LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
 
Monday 23rd March 2026

JESUS VISIT BETHANY

Scripture Reading: John 12
 
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead._ John 12:1–2
 
The gospel of John pays a lot of attention to the events and words of our Lord Jesus before He went to the cross. This chapter dates the events recorded therein to the last week before our Lord’s crucifixion. Jesus was fully aware of what was ahead of Him – betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. He knew it all.
 
Why did the Lord go to Bethany to the home of Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead? Perhaps He did that to point to His own death and resurrection – to remind His disciples of His impending resurrection.
 
The Passover was Israel’s first feast. It commemorated their deliverance from Pharaoh’s bondage in Egypt. It was a feast of salvation and deliverance. On the Passover night, God asked the children of Israel to sacrifice a lamb for each family. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared on the doorposts of the Jews. All Jews were to stay indoors with entrance to their homes covered with the blood of the lamb that was sacrificed.
 
That night, while judgment and dread fell on every Egyptian home, God spared the Jews because their homes were covered by the blood of the lamb. That same night, the children of Israel stepped out of Egypt after 430 years, most of which had been spent serving as slaves.
 
God had designed the salvation and deliverance of the whole world to coincide with the feast of Passover. That is why Jesus came into the world. He is the Lamb of God who would be sacrificed for the sins of the world. His blood would be offered for salvation. Those who took shelter in Him would be freed from Satan’s slavery.
 
When Jesus entered Bethany and went to the home of Lazarus, He knew who He was and what He had come to do. He knew He was the Lamb of God. He knew He would be killed, and His blood spilled. He also knew that those who believed in Him would have eternal life.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are my life. Thank you for sending your Son to give me life. In Jesus’ name, Amen