Welcome to Day 32 of Journey to the Cross, a forty-day devotional leading to Easter. Today we look at the significance of some names. Let’s look first at John 12.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him.

John 12:1-2

Names are often meaningful. Managua in Nicaragua literally means “Place by the Water.” Tijuana means “By the Sea.” Death Valley in California is so called because in the summer, temperatures often reach well into triple digits. Namibia’s Skeleton Coast also earned its name after its roaring winds have pounded hundred of ships onto its jagged crags.

In Hebrew, Lazarus means “God has helped.” This is certainly true, as we have already seen that Jesus raised him from the dead. Several days after that miracle, Lazarus held a banquet for Jesus at his house in Bethany. As Lazarus sat at the table, he served as a reminder that God helps. He was a living proof of God’s goodness!

You are also living proof that God helps. In Christ, your sins are forgiven, completely washed away. As you seek to follow after Jesus and live like Him, the words that you speak, the kindness that you show, and the love that you give reveal that His Holy Spirit is alive and working in you. The Spirit helps you grow in grace. Whether at work or play, at home or away, you are a witness that God has helped people through Jesus’s journey to the cross.

Ask you pray, as God to help you be a good witness to the grace of Jesus Christ. Ask Him to present opportunities for you to share the gospel of grace to people that come across your path and for the boldness to share when He does.

Thank you for joining me for Day 32. Tomorrow we will continue reading from this same chapter about Lazarus’s sister Mary and the amazing act of worship she performed for Jesus.