October 27, 2024
Morning Service

Here in chapter 11, John shares with us the final dramatic miracle Jesus performs before heading to Jerusalem to be crucified and resurrected.  The event in itself is encouraging to our faith, but I found in my study that the events leading up to Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave are extremely powerful and challenging to us. Lazarus and his family are friends of Jesus as well as believers and supporters of His ministry.  Let’s walk through this together and see what we can learn about Jesus and about ourselves.

Joh 11:1-16 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  (2)  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  (3)  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  (4)  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."  (5)  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  (6)  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  (7)  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  (8)  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  (9)  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.  (10)  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  (11)  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  (12)  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  (13)  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  (14)  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  (15)  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him."  (16)  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

Jesus purposely chooses to delay going to heal His friend Lazarus because He has a much greater miracle in mind.  He knows the pain that His loved ones will have to endure, but it is for a reason, it has purpose.  Here it is so God will receive the glory for this miracle and many will believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.  God has a plan and often we play a part in it, sometimes with pain.  That pain we experience also has purpose; it is an opportunity for us to bring glory to God through our enduring of it.  There is more to come on this as we go.  Notice Jesus says Lazarus sleeps when he is actually dead.  This is a common referral to death as it only a temporary state that we all will assume if the Lord tarries.  He will one day return and awake us from our nap to live with Him forever more.  Jesus knows His time is short here and He still has work to be done.

Joh 11:17-27 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  (18)  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  (19)  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  (20)  Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  (21)  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  (22)  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  (23)  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  (24)  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  (25)  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  (26)  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  (27)  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

            As Jesus came into Bethany, Lazarus had now been in the grave for four days as He wanted no one to be able to say that he was not actually dead. Martha upon hearing of His coming runs to meet Him.  She tells Him that if He had been there, He could have healed her brother, but also hints of Jesus doing a greater miracle.  She proclaims her faith in the coming resurrection and Jesus uses that to state His fifth “I AM” statement.  “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”  Jesus states here that He has the power over death and life and through faith in Him, we can have victory over it.  Think about that for a minute, of all the worries we have in this lifetime our death is certainly high on the list.  Jesus is telling us not to fear death as He has the power over it and promises that “whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die;” we may nap for a short period but since He is the “resurrection and life,” He will return to wake us just as He does Lazarus. 

Death is not to be feared, but embraced as just another stage in our life before we are able to meet our Lord and Savior face to face.  Knowing how our story ends, should then grant us a peace to be able to endure whatever life brings our way.

 He then asks Martha if she believes this.  Do you find this odd in this dramatic moment that He asks her this despite it being so obvious that she does?  Jesus gives Martha a chance to proclaim her faith in the midst of her pain to show all those surrounding them in this moment that she truly believes even in this the most difficult of times.  “Yes Lord, I believe You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is come into the world.”  Her statement did not come with any requirements such as “if you …” she simply proclaims that she believes Jesus is her “resurrection and life.”  In the midst of her pain, she confidently proclaims Jesus as Lord, bringing praise to God.  We too are given opportunities to proclaim our faith in the midst of our times of pain as well.  Our actions and reactions in times like this in our lives speak loudly either proclaiming our faith or showing our lack of it.  Many people struggle with the “why did God do this” rather than to yield as Martha did to the will of God in our lives.  It is not wrong to ask why, but don’t allow it to destroy your faith when the answer isn’t quickly revealed as it is here at this event.  Trust God that He is the One leading, and we are simply called to follow no matter how our circumstances change.  Seek an intimate closeness with the Lord that nothing can shake your faith and trust in Him.  Paul describes it so well in the 8^th chapter of the Roman letter.

 

Romans 8:31-34 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  (32)  He who did not spare His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  (33)  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  (34)  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  

            Our faith needs to be so strong that we have this confidence that “if God is for us, who can be against us?”  I have the Creator of all things walking by my side, who am I going to afraid of?  As David confidently proclaimed to the giant Goliath; “the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands!”  Paul reasons with us that God “did not spare His Own Son” to deliver us from sin, don’t you think He will then freely give us everything else we need?  Of course He will, as Paul then shows Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” sitting at the right hand of God “making intercession for us.”  He is watching all that is happening and He makes intercession (acting on our behalf) pleads for us before His Father.  He has our back and will assures us that, no matter how difficult the path, He is walking with us.  The pain is not always removed, but it is His presence and intercession that gives us the strength to endure and “praise Him in the midst of the pain.”  Paul summarizes this point very well as he continues:

 

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (36)  As it is written: "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER."  (37)  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  (38)  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, (39) nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

            We are safe in His arms and “no one can snatch you out of His grip upon you.” (Jn. 10:29) Whatever you are facing today is mentioned somewhere in these verses.  Nothing can separate you from His love for you!  Why do we doubt?  Why do we worry?  We are “more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”  Notice He does not promise that we will be free from these painful circumstances, as some false doctrine teaches, but actually promises that we will have to endure them.  BUT GOD will be faithful in His presence and intercession and give us an opportunity, as He did Martha, to “praise Him in the midst of the pain!”  This can only come when Jesus truly is Lord of your life and He is your resurrection and life.  Though we stand at the cliff between death and life, we shall not fear, because we fully trust Him and know He is our “resurrection and life.”  I believe that I stand safely in His arms and nothing can separate me from His love.  It is only then that I too can proclaim His praise in the midst of my pain with a sincere heart as Martha did today.

 

Heavenly Father, grant to us the desire to have the faith of Martha and be able to praise you in the midst of our pain.  Grant us the confident assurance that You are for us and we have nothing to fear.