the more prominent figures in the Church’s history. While God had special plans for Peter, like a sanguine person (a cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident person, especially in difficult or bad situations), he was not worried about what other people were doing. It is very difficult to execute your mission when you’re busy thinking about others.

John 11:39 NKJV

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

Jesus spent 33 years on this earth, and yet His impact is eternal. One of the things I love about Jesus’ words is that they either speak the truth, offer correction, offer encouragement, or prophesy. He would often speak of something that, later, the disciples would be able to look back on and connect to fulfilling Old Testament scripture or future revelation. 

Imagine what the disciples thought about after experiencing this incredible resurrection of Lazarus. Only to later see the stone sealing Jesus’s tomb rolled away. 

I don’t believe this prophetic word from Jesus was the last time we would experience life brought from the dead. The stone represents a barrier separating life and death. 

There are dead things in our lives that need the stone rolled away. Whether something dead in your life is physical (is your body failing), relational (have your closest relationships withered away), emotional (are your dreams dying), or spiritual (has your walk with the Lord been negatively impacted), Jesus is giving us a command today: “Take away the stone.” Listen to Jesus and take it away. However, before we do…what is the significance of the stone? 

When you look up the Greek word for stone, it seems pretty normal. It means a stone, one stone, a stumbling stone, or a millstone. Each of those makes sense. Then a curveball was thrown; the definition goes on to say that it is a metaphor of Christ. Wait what? Of course, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone?” 

So then why do we want to Take away the stone? Because when He goes, it’s not to leave us but to become one with us. John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

Jesus is both commanding the dead things in our lives to come alive, while positioning Himself closer to us for our safety and direction. He knows the plans that He has given us (nobody else does, not even ourselves), and He also knows our future (He is already there at the end with us). So trust Him, hear Him, and follow Him. That is when we will see His restoration of those areas of our lives that are dying, dreams resurrected, relationships renewed, and burning hearts filled with His Word. 

John 3:19-21 NKJV

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Now I know that Romans 8:1 states: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. These are words that I live by and constantly hold onto because the enemy will often try to send you down his condemnation trail. However, I was intrigued when, in John 3, I came across these verses. 

Jesus is somewhat defining condemnation; it is pretty interesting. So what is condemnation? This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

This is pretty telling and makes so much sense. This is a pretty familiar chapter; after all, John 3:16 is in this chapter, and it also has verses 17 and 18. God didn’t send Jesus to condemn the world, but to save them. However, he who does not believe in Jesus is condemned already. So condemnation is clearly based on your belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead. Jesus is the light, and those in darkness do not believe in the light. Jesus said that the men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

Therefore, we can only be condemned when we don’t receive Jesus as Lord. Henceforth, the devil will constantly try to get us to question our salvation, God’s forgiveness, or our righteousness through Christ. So stand firm in your belief in Jesus, and any voice you hear contrary to that can only be one, satan’s deception. And remember, Romans 8:1 states: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Additional Verses:

John 3:17-18 NKJV

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Luke 7:11-17 NKJV

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.

It was just another day, and yet another miracle for Jesus to show the power of God. Yet the difference in this particular miracle is that I think it hits so close to home for many. What do you do when you’re in a beautiful place but carrying something dead? 

That is the situation where we find the widow in this story. The background is a small village called Nain, which means “Beauty” in Hebrew. Nain is located about 8 miles southeast of Nazareth in the lower Galilee. This village sits on the northwest slope of Givat Hamoreh (or Little Hermon), overlooking the Plain of Jezreel and facing Mount Tabor. It just sounds beautiful. However, it was not beautiful that day, because this widow was in tears as she was now burying her son (behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow). She had already lost her husband; now it was her only son. Her family was no longer; it was only her now. That is devastating, and when we are devastated, Jesus shows compassion. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Jesus showed compassion and encouragement. He did not stop there. Then he came and touched the open coffin. Jesus brought restoration to this woman’s situation. He resurrected her family, when everything to that point had died (So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother). 

All this was done so that we can know and believe that anything dead in our lives, Jesus can/desires to resurrect our dead circumstances. If you are feeling alone, let this story inspire you that regardless of what we feel, Jesus sees us, has compassion and acts on our behalf, because of how much He loves us.

Luke 1:18

“And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

Has the Holy Spirit ever told you something and your immediate response was “How Shall I Know?” OK, you probably wouldn’t use King James English, but maybe 

1. “How do I know?”

2. “How is that supposed to happen?”

3. “How can I tell?”

You get the gist: God tells you something incredible, and we immediately question it because we’ve probably never seen it happen before. Seems fairly reasonable, right?? So then, why did Zachariah go mute and was scolded, while Mary was encouraged and given an answer?

Was it because Zacharias was well advanced in years and Mary was a child? Maybe because Zacharias was a priest and Mary was a young virgin? Maybe it was just that Zacharias was trying to comprehend God using his own knowledge/understanding (the word know means to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of), and was making sense of it in his vast wisdom, not appreciating that Gabriel the Archangel was speaking directly from God. While Mary was only asking about the physical process because she figured her body couldn’t do it, her limitation was. 

The truth is, I don’t know. Wish I did, but I don’t. 

Here is what I will offer: sometimes the Lord will protect us from ourselves. The power of life and death is in the tongue, and Zacharias may have killed this miracle by speaking negatively, walking in doubt, or disbelieving because he could not wrap his mind around this. Sure, he could have remembered Abraham and Sarah, but he was still unable to believe it could happen to them. However, when Gabriel made him mute, he was now experiencing the power, and maybe it was more believable. Regardless, we should be mindful of both situations. When God speaks to us about the incredible miracle He will bring forth in our lives, let’s remember His power, His promise, and His person (He loves you). He will bring it to pass; you don’t have to be mute to believe Him. 

Matthew 3:17 NKJV

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

God demonstrated everything we need to know about being a great Father in this one small verse. He did three incredible things in these eleven priceless words. 

The last two days have been very impactful to me as a Father. It began Sunday morning when Pastor Joseph Prince shared a revelation that I had never associated with a scripture, which I will show you later. Then last night I had a chance to reminisce with my oldest Son about my father, who passed away before he ever got a chance to know him. And to know my Dad was to love him. Not so much that he was the epitome of a father, far from it, but that he was always authentically himself, whether you liked it or not.

Those two things help me really appreciate this text. Jesus was entering the ministry for which He was sent here. Here our Lord, the son of the Most High God, came to earth to fulfill a purpose that would eventually set us all free. Now, that task would not begin until he turned 30. So he dwelled here for 30 years before doing anything associated with the reason He was sent (a whole other sermon, some other time). Yet now, the time has finally come. Is it time to get started? That is where God steps in.

1. God Affirms His Child: The word Affirm is a verb meaning to state something positively, assert as true, or confirm/ratify a judgment. It is used to express strong confidence in a fact, uphold a lower court’s decision, or make a solemn declaration. God takes possession of His son in a day and age where a “fatherless child” is very often the norm. God is letting His son know: I take possession; I gladly accept ownership; You are indeed (let there be absolutely no doubt) my child. But God does not stop there; He lets Jesus know that He is loved. The word ” beloved ” means dearly loved, cherished, or held in high affection. God let His child know that He is cherished, appreciated, precious, and special. What child does not want to know that they are beloved? But God didn’t stop there; He let Jesus know that He is well-pleased with Him. The term means being very happy, highly satisfied, or expressing high approval of a person. Affirmation at its very highest. God affirms His Child, letting Him know that He is His, He is loved, and He is approved. That should be every father’s goal, because it is every child’s need.
2. God affirms His Child without any performance attached: Before Jesus does anything associated with His purpose for being sent, God affirms Him. God did not wait until Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins to affirm Him. God the Father’s affirmation came with no strings attached. Jesus did not have to perform in order to be approved by God, loved by Him, or cherished. Oh, how I want to be cherished; someone deeply loved, valued, and nurtured with affection and tender care. What person does not want to feel that from their loved ones? And Jesus did, without having any performance attached to it. What this affirmation does is instill a sense of self-worth, resilience, and confidence. This is empowering, as seen when Jesus was led to the wilderness and tempted by Satan. Satan attempted two things to trick Jesus, and they are very similar in how he attacks us. He questioned Jesus’ identity and tried to get him to tie his performance to his worth. “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” If you are the Son of God, question His identity and remove the word beloved, which is how God affirmed Him—also, telling Jesus to turn the stones into bread to prove His sonship. Satan often tries to steal our identity and kill our understanding of God’s love by tying it to our performance. 
3. God Affirms His Child publicly: God affirmed His Son in public, in front of everyone. There is something to be said about a father affirming his son in public. Although the people could not hear what God said, they heard thunder and knew that it was God. I imagine a scene at a local baseball field, where a young kid strikes out and loses the game. The kid is sad and dejected, barely able to lift their head. Then the father comes over, bends down, and begins speaking directly to his child. We cannot hear what he says, but the child’s head immediately rises, a big smile comes to their face, and they have a completely different countenance. Does it matter what was said? No!! What matters is that the kid was affirmed, and it changed everything. 

God affirmed Jesus publicly with no strings attached. The truth we need to take from this is: 

1 John 4:17 NKJV

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world.

Just as Jesus is, so are we in this world. Just as God affirms Jesus, so are we in this world. Just as Jesus is well-pleased (God), so are we in this world. Let’s learn from God our Father. Affirm those you love, and be open to receive affirmation from others. 

Luke 10:40-42 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”  41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

This Bible is such a great read. I mean, whatever your favorite movie has, the Bible has it in spades. A great plot, incredible action, a captivating love saga, and even season or franchise-ending cliffhangers. You know when the plot takes a crazy twist or the character has a crucial decision to make, and just when it is time for that tantalizing moment to take place, boom, the credits start appearing on the screen, or even worse, those words we dread…To Be Continued….

NOOOOO!!!! I need to know what happens next. 

Well, in Luke’s Gospel, that is where we find ourselves. Jesus is spending time with a few of His favorite people (keep reading, you’ll see it for yourself…Jn. While He is visiting and speaking with Mary, big sister Martha enters the room and is dismayed. She is super busy trying to make everything special for Jesus’ visit, after all, it’s Jesus. Who wouldn’t want to ensure that His visit met His standards and was worthy of such a King? Well, Jesus wouldn’t.

In Martha’s desire to make things ideal (almost perfect), much work and many things had to be addressed. Do you ever feel like that? “If this doesn’t go perfectly, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Well, of course, in her mind, it has to be this way, and I need help to make it happen. I need Jesus to be happy with my effort. So, I have to have help. Who can help me, and why have they not stepped in already? Don’t they know how important this is (to me, Martha)? Don’t we think all of these things in our heads sometimes (often)? 

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

This is not what Jesus thinks; in fact, this text shows that He believes the exact opposite. When Jesus visits, everything should be dropped, and rest is of the utmost importance. 

Martha became upset because her needs were not being met. As a matter of fact, she became visibly upset!! Upset with herself, with her circumstances, with her sister, and ultimately with her Savior. Her first accusation was against Jesus. In her hurt, her disappointment (maybe even perceived disapproval), she:

1. Accused Jesus: “Lord, do You not care? Oh, how many times has that been a question in our hearts about “The One” who cared so much that He gave it all for each of Us. I mean, I’m thinking those very words as I type because of my own situation. We like to cover it up in beautiful church lingo so it can sound like a deep prayer. However, at its core, it is clearly a jab to let Jesus know that if You genuinely cared about me… How often have we also done this to our loved ones? Admit it, we accuse (so does that put us in the same category as… Rev 12:10). 
2. Blamed Mary: my sister has left me to serve alone. Look at her, what I want is way more important. She should be helping me. I’m doing this, so everything else has lower priority. You know, in our own minds, we are very difficult people to be around. It’s a good thing no one else lives there (but there is another in there). Martha blamed her sister for not helping, even though she did not understand what Mary was doing. I believe that Martha knew where Mary was and what Mary was doing. She didn’t understand the why. Do we ever really care about someone else’s why, when it is affecting us now?? I’m learning to wonder why more, I’m even sometimes having the courage to ask “why.” Do you ever actually wonder why? I think sometimes we don’t wonder why or ask others their why, because the answer might be “me,” or because of you, and we really don’t want to know that. 
3. Demanded Action: Therefore tell her to help me!!! She demanded correction to Mary’s apparent betrayal. Like Martha, we demand things from others to suit our priorities, our will, our plans. And if we’re honest, it is unfair to them. One, because at the core of that demand was a selfish attempt to gain favor, approval, adoration, maybe even of Jesus. Yet, Jesus has already adored you with His shed blood (Jn 3:16); He has already approved us in the beloved (Eph 1); and has showered us with favor (Pro 8:35). Maybe when we are feeling like Martha, we should ask ourselves “why.” 

Here is the beautiful thing about Jesus: while He knows everything, He never condemns His beloved. He corrects us in Love:

1. Jesus Acknowledges Us: Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. Martha was dismayed, and Jesus did not dismiss it. He acknowledged that she was frustrated, but He also told her what the problem was. She was worried and troubled. Martha thought she was being ignored and rejected, but she was actually something else entirely. 
2. Jesus Answers Us: But one thing is needed. Jesus always gives us the answer, whether by His Spirit, in His Word, or by sending someone else. Now, it is very often not what we want to hear. Martha expected Him to capitulate to her demand, kind of like what many in very important positions are doing daily for one elected narcissist (while true, that was my flesh). No, Jesus answers in truth. The one thing Martha needed was the “why” Mary was not helping her(and Mary has chosen that good part). I’m sure you’ve been there when Jesus’ answer is the exact opposite of what you’ve demanded from Him? Fix them, and He will correct you and address your attitude. Lastly,
3. Jesus Assured Us: which will not be taken away from her. Jesus let Martha know (and Mary, for that matter) that Mary had chosen that good part; He assured them both that He would never allow that to be taken away. The Lord is our protector and our defender. When we choose Him, He protects us. In this case, Mary chose to sit at His feet, to be fed by Him, receive His wisdom and joy and peace; to be in His Presence (Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy). He wants us to have that, and He will protect it at all costs, even if that cost is us. 

So this leads me back to the title of this little share: What Did Martha Choose??? The story ends with us not knowing. It is a cliffhanger that we may never know. But it leaves us with a decision we must make. So what will you choose???