Dogwood Series: No. 1
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany,
where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
John 12:1
On a Friday afternoon, perhaps similar to the glorious spring day outside my window, Jesus arrived in Bethany and stopped for the weekend at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Just a short time earlier, Jesus had raised Lazarus after he had been dead for several days. The hullabaloo that resulted from this amazing miracle caused Jesus to withdraw from public life, staying in the village of Ephraim near the desert. [John 11:54]
When the crowds arrived in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover season, they searched in vain for Jesus and His followers. Congregating at the Temple, they questioned whether He would show up at all. Many were well-acquainted with the animosity of the Scribes and Pharisees against the Teacher from Nazareth. In fact, the religious leaders had given orders for Jesus’ immediate arrest when He was spotted in Jerusalem.
Much to their chagrin, the Savior is not on the Pharisees’ time clock; He is following the will of His Father. Fully knowing that the cross is but a week away, He sought the companionship of His friends for the weekend. What occurred there was another extraordinary event in the Teacher’s life on this earth. This time, however, it was not of His doing.
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