But Some Went Their Way
John 11:46
“But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.”
There is a story about a vessel that cruised the Mediterranean in search of a bank that existed beneath some treacherous waters. After the captain of the ship had exhausted all of his resources to find this bank, he declared that this supposed bank was simply a dream. On the same ship was an officer who believed differently. He organized his own expedition and discovered the rocks and reefs, and reported it so that it could be added to the charts so ships would be safe.
When the captain heard of this, he mocked its discovery. He said the next time he sailed those waters he would sail his ship over that spot to prove this officer wrong. Two years later, this captain was sailing to Naples. One windy night he examined the charts with the master of the ship, and saw these reefs on the chart. Again, he mocked that these reefs were not there, and declared that he would sail over that exact spot to prove them wrong. To demise of this ship, this captain sailed over those reefs only to break up the ship. Everyone escaped safely to land, except the captain. He died in those waters because of his unbelief.
In the verse above, there were people who knew that Lazarus had been dead for three days. They saw what everyone else saw. They knew that the stone had been rolled over the front of the tomb. They knew that his sisters had mourned for several days. They also saw Jesus come to the tomb and ask for the stone to be rolled away. They heard Jesus call for Lazarus to come forth. They even saw Lazarus with the grave clothes wrapped around his body come out of the tomb. Yet, their unbelief caused them to walk away and deny the miracle they had seen with their own eyes. Their unbelief eventually led to the efforts to destroy Jesus. Sadly, these people knew the truth, but chose to believe the lie in their heart because of unbelief. Just like the captain of the ship, their unbelief led to their eventual eternity in Hell.
Unbelief is an amazing tool that will destroy the best of people. Unbelief has caused many people to hear the truth, but determine the truth is a lie. Many people have destroyed their life all because they would not believe the truth.
Do you find yourself being so stubborn that it doesn’t matter what you have seen, you go your own way because of unbelief? You must be careful that you don’t allow unbelief to be your demise. Many Christians have heard the truth proclaimed from the pulpit, but walk away in unbelief thinking they knew better, to their own demise.
You must understand that one of the greatest tools Satan uses is unbelief. If he can get you to simply doubt, then he can win the battle. God is a God of absolutes. God does not want us to live in a world of unbelief. God plainly tells us in His Word what is right and wrong. You must be careful that you don’t allow unbelief to cloud your judgment and miss the blessings of God.
The promises of the Word of God are for you. The only thing that will keep you from seeing God perform the miraculous in your life is for you to doubt His promises and power. I encourage you to always take God at His Word. If God says He is going to do something, then He will do it. If God says something is wrong, then it is wrong. Unbelief will keep you from seeing God’s promises come true. Don’t cheat your life, and the lives of those whom you influence with your unbelief. Become a person who trusts the power and promises of God. It is when you trust His power and promises that the Christian life will become real and exciting to you.