Why Bethany?
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?’) (Isaiah 66:1)
* What is God looking for?
* How is this verse relevant to our church/es today?
* Does he feel a part of our church?
* Does he stand on the outside looking in at the activity, but does not feel a part of us or connected?
* What is robbing Him of that? —- business, passivity, same old/same old, loss of first love!
* Is there another place in scripture that this passage is used? …see Acts 7:49 Stephen’s address!
The Lord is looking for a place to rest—- a prepared people that have made Him and His purposes central.
The place that He has chosen to rest is the regenerated heart of the surrendered soul—-the New Testament church, both individually and corporately.
1Corinthians 3:16-17
6Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.1
Even though we are the temple of God individually and corporately (see I Corinthians 3:17; II Corinthians 6:16-7:1), the Lord is still looking for that place that has been prepared in every room and closet to be His abode (no secret places — no hidden agenda’s of the heart) where He is welcomed and made the central focus.
When we learn what the Lord is looking for and what offends Him and keeps His presence from manifesting in fullness, we can then remove those things He finds offensive, and arrange our lives, families, and churches to become welcoming places for the fullness of His presence.
Bethany was such a place in the earthly life of the Lord. In Matthew 21: 12-17, we find the Lord had entered the place that was supposed to be set aside as the house of the Lord-His resting place.
Matthew 21: 12-17
12Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those
who sold doves. 13And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’
” 14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them.
15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
They were indignant 16and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
Question:
Where are children taught how to praise? …. At home? In Sunday School?
How about the scripture found in Deut. 6:6-7 MSG.
Deut 6:6 Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you
Deut 6:7 and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.
But you say that is O.T. Yes you are right but 2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
2TI 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Back to Mathew 21: 17
17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
When He arrived, He found the temple was no longer ordered and operating after God’s affections and purposes.(So key!! What would Jesus heave if He came to your house? Do we need to do a house cleaning?)
It had become a place of:
* compromise, — how does the scripture apply to our life —- is it about just knowledge or action –or both
* commerce, money — the building /we are at a critical point here— is it going to become our central focus — what is our view on offerings vs tithing, what is the church? Is it a building or people
* and religiosity,
And not a place of
* intimacy,
* communion,
* And power.
As He entered, His reaction, according to the text, was far from diplomatic. He was obviously very disappointed and very angry.
As Lord over His house, Jesus immediately embarked upon a mission of rearranging the furniture and removing unwanted, idolatrous guests, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah 7:1-11 and Malachi 3:1-6.
His reason?
He categorically states in Matthew 21:13: “And He said to them, ‘it is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’
Men had allowed compromise and a political spirit to invade the place that was supposed to be reserved only for God and those who were hungry for His presence.
The New Testament church’s primary function is to be:
* a house of prayer,
* intimacy,
* healing,
* and deliverance,
Where the Lord can enjoy communion with men and women:
* because of the finished work of the cross,
And hurting and hungry people can find: (Why the hurting, and the hungry people?)
* His love,
* grace,
* power,
* And truth.
This is so that their lives can be radically changed, made whole, and then become impacting agents for His kingdom. (Logo … Releasing!!!!!)
The temple was no longer arranged to draw God’s presence or to provide what was needed for hungry, seeking hearts. It no longer reflected the kingdom of God, but rather a
self-serving, politically correct, religious juggernaut, overseen mainly by leaders who had no intentions of giving up their control over others.
Throngs of people came to the temple in Jerusalem in search of God’s presence. But the very One they sought was rejected by jealous, power-hungry, and corrupt leadership that had oversight of the religious people activities of the temple.
Out of the Father’s divine order, Jesus found the place in need of a spring cleaning.
Jesus took over and cleansed the temple to show everyone how it should look and function.
However, it stayed in this renewed restored condition only briefly before it returned to its former state. Money and human structure replaced God’s presence and purposes as the central fact of spiritual life.
Jesus zealously threw all of the “stuff” out of the temple along with those who brought it.
When the obstructions were cleared away, then the Lord restored it as a place of prayer and worship and demonstrated the purpose of the dwelling place by healing and delivering those who had come seeking God.
(The importance of House Cleaning!!)
14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16and said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
The leaders were incensed at the Lord’s actions. The Lord did not remain there because He found the people and the place unfriendly and unwelcoming to Himself and the Father’s divine order.
He left and went to Bethany (see Matthew 21:7). In contrast to the temple and its corrupt leadership and atmosphere, Bethany became the Lord’s nightly resting place in the latter days of His ministry.
Bethany became the Lord’s “preferred lodging place.” There was something in Bethany that drew His presence–the brokenness and adoration of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
The name “Bethany” can be translated “house of dates,” and can also be translated “house of mourning or poverty.”
The Scripture states that it is the “poor in spirit” that will see the kingdom manifested (see Matthew 5:3).
Isaiah 57:15 says, “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Here is a definition of the word Revival——- the Lord manifesting His presence and bringing repentance, salvation, healing, and deliverance—– to the heart, family, house, church, etc., where He finds humility and contrition. Humility and brokenness draw the Lord’s presence (see Psalm 34:18).
Comparison:
The temple was latent with pride, jealousy, and ambition.
Vs.
Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, was filled with humble, needy hearts.
The Lord found this very attractive and it drew His presence to Bethany instead of Jerusalem and its temple, where He was supposed to be!
Bethany was also a place of extravagant love and devotion to the Lord. Bethany was the place where Mary took her dowry, her life savings, and “wasted” it on the Lord (see John 12:1-8).
1Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7But
Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8“For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
Because of their needy hearts and trust in His power (see John 11 .i.e. the raising of their brother Lazarus), they had no problem openly demonstrating their love and adoration of the Lord.
Here is a list of some of the extravagant things that happened to the Lord that became mitigating factors in making Bethany His Judean resting place:
* He was anointed with the most expensive perfume one could buy.
* His feet were washed with tears and holy kisses, and they represented a lifetime of joy and pain, removed from the soul. Kissing the Lord’s feet represented extravagant worship in gratitude of the love, grace, and healing He provided to this humble, broken soul.
* In no other place in His life was He so completely worshiped and appreciated.
* He was the sole object of everyone’s attention and affection. They just wanted to sit and look at His face and listen to His words.
* No other person, plan, or pursuit was put before Him.
* The whole house was arranged for His pleasure and comfort.
* Meals and activities were planned around His preferences and desires.
* His needs and purposes came first.
* In Bethany, Jesus was needed, trusted, and cherished.
* They rearranged their lives to fit His schedule.
* Their days revolved around Him and His purposes. We seem to forget sometimes that even though Jesus was God incarnate, He was also very human. He became weary, hungry, and thirsty. He felt the rejection of the religious establishment and looked for companions who would love Him back as He gave out His love and life. Because of such extravagant devotion and love shown to Him, Bethany became the place for some of the Lord’s most outstanding miracles and displays of power, including raising Lazarus from the dead.
* And, before I close the thought of what drew Him to Bethany, we need to also mention that He probably liked Martha’s cooking very much! All levity aside, hospitality is also a thing the Lord finds inviting to His manifest presence.
Bethany becomes for us in our day a model of the end-time church, where His presence will manifest in glory and power.
Practical ideas to contemplate: Why was Jesus at Bethany?
* Love and acceptance
* Encouragement
* Blessing of a “small group”
* Being able to get comfort and strength Him as he approached the cross. There is no better place when you are facing major trials than to be with close friends that love you.
* Enjoyed the food
Notes:
The Lord to esteem the humble (66:1-2)
66:1-2. God is pictured figuratively as sitting on a throne (cf. 6:1) with the earth as His footstool (cf. Acts 7:49). Because of His majesty no one can build a house for Him to dwell in (1 Kings 8:27); He is the Creator.
Yet what He values above His inanimate Creation are people who are humble and contrite (cf. lsa. 57:15) and who follow His word.
In one way or another, this has been Isaiah’s message throughout this book. God wants His people to follow the truth He has revealed to them. For Israel that was primarily the Mosaic Covenant. Pointing the people back to the Word of God, Isaiah was indicating that they needed to obey it if they were to enjoy His blessings.
Luke 10:38-42 —– Jesus received by Martha and Mary.
John 11:1-54 ——–the raising of Lazarus vs. 54 Jesus goes to Ephraim because they plotted to kill Him (Chief Priests and the Pharisees)
John 12:1——-Jesus goes to Bethany
John12:2-8, Mark14:39, Mathew 26: 6-13——— Jesus anointed by Mary!
Bethany was located about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. During the final week before the Crucifixion Jesus spent considerable time there with His friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.
Application Of Serving
1. Is my house a place where people can come to be loved and ministered to?
2. Is my life one of business that I don’t have time for Jesus?
* To worship?
* To have friends in?
3. When I have friends in. Am I occupied by the other things rather than giving my whole attention to my guests (Luke 10:39)
4. Am I willing to give —- Mary’s expensive perfume —-wasted?
* What is God looking for?
* How is this verse relevant to our church/es today?
* Does he feel a part of our church?
* Does he stand on the outside looking in at the activity, but does not feel a part of us or connected?
* What is robbing Him of that? —- business, passivity, same old/same old, loss of first love!
* Is there another place in scripture that this passage is used? …see Acts 7:49 Stephen’s address!
The Lord is looking for a place to rest—- a prepared people that have made Him and His purposes central.
The place that He has chosen to rest is the regenerated heart of the surrendered soul—-the New Testament church, both individually and corporately.
1Corinthians 3:16-17
6Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.1
Even though we are the temple of God individually and corporately (see I Corinthians 3:17; II Corinthians 6:16-7:1), the Lord is still looking for that place that has been prepared in every room and closet to be His abode (no secret places — no hidden agenda’s of the heart) where He is welcomed and made the central focus.
When we learn what the Lord is looking for and what offends Him and keeps His presence from manifesting in fullness, we can then remove those things He finds offensive, and arrange our lives, families, and churches to become welcoming places for the fullness of His presence.
Bethany was such a place in the earthly life of the Lord. In Matthew 21: 12-17, we find the Lord had entered the place that was supposed to be set aside as the house of the Lord-His resting place.
Matthew 21: 12-17
12Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those
who sold doves. 13And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’
” 14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them.
15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
They were indignant 16and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
Question:
Where are children taught how to praise? …. At home? In Sunday School?
How about the scripture found in Deut. 6:6-7 MSG.
Deut 6:6 Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you
Deut 6:7 and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.
But you say that is O.T. Yes you are right but 2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
2TI 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Back to Mathew 21: 17
17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
When He arrived, He found the temple was no longer ordered and operating after God’s affections and purposes.(So key!! What would Jesus heave if He came to your house? Do we need to do a house cleaning?)
It had become a place of:
* compromise, — how does the scripture apply to our life —- is it about just knowledge or action –or both
* commerce, money — the building /we are at a critical point here— is it going to become our central focus — what is our view on offerings vs tithing, what is the church? Is it a building or people
* and religiosity,
And not a place of
* intimacy,
* communion,
* And power.
As He entered, His reaction, according to the text, was far from diplomatic. He was obviously very disappointed and very angry.
As Lord over His house, Jesus immediately embarked upon a mission of rearranging the furniture and removing unwanted, idolatrous guests, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah 7:1-11 and Malachi 3:1-6.
His reason?
He categorically states in Matthew 21:13: “And He said to them, ‘it is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’
Men had allowed compromise and a political spirit to invade the place that was supposed to be reserved only for God and those who were hungry for His presence.
The New Testament church’s primary function is to be:
* a house of prayer,
* intimacy,
* healing,
* and deliverance,
Where the Lord can enjoy communion with men and women:
* because of the finished work of the cross,
And hurting and hungry people can find: (Why the hurting, and the hungry people?)
* His love,
* grace,
* power,
* And truth.
This is so that their lives can be radically changed, made whole, and then become impacting agents for His kingdom. (Logo … Releasing!!!!!)
The temple was no longer arranged to draw God’s presence or to provide what was needed for hungry, seeking hearts. It no longer reflected the kingdom of God, but rather a
self-serving, politically correct, religious juggernaut, overseen mainly by leaders who had no intentions of giving up their control over others.
Throngs of people came to the temple in Jerusalem in search of God’s presence. But the very One they sought was rejected by jealous, power-hungry, and corrupt leadership that had oversight of the religious people activities of the temple.
Out of the Father’s divine order, Jesus found the place in need of a spring cleaning.
Jesus took over and cleansed the temple to show everyone how it should look and function.
However, it stayed in this renewed restored condition only briefly before it returned to its former state. Money and human structure replaced God’s presence and purposes as the central fact of spiritual life.
Jesus zealously threw all of the “stuff” out of the temple along with those who brought it.
When the obstructions were cleared away, then the Lord restored it as a place of prayer and worship and demonstrated the purpose of the dwelling place by healing and delivering those who had come seeking God.
(The importance of House Cleaning!!)
14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16and said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
The leaders were incensed at the Lord’s actions. The Lord did not remain there because He found the people and the place unfriendly and unwelcoming to Himself and the Father’s divine order.
He left and went to Bethany (see Matthew 21:7). In contrast to the temple and its corrupt leadership and atmosphere, Bethany became the Lord’s nightly resting place in the latter days of His ministry.
Bethany became the Lord’s “preferred lodging place.” There was something in Bethany that drew His presence–the brokenness and adoration of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
The name “Bethany” can be translated “house of dates,” and can also be translated “house of mourning or poverty.”
The Scripture states that it is the “poor in spirit” that will see the kingdom manifested (see Matthew 5:3).
Isaiah 57:15 says, “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Here is a definition of the word Revival——- the Lord manifesting His presence and bringing repentance, salvation, healing, and deliverance—– to the heart, family, house, church, etc., where He finds humility and contrition. Humility and brokenness draw the Lord’s presence (see Psalm 34:18).
Comparison:
The temple was latent with pride, jealousy, and ambition.
Vs.
Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, was filled with humble, needy hearts.
The Lord found this very attractive and it drew His presence to Bethany instead of Jerusalem and its temple, where He was supposed to be!
Bethany was also a place of extravagant love and devotion to the Lord. Bethany was the place where Mary took her dowry, her life savings, and “wasted” it on the Lord (see John 12:1-8).
1Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7But
Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8“For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
Because of their needy hearts and trust in His power (see John 11 .i.e. the raising of their brother Lazarus), they had no problem openly demonstrating their love and adoration of the Lord.
Here is a list of some of the extravagant things that happened to the Lord that became mitigating factors in making Bethany His Judean resting place:
* He was anointed with the most expensive perfume one could buy.
* His feet were washed with tears and holy kisses, and they represented a lifetime of joy and pain, removed from the soul. Kissing the Lord’s feet represented extravagant worship in gratitude of the love, grace, and healing He provided to this humble, broken soul.
* In no other place in His life was He so completely worshiped and appreciated.
* He was the sole object of everyone’s attention and affection. They just wanted to sit and look at His face and listen to His words.
* No other person, plan, or pursuit was put before Him.
* The whole house was arranged for His pleasure and comfort.
* Meals and activities were planned around His preferences and desires.
* His needs and purposes came first.
* In Bethany, Jesus was needed, trusted, and cherished.
* They rearranged their lives to fit His schedule.
* Their days revolved around Him and His purposes. We seem to forget sometimes that even though Jesus was God incarnate, He was also very human. He became weary, hungry, and thirsty. He felt the rejection of the religious establishment and looked for companions who would love Him back as He gave out His love and life. Because of such extravagant devotion and love shown to Him, Bethany became the place for some of the Lord’s most outstanding miracles and displays of power, including raising Lazarus from the dead.
* And, before I close the thought of what drew Him to Bethany, we need to also mention that He probably liked Martha’s cooking very much! All levity aside, hospitality is also a thing the Lord finds inviting to His manifest presence.
Bethany becomes for us in our day a model of the end-time church, where His presence will manifest in glory and power.
Practical ideas to contemplate: Why was Jesus at Bethany?
* Love and acceptance
* Encouragement
* Blessing of a “small group”
* Being able to get comfort and strength Him as he approached the cross. There is no better place when you are facing major trials than to be with close friends that love you.
* Enjoyed the food
Notes:
The Lord to esteem the humble (66:1-2)
66:1-2. God is pictured figuratively as sitting on a throne (cf. 6:1) with the earth as His footstool (cf. Acts 7:49). Because of His majesty no one can build a house for Him to dwell in (1 Kings 8:27); He is the Creator.
Yet what He values above His inanimate Creation are people who are humble and contrite (cf. lsa. 57:15) and who follow His word.
In one way or another, this has been Isaiah’s message throughout this book. God wants His people to follow the truth He has revealed to them. For Israel that was primarily the Mosaic Covenant. Pointing the people back to the Word of God, Isaiah was indicating that they needed to obey it if they were to enjoy His blessings.
Luke 10:38-42 —– Jesus received by Martha and Mary.
John 11:1-54 ——–the raising of Lazarus vs. 54 Jesus goes to Ephraim because they plotted to kill Him (Chief Priests and the Pharisees)
John 12:1——-Jesus goes to Bethany
John12:2-8, Mark14:39, Mathew 26: 6-13——— Jesus anointed by Mary!
Bethany was located about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. During the final week before the Crucifixion Jesus spent considerable time there with His friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.
Application Of Serving
1. Is my house a place where people can come to be loved and ministered to?
2. Is my life one of business that I don’t have time for Jesus?
* To worship?
* To have friends in?
3. When I have friends in. Am I occupied by the other things rather than giving my whole attention to my guests (Luke 10:39)
4. Am I willing to give —- Mary’s expensive perfume —-wasted?