Series: Committed
Message: Adventure
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 58:1-5.
Read: John 11:1-27 — Read the Message paraphrase, and note 1-3 insights/questions that arise.
Reflect: The words of Martha to Jesus (John 11:21) echo in our lives today—probably within our families and at our work or school. If you had been. If only we had a different pastor. If only we had a different president. If only I had married a different person. If only I had kept our mouth shut. If only I had said sorry. Life is full of “if only” moments. These often revolve around regret or accusations instead of hope and assurance. They diminish the adventure of life and discovery to single out-of-context bubbles.
Jesus does not linger with Martha on the "if only” lament; instead He begins to draw her attention to the future. The future is the hope that shapes the present. The second coming of Jesus is the hope (and reality!) that shapes our actions today. The pastoral team at Boulder Adventist Church shared their reasons for choosing to partner with the vision and mission of the local church last year. One of their answers is “because this Church believes that the soon coming of Jesus affects the choices we make every day.” Jesus is moving Martha to that same place in her faith journey. As N. T. Wright puts it:
He is challenging her, urging her, to exchange her "if only . . ." for an "if Jesus . . . ". If Jesus is who she is coming to believe he is . . . If Jesus is the Messiah, the one who was promised by the prophets, the one who was to come into the world . . . If he is God’s own son, the one in whom the living God is strangely and newly present . . . If he is resurrection-in-person, life-come-to-life …” (John for Everyone, p. 7).
Recalibrate:
Respond: Pray for the power to exchange and accept Jesus.
Research: With some friends or in your Life Group: how you can practically deal with regret?