I have head that Jesus is a gentleman and will not force anything on anyone. I have also heard that Jesus is a gentleman who doesn't go where He is not invited. A gentleman would do all things well. Scripture doesn't contain the word gentleman but if anyone fits that description, it is our Lord. He astonished many and they declared that He hath done all things well, saying He maketh the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak (Mark 7:37). How long would a blind man have to seek Jesus to find Him?  How long would a deaf man wait to hear that Jesus was near? The blind have to be made to see and the deaf must likewise be made to hear. God does these things when He will. God is sovereign and waits for no man's invitation. No one seeks or hears the Lord unless the Lord takes the initiative. The hearing ear, and the Seeing Eye, the Lord hath made even both of them (Proverbs 20:12). He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou? (Dan 4:35)

Jesus need not wait for an invitation to be gracious. If He did not one, born of Adam, would ever be born again!  If Jesus didn't go anywhere He wasn't invited He would never have come into this world. The Bible says that Jesus came unto His own. Those that were called His own here were the natural descendants of Abraham, the Jewish nation. But those received Him not. Our Lord told the woman at the well that salvation was of the Jews. The Messiah was to come as a descendant of Abraham through David and appear to the Jews first. But when the fullness of time was come and God sent forth His precious gift of His only begotten Son would He be received by the Jews? When our Lord picked up the prophetic book of Isaiah and read of the Messiah's manifestation in this world and said this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears (Luke 3:21), was that Prophet accepted in own country? No! Those that heard Him were filled with wrath. The Scriptures speak of their rising but it was far from the resurrection experience of a child of God. Those that heard our Lord rose up and thrust him out of the city with every intention of throwing Him headlong off the brow of a hill. Strangely, those that heard our Lord's words wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. Wondering and esteeming Him wonderful are two different things.

He who did all things well suffered for His well doing more than any other man. Look at the beginning of the 7th chapter of John and we will read that His own sought to kill him! That isn't the first time this declaration was made. After he healed the man at Bethesda we read that the Jews sough to kill Him for breaking the Sabbath and making Himself equal with God (John 5 16&18). In the 12th chapter of the book of Mark we read a parable about God who, is called a certain man, and described as He that planted a hedged vineyard and digged a place for a wine fat and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen. The husbandmen had not one thing to do with the making or preparing of that vineyard or the hedge or the digged place for the wine fat or the tower. These were all provided by the graciousness of that certain man. When the time came for the fruit of the vineyard to be brought forth, a servant was sent forth to receive fruit. Instead, the husbandmen caught that servant and beat him and sent him away empty. Again, another servant was sent and they cast stones at him and wounded him and sent him away shamefully handled. Yet a third servant was sent and they killed him and many others followed and they beat some and killed some. Then when the well beloved son was sent these husbandmen said, "This is the heir; come let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard". How is it that these men knew that the son was the heir? There has been no one anticipated more than the Lord's Christ. Since the world began the holy prophets of God have spoken of Him with varying degrees of heavenly light. These husbandmen knew it was the beloved Son by the very works that He did. Many of the people believed on Jesus and said, "When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man doeth" (see John 7:31)?

Simeon was a fruitful husbandman. Scriptures say he had been waiting for the consolation of Israel and it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ.  When Jesus was revealed to Simeon he took the Lord's Christ into his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation" (see Luke 2:25-30). But there were some husbandmen, which would not bless God when they beheld the well beloved Son. These thought that they would lose the vineyard. Jesus had come to His own and His own received Him not for he was unwanted and uninvited. Yet that hindered not His manifestation in the fullness of time.

If ever Jesus was wanted, it was when Lazarus was sick. Martha and Mary had sent for Him with the message saying, "Lord him who thou lovest is sick". But did the gentle Saviour come when Martha and Mary had expected him? When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick He abode two days still in the same place where He was. Our thoughts are not God's thoughts and our ways are not God's ways. Our Lord said that this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. When Jesus began to go to Judaea His disciples said, Master the Jews sought of late to stone thee; and thou goest thither again? Brethren, if Jesus went only where man wanted Him, His feet would have never touched the sands of time. God makes men desire His gift named Jesus. The world has no place for him. When He was born King of the Jews he was found in a manger, for there was no room for him in the inn (Luke 2:7). Our Lord himself said that the foxes have holes the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head (Matthew 8:20). But our Lord said to his disciples that our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may wake him out of sleep. That is our Lord's work. He must come to raise the dead from sins and trespasses and iniquity. By the time that our Lord got to Bethany Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Many of the Jews had already come to comfort Martha and Mary. Martha was never more comforted by any words other than the words that her Lord spake when He said "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me though he were dead yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die." Then Jesus asked this question, "Believeth thou this?" And Martha said unto him Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world (see John 11:27)."  What possessed Martha to utter such words? When Peter made a similar confession Jesus said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Mat. 16:17) This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent (John 6:29).

Lazarus didn't invite the Lord to come and raise him from the dead yet our Lord went. Our Lord commanded Lazarus to come forth and he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes. His face was bound about with a napkin. Lazarus was completely passive. He uttered not a word of invitation. He took no step forward to initiate Christ's coming. Jesus came because Jesus Loved Lazarus and possessed him before the world began. Lazarus is like every one of the elect born dead in sins and trespasses. Until Jesus comes to them they all remain dead in their sins. When He calls them forth they shall rise. But they are still wrapped in the grave clothes of their sins and iniquity until Christ orders them to be loosed. Then they are let go. Once God's people have passed from death unto life they still stand in need of having the Saviour revealed in them. They cannot ask they cannot move toward God for their grave clothes. They cannot see or hear until they are set loose by Him who took their sins and iniquity has been revealed in them. When that happens we are loosed and can follow after our Lord in obedience.

Life wasn't forced on Lazarus. The resurrection and the Life came to Lazarus. Lazarus didn't invite the Lord into his life. The Lord brought Lazarus from death unto life and made known unto Lazarus the ways of life. All those ways are of the Lord Jesus Christ. 7/7/2005 Elder M. Hoogasian