Daily Thought - Friday, March 27

We are still reading John 11 with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. I am still thinking about the town called “Bethany.” Originally, Bethany means “house of the poor” and may reflect the fact that people living outside of Jerusalem were poorer than the city dwellers. No protection. No security from bandits. In ancient times, life was harder outside the city than inside. I do not know what it means that Jesus raised someone from the dead in a place where people lack protection, security, and easy living. Bethany has been renamed “Lazarus raised” and it is sometimes included in “tours of the holy land trips.”