Beholding The Glory

“When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, ’The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ’Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ’Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?’" (John 11:28-37, ESV.)

When I was a young boy, living in a remote barrio on a mountain, my attention was always caught by the moving clouds being carried by the wind. As they moved and being transformed into different shapes, for a young mind that was not exposed to a movie or TV, the moving clouds in the sky was a glorious thing. I was really enjoying watching them.

When I grew up and our family transferred in the city, I was now enjoying the movies. But when I became older and got to travel in an airplane, I was given the opportunity to watch the moving clouds from a different angle. I was now over them. Before I was looking upward to watch them, but in an airplane, I was looking down at them. And the scene was more glorious!

Glorious, in the sense, that there was striking beauty in what I saw and there was delighted admiration in what I felt. It was not just a very good experience. It was glorious! I hope I could see and experience it again and again.

Have you seen or experienced something glorious? Are you thinking of the glory of the person, the place, or the experience you enjoy? What glorious thing in this world you would like to experience?

This time, let’s focus on the topic, BEHOLDING THE GLORY while we study our text (John 11:28-37).

As followers of Jesus Christ, we ought to be excited to experience the future Glory that Jesus will reveal. We believe that it will transcend all the glories in this world. In our present time, when His Glory at least flashes in us, what do you think could be our reaction?

Before we answer it, remind again ourselves that the Gospel of John was written by the one who addressed himself repeatedly in the book as, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” The writer, who is John, focused on the life and words of Jesus in His few remaining days on earth. He emphasized that Jesus is God. And he related the importance not only of believing, but also of loving Jesus.

In the first 16 verses of chapter 11, John pointed out an unexpected action of Jesus toward those He loved. In His love for Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Jesus wanted them to see or experience more than physical healing. His loving desire for them was to behold the glory of God.

In verses 17-27, we were able to have a glimpse of the glory of Christ. First, we were able to grasp it in His peculiar Presence. And second, in the profound truth about Himself. Jesus manifested Himself to Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life. He would not just be the Resurrection in the future, but even at present, He is the Resurrection and Life.

In the context of the story, He was trying to tell Martha that she could really expect Lazarus to rise in the future, but because He was present at that time, Lazarus could also experience the resurrection. But the statement of Jesus has a deeper truth embedded in it. Before a person could really believe, first he needed to experience new life. He needed to be resurrected from spiritual death, so he could believe. Jesus said, “…everyone who lives (his spirit lives) and believes in me shall never die” -- shall never die spiritually (verse 26).

In our time, we could also look forward to be resurrected. But, even now we could also experience the resurrection -- the bringing into life of our dead human spirit. And according to Peter, true believers have experienced it. He wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).