Are There Not Enough Graves?

"Camp where I tell you. It will look like we are meandering aimlessly," God told Moses, adding, "I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart one more time. ...The Egyptians are going to know I am the Lord, " God concluded.

Moses understood God's plans, but the Israelis did not.

Pharaoh gathered his chariots and pursued the Israelis. The Israelis saw the Egyptians were coming.

Wildly they ask, "Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Moses, why have you treat us like this?" 

Why was counting on God so strenuous?

Their irrational behavior, recognized as exaggeration, reflects fear. Fear reveals limited faith. Their 'embellishments' came from weak, inexperienced reasoning. Were these the early signs of a hard hearted people??

Do hard hearted people ignore faith-causing information or events?

Consider these New Testament stories.

• There was hard-packed soil in the parable of the sower. Why was the “seed” ineffective on this soil?
• Lazarus was joyously resurrected. But the Pharisees brushed off his resurrection, plotting to kill Jesus.
• So intent on obedience to their Sabbath laws, they ignored the healings of Jesus.
• 
  Jesus gave sight to a blind man (John 9). The religious leaders interrogated him. They belittled his intelligence. They said, "...but as for this man (referring to Jesus), we do not know where He is from.” Verse 30 adds, "The man answered and said to them,“Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. ...If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

What are preventatives to hard-heartedness?

Here are a few answers.

1. Delight over the good luck (or blessings??) of friends.
2. Determine if its God's blessing or the Devil's tool. Not all “blessings” are truly blessed.
3. Thank God for every blessing. “Count your many blessings, name the one by one,” the song echos.
4. Enjoy every event remembering it came from God.
5. Ask God's help frequently.
6. Acknowledge God's justice.
7. Tell your family and friends what great things God has done for you.
8. Study nature, and inspect His knowledge.
9. Accept God-given joy from obedience.
10. Before you decide God is not answering your prayer, look for alternate ways He may have already answered.
11. Be guided by his way, and not your inferior wisdom..
12. Ask him to build your faith.
13. Be aware of God. Watch His doings. Find evidences of His working.

Dear Diary

(From Tom's diary we read...)

Today, we geared up for a 'retreat' in the mountains. We gathered food and bedding. But He didn't want anyone to know where we were going. 

It seems strange to me. For three years, we have tried to gather crowds so the Rabbi could teach them. Now He does not want any crowds. We are going to stay away from Chorazin, Gennesaret, Magdala, and Cana. We will be in the mountains of Northwest Galilee. 

All day I wondered why. Why are we going there? Few people live there. Why all the supplies? We normally stay in people's homes. 

Well, on this trip, He started talking about things that didn't make sense. He talked about betrayal. Don't all twelve of us believe in Him? Who would BETRAY him?

He spoke of people KILLING him. He is the most popular man in Israel. People think He might deliver them from Roman tyranny. ALL He does is help people, and teach them. Why would ANYONE want to kill him?

And then, there is this nonsense of Him rising from the dead. I have seen Him raise a few folks from the dead, but they are just going to die again. He's talking about being raised and never dieing. Have you ever heard of someone being raised and never dieing? Me neither. 

Over the past 3 years, I have worked hard to be a good disciple. I have gone where He has gone. I understand most of His teachings. I believe only what I have seen. I am reasonably convinced He is God's son. 

But on this trip, I just don't get it. I just can't see Him being betrayed. I can't believe anyone would want to kill him. And being raised in three days never to die again, well.., it is just not going to happen.

I think I have Him fooled. He thinks I understand all this. He thinks I believe everything. But I don't understand any of it.

And I am scared to ask him about it. He may fuss at me. He might embarrass me if he finds out I don't understand. He has chided me and my buddies before about our 'little faith'. And that was not fun!

I'll keep it a secret, just between me and you, dairy. No one will ever know. 

What I write in my diary, stays in my diary.

It Could Mean...

When was the last time you watched a news station that only REPORTED news stories? Today, most recite the key facts in the first minute, then babble seven more 'discussing' it. "It could mean... (expound on one possibility). Or it might mean.... (further expounding on conjecture #1). Still, another choice is... (blah, blah, blah...)." It is vital to correctly comprehend and appreciate any factual statement or event. But discussing possibilities does not create an authority. Pete, Jimmy and Johnny have seen Jesus as He was before there was man. Jesus tells Peter James and John to be tight-lipped. There will no sharing their 'mountain-top' experience. At least not until the Son of Man had risen. They dismissed the fact that Jesus would, by necessity, die. But they seized the phrase 'rising from the dead'. And, like our news organizations, started hashing the matter. What did they know about the dead rising? They had seen Jesus raise a couple, but not sufficient to establish a pattern. And they did not quiz Jesus for more information. And, like our news services, offered no definitive conclusion. So, what does the phrase mean? Can you solve their dilemma without the New Testament, or historical hindsight? As a minimum, it is hard. But we do have historical hindsight. And our vision can be 20/20. Jesus is telling them AGAIN, within a week, he would die and be raised. The first time Peter got hung up on Jesus dying. Now he struggles with 'rising from the dead'. Are we like Peter? Or do we know just enough to bluff our friends into thinking we are an authority. Why not investigate biblical subjects with your friends, and let God be the authority.

Jairus on TV (part 3)

Reporter: "Welcome back for our final segment. Jairus, ruler of the local synagogue is with us today. He has told us of encountering Jesus. Before the last break you said Jesus had just healed a very desperate woman of a 12-year bleeding issue. Then, wretched news arrived."

Jairus: "It was very bad news. I had ran to Jesus to ask him to cure my tomboy before she died. Jesus, the throng, his disciples and I were traveling to my house. There He could place His hands on her to heal her. This is when Roy, my chief servant arrived. He said my 12-year-old was dead."

Reporter: "How heartbreaking! Did you blame the woman for impeding the procession?"

Jairus: "No. It made no difference. Roy ask me why we would inconvenience Jesus any further. I agreed. But Jesus said, 'Don't be afraid. Believe.' Jesus quickly sent the throng away, pick Pete, Jim and Johnny to come, and gestured for us to get going."

Reporter: "What was Jesus suggesting? Why did he restart his trek to your home?"

Jairus: "When it was happening, I was not sure. I just resumed guiding Him to my house."

Reporter: "Describe the scene when you got home?"

Jairus: "The world was insane. People dashing here and there. The employed mourners had arrived, crying and wailing. It was incomprehensible. This could not be my house. Jesus perceived my look. He ask why everybody was so dramatic? Then He said, 'The child is not dead, but sleeping.'"

Reporter: "Do you think Jesus was having a rationality issues?"

Jairus: "It was surreal. I was not sure what he meant. So I was not sure what was happening. I believed Roy. He said my daughter was dead. It irked me was how everybody reacted to Jesus. They slandered Him, and ridiculed his intelligence. It was awful. Yet, they did not delay Him from His chosen work. He hustled everybody out of the house."

Reporter: "What happened next?"

Jairus: Jesus took me, Mom, and the disciple trio to the bedroom where she had been bathed and laid out before burial. He took her hand. He told her, 'Little girl, I'm telling you to get up.' Instantly, her eyes opened. She looked around, saw Jesus ,the trio, Mom, and me. She got up. She walked to her mother and me. My 12-year-old was alive again! The trio gaucked, Mom cried, and I was awestruck."

Reporter: (with contempt) "You are telling us your daughter is alive?? She was dead, and Jesus brought her to life again??"

Jairus: "That is exactly what I said; exactly what happened! She is here in the studio audience today. Would you like to meet her?

Reporter: (stumbling for words) "Uh..., well, Uh, ... yes!"

Jairus: "Child come here and sit with me." (The daughter walks down the stairs, past the audience3, and up on stage. She is well dressed, clean, and healthy. She captures the audience with her 'tin-grin', showing her braces.) (Jairus, with decisiveness) "This is my daughter Jesus returned to me!"

Reporter: (shocked) "Amazing!" (Then, to the studio audience) "I have never visited with a previously-dead person before. This will be fun." (The crowd cheers, and give the child a standing ovation.) (Addressing the TV audience) "Thank you for watching today. Join us again for more amazing stories from the life of Jesus."

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I submit these questions for your consideration.

1. What is it like to hear your loved-one is dead?
2. Was there helplessness?
3. Did routine events not make sense?
4. Picture holding your loved-one again. Can Jesus raise the dead?