John 11:1-27 The Death of Lazarus
“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.”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
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.”
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.”
“Jesus, you’ve GOT to be kidding! What do you think you’re doing?” The disciples are shocked and outraged. Here Jesus has just learned that his good friend Lazarus is sick, and he’s not rushing to heal him. After all, Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha have entertained Jesus and the disciples many times, feeding them and accommodating them. One time, Mary even broke a flask of fragrant oil, anointing Jesus and wiping his feet with her long glistening hair. If any family deserves primo consideration, it’s this one. To make matters even worse, the religious authorities in Judea are still out for Jesus’ blood, and they might be willing to wipe out the disciples also.
“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.”
Now the disciples KNOW that Jesus is mashugana, crazy! Jesus has already delayed until Lazarus is dead, so what can he possibly do about the situation? And why risk being stoned? Thomas is likely representing the rest of the disciples with his fatalistic pronouncement.
“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.”
Previously, Martha was the one who was too busy to listen to Jesus; however, Martha has learned and grown in her faith. While Mary is weeping inside the house, Martha confronts Jesus and makes a statement of faith that will echo through the ages.
God’s delays are not God’s denials. The disciples want Jesus to operate on a human schedule, and by their reckoning, Jesus has already blown it. But Jesus has a much bigger miracle in view, one that requires Lazarus to remain in the grave long enough for his body to begin to rot. When Jesus says that he is the resurrection and the life, he wants to graphically demonstrate that affirmation!
So many times, we want God to run on our schedules and we are upset when He refuses to do so. But God has bigger plans than we do and His plans are perfect while ours are anything but perfect. Here Jesus is waiting until all hope is completely gone so that nobody will say that Lazarus was simply in a coma and woke up. In the days before good medical care, that phenomenon was so frequent that the practice of wake keeping came about-family and friends sitting near the dead body in case the person woke from a coma. Jesus is setting the stage for a mind-blowing miracle, one that will be recounted throughout time.
As I am writing this, we are struggling to recruit some key staff for the mission hospital where we work. Vicious rumors plus our remote location are making things difficult, and we are struggling to trust God’s timing. But this is God’s facility, and therefore He is responsible for preserving it. We continue to pray that God will move key people in or out, depending on His Will. Truly, we are in a Martha situation.
Delays are not denials. Trust that if God has called you, God will keep you. And if God is keeping you, God has His timing all worked out. Hang onto God’s hand and praise Him for the answers that are coming!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel we need You to work immediately, not realizing that Your timing is perfect while ours is not. Please help us to patiently wait for Your complete solutions to our problems and show us what to do while we wait. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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