The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 12:12-16, “On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that

Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and began to cry out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed

is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.’

14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15’Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your

King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’

16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they

remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.”

The Passover had come, and the multitude was excited to learn that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem!

They gathered palm fronds and ran to meet Him crying “Hosanna! Blessed is He who come in the name of the LORD!” They viewed Him as the prophetically promised Messiah, the King of Israel. And the word Hosanna literally means, “LORD, save us!” There was no mistake. He was indeed the King of all Israel, despite the fact that the Jewish leaders failed to recognize Him as such.

Verse 14 above is a quotation of Psalm 118:25-26:

“O LORD, do save, we beseech Thee; O LORD, we beseech Thee,

do send prosperity! 26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of

the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

I am sure that we have a better understanding than the disciples; for at first, they did not understand what was occurring. They were much like us in that they later understood as they recalled the “things (that) were written of Him.”

One basic reason that we don’t understand Scripture is that we don’t read and study Scripture. Yes, it helps if we know some of the Hebrew and Greek languages; yet many of the esteemed biblical scholars were not proficient in those languages, either. Biblical knowledge abounds in whatever language we read it. The major factor is to READ and READ regularly. The only ones who will have an edge on you will be those who

have already accepted Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. If you’re one of those who hasn’t, please take a moment and ask for His forgiveness of your sin. I have known children who have accepted Him at the

tender age of 5; and they are still serving Him as adults today. God bless you abundantly! Hosannah!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 12:3-6, “Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the

feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the

perfume.

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said,

5 ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?’

6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief,

and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.”

Why would you ask a question like that? Were you ever questioned about a question you asked?

It’s sometimes (possibly, more often than we think) important to inquire into the reason for a question. People can have motives that are masked by the simple questions they ask.

It was Passover and Martha was preparing a supper for Jesus, her brother, Lazarus, and sister,

Mary. Not everyone present was named, but we know Judas Iscariot was there. Apparently, Mary and her siblings were quite well off financially, because the costly perfume with which Mary anointed the feet of Jesus was almost equal to a year’s wages. Martha and Lazarus said nothing, and by their silence, gave approval of what Mary did.

But it was Judas Iscariot who questioned the validity of the anointment. Why would he question it? The costly nard was not his, and had Mary poured it wastefully on the ground, it was still none of Judas’ business. His question did, however, place him diametrically opposed to the anointing itself. All who were present could have noticed. He was already intending to betray Jesus to the religious authorities, although no one except Jesus knew that. Additionally, Judas was the treasurer of Jesus’ disciples and he often helped himself to money that belonged to the group. So, Judas’ question was quite revealing, had anyone taken time to notice.

Human behavior doesn’t change over the years. That’s one factor that makes the Bible relevant to activities today. The purpose of this particular Letter is to awaken readers to ask, “Why did he ask that?” when someone poses a question within a group. We ought not always to think adversely of the questioner; yet, at the same time, we ought not to simply become numb “non-thinkers.”

Turning it all around, we should also be cautious regarding questions we ask. Not everyone in a group lacks curiosity or is a “non-thinker,” either. Remember, too, that the Bible enables us to assess all like situations in life today. So, study the Bible regularly –every day! And pray for the LORD’s guidance in every situation. He will give you wisdom and abundantly bless you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 11:48-51, “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will

come and take away both our place and our nation.”

49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know

nothing at all,

50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people,

and that the whole nation should not perish.’

51 Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that

Jesus was going to die for the nation…”

You will remember from our last Letter that verse 48 above revealed the true motive of the Pharisees and chief priests. “Their place” and “their nation” was all that mattered to them. But read on…

Caiaphas was high priest at that time and what he is about to say is not of himself, it’s what the LORD put into his mind to say. You have no idea what’s going on, he said to his pharisaical crowd; it is to your advantage that one man should die for the nation so that the nation might not

be destroyed.

That is an amazing prophecy! Caiaphas had no idea how absolutely correct his statement was! In fact, it was not his statement; it’s what the Spirit of God directed him to say, despite the fact that he himself was not a believer in Jesus Christ as God’s Redeemer for Israel!

Have you ever heard of an unbeliever stating the truth of Scripture and another unbeliever, who heard it, being saved, despite the fact that the one sharing the Gospel was not a believer himself? I have! It’s very seldom that such a thing occurs, but it can and, in this instance, it did! I have to wonder how Caiaphas felt after saying that! Did he grasp the importance of what he said? The LORD alone knows; yet, it shows how powerful the LORD is in speaking His Truth through an unbeliever.

Come to think of it, that’s how we who are saved came to trust the LORD Jesus Christ. The initiative is His alone! The “grasp” of that truth is ours. Whatever you do, don’t resist Him! Don’t resist what He teaches you in His Word, the Holy Scriptures! “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).

I pray for you daily! Please pray for me. I want the years I have left to count for His Glory!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 11:46-48, “But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which

Jesus had done.

47Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are

we doing? For this man is performing many signs.

48If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take

away both our place and our nation.’”

With virtually everyone you know, there are positives and negatives that work in conjunction to identify their lives. The Pharisees were like that. They believed in angels and miracles like most of us today. One of their huge errors, however, was that they were fiercely legalistic in the practice of their religion. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law of Moses, but the Pharisees clung to the Law so rigidly that they missed its true meaning altogether.

In the verses preceding our verses today, Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. Many of the people who witnessed this miracle believed in Jesus as God’s promised Messiah. But the Pharisees among the crowd raced feverishly back to their leaders and the chief priests, as if their very lives depended on it. Interestingly, both the Pharisaical leaders and chief priests cried, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many (miraculous) signs.”

Allowing who the Pharisees were and what they religiously believed, one would think they would be excited that Lazarus had been raised. Yet, something more important – important to them – lay at the root of their cry. Listen carefully to the remainder of their thinking: “If we let Him (Jesus) go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Now, we see what’s in play! If the people accept Jesus as the Father’s Messiah, they will all turn to Him and –where does that leave us? On the other hand, any scuffle between the people and us will bring the Romans in and we will then lose our place (positions) and our nation (which we control). In short, Jesus was standing in their way. The Romans did not worship as Christians or Jews. They tolerated all religion, so long as it didn’t cause uprisings among the masses. But, the loss the Jewish leaders would experience was just too much.

An awful lot could be said in commentary here; yet, briefly, we should all consider our priorities. Are we Christians regardless of whether we have “position,” or is “prominence” among people our true concern? When we leave this world for a place in eternity, how we will be remembered will be of infinitely little importance when compared with where our eternal residence is. Get your priorities straight! The place of your eternity depends on it! And eternity could come at any moment!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 11:28-46, “Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was

a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

39Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this

time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.’

40Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’

41And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank Thee that

Thou heardest Me.

42And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it,

that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.’

43And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’

44He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped

around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

45Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in

Him.

46But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.”

There’s a fair bit of reading, so I’ll try to be brief. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, so we should not be surprised that He was “deeply moved” within Himself. Remember that Jesus was both God and Man. He then asked that the huge stone that covered the cave opening be removed; and it was.

Then Jesus prayed aloud to His Father in Heaven. He explains why He prayed aloud: He wanted those who stood by to know that the Father was hearing Him, so that they would believe that the

Father had indeed sent Him.

Then He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” And Lazarus did! He was bound with burial cloths and must have stumbled a bit because Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Life had been restored to Lazarus, and he was alive again! Mary and Martha had many friends, and they had come to comfort the two in the death of their brother. Now, many of them believed in Jesus!

Yet, the sad verse is our last: “But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the

things which Jesus had done.” The sadness lies not in the message of Lazarus’ resurrection –that’s reason for rejoicing! But sadness lies in the fact that others went away in unbelief.

Jesus did not win to Himself everyone with whom He shared the Gospel. That, however, is not to impugn or indict Jesus! Not at all! It is to encourage us! Our responsibility is to share His death and resurrection with others. We do not “win” them! If they are won, Jesus does the winning! But only those who truly believe in Him as LORD and Savior can be won. Do you believe in Him? If you do, are you sharing Him with others? I am praying for you, and I trust you are praying for me.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”