The Folly of Merely Standing By
John 11:41-44
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father…


It would seem to all who knew you a very odd thing if you were seen loafing about a certain shop for an hour and a half one day in the week for twenty years, and yet you never bought a pennyworth of goods. Why do you hang about the gospel shop and yet purchase nothing? On your own showing you are a fool. I do not like using a hard word, still it is used in Scripture for such as you are. He who believes a thing to be so important that he spends one day in the week in hearing about it, and yet does not think it important enough to accept it as a gift, stultifies himself by his own actions. How will you answer for it at the last great day when the Judge shall say, "You believed enough to go and hear about salvation; why did you not believe enough to accept it?"

(C. H. Spurgeon.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

WEB: So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank you that you listened to me.




Christ's Prayer and Thanksgiving
Top of Page
Top of Page