When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” …So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” John 11: 6-8, 18
The Lord is approaching his last week on earth, The disciples have heard him say repeatedly that He will be taken by the Scribes and
Pharisees and killed. (He also told them He would rise again but they kept forgetting that part.)
As He ministers and teaches Jesus heard His friend Lazarus
was dead, He tales no action. He waits several days before He
turns toward Bethany and Jerusalem. The Lord’s actions are exactly
what the disciples feared. When Jesus announces after two days that
it was time for them to go to the home of Martha and Mary we note
all the disciples expressed their concern. They knew that the religious
leaders hated Jesus and would kill Him if they could. The disciples
knew Jesus was the Messiah but the Jewish leaders rejected that claim. Since they believed it to be false, they accused Jesus of blasphemy and therefore, under the law, He deserved to be stoned. As they often did (and unfortunately we do as well), the disciples
looked at their circumstances instead of Jesus and fear filled their hearts. We can be sure that as one of the three leaders of the disciples that Peter was in the midst of raising these concerns
to the Lord. As He often did, the Lord listened to their concerns and then told them what God’s will was. They were to go to Bethany and to Jerusalem. Their fear did not justify disobedience.
When they heard the Lord’s answer to their credit, they did not refuse to go with Him. They were committed to Jesus and as Peter had said at one of his highest moments, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. We only hear the response of Thomas of all the disciples, the pessimist. His response was likely what was in all the disciples hearts. “So Thomas … said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him’”. The disciples knew Jesus was the Messiah. There was no choice but to follow Him yet they sure did not understand why He was moving Himself and them into certain, imminent danger.
What can we learn? This event was only a little time before the Lord’s last week as He fulfilled God’s will all the way to the cross
for our sin. We see this time began with an event that disturbed the disciples. They loved the Lord and would stay with Him yet they could tell the circumstances were dire. Moving willfully toward them made no sense.
At the same time the last week of the Lord’s life on earth, was also the worst time in the life of Peter. If we look at these last events through Peter’s eyes we see ourselves – when the greatest faith and obedience are required, we often fail the Lord the most. So we watch Peter to learn what can the Lord will teach us about walking faithfully through hard times.
What we need to see in this passage is Peter’s condition with the Lord. The Lord asks him to trust Him and to obey Him – to do something that humanely makes no sense. Peter experiences fear and doubts. His eyes are on men and what they can do to him. What we don’t see Peter or any of the disciples do is to pray either before or during this last scary week of the Lord’s life.. The disciples will walk with the Lord but they go in their own strength. Peter’s downhill slide begins as many of ours do – trying to obey the Lord in our own
strength. Watch Peter and examine your own heart. “Without me, you can do nothing.” Peter forgot this principle for a period of time and it cost Him big time. The cost is the same for you and me.