Journey to see God: See as Mary sees

In this message today, the Spirit of the Lord showed us three disciples of Jesus and how they differed in seeing God -Jesus. The disciples are: Mary, Lazarus, and Judas Iscariot. ____________________________Here are the Bible verses. The watchman’s notes are after the Bible verses.

John 12:1-11 (ESV) Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for Him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it[c] for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus[d] was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Footnotes:

1.John 12:3 Greek litra; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams

2.John 12:5 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

3.John 12:7 Or Leave her alone; she intended to keep it

4.John 12:9 Greek he

_____________Watchman’s notes

 Jesus was the main character. He came to a home where they prepared a dinner for Him. A number of His disciples and even large crowd were there. The hostess, Martha served them. There were three other main characters: Lazarus, Mary and Judas Iscariot, all disciples of Jesus.

 Lazarus, a disciple who was raised to life from dead: There was no record of his spoken words. He merely testified Jesus, the Son of God, and the mighty work of God, the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus operated in, by being himself. He was alive and well. He sat close to Jesus. He was not afraid of death (or the threat of death from the chief priests) anymore. He became an overcomer just by being with Jesus.

 Mary, a disciple who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to His teaching, believed Him, and was the only disciple who acted according to what she received from HIs Spirit-filled message (which all other disciples had failed to hear or understood as they continued to be hindered by their flesh). She was the first and only disciple who discerned spiritual things which Jesus spoke about prior His crucifixion and death on the cross. The rest of the disciples had to wait till after the Lord's resurrection and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. How did Mary make it ahead of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit?

 The key is in what Jesus said in Luke 11:34-36. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” Mary had spent her life soaking in Jesus' presence and His words. Her eyes were filled with His light. Jesus knew and spoke of her eternal reward.

 Today, disciples of Jesus can receive the same from the Holy Spirit. The following verses explain this: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (ESV) 16 But when one[a] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[b] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[c]are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Judas Iscariot: the disciple who was a thief. He later betrayed His master Jesus for the same price that Mary had given up for the same Lord Jesus. Jesus knew what he did and what he would do. Yet Jesus spoke to him and commented on his statement about the poor. Why? Jesus gave him another chance, “But you do not always have Me.” Judas still could not comprehend. He was filled with the world and was led by his flesh. He could not even wait a bit longer as he heard of Jesus’ forthcoming death. He did not want to lose the one last way of making some earthly fortune from Jesus. what good would Jesus be to him as a dead person? He figured.

Alas, this is the usual way an unspiritual man thinks. The signs and wonders are all supernatural but he just could not comprehend. His eyes are veiled when he reads the Bible. Only when oney turns to the Holy Spirit, the veil will be removed.

God’s Way is spiritual. Spiritual way is narrow and hard but it is the only way to life. Only the Spirit of life can show us this way.

Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Footnotes:

 1.Matthew 7:13 Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy

End Times Watchman Bible Study: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

The watchman and his class found a dilemma in this verse. "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark9:24)

How can one have faith and still has doubt and unbelief at the same time? 

This requires immediate investigation. Many cannot receive the healing and deliverance from their diseases and weaknesses because of this contradiction in them. The watchman's study notes are in brackets.

Mark 9:14-32 

A Boy Is Healed

¹⁴ And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. ¹⁵ Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. ¹⁶ And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
¹⁷ Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. ¹⁸ And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

(A great multitude was there and they observed the physical condition of the sick boy and the failure of Jesus' disciples to cast out the mute demon from him. They were even arguing with the 'specialists' -scribes over the treatment of this medical or mental case. The disciples had been given authority and power by Jesus previously and had been successful in their healing ministry. So why did they fail this time? The patient's father of course complained to the master healer Himself. It was natural to react the way he did to failure and disappointment.) 

¹⁹ He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 

(Jesus was not addressing the faithless crowd of bystanders or the patient and his father. They did not know Him or His power. Many had not even heard the full Gospel of the Kingdom of God and of Christ. Jesus was addressing His own disciples who had followed Him and lived with Him and witnessed His supernatural power and deeds. They had heard the full Gospel. They had been given authority and power by Him. Note how Jesus described them.)

²⁰ Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
²¹ So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. ²² And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

(Note the conversation between the patient's father and Jesus. How can anyone be believing and not believing at the same time?  Was he telling lies? But the poor man was in tears. He was in front of a big crowd. Yet he continued pleading to Jesus to heal his son. So he must have heard of Jesus' power and believed that Jesus could do it. Yet, he admitted that he had unbelief. Amazing. This is the theme of today's message. Can we have faith and unbelief at the same time?)

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” ²⁶ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

(Note how simple the matter was. Jesus merely commanded and the evil spirit obeyed and came out of the boy. The boy might have looked terrible when he was possessed. But Jesus saw the evil spirit and not the patient. In the spiritual realm Jesus' authority is recognized and obeyed.) 

²⁸ And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
²⁹ So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." **

(Note the conversation between the disciples and Jesus. The disciples were still obsessed with their job failure. They were looking at the physical  (body and soul -mind and emotion) realm, the humiliation and inadequacy they felt in not delivering the required result.) But Jesus did not answer them about this 'job' or 'performance assessment'. He revealed the true condition of their spirits. They were still living within the paradigm of their physical and natural world. they were unable to believe that Jesus' Father (God)'s world is real, even though they could not see it. Jesus had taught them and demonstrated to them the reality of God and that He is from God. But their hearts were hardened by their preoccupation with the physical and natural and unbelief of the spiritual reality.)

Those who are not spiritually discerned cannot understand the things of God. God is Spirit. The Pharisees and Scribes cannot understand. Christians are expected to know and understand. But Many cannot. Why? Spiritual discernment comes from diligently seeking God, belief in the spiritual reality of God (and His word), being led by faith and not by sight. These are all essential in order to know and understand the matters of God, that is, the matters as revealed by the Holy Spirit (often through the word of God).


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**Notes on FASTING: This does not mean certain evil spirits are so powerful that the disciples cannot cast it out even by Jesus Name. The fasting is for the disciples to cast their own flesh and unbelief of God’s spiritual reality. Unbelief nullifies their use of the Name of Jesus and the authority therein over spiritual beings (e.g. evil spirits). They did not believe because they were walking by sight and not by faith. Their hearts were hardened by the world and worldly knowledge. They could not discern spiritual matters because they were not led by the Spirit.

Fasting deals with our flesh and carnal man.  
Being a disciple means we need to deny ourselves (body, mind and emotion and everything that makes up us in the physical natural realm), take up our cross and follow Christ daily. Only sons of God are led by the Holy Spirit. Only when we walk and live by the Spirit, can we discern spiritual matters and war in the spiritual realm, taking the authority of the name of the Son of God, Jesus effectively.