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Let's pray.

Father, we don't want to be like Judas, we want to be like Mary. And if anyone in the hearing of my voice is in the bondage that Judas was in, I pray for deliverance by the word of God, which is powerful,

sharper than a two-edged sword and pierces down to reveal those kinds of

slavery's. So Holy Spirit come and grant that we would be attentive to your word, faithful to it.

And would you open minds and open hearts that we would have a collective and powerful understanding of the word and response to the word with our hearts and our minds.

I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

Let me tell you where I think this story is going,

and then we will go into the story and let John take us there.

I think the point of this story is this.

It is a beautiful thing

when the worth of Jesus

and the love of his followers match.

When the value of his perfections and the intensity of our affections correspond.

And it is not beautiful but suicidal when they don't.

Let's be more specific. We can be more specific in this text as to what the point is.

The worth of Jesus here in this text, the perfection of Jesus focused on by Mary and Martha and Lazarus

is that by his grace and his power he raises the dead.

And he is life.

I am the resurrection and the life.

He raises the dead and he's the life we live for.

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