Grace Christian Fellowship: Christian Teachings from John

John 11 "I am the Resurrection"

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. 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. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 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 will 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 am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." (John 11:1-16)

The story of Jesus left off with the Jews trying to kill Him. They picked up stones to stone Him and He escaped out of their hands. From there Jesus went across the Jordan river and it was there that the news came to Him about Lazarus who was sick. Two things made this very difficult news for Jesus. First of all Lazarus was a dear friend, the brother of Mary and Martha. They sent the message, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." Jesus knew right away whom they meant because they were that close. Jesus had to go to see His friends in their hour of need. But secondly, Lazarus lived in Bethany, a mere two mile walk from Jerusalem. Jesus could not go to his friend without risking another confrontation with the Jews. Indeed, the disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" Love often compels us to do things that we would rather not do. Jesus understood very clearly that this sickness of Lazarus was of greater significance than just another person who needed healing. Jesus had healed many by that time. He had even healed at a distance, just "saying the word". But this time was different. Jesus discerned that "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." In short this was not about Lazarus, it was about Jesus. Jesus knew that once He went down the road toward Jerusalem again He would not be coming back. This was the beginning of the end! The start of the road that would ultimately lead to the cross. And yet Jesus had to go because of His deep love for Lazarus and his sisters.
Verse five tells us that Jesus loved them, and the next verse says, "So, when He heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where He was." You would think that if He loved them so much Jesus would have traveled as quickly as possible over to Bethany. I wrestle with this all the time. We pray, "Lord, the one whom You love is sick." We prayed for Gracie who has suffered from bronchitis this week and we know that Jesus loves her and we know that Jesus has the power to heal her, and yet her coughing did not instantly stop the moment that we prayed. Is there something wrong with Jesus’ love? Is there some deficiency in Jesus’ power? Is there a problem with my prayer? No! Jesus heard my prayer just fine. The Word of God tells us that the reason that Jesus waited for two days before going to Bethany was because of His love for them. I am sure that the reason that Jesus waited to heal Gracie was because of His deep deep love for her. Just because we do not understand the depths of God’s love does not mean that it is not love.
After the two days when Jesus told them that they were going to Judea, the disciples were shocked. Jesus answered their objections by saying, "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." The choice that was set before Jesus was to go to Bethany because of love, or to stay away because of fear. We are often faced with similar choices. Should we open our hearts to strangers or keep our distance just to be safe? Should we invest our money in the kingdom of God or store it away for a rainy day? Should we share the gospel with our neighbors or mind our own business so as not to offend? Jesus’ words tell us that there is a time-limit on doing good. The opportunity to love comes and goes. If you wait the chance is gone and you have actually already decided to be motivated by fear. You see, we can keep our distance from people almost effortlessly. Saving money might be a little more difficult but not as difficult as giving it away. Minding your own business can be done without a thought. But the opportunity to love, to give, to share comes and goes. Jesus knew that this was the right time to go wake up their friend Lazarus. In fact, Jesus knew that he was already dead. The disciples had a hard time understanding, but when Jesus had explained it to them they decided to go too, knowing that these would probably be their last days, that they might have to die with Jesus in order to love their friends.

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around 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 was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 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 said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." (John 11: 17-27)

Sure enough when Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead for at least four days. Many of the Jews had come from nearby Jerusalem to comfort the sisters. It is clear from that those around Jesus were doing their best to keep Him from being discovered by the Jews. Martha was informed that Jesus was near and slipped out of the house to greet Him, leaving Mary with the Jews. When she met Jesus, she told Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." I am moved by the combination of faith and pain in these words. I recognize the struggle of a heart that does not doubt the power and the love of God and yet does not understand why things have turned out the way that they have. Just because we hurt does not mean that we doubt. Just because we are confused it does not mean that we believe any less. Martha took Jesus words, "Your brother will rise again.", to be more words of consolation. "Sure, I know, at the resurrection at the last day." But Jesus meant something more than the feeble words of the Jews that had come to comfort them. "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."
The word resurrection means to "rise again". In the boxing ring a fight is over when a boxer falls to the floor and cannot rise again. The count begins and unless the weary fighter climbs back to his feet before "10" is reached the match is lost. If he cannot rise again he admits defeat. A similar word to resurrection is "insurrection", defined in the dictionary as "rising up in opposition to authority, a rebellion". The Jews thought that Jesus would lead them in rebellion against their Roman overlords, but Jesus had a much more powerful foe to fight against. Jesus rebelled against the power of Satan, who through sin and death had enslaved the world. Jesus rose up against this tyrant and brought life to all of us who believe. He is the rebellion and only through Him can we become partisans in His army, laughing at the enemy death because in Him we have eternal life. Jesus asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord, I believe."

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. Then 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." Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You have been here, my brother would not have died." Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See 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?" (John 11: 28-37)

Martha’s meeting with Jesus was in secret, but when she shared the news with her sister Mary, the Jews came along with her. In verse 33, when Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. This groaning in Jesus’ spirit was an angry snort. The word is used originally of the sound that horses make when they are upset. Indeed he was upset, troubled by what He saw. I am sure that Jesus was not angry with Mary, what was bothering Him was that the Jews were there as well. He could no longer do anything in secret. His private ministry to His friends would now be public. The rebellion was about to begin. The revolution was about to start. Death was about to lose its first battle and give up its first captive. Jesus did not march triumphantly into battle. Instead He knew how much this war would cost Him. He knew how much His friends and disciples would suffer as well. He knew that the pleasant days of walking and teaching with the disciples were at an end and from this point on it would be war. He was angry at death, angry at the Jews who understood nothing and should have known better. He wept, counting the cost to Himself and His friends.

Then 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." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Then 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. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" and he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did." (John 11: 38-46)

Again Jesus groaned in Himself as He came to the tomb. I can only imagine that He was preparing Himself for battle. The enemy lay in the darkness of the cave. Not the dead body of Lazarus or of others who had passed away long before, but the monster Death that held them in its grip. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha recoiled in horror that the grave would be desecrated, surely by now the body would be horrible. How could she or Mary bear to see their brother that way? Even faithful Martha could not imagine fighting with Death. "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" The stone was removed from its place. One last preparation, Jesus prayed out loud a prayer of thanks so that those around Him would believe that God had sent Him. And then when He had those things, Jesus cried out with a loud voice. Not a little voice. Not a whisper. I do not think that Lazarus would have had a problem hearing. Of course he could not hear! He was dead. But how could he not hear when the very voice that spoke the world into existence called his name? "Lazarus, come forth!" No, Jesus cried out loud so that Death would hear. This was Jesus’ war cry! Jesus was not on a commando raid, this was no infiltration to stealthily rescue Lazarus from the enemy without being found out. This was a declaration of war! This was Jesus against Death, round one! Jesus was throwing down the gauntlet, challenging Death to a duel. Satan’s control of this world, his chains of sin and death that held us down, were first thrown off here. Jesus called to Lazarus and he rose up, and he walked out on his own two feet. Death could not hold him down, death could do nothing to stop him. From here on Satan knew that he was in trouble.
Many of the Jews when they saw this believed in Jesus, but some of them went back to the Pharisees to report what had happened and from that day on they plotted how to put Him to death. Jesus never went back to Nazareth or Galilee. We often hear of Jesus’ struggle in the garden of Gethsemane when He pleaded with the Father that the cup of the cross might be taken away from Him and how He choose to obey the will of the Father over his own. That was end of the war, but Jesus also struggled at the beginning and chose love over fear when He went to Bethany. He chose to walk in the light instead of holding back until darkness overtook them. He chose to rebel against sin and death, to the resurrection and the life no matter what the cost.

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