John 11
1-3 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.”
Jesus was very close to this family of three siblings, so every decision Jesus made provided potential for conflict and possible rejection. But that did not influence His resolve or trust in His Father.
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.”
Jesus’ initial response (His first declaration) was… “This sickness is not unto death, it’s not fatal, but an occasion for God & His Son to be glorified.” DO NOT reduce God’s glory to your lack of victory in a situation. Jesus is glorified when we are healed and even better yet, when we stay well with no sickness in our bodies. Let God’s truth bring thoughts of health and wholeness to replace the lie of sickness and death. Friend, please take note, God gets glory when people live, not die.
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.”
Jesus’ continued response sounds almost like a lie or at least a denial of the circumstances with Lazarus. “He’s only asleep, but I’m going to wake him up.” But we see the character and resolve of Jesus as He stays with His mission to see Lazarus whole.
12-15 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.”
Jesus treats death much differently than we do. Notice how He finally says “OK he’s dead and I’m glad he died, because you’re about to be given a new reference point for what you believe. Notice, that Jesus doesn’t fixate on the immediate crisis but on an expected outcome. And then He runs to the battle with a resounding “Let’s Go!!”
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
There’s always someone in the crowd that will say, “Well, I guess we’re all going to die.” Again, what are you fixated on in the crisis, life or death? It’s important what you think and believe in your crisis. Here’s something I believe will help you in any circumstance that arises in your life. When the crisis comes stop and ask yourself three questions and be honest with yourself and God.
- What do I believe about God in this situation?
- What do I believe about me in this situation?
- What do I believe about the outcome of this situation?
What you believe about God in all of your challenges is paramount to the outcome. If you answer the question with anything outside of what this Word says you are likely believing a lie about who God is, who you are and what the outcome looks like. If you are believing a lie, ask God to help you by exchanging the lie for His Truth on the matter. Once you know the truth then you’re ready to fight the good fight of faith.
17-20 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.
Of course Jesus would take the long way to get to Lazarus. Take note here for your own heart, Jesus does not panic, not even in extreme situations.
25-26Jesus 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?”
You’ll notice throughout the dialogues that Jesus had during His 3-year ministry, He continually patches together time and eternity. Here He explains to Martha that while there is going to be a final resurrection into eternity, He brings her back to her current circumstance in time and reassures her that she doesn’t have to wait for the end, she can experience Resurrection Life NOW!! Believer, God wants you to know that you can experience the power of eternity in your moment of impossibility… NOW. Jesus is about to explain the Gospel of eternity by raising her brother from death. Listen, Lazarus was dead dead. He was four days dead and well into the rigor mortis stage. What is impossible with man is always possible with God. Mary, Martha, and all their friends were about to experience the Resurrection power of God in the most unpredictable way, in fact, they were about to learn how to walk in eternal resurrection power on earth, as it is in Heaven in their present situation.
29-37 2As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 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.” 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Observe the pressure Jesus was facing as all eyes were on Him. He once was the answer to people’s problems, but with one bad turn of events, He becomes the One to blame. Oh, how often have I heard people say, “Why did God let this happen, why didn’t He come through for me? I guess He doesn’t love me, I’m not worthy, He’s sovereign, He doesn’t heal everyone, He’s mysterious.” Look, folks, there’s going to be pressure when you step up and do outrageous acts of faith in the name of Jesus. Don’t cave to that pressure. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
Jesus reminds them of His original goal, to show the power of His Father at work. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” Just believe, you can’t get more simple than that.
41-42 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.42 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.”
This may sound like a side note but trust me it is not. Every miracle that Jesus did, served to point the world to the truth that God indeed sent Him as His Only Begotten Son full of Grace and Truth!!
43-44 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 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.”
Can you imagine, Lazarus walking out like a dead corpse, and all Jesus says to those standing around is, “Unwrap him and let him loose.” John 11 is bold and uncommon. We live in a culture of death on this earth. But our reality in Christ is life and more abundant life. John 11 teaches us how to approach sickness and even death. Until we are willing to step out in outrageous faith and follow the pattern of our Lord Jesus, we really are nothing more than spectators. It’s time to exceed the usual protocol for crisis and trust that if it was good enough for Jesus it’s good enough for me.
