John 11:1-57
“Now a certain man was
sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of
Mary and her sister Martha. (It
was that Mary which anointed the Lord with
ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother
Lazarus was sick.) Therefore
the sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory
of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister,
and Lazarus. When
he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days
still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone
thee; and goest thou thither again? Jesus
answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth
not, because he seeth the light of this world. But
if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there
is no light in him. These
things he said: and after that he saith unto them, Our
friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him
out of sleep. Then
said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit
Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had
spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then
said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And
I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent
ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then
said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples,
Let us also go, that we may die with him. Then
when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in
the grave four days already. Now
Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs
off [about two miles away]: And
many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them
concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that
Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in
the house. Then
said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here,
my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever
thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall
rise again. Martha
said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection
at the last day. [Comment: Martha and all the Jews at this
time only had the Old Testament Scriptures, so she was
not talking doctrinally about the resurrection to Immortality,
which no one really had a concept about at this point (1
Corinthians 15 hadn’t been written yet, nor was the
salvation Jesus was bringing a really properly understood
concept. So Martha was referring to the only major
resurrection prophecied in the Old Testament, the resurrection
prophecied in Ezekiel 37:1-14, which cross-references to
being one and the same as the one prophecied in Revelation
20:11-12. The
Jews didn’t and never have they thought of the resurrection
in Ezekiel 37:1-14 as a resurrection to damnation, nor
have they historically taken those verses allegorically,
only literally.] Jesus
said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live: and whosoever liveth and believeth shall never die. Believest
thou this? She
saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the
Christ [Messiah], the Son of God, which should come into
the world. And
when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary
her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth
for thee. As
soon as she heard that,
she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now
Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in the place
where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the
house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she
arose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She
goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was,
and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him,
Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When
Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping
which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was
troubled. And
said, Where have ye laid him? They
said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus
wept. Then
said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And
some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the
eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should
not have died? Jesus
therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead,
saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he
hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto
thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see
the glory of God? 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. And
I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the
people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast
sent me. And
when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth. And
he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with gravesclothes:
and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus
saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary,
and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the
Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and Pharisees
a council, and said, What do we do? for
this man doeth many miracles. If
we let him thus alone, all men will
believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away
our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider
that it is expedient for us that one man should die for
the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And
this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that
year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather
together in one the children of God that were scattered
abroad. [Interesting
prophecy, considering recent finds in early Church history. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm] Then from that day forth they took counsel
together for to put him to death. Jesus
therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went
thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city
called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. And
the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went
out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover,
to purify themselves. Then
sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they
stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come
to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees
had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he
were, he should shew it, that they might take him.” (John 11:1-57)
“Good
morning…Before we get started I’d like to, representing
my wife, myself and my children, just say thank you to the
congregation. Last
month, I guess there’s a pastor’s appreciation
day or something like that. Somebody came up with that idea. And last month a bunch of you folks decided
to kind of just bless my family, and I tell you, it was just
overwhelming. Certainly we don’t deserve it. And I guess it makes you a little uncomfortable
to receive a lot of attention like that, too. But I just have to say that you, too,
just unbelievable what folks have done for us as a family,
really, really overwhelming. And
I see God’s hand in it too, the Lord has blessed my
family in ways that were needed too, so I just want to say
thank you to our congregation. You
guys are really kind. That’s
just the simple truth. So
thank you. This
week, our home fellowships. I
guess we met two weeks ago, there were about 100 people that
went to the home fellowships, between adults and kids. And
already some homes are pretty full, but we expect to see
them multiply, and it to grow. And pray about being part of that, if
that’s something you are able to do with your schedule. The men’s retreat is just a couple
weeks away. I
hope you can be part of it. And all the gals present, if you could
pray for the men, as they go to the men’s retreat,
that God would speak to the guys hearts, and encourage and
challenge the men as we’re together. Last year’s was really an unbelievable
time. Some things
to consider too for the future, I think December 1st looks
like we have a special night of ministry, this pottery guy,
I forget his name [Pam and Mike Rosell]. Santos, who used to be with Charlie Daniels
band, I guess will be with us in January, these are some
of the things that are coming down, January 8th,
so you can pencil some of these things in, and God willing,
they’ll take place. And
it looks like a couple missions trips will be taking place
this winter too. At
least it’s possible. Maybe Ukraine in January, possibly India
in February, and then maybe Paris and York [England] in the
spring. Those are some things. We’re a church that has a missions
heart, and we want to get back onto, of course we give a
lot of our resources, but we also want to get out there and
love people. And
I have it on my heart, you know, as we are really just stepping
forward in faith with this Orphans and Widows, and giving. I’d love to see a lot of people
in this congregation go some place in the world and hold
a child that is even struggling with illness or starvation,
and maybe a child in Ukraine that’s addicted to paint,
sniffing paint, they’re a lot of hurting kids. And what would it do to our heart as a
congregation if we actually went out and ministered to these
kids physically? Actually helped some of these children
and just loved them. So
I hope to see that happen, and something to be praying about. [And
if you can’t get out on mission trips to India or some
other foreign places, consider helping out a small Christian
orphanage in south India right from your own home. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/evangelism/sisterchurches/BlessiOrphanHome.htm] If you want to go to Israel,
if you’re a little goofy, and you want to go to Israel. I
like to go to Israel, been there a couple times, love to
go again. There
is, potentially, Calvary Chapels in New England, we went
with them last time, there’s a trip forming March 31st. And
God only knows if it’s gonna happen. I
know some of us are pretty radical and would love to go,
so keep that in your prayers.
Let’s
say a word of prayer, as we get started. ‘Lord
we thank you, we thank you for this opportunity to look at
your Word here in John chapter 11. And
I just ask you simply, Holy Spirit, that you’d be upon
us and speak to our hearts, you’d open our eyes. Of
course the goal of this time, the time we have alone at home,
the goal is just to look to you and to see you, repeatedly
Jesus we’ve heard you say in the book of John “I
am, I am, I am”, and you say to us, “you are
all we need.” And I think of the Psalmist, ‘Whom
have I in heaven but you? And
on earth, what do I have besides you?” So
Lord, we pray you’d open our eyes to you. Holy
Spirit be upon all of us, and even upon myself now as we
go through your Word, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.’
What would your response be like?
Well
here’s an honest question for you, as we get started,
honestly. Who’s
response would be more like yours during a difficult time
in your life, a difficult season? What
would your response be more like, two different people here? Jacob, during a difficult season, this
was his response, Genesis 42:36, “All these things
are against me!”, that’s what he said. Hard
time, his response, man, ‘this is bad news and all
these things are against me!’ Is your response usually more like that,
or is it like Paul and Silas? You
remember in Acts chapter 16, these guys had been beaten,
these guys are in shackles in an inner prison, maybe even
facing death---and what are they doing?---they’re singing
and they’re praying, and they’re worshipping
God. So an honest question for you, between
you and the Lord, what is your response generally more like? Is it more like Jacob?---‘man all
this stuff is against me, I can’t believe this is happening
to me again.’ Or is it like Paul and Silas?—‘Praise
the Lord, God you’re good, God I trust you, God you’ve
got my life in your hands.’ Whose
response is yours more like? Both
of these groups endured difficulty, and clearly there was
a difference in their attitude. And what would mark the difference?---the
difference would be marked by faith. Right? Faith. Both going through very hard times, but
having a different outlook, a different perspective, and
faith is the difference. And
I think, really on earth, one of the greatest things we’ve
been given on this earth as Christians is faith. Faith
is such a great thing that God has given to us. To
walk by faith and have an outlook of faith is such a great
thing in our lives. I think that it is one of the greatest
things that we’ve been given. As
we look at John chapter 11, this is where we left off two
weeks ago, we pick up this week at John chapter 11. We’re
going to see some of God’s kids again suffering and
going through some real difficult moments, some traumatic
moments. But
not surprisingly, as we go through this chapter, there’s
this emphasis on faith. In
fact, eight times as we go through the chapter, the word “believe” is
found in one form or another. So, people suffering, traumatic experience,
and emphasis on faith interwoven throughout the passage. So, as we look at the passage, and we
study again, may the Lord increase our faith, so that when
we’re done and just growing in the Lord, we’d
be more like Paul and Silas. Man, great to be like that, even on what
would seem to be a bummer of a day, singing songs to the
Lord, praising the Lord. The
truth is, is you can be like that. And
it’s not to ‘just tune out [of reality] and be weird’,
it is to understand who God is. And
we’re going to talk about that as we go through this
chapter. But these people’s experience we’re
going to look at here, there’s
also some great little nuggets we can to pull out, and encouragements
for us in times of suffering.
Lazarus is sick, dying
So
let’s look at chapter 11, verses 1-2, “Now a certain
man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her
sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord
with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was sick.” So
we’ve got committed Christian people here. [Comment:
Speaking of Jewish followers of Jesus the Messiah, the word “Christian”
hadn’t even been coined yet. All
believers at this time would have been “Messianic Jewish
believers in Yeshua haMeshiach.”] A
brother, two sisters, we’re told they’re friends
of Jesus as we go on. Definitely they had a close relationship
with Jesus, they are committed Christians [believers in Yeshua,
Jesus]. But they are not immune to suffering. And right now they’re going through
a very difficult time, as we see in this passage. Lazarus
is sick. In fact,
he’s so sick, he’s sick in a sense that they’re
expecting, or it seems real possible that this man is going
to die. And that’s
probably the most heart-wrenching, emotionally struggling
difficult time you can go through in life, is having someone
close to you suddenly go through and experience where you’re
thinking they’re going to die [or knowing they’re
going to die. I
went through that with my father, who died of cancer]. Maybe
you’ve been there. That’s
a tough time in life. So
these two ladies, and of course Lazarus himself, they are
going through a traumatic experience in their lives. And
it’s something though, as we go on, we can learn a
lot about, and we can be encouraged through as we have times
like this in our own lives. Now
just a side note, we have Mary and Martha. This
Mary is not Mary Magdalene, sometimes we can confuse some
of the Mary’s, there’s multiple Mary’s
as you go through the Gospels. This is not Mary Magdalene, nor
is this the harlot, you remember that one harlot that used
her hair and her tears to wash the feet of Jesus, this is
not the same lady. That
occurred earlier. That is not the same lady. That occurred before. Although, in verse 2 it says ‘this
is the Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped
his feet with her hair.’ And what is being referred
to here is actually in the next chapter. When John writes this Gospel, of course
he’s writing years later [90s+AD], so he knows that
Mary at this time is the lady that wiped Jesus’ feet
with her hair and anointed him with precious oil. But that doesn’t actually occur
yet, it’ll occur in the next chapter. So,
just a side note, as we go through, that this in not Mary
Magdalene, but it’s Mary [sister of Martha and Lazarus],
and she seems to be a sociable person, because they call
it the town of Mary, maybe he’s saying, I mean, she’s
even noted in the community. They’re
evidently affluent and wealthy, you get that sense as far
as their influence, and the many people that come and minister
to them. And
certainly Mary and Martha have different personalities. But two women that are in love with Jesus
[Yeshua], and the same with their brother, Lazarus. So, but a difficult time.
Suffering draws us closer to God,
and glorifies God in the end
Verses 3-5, “Therefore the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord,
behold, he whom you love is sick.’ When
Jesus heard that, he said, ‘This sickness is not
unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God
may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister
and Lazarus.” Man
there’s a lot of great things we can consider when
we go through difficult times, right here in these verses. Because
of Lazarus’s extreme condition, the sisters send
for help, they send a messenger to Jesus. And their message is a bit interesting,
if you think about it. It’s
not a direct appeal, they don’t send a messenger
to say ‘Hey! Jesus, come quickly and heal Lazarus!’,
or
‘Jesus, say the word, you can do that, say the word
and heal Lazarus!’. They don’t say that at all. In fact, they just appeal to his heart,
really. They
just share with him and inform him, ‘Lord, the one
you love, Lazarus, our brother, is sick.’ That’s all they say. Interesting, the message that they send. There’s a confidence there, in the
love of Christ. There’s
a confidence that he’s going to respond in the best
manner in this situation. Well, in this time of trial, we see the
sisters turning to Jesus, turning to God, and it’s
a reminder to us that suffering does draw us closer to God. Simple
reminder, we’re reminded all the time, but suffering
does draw us closer to the Lord. And
here we see these two ladies, we don’t know what they
were doing before, but now that Lazarus was in this situation
and there’s such a traumatic thing going on, they quickly
go for Jesus. So
there’s a picture of prayer for us too. There
have been many times where I’ve been on the phone with
somebody whose in the midst of a real heart-wrenching experience,
a hairy ordeal, there’s been many times I’ve
maybe sat next to a hospital bed with somebody whose gone
through a traumatic experience. And
I hear, you know, things where that statement is often heard. ‘Man,
what a wakeup call for me, this experience.’ And I hear statements, and I see in them
now this renewal, to want to know God if they’re not
a Christian, or to draw closer to God if they are a Christian. No
doubt about it, suffering, suffering, God uses it to draw
us closer to him, and to get our attention more focused upon
him. But we’re also reminded in verse 4,
that God allows suffering in our lives in order that he may
be glorified. We saw that earlier in chapter 9, with
the man that was born blind. In
fact, Jesus explicitly said that he was going to be glorified
through that. And we see that here in Jesus’ response
to the messenger from the two sisters, that this suffering
of Lazarus is going to actually in the end be used to the
glory of God, that God is going to be glorified through this. Now
Asaph in Psalm chapter 50 shares a similar truth when he
records the words of God in Psalm 50. God
says this in verse 15, “Call upon me in the day of
trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” ‘Call
upon me in that difficult moment, I will work in your life,
and in the end you’re going to glorify me when you
see the way I work in and through you.’ That’s what God actually says through
the Psalmist there, Asaph in Psalm 50. Well,
no doubt, suffering, suffering, God uses it in our lives
to bring him glory. And
this is what’s happening here with these two sisters
and with Lazarus. These
two ladies in their difficulty call upon God, call upon Jesus,
and he’s going to respond in a way that in the end,
he’s going to be glorified. Well
possibly, in your situation today, things that you’re
going through, maybe you can take comfort in that this morning. That
God is working in a way, that when he’s done he’s
going to be glorified. That God is also using the hardship that
you’re going through to draw you closer to him. Maybe
those are things God wants to remind you of, so that you
can even be comforted today, by that. [The
first pastor I ever had as a believer used to teach us, that
this may be God’s most effective way to draw us closer
to him, but not the most desirable—and that the choice
may lie with us, not God. i.e.
If you choose to drift away from God, God may feel it necessary
to draw you closer to him with trials. But
you can remedy this by drawing closer to God yourself. God
promises, “Draw closer to me and I’ll draw closer
to you.” Just a thought about this suffering stuff. The
answer may be in your hands, more than God’s. But
as the pastor is bringing out here, the choice may be God’s
entirely, he may be working something else out in your suffering.] Man,
there’s been a lot of times in the ministry, these
last 8 years, where my wife and I have run out of funds and
looked at an empty refrigerator, and drove around in our
vehicles when that gas-tank light is on telling you, man, ‘You’re
on empty.’ There’s
been weeks at a time like that was a full tank, you know,
just being able to drive was a miracle. We’ve
seen bills stacked up, and those aren’t easy times,
finances are one of those stresses that we can have in our
lives. There’s
been times it’s looked dismal from the human point
of view. But God all along has a whole ‘nuther
plan, to teach my wife and I certain things. He’d
come through at times, miraculously at the last minute. There’s been times, multiple times,
right as we prayed, “O God, look what’s happening
Lord.” Then
right at that moment, a knock on the door, or a phone call,
somebody comes up, hands us something. It’s
amazing. So one
moment, maybe there’s the stress and frustration, and
then right after, seeing God work in the manner that he did,
there’s then this praise, and this worship. In fact, I can look back and say, I wouldn’t
have gone without any of that, to see what the Lord did in
and through it. It was beautiful, how he caused [“allowed”,
we’re usually the “cause”] that trial,
that hardship, and then he came through and worked. It
was exciting. You think of the Israelites when they
came through the Red Sea. Man,
just before, they were really squirming. Right? They were really bumming, man, looking
at what was there before them, and what was behind them. But on the other side when God came through,
they were having the biggest worship service. And
it’s true, man. God
brings [allows] suffering [to come] into our lives, and hardship
and testing so that he’ll be glorified. [It
also strengthens us as believers, which also glorifies God.] You
never regret seeing what he does in and through you. So we can take encouragement. I like the way one author put it. “It’s not important that we
Christians are comfortable, but it is important that we glorify
God in all that we do.” And he hasn’t guaranteed an easy,
comfortable life for you. In
fact, that’s probably the worst thing you can have
is just comfort all the time, because you often don’t
grow. But he
comes in for your own good, and brings hardships so that
in the end he can be glorified, in that you can grow. [i.e.
God is glorified by your spiritual growth, just like I said
before—and he’s not glorified when your spiritual
growth stagnates.] Now,
there’s another point of clarity that we need to make
here, verse 4, it says Jesus heard the messenger
and he said, “This
sickness is not unto death.” But
if you remember the story, and as we go on we’ll see,
Lazarus does die. So is he saying something that’s
untrue? Well, what Jesus is saying there, is ‘This
sickness is not unto death in the final sense, death as finality.’ [Comment: Jesus
said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were
dead, shall live.”] He
does, in a sense, go to sleep [sleep of death, “soul-sleep” as
the early Church from the apostles to Irenaeus’s time
in 178AD taught and doctrinally believed], he dies for a
few days. But
God is going to work, and it’s not a final thing. So
that’s just a point of clarity as we go on. Lazarus
is going to die, but then God is going to do a mighty work,
and he’s going to be glorified, that is without a doubt.
God loves us---God’s love
is not a pampering love, it’s a perfecting love
Well
not only does suffering draw me closer to God, and not only
is God glorified through it, but verse 5 is so beautiful. Right? And maybe that’s what one or two
of us needed to hear, verse
5 this morning. “Now
Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.” It’s possible that they may
not have thought that at the moment, although they do indicate “Lazarus the one you loved.” But
sometimes things are happening, and we’re not thinking
that God loves us because of what’s happening. But
the truth is, the truth is, as John notes here, Jesus loved
Martha, Jesus loved Mary, Jesus loved Lazarus. And
man, we need to keep that perspective. It is true, you can be absolutely certain,
no matter what you’re going through, no matter how
difficult it is, heart-wrenching it is, God loves you. He
loves you with a love that is simply unbelievable, incredible. He loves you with a perfect love. God is not against you. Jacob thought God was against him, but
God wasn’t against him. God
was getting ready to be glorified in such a great way there
in Genesis. God even brought his salvation through
that time of suffering, to Jacob. But
as God’s children, man, as Christians [or Messianic
Jewish believers in Yeshua] we can be so confident that God
loves us, even in the hardest seasons that come our way. Quoting
Charles Spurgeon, “Sickness is no stranger in the homes
of the saints. However much we may be the Lord’s
favorites, we can claim no exemption from bodily affliction. But in our case there’s an aspect
full of consolation. It
is sent not as punishment, but as a means of blessing.” He
says suffering is sent, and even sickness, God sends, really in the end as a means
of blessing. God
loves you, you can know it. Faith
will help you take hold of that, even in the difficulty you’re
in. You know,
no matter how awful you think maybe you’ve been, no
matter what you’ve said or what you’ve done,
even today as a child of God, you can be confident that God
loves you. [Look
in Genesis 27-28 and see the way Jacob and Rebekah were acting
toward Isaac and Esau, stealing his birthright. God
still loved them, in spite of their flaws, and worked in
their lives over time to correct the flaws.] Because
he looks at you and he sees his Son Jesus Christ. He
sees you even now standing in the righteousness of Christ. So he loves you, has precious thoughts
towards you. That
is the truth of the Word of God. No
matter what’s happening, even if what’s going
on is maybe the result of God’s discipline and you’ve
made some silly decision(s) and now you’re really suffering,
even then, God says “I love you, I love you, I love
you” he says. This
is a promise, this is a truth for all of us. I like the way another one put it, “God’s love for his own is not
a pampering love, it’s a perfecting love.” And
maybe that’s where we really have a difficulty. We
want to be pampered, and I’m not being pampered, and
I’m thinking “God, you don’t love me anymore.” “You
know, I’m not being pampered and easily treated.” We must never think that love and suffering
are incompatible. Certainly
they unite in Christ, and they do. You
know, last night I took a break from the studying, and was
having dinner with my children and my wife, and I was talking
with my little girl, and she turned to me. Now I’m not sure why she said this,
maybe the Lord was just saying it through her so I could
say it to you, I don’t know. But
she turned to me and she goes, “Dad, God loves you
best.” [laughter] And I thought, and said, “Yeah,
he does.” And
I said back to her, “And God loves you best too.” And
my son said, “Wait a minute.” [laughter] But
as we went on I said “God loves us all the best.” So,
my daughter, being three, went through “God loves Daddy
the best, God loves Mommy the best,” she kept going, “God
loves the Church the best”, she just kept going on,
but it’s true. God
loves you and I. He
loves us. He loves us. And
even in that difficult time you’re going through, you
can know God loves you, and it’s a perfect love, it’s
an incredible love.
God’s timetable is not always
your timetable---but it’s perfect timing nonetheless
Verse 6, “So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more
days in the place where he was.” You
know, I hate when that happens, I don’t know about
you. [laughter] I don’t know about you, but when
God does this, I don’t like it. But
it reminds us of something, a truth, and it’s important
for us to consider and be reminded of. God’s
timetable is not always my timetable. God’s timetable is not always your timetable. And that can be a real challenge when
you’re in a struggling time and a difficult time. But
God’s timetable doesn’t have to be the same,
because God is not bound by time, God is outside of time. Time
makes no difference to God. It
makes a whole lot of difference to us. You look at the bill, it’s got a
date on it, you know. And
you know you’ve got so much time for this. But
God is outside of time, he proved that to me so many times. And
I’ll be honest with you, there’s been times,
I’ve gotten serious with God in prayer, and I’ve
said “Lord, Lord, listen, be merciful this
time, be merciful, I can only handle so much. I
know your timetable is often different, but right now I’m
just saying
‘Listen, right now you’ve got to come through,
right now.’” [laughter] I’ve
done that with the Lord. Because
I’ve been there where he’s gone beyond that. And sometimes he’s been gracious
with me, as I’ve just gone on “Please, please,
please, now is the time, now is the time.” And
he’s come through a few of those times. But
he’s not confined by time, he’s not bounded by
time. God knows
best, that is the truth, and it’s also true that his
timing is also best. It’s
absolutely perfect timing. And it’s possible though at times
we’ll be in a situation and struggling, and it’ll
appear the exact opposite as true---that God has maybe failed
you, God is working against you, because of the whole time
thing---you’re thinking ‘This is the time’
and you’ve gone beyond that time. Well
consider the timetable here for these two ladies with Lazarus. Jesus
was at Bara, which is about twenty miles from Bethany, we
studied that in the last chapter. Now
they sent a message, their brother is sick, they sent a message
to Jesus. It’s twenty miles, it’s a
day’s travel. So one day goes by, this messenger gets
to Jesus. It’s probably likely, as you put
all the timing together, as you go on you’ll see, that
when the messenger gets to Jesus, maybe even before the messenger
gets to Jesus, Lazarus dies. And we’ll see as we go on. So most likely the messenger is on the
way, Lazarus dies, the messenger returns now, it’s
been two days. The messenger gets back to the ladies
after Lazarus has died. Then
Jesus waits another day, so there’s three days, and
then he finally comes to Bethany, and we have the four days
as we see, as we go on, that Lazarus has been in the tomb
for four days. So
it’s possible, you know, it says he waited two more
days, but it’s possible when that message finally gets
back to those two ladies, that Lazarus has died. That’s an interesting thing to consider. And you know, maybe these ladies, they
get this message, now that their brother is dead, I mean
it would appear that this is all really bad timing. But
it’s not bad timing. It’s
God’s perfect timing, and God is going to do a tremendous
work.
God can use suffering, testing
in our lives, to increase the faith of others around
us
Verses 7-16, “Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let
us go to Judea again.’ The
disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, lately the Jews sought
to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus
answered,
‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If
anyone walks in the day he does not stumble because he sees
the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles
because the light is not in him.’ These
things he said, and after that he said to them, ‘Our
friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then
his disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he’ll
get well.’ However Jesus spoke of his death, but
they thought that he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus
is dead. And
I’m glad for your sakes that I was not there, that
you may believe. Nevertheless
let us go to him.’ Then
Thomas who was called the twin said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let
us all go that we may die with him.’” Strange
comment for Thomas to make. Well
these verses here give us another great principle, and that
is, God can use our suffering, God can use the testing in
our life, in order to increase the faith of other people
around us. And
we see that here. The
two ladies are going through this difficult time, yet Jesus
is even using it, this whole experience, to work a work in
the lives of the disciples. There
are many instances of that in the Bible. I think of Nebuchadnezzar, I think of
some of the kings in the book of Daniel, where Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego go through suffering. Daniel
goes through suffering. And
then the end result is the king and others going “Wow,
praise be to God, the God of Israel!” There’s many examples of that in
the Scriptures, where God’s people suffer, and as they
suffer God is being glorified, and other people around are
being ministered to as a result. And it could be true in your life also. I was listening to the radio yesterday,
and I don’t know if I got the whole story exactly right,
but there was an older gentleman sharing a story about one
time when he and his wife were in a car accident. And
as he shared the story he said, his wife and himself were
rejoicing and praising God because of this car accident. And
he said, “My children thought we were absolutely crazy
and out of our minds,” that we were in this pretty
bad car accident, it demolished their vehicle essentially,
and they’re praising the Lord. Well
then he went on to say why. And
that is, there was a particular lady that had a very hard-hearted
husband. And she was praying, she was a Christian
lady, she was praying for her husband, that he would come
to Christ. And as this situation worked its way out,
however exactly it did it, they got in this car accident,
but because of this car accident they then came in the path
of this one couple, and they ended up spending time with
them as a result, it was kind of a poor situation. But this one man who was sharing said
he ended up leading this man to Christ. So
because of the car accident this man came to the Lord, which
was an answer to years of prayer of this lady. So
he and his wife were able to praise God, that even in that
hardship God was glorified and God did a work. And
it’s true. Maybe that’s what’s happening
in your life. You’re
thinking “I don’t understand why this is going
on?” God
says, “You wait, you wait, you wait to see what I’m
going to do. I’ve got a plan. I’m going to touch people’s
lives around you. There
are people watching, and I’m using you as an instrument
to show my glory, through even right now.” Well, I think of a story I’ve shared
a number of times with pastors. Recently
I shared it on a Sunday morning here. And
I won’t go through it, but I shared how God led me
really once not long ago, as a ministry we really ‘stepped
outside of the boat’, took a step of faith, where I
could have made a financial mess out of the church, if I
wasn’t listening to the Lord. But
I felt the Lord was listening to us. We
would have been tens of thousands of dollars behind and a
real financial wreck. But I felt the Lord was leading me, and
you can get that tape and get the details, I won’t
go through it. And God miraculously, I began to really
squirm and have a tough time, as God was testing with his
whole timetable, but eventually God came through, and he
worked. And the
response was, I was shoutin’ to the Lord, Praise God! If you remember the story, I’ve
shared that story a number of times, I’ve been with
pastors, and as we’ve talked about faith and whatever,
and God testing, I’ve shared that story. And I’ve almost heard that consistently,
there are other pastors that have taken that story and shared
it with their congregation, that have then emailed me and
said, “Man, my church was so blessed by that story.” I’ve
had pastors repeatedly tell me that. “I’m
going to share that with my church, that is a great story.” But it was an uncomfortable experience
to go through, for a little while there. In
fact, it was kind of hairy for me. But
yet the Lord was working for a purpose. And
now he’s done this thing, and man, it blesses people
to hear the story. I
don’t know about you, but I want to be used like that. I
don’t like it when it’s happening. I
sure do love it when it’s over. But
I want the Lord to use me, and be glorified through me. I
say “God, here I am.”
Hard times cause our faith to grow
Verses 17-22, “Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave for four days already. Now
Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs
off: and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort
them concerning their brother. Then
Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went
and met him: but Mary sat still in
the house. Then
said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here,
my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever
thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” Jesus finally gets again to Bethany,
and Lazarus has been in the tomb now four days. It
was the custom, the Jewish custom, that when a person died
they would be buried that very day. So
he’s been in the tomb four days, it seems again likely
the messenger came to Jesus the day that Lazarus died. Well
Martha hears that Jesus is coming, as you see in verse
20, and there in Bethany which is on the eastern side of
the Mount of Olives, if you’re in that part of Jerusalem,
man, you can see out, it’s a beautiful view, you
can see out to the Dead Sea, you can see out to the desert
(Negev) and you can see out down the Old Jericho Road too. So
she hears that Jesus is coming, and maybe can far off see
a little band of people, so she goes out to meet him. When
she gets there she says to him, ‘Lord,
if you had been here, man, I’ve seen you heal so
many people, and if you would have been here, I know you
could have healed my brother, I do believe it. You could have prevented him from dying.’ But
she doesn’t stop, she says, ‘But
even right now, I know that whatever you ask God, whatever
you ask him, he’ll do. You can even do something even now.’ That is really a beautiful truth,
and there’s another truth for us here about suffering
and hardship that comes into our lives, and that is, hard times cause our faith to grow. Hard times causes our faith to grow. And you see that happening here. She’s wrestling with a certain truth. Now if the messenger came back to her
and her sister after Lazarus has died, the message was “This sickness was not unto death, this is all for the glory of
God.” They’re
going to have to wrestle with that message. Lazarus
is dead. So
they’ve been wrestling with it, evidently. And
she’s been wrestling with his statement “this
is not unto death.” There
he is, he’s dead, we’ve put him in the tomb. ‘Is
he saying he’s going to do something else? Is
he saying he can do something else?’ Evidently,
she’s been wrestling with that, and she says that,
and shares that with Jesus. “I know that even now”---I mean, just imagine, your friend
has been dead for four days, and actually saying, and she
says it confidently, she says ‘I know that you can even do something
right now, when he’s been dead for four days.’ Paul
shares in Romans chapter 5 about tribulation, he says “that
we can glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and
character hope, and that hope is faith. “Now hope does not disappoint because
the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit who is given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). And
tribulation and heartache and hardship God does use to
build us up, and to increase our faith. And
that is what we see happening here in Martha’s and
Mary’s lives. One
preacher put it this way, “Anything which helps our
faith is a blessing for which to thank God.” Man,
if God is going to bring tribulation to make you grow,
it’s a blessing, praise God, that in the end you’re
going to be stronger in faith. And what a tremendous thing that God gives
us, faith. Faith
is being sure, it isn’t like this thing we make up,
it’s being certain that God can and will do what
he said, and you walk in such confidence, and boldness,
and peace when there’s that faith, that surety in
your heart. So
it’s great when the Lord brings things into our lives
to build our faith. Well,
that message that Jesus would then share with Lazarus’s
sisters, would be saying to them,
‘Trust me for my word, things may look dismal right
now, but trust me for my word. Trust in me.’ And
so Martha then has to struggle and wrestle through that.
As the Son of God it is absolutely
vital that he can raise the dead,
also
It’s through times of suffering
that we grow in our understanding of Christ
But
here’s another truth too. If
Jesus can’t raise Lazarus from the dead, if he can’t
raise people from the dead [and he already has, two or three
times before this event], then anything else he does really
doesn’t amount to anything, according to the Scriptures. As
the Son of God it is absolutely vital that he can raise the
dead. It’s vital. Remember
Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15 , “If in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men
most miserable.” But it’s the fact that he can raise
the dead, and that gives us hope, and that makes all the
difference. [see http://www.unityinchrist.com/corinthians/cor15-16.htm and http://www.unityinchrist.com/corinthians/cor15-16_2.htm for
a full treatment of this vital subject on eternal life.] Well Jesus said to her, verses 23-27, “‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that
he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’” That’s
a great confidence to have. “And
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall
never die. Do
you believe this?’ She says to him, ‘Yes Lord, I believe
that you are the Christ, the Son of God whose come into the
world.’” This is the fifth I AM statement that
Jesus shares. You
remember “I am the door, I am the good shepherd.” Now
he says here “I am the resurrection and the life.” And
this point here that he now shares with Martha, it’s
another point for us to ponder about suffering. And
that is, it’s through times of suffering that we grow in our understanding
of Christ. It’s
through times of hardship that we grow, those times of testing,
that we grow in our understanding of Christ. You
remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. It
was in the fire that they saw Jesus [cf. read all of Daniel
3]. It wasn’t outside the fire that
they saw Jesus, it was when they were in the fire that they
saw Jesus. And you know Nebuchadnezzar looked in
and said
“Who’s that guy whose all shiny, there’s
four, what’s going on?” And it was the Messiah, Christ himself. But it was in the fire that they saw the
pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, there in the fire,
in the midst of the heat and the trial and tribulation. And
it is true, and as even in my opening prayer I mentioned
Psalm 73, you know, Asaph has a struggling time in Psalm
73, he looks at the world, he looks at the prosperity of
the wicked, he’s struggling trying to follow God and
to be a righteous man, there’s an emotional battle. He’s almost ready to stumble and
fall and give it all up, and he says ‘I went into the
temple, and I looked upon the Lord, and I just got the right
perspective again of faith. I know where that’s going, and even
though it’s hard right now, I know where it’s
going.’ And
then he responds as he does, he says “Whom have I in
heaven but you. But
there is none upon earth that I desire besides you.” And
suffering brings us to that point where we have a greater
understanding of who Christ is, as he’s glorified there
in the midst of it, as he ministers to us. Man, our eyes are opened all the more
to who God is in our lives, what he wants to do in and through
us. And that is sweet. And the response is, “Man, Jesus,
it’s all about you.” So
that leads us to the next point, the ultimate goal of God’s
testing.
The ultimate goal of God’s
testing, it’s simply Him, it’s all about
Him.
And
in the midst of this that’s what you see, Jesus says “It’s
all about me,” he says “I am the resurrection
and the life.” He
doesn’t share theology [he leaves that to the apostle
Paul to bring that out in God’s Word, interestingly
enough], because Martha doesn’t really need theology
at this point. What she needs is God and the power of
God. She needs
a Savior, she needs the touch of God, and that’s what
he says, he says ‘I am the resurrection, and I am the life, it’s
all about me, it’s all about me. And
I am the Savior, I can deliver life, and it’s true,
I’m your hope, I’m all you need.’ And
that’s what Jesus is working in your life, God is working
in your life. You’re
maybe going through a hard time, and he’s trying to
remind you again,
“I am all that you need, I am all that you need.” You have this financial hardship, he’s
saying
“I am all that you need, I am the bread of life, I
am the Manna” he said earlier. You’re
going through a stressing time, and he wants you to know
that he is your peace, he is your peace [Hebrew: Shalom],
he is your hope, he’s working in your life, bringing these things. Drawing you closer to him, that you’ll
realize it is simply all about him. I
like that worship song we sing once in a while, we have it
on the radio too, it’s “It’s all about
you, Jesus. It’s
all about you, Jesus, It’s all about you, Jesus.” So he said “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though
he may die, he shall live”, referring to the resurrection,
the life after death. “But whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” “Do you believe this?” he
says. So the question to you this morning is: “Do
you believe this?” Jesus
says
“I am, me, the person, the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me shall never die.” And
if he does die physically, he’ll have eternal life….and
if he lives, he shall never die. And
it’s true, there’s going to be a time, and we
see a little bit of it here, Jesus is going to call out,
and this guy is going to be raised from the dead. And there is going to be a time where
the Trumpet is going to sound, the voice of the Lord is going
to come forth, and there will be people who haven’t
even died physically yet, and they’re going to go and
be with the Lord forever [they as Paul brings out in 1st Corinthians
15:49-54, they will be changed, in an instant, in the twinkling
of an eye, changed into immortal beings, right after those
that have died in Christ have been resurrected to immortality. This
occurs at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ to set
up the Millennial Kingdom of God on earth. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/kingdomofgod/mkg1.htm for
a more complete treatment of this subject.] But
he says “I am
the resurrection and the life.” And
if there’s no resurrection, Paul said, man, go eat,
drink and be merry, if this is it man, just party to the
max, just get all goofy, because there’s no hope. [Why
do you think that is the lifestyle of those in the world? Simply
because they have no real hope for eternal life. They firmly believe, because they don’t
believe in God, that this life is it, that’s all she
wrote, so enjoy life to the max today, for tomorrow we die,
and that’s it, man.] But the Bible says there is hope, and
Jesus says “I
am the resurrection and the life”, ‘and I raise
the dead.’ And
he’s going to do that to us also. Well
he says “He who lives and believes in me shall never
die”, that’s a double-negative, that’s
really emphatic. “He
who believes in me shall never die”, it’s emphatic. But the question to you this morning, “Do
you believe this? Do
you believe this? Are you willing to believe this?” Martha says “Yes Lord, I believe, I believe that you are the Christ, I believe
that you are the Son of God whose come into the world.” (verse
27) In the Greek, those words are in the
perfect tense, so there’s an indication that this is
fixed and it’s settled. So
she says “I have believed, and I will continue
to believe.” That’s
how she responds. “I do believe this, that you are the resurrection and the life.” That’s how she responds, ‘that
you are the Christ, that you are the Son of God.’ Those
two often go together, as you see. People
will say that. ‘We
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, meaning
God the Son, whose come into the world.’
One teaspoon of tears
Verses 28-32, “And when she had said these things, she went her
way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, ‘The
Teacher has come and is calling for you.’ As
soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to him. Now
Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place
where Martha met him. And the Jews who were with her in the
house and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose
up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, ‘She
is going to the tomb to weep there.’” So Martha comes, they don’t
know what she says to Mary, but she says “Jesus wants
to meet with you, he’s come.” So Mary heads out, and the rest are wondering
why she’s leaving, they think she’s going to
go mourn at the tomb. “And
when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down
at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you’d
been here my brother would not have died.’” Evidently Martha and Mary have been
saying this. ‘Man,
if you’d just have gotten here he wouldn’t
have died’, because she says the same thing Martha
says to Jesus, ‘If you had just been here, you could
have prevented him from dying.’ But
she falls at his feet. And then an interesting thing about Mary,
we see her three times in the Scriptures, and each time
she’s at the feet of Jesus. This
is a woman that worships the Lord. This
is a woman of just emotion and praise for the Lord. In
fact, this is the only time we have any of her words recorded,
is right here. Well “when
Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, “he
groaned in the spirit and was troubled” (verse 33). That word “groaned” in
the Greek is in the first aorist indicative, and the word
means “To snort with anger like a horse.” So
there’s a lot of emotion there. When
it says
“he groaned in the spirit”, there is a lot of
indignation and emotion there. “And
he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They
said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’” (verse
34) And then
we have the shortest verse in the Bible, and some say the
most powerful verse in the Bible, “Jesus
wept.” (verse
35) “Then the Jews said, ‘See
how he loved him!’” That
is a beautiful Scripture. That
is a great encouragement for you and I, that is for sure. When
I read that, I’m reminded that in my difficulties,
my hardships and my suffering, I know that Jesus knows my
pain. And why
is he weeping? I
believe he’s weeping, and there’s this indignation,
there’s this emotion, because of coarse he loves us,
and the curse of sin and the fruit of sin, and all the heartache
it brings, and the fact that Mary and Martha have just been
experiencing such pain. He knows that pain. So it says he wept. And then the onlookers said, ‘Wow,
look at how he loved Lazarus.’ And
maybe they’re misunderstanding, because he knows he’s
going to raise Lazarus from the dead. I
think more than anything he’s weeping because of the
pain that people have experienced. And you can know that Jesus knows your
pain. He is our
High Priest, he’s been tempted in every way that we’ve
been tempted, and we’re told that he knows how to relate
to us. [See and
read Hebrews 4:14-16.] And
he knows what you’re going through. He’s
not some god like in some of the other ancient Greek religions
and whatever, as we’re taught they were just indifferent,
and he just made the world and it was out there, and we were
just to do our own thing. He
is a very personal God, he knows right what you’re
going through. If you have pain in your life, the truth
is, he knows your pain. He
knows your pain. And
that’s why we see him weeping here. I
think at times, when there’s these kids in other countries
that are living in gutters, being abused by people, I know
that God must grieve, and he must weep, because that’s
his heart. [Log
onto http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/august/22.48.html and http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/january/16.29.html to
see what Jesus must really be weeping about in today’s “modern
age.”] God loves, he loves incredibly. And he knows our pain. He knows your pain, that’s for sure. But he’s an example to me too, Jesus
weeps. He’s
broken because others are broken. And that says to me, man, that’s
the way I should be too. I
shouldn’t be so stoic and stern, and so macho, you
know. But tears
man. The word
there for
“wept” is the only word used in the New Testament,
it is the verb form of the Greek word for “tears”. So
literally it means that tears were running down Jesus’ face. There
was overflowing tears. Now
he wasn’t bawling really loud, either. There’s
different Greek words for that, but there were tears streaming
down his face. And
Jesus shed tears, and what an example to me. And
interesting, tears contain salt, and they have salt in them
to care for and protect our eyes, to protect and comfort
our eyes. And
then when you think of salt in the Scripture, we’re
told that we’re to be salty, you know, salty Christians,
the salt of the earth. You think that being salty is going out
there and being convicting and getting the whip out, ‘You
guys straighten up’, you know, and things like that. But
shedding tears, man, is salt. Showing
compassion is purifying. That’s
one of the most powerful things we can do. I
think of this last Thursday, it was great, having that outreach,
seeing all those kids, and we tripped some people out, man,
we just gave all kinds of stuff away. I mean, they’re walking away with
designer bags, soccer balls and pumps, full big chocolate
bars, and having free hot dogs. Some
of the people couldn’t believe it, they were tripping
out. People were
trying to give money, but this is free. ‘We just want to love you. God loves you.’ That’s some of the greatest things
we can do, is just love people. [One
of the international evangelistic organizations that serves
like a Christian version of C.A.R.E. is Samaritan’s
Purse, see http://www.unityinchrist.com/evangelism/samaritan_purse.htm ,
or if you want to help a needy Christian orphanage in south
India, see http://www.unityinchrist.com/evangelism/sisterchurches/BlessiOrphanHome.htm (scroll
through the file to see the kids).] It’s
just love people. Jesus
wept, Jesus wept because he loved, and he had compassion. And if we want to make a great difference
in our community and around here man, [or around the world]
it’s all the more, Lord, give me those tears, man,
give me a heart of compassion. We’re told that one teaspoon of
tears has enough antiseptic power to kill all the germs in
100 gallons of water. So hey, some tears in our local community
would be good, man, because the water doesn’t taste
very good here. [laughter]
Lazarus is raised from the dead!
So
the Jews said “Look how he loved him. And some of them said, ‘Could not
this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept
this man from dying?’”
(verses 36-37) They
also believe that he’s powerful. “And Jesus again groaning in himself came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against
it. Jesus said, ‘Take
away the stone.’…This woman’s wrestling,
she wrestling. “…Martha, the sister of him
who was dead said to him, ‘Lord, by this time there
is the stench…” or the King James says “he
stinketh” is what it says. “…for he has been dead four days.’” ‘Bad
news, you don’t want to move that stone.’ She said, “You can do anything”,
but then she’s going back, she’s struggling through
this whole thing. “Jesus
said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would
believe you would see the glory of God?’” Maybe
he’s saying that to you today. “And they took away the stone from the place where the dead man
was lying, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father
I thank you that you have heard me, I know that you always
hear me, but because of the people that were standing by
I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.’” (verses
38-42) So
he prays out loud. He doesn’t often pray publicly,
but he does right now, so that they understand, so that they
can all appreciate and see the glory of God in what’s
about to happen. “And when he had said these things,
he cried with a loud voice, ‘LAZARUS,
COME FORTH!’” And
an old Puritan commentator said ‘Good thing he said
Lazarus at this point, if he had just said “Come forth!”’…man,
I mean, just in saying this, the graves must have trembled
everywhere. Good thing he said “Lazarus” so
all the other tombs knew what [laughter]. “And he who had died came out, bound
hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped
with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him and
let him go.’” (verses 43-44) Just
imagine, you know, you think of Veggie Tales, this guy’s
all wrapped up. And how could he even walk? Did he hop up and down. It’s a funny picture. But it’s a powerful picture. He’s been dead four days, and Jesus
said with a loud voice, same word when he was on the cross,
loud voice, “Lazarus,
come forth!” It
just shook the heavens and everyone heard it, and out came
this man who had been dead four days. And
we read in verse 45, “And many of the Jews who
had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed
in him.” And there’s now a multitude
that follows, because they’re just blown away by what
he’s just done. He’s raised a dead man.
Hard hearts won’t believe
even when they see miracles
“But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the
things Jesus did.” (verse 46) Some
believed, I mean, saw it, understood it, but yet they aren’t
exercising faith, so they actually work against him. “And the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered a counsel and said, ‘What shall we do, for
this man works many signs.’” (verse 47) Even
they don’t deny it. “‘If we let him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and
the Romans will come and take both our place and nation.’” (verse 48) I
mean, they’re concerned about themselves and their
position, that’s what they’re concerned with. “And one of them, Caiaphas [he was
the high priest from 18AD to 36AD, son of Annus] being
high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing
at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us
that one man should die for the people, and not that the
whole nation should perish.’” (verses 49-50) His
point is, better to get this guy and let him die than this
whole nation to go and perish at the hands of the Romans. But
what he says, he doesn’t realize, is actually spiritually
prophetic. “And
this he spoke not of himself, but being high priest that
year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation,
and not only for that nation only, but also that he would
gather together in one the children of God who were scattered
abroad.’ And
then from that day on they plotted to put him to death. Therefore
Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went
from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city
called Ephraim [that’s about fifteen miles from Jerusalem]
and there remained with his disciples.” (verses
51-54) [Comment: that prophecy “but
also that he would gather together in one the children
of God who were scattered abroad” was directly fulfilled
in Paul’s mission to the Jews as he evangelized throughout
the synagogues in Asia Minor and even Greece. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm for
astounding proof of this fulfillment of the high priest’s
prophecy. When the high priest said “people
of God” he in his mind was referring to the Jews
in the Diaspora, and for the first 250 years of Church
history it was, even though it would end up referring to
believers in Jesus throughout all ages.] But
as John notes, the high priest says these things, he prophesied,
in verse 51, that Jesus would die for the nation. “Now
this he did not say on his own authority, but being high
priest, that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for
the nation.” He
spoke of a certain truth he understood, but then in reality
he was prophesying that Jesus would indeed die, and that
he would save many through his death, not only that, but
people from all around the world that will believe in him,
will find life in Christ. Well,
because of this, now he does stay away, because they want
to put him to death. We’re told in verses 55-57, “And the passover of the Jews was near and many went
from the country to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify
themselves. Then they sought Jesus and spoke among
themselves, as they stood in the temple, ‘What do
you think, that he will not come to the feast?’ Now
both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command
that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it,
that they might seize him.” Well, they’re ready to get him now,
and they’ve got a plan, and we’re now within
a month [actually the last six days before Jesus’ crucifixion,
which will take place at this Passover.] or less of when Christ is going to go
to the cross. And
it’s now, people are coming, preparing for the time
of Passover. We’re
told from the Jewish historian Josephus, based on the recordings,
historical recordings, there were 250,000 sheep slaughtered
in the temple during Passover that year. And
then using a little bit of math, that a lamb was sacrificed
for a household and the extended relatives, the average
family being about ten people, there would be about two
and a half million people that came at this time to the
city of Jerusalem for Passover. So,
let’s pray…[transcript of a connective expository
sermon on John 11:1-57, given somewhere in New England.]
To
read a complete account of the last six days of Jesus’ life
leading up to his crucifixion, log onto: http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/lastsix.htm. It is an especially good study to read
as the Passover/Easter season approaches.
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