Continued to Bear Witness

John 12:17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the dead continued to bear witness.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one…  That line is often the precursor to a story that has been told over, and over, and over, etc. And sometimes, although not very often, the story teller is sincere and wants you to stop them if you have already heard the story. But mostly it is a pro forma and not a sincere warning. You are going to hear it again, and again, and again.  Hopefully it is a story worth hearing over and over. Like a story about Jesus and not a joke about a priest, a rabbi, and a pastor.

The marvel of the John 12:17 passage is that this crowd was following him around because Jesus had called Lazarus from the grave. Lazarus walk again amongst the living. That is why the crowd was following him. How incredibly ironic it is that the greatest part of Jesus’ ministry was yet to come. It would be Jesus himself who would be called from the grave.  WOW! These people could not have had a clue. Here was Jesus walking, talking, preaching, healing and they thought that this was as good as it was going to get. If they only knew the rest of the story. You may remember Paul Harvey and his “The rest of the story” programs. The lead in part was what would draw you in to listen.  But the best part was the other half of the story. That part where wondrous things happened in a person’s life like going from an obscure childhood to fame and/or fortune.  The Jesus story is just that kind of story. If you were there, and saw his earlier miracles, you missed “the rest of the story.” When we share the story of Jesus with friends, family, and those who do not know about Christ we have the opportunity to tell the whole story. The story laid out in scripture, summarized in the Apostles Creed or Nicene Creed, or even the Athanasian Creed. The miracle birth to a virgin, healing the sick and lame, or even driving out demons are just some of the high points. He also had 12 disciples who seemed to never learn what they needed to learn. The teacher was very patient. He had no choice, he was not on his time. He was working to the Father’s timeline. And those following him had no idea what to come was the most important part. They thought they had seen all there was to see, and they shared those experiences. But the best was yet to come.

So, how does this relate to you and I? We know the rest of the story. We know the whole story. And we know that we are asked by a loving God to share that whole story. Who do you know that does not know the whole story? Who do you know that has yet to grasp the truth about Jesus? And lastly, what are you doing, or going to do to continue to bear witness? These area questions you need to ask yourself. Pray is needed to arrive at the correct answer. But make no mistake my friends. You need to ask yourself those questions. How else can you determine the best way to continue to bear witness for Christ? His whole story needs to be told.

PRAYER: Father, Abba, thank You for the whole story of Jesus. Thank you for the part of His life that extends to us poor sinners everlasting life. Thank You for the grace You have showered upon us. Thank You for the faith given by Your Holy Spirit. And thank You for the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. For without his sacrifice, we would all be lost to sin. We offer this prayer of thanksgiving in Jesus name. Amen.