August 13, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, August 13.
As a kid, I remember going to the post office and looking up at the bulletin board and seeing all the “wanted” posters - the FBI Ten Most Wanted List. And I remember hoping I never ran into any of those guys! Today, the post office in my little town of Tenaha, Texas doesn’t have any posters like that. I guess the FBI does it online now, or maybe they caught all those guys. I’m thinking it’s probably the former.
In First Century Jerusalem, the Jewish leaders had a Most Wanted List and you already know who was number one on it - Jesus of Nazareth. But who was number two? You might be surprised at the answer. We find his name in John 12:9-11.
“A large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was in Bethany and came there, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.”
The passage in John 12 is the last time the Bible mentions Lazarus. But there are traditions that suggest he had to flee Jerusalem because of a plot on his life, and ended up on the island of Cyprus where he served as a church leader for 30 years, before dying... a second time.
Christ did a very good thing when he brought his friend Lazarus back to life. But sometimes the world has a way of making good things seem bad, of making good people seem bad. People who serve God can sometimes face unfair criticism from our modern culture. Sometimes they can even face persecution. But God asks us to be faithful, to trust Him, and to keep our eyes on the prize. And He promises us that it will all be worth it. Lazarus may have faced hardships in his “second life”, but I’m pretty sure he never wished he could go back into that tomb.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
