“If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” (John 11:48)
This is the response of the religious leaders to the miracles of Jesus. In John chapter 11, the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead is recorded. It is not surprising that the establishment leaders were worried that Jesus could “take away” their land and power. They were on top and they wanted to stay that way! The Gospel says, “so from that day on they planned to kill him” (John 11:53). Not much has changed in 2000 years. Groups of people who are in power often work tirelessly to stay in power, and they do not care who they hurt along the way.
The editors of the New American Bible Revised Edition make an important note under the verse of John 11:48. They point to the true, historical fact that what the religious leaders feared most actually happened after they killed Jesus. In the end, it was not the miracles of Jesus that cost them their land and power, it was their own mismanagement of their earthly kingdom.
How often do we do that in our own lives? We focus so much on what we are afraid of “could” happen, that we stop taking care of our immediate responsibilities. We let the fear of “what if” distract us from the activities and thoughts that can actually keep us growing and safely moving forward. Jesus says to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” (John 11: 40). Jesus is saying that to us today as well.
“Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
Jesus is calling us to focus on the power of God, the miracles of God. He is calling people to hope, light, goodness, abundance. On the other hand, the religious leaders said, “If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” The establishment did not want people to believe in “him”. The “him” is Jesus who said of himself that he was: “the light of the world”; the bringer of “life...more abundantly”; the “good shepherd” who leads his sheep to safety. The established religious leaders spread fear and discord among the people of their nation so that they could retain their own power. But their plan failed! They killed Jesus and the Romans still destroyed Jerusalem.
Yet the message of love, light, abundance, hope, kindness, goodness, and equality that Jesus taught during his brief ministry on earth spread like wildfire. Believers lived out the Gospel message and eventually it did change the world. We do have a much more abundant, love-filled, humane world now than what the people in ancient days endured. We certainly have a long way to go to bring the “kingdom of God” to life on earth! However, we have a very clear model in the life of Jesus that we see in the Gospels.
“Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” What do we need to believe in to see the glory of God? We need to believe in all the goodness, light, love, peace, and abundance that Jesus preached. That is where we need to put our mental and active focus. We do not need to focus on the negativity and fear that established politicians and media pundits are trying to sell us. History shows us how that fear-based thinking ends: in failure. Believing in and focusing on the love, light, and goodness of God will enable us to see God’s glory, and God’s miracles come to life-- just like Lazarus.
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