In the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, there’s a goose that lays golden eggs. Of course, we know the goose isn’t real, but in the story, it’s fantastic, a creature that provides an unending supply of riches.
Who would kill the goose? No one with any sanity. If we keep anything alive, let’s protect that goose. That was certainly Jack’s idea. He snatched that goose, took it down the beanstalk with him, and chopped the beanstalk down to keep that goose for all time.
Jesus was a man who gave good things to the people who needed them most, among them healings and even the gift of life. One of his most treasured blessings was bringing Lazarus back from the dead. Who could find fault with that?
John 12:10 reveals a dastardly plan already in progress:
“But the Chief Priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death.”
Poor guy. He’d been dead once, and now he was in their sights to be killed all over. It wasn’t fair. They weren’t even planning to give Lazarus a fighting chance. They had no intention of going through the court system. This was to be a sniper kill, Lazarus taken out by a brigand, someone who would murder him in cold blood.
Why, we might ask? Look at the situation from their point of view. Because of Lazarus, many of the Jews believed on Jesus and followed after him. Because of Lazarus, the Chief Priests were losing control of their constituency. It was like the giant in our fairy tale choosing to kill the goose just so Jack couldn’t have it.
Sounds stupid, huh? The Chief Priests were the religious leaders of the day. They were the moral example for the children of Israel. They set the standards for how the people were to live. And they wanted to kill an innocent man simply because he had received a blessing from the Lord. How could they have been so blind?
The truth is they didn’t recognize the Messiah for who he was. Jesus came in a manner that caught them off guard. They wanted power and might, and Jesus brought them love and concern for the welfare of the common people.
We sometimes see material wealth as a sign of God’s favor. Maybe God’s blessings also flow through our gifts to the homeless, our time working at the downtown mission, and our Sunday mornings in the church nursery. Let’s not kill off any of God’s blessings, simply because we don’t recognize them for what they are.
When we learn to recognize Christ, we’ll see him in the small things that others cast aside.
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Code: FGO.E.04.16c.vp.kjv