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The Raising of Lazarus, Part I, John 11:1-10
In this lesson we are reminded by the actions of Jesus Christ that God’s glory overshadows all that we are and all that we do.
We will see two women who are deeply involved in their brother’s fatal illness,
two women who witness the death of their brother,
two women who expected Jesus Christ to come to their aid
but were completely disappointed, having to then attend to the wrapping of their brother in grave clothes
and seeing to his burial in the tomb.
Jesus, our all-powerful Lord, our miracle working Savior allowed this to happen, allowed these women such grief and despair, all to insure that God, his father would recieve glory.
John 11:1-10, 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 his 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 Judaea 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.
At the time of this event Jesus has returned to the place where John the Baptist baptized him three years prior.
He is on the east side of the Jordan River, having left Jerusalem after his confrontations with the Pharisees and the scribes.
This passage describes the seventh miracle that John includes in his Gospel.
The first one concerns the happiest event of life, the wedding at Cana, and the last one concerns the saddest event in life, a funeral at Bethany.
Bethany was a small village located on the eastern slope of the Mt. of Olives, about two miles southeast of Jerusalem.
It was the final stop before entering Jerusalem while traveling the main east‑west road, the high road, coming from Jericho.
Besides the raising of Lazarus that took place at Bethany, Mary gave Jesus His "burial anointment." at the home of Simon the Leper.
And Bethany was the location for Jesus Christ's final blessing to His disciples and His ascension to heaven as Luke has recorded.
John gives us a point of reference to Lazarus by mentioning an event in the life of Christ that Christ told him to remember as a memorial of Mary.
And Matthew records in chapter 26 verse 13, Christ’s command concerning this rare and very dear time of Mary‘s devotion:
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Now Lazarus which is an abbreviation of Eleazar, meaning "God has helped" is the brother of that Mary, that Mary that anointed the feet of the Lord Jesus.
John says: "You will know whom I mean if I tell you that he was the brother of that Mary who anointed the Lord."
That Mary whom we are told spent much time at the feet of Jesus.
Since there are six women named Mary in the New Testament this unique identification is helpful.
John may have mentioned Mary first because she was the one who was well known at the time of the writing of John's Gospel.
The Lord has insured this because of his command to tell of her anointing of him throughout the whole world.
One writer says that one act, virtuous or vicious, may render a person noted through all ages.
God remembers Mary by her act of love in anointing Jesus Christ and commands us to remember her.
We are glad that God remembers us for there may even come a day when we are unable to remember.
It is God who remembers the gold, and silver and precious jewels of our life.
Our memories may grow dim but God's memory does not.
I'm thankful that our rewards do not depend on us reciting the gold, and silver and precious jewels of our lives before the judgment seat of Christ.
But Lazarus was sick, he was weak unto death.
This was a serious illness and his sisters knew it.
Do you suppose they prayed for Jesus to heal him from afar?
Don't you suppose that they wondered why Jesus did not come without asking?
Why was he delaying?
John 11:3, Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
The word sick implies deathly sick.
It implies that Lazarus was sinking.
They therefore send a messenger the 25 miles to tell Jesus Christ of their concern.
What a friend they had in Jesus, what a comfort to them to know the Jesus Christ cared about their brother.
As a poet once said, Oh, tell thy woes to those beloved, for sorrows shared, are half removed.
They remind him of his love for their brother.
They do not seek his help because of Lazarus' love but because of Jesus love for Lazarus.
I'm glad that God doesn't help according to our love for him.
He helps because of his love to us.
Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick!
They were appealing to the heart of Jesus Christ, the one in whom they had complete confidence.
They simply tell him of their concern.
They do not tell him how to solve their problem.
They make no request but simply remind him of his love for their dying brother and they leave the rest to him.
They knew Jesus would never forsake him.
This passage teaches us that we ought not to prescribe the answer to prayer to God. We ought not limit the Lord to answer prayer in only our way.
We should simply make the need known and wait on the Lord with respect to his good time and his good method whatever it may be.
Had they asked for healing and healing was granted the glory of God in resurrection power would not have been revealed in the raising of their brother.
This passage tells us that God sometimes denies us a small favor that he may show us a greater one.
John 11:4, 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.
Jesus already knows about Lazarus.
He needs no messenger.
He knows what will take place while the sisters of Lazarus pray for their brother.
He says that the sickness is not unto death and yet to the sisters, who receive by return messenger this hope, what did they think when Lazarus died?
Remember what Jesus said to Peter in John 13:7: Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
We are not equipped to judge the love of Christ to us by outward happenings, by the things that we may go through.
Simply trust him, only trust him.
God knows the end from the beginning.
As Isa 46:9,10 says: Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
There is a definite reason for the sickness that Lazarus is suffering, Jesus says.
It is for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
It is to further the honor of God.
It is to further the glory of Christ.
Sick or well, alive or dead, the believer is to glorify God.
Someone has said, We should not too bitterly mourn the death of those whom Jesus loves.
For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.
And blessed in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
We are to believe that our faith will sustain us when death comes our way.
Rom 14:8, For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
That is the bottom line.
Whatever we go through whether it be life or it be death we continue in the same relationship with the Lord, we are the Lord's.
John 11:5,6 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.
Jesus loved Martha!
Jesus loved Mary!
Jesus loved Lazarus!
Martha was not put into the tomb.
Mary was not put into the tomb.
But Lazarus was placed into the tomb.
Did Jesus love Lazarus less?
No, we are told that this whole experience was allowed to happen for the glory of God, that thereby the Son of God might be glorified.
In order for this glorification to take place Jesus abode two days in the same place where he received the messenger from Martha and Mary.
He stayed for two days and therefore allows Lazarus to die in the flesh.
He stayed in Bethany on the east of Jordan while Mary and Martha mourned, while they wrapped their brother in grave cloths and placed his body in the tomb.
To Mary and Martha, Lazarus was dead, but to Christ, Lazarus was awaiting resurrection and life.
What a different perspective we have from God's perspective!
We say, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
But John assures us that through all of these seemingly tragic events Jesus loved Martha, Jesus loved Mary and Jesus loved Lazarus!
What is the principle here?
How does this apply to us?
Peter, what does Jesus tell you in John 13:7?
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
We may not know why God does what he does but we do know that he loves his children.
Whatever is going to happen to you, to me, to your loved ones you can be assured that Jesus loves you.
John 11:7,8, Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
The time is right.
The Father's will is known by Jesus Christ.
Two days have passed and Christ knows that it is the Father's will that he and his disciples leave and go to Judaea again.
Judaea of course is the place of danger and confrontation and this disturbs his disciples.
For them also it is a time of testing and trial.
They well remember the threats against their master.
The Jews just now sought to stone thee, and goest thou thither again, they ask?
The disciples saw no need for going into the mouth of the lion.
Why not stay east of the Jordan until things blow over?
Their Lord's ways certainly were beyond figuring out.
Again Peter, what did Jesus tell you?
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Disciples, what does the proverb mean where we are told not to lean to our own understanding?
Oh, how susceptible we are to lean.
John 11:9,10, 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.
Jesus must be about his Father's business, death threats or not.
A work had been given him to do by the Father and that work he would finish!
As he said in John 9:4, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. |