John 11:1–46
The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus
1. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4. But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
5. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
7. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8. The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9. 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.
10. “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
11. This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
12. The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
13. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14. So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15. and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
16. Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
17. 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 off;
19. and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21. Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22. “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24. Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26. and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27. She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
28. When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29. And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.
30 . Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.
31. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
34. and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35. Jesus wept.
36. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”
37. But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
38. So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
39. Jesus said “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40. Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41. So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43. When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
44. The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45. Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.
46. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
The resurrection of Christ from the grave is central to the message of Easter. But this Easter we’re going to back track in the life of Christ and focus on someone else that Jesus resurrected before His own death and resurrection. We’re going to do this because we need to see that Easter, and the resurrection of Jesus, is also about all of us. Jesus rose from the dead because He wants every one of us to have eternal life.
The man whom Jesus resurrected in the Scripture we’re going to read from today was named Lazarus and the Bible says he was a friend of Jesus. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus, and not only that, but Jesus is your friend. I want to talk to you today about Jesus being your friend.
Jesus wants to be your friend - but of course, friendship is a two-way street so you have to make a decision on whether or not you want to be Jesus’ friend. Lazarus had made that decision and from a chapter in his life I want you to see that there are 7 Ways Jesus is the Best Friend You Could Ever Have
The first way Jesus is the best friend you could ever have is:
1 – He wants to perfect you – not pamper you.
Like any good friend, Jesus wants you to be the "best you" that you can possibly be. A good friend doesn’t just think of your short-term success or comfort; he or she thinks of your long-term well-being, what is best for you in the long term.
John 11:1-2 (NASB) The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus
1. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4. But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
If Jesus loved Lazarus so much, why did he let him get sick? Why didn’t he pre-empt the sickness or heal him immediately and avoid all of the suffering prior to his death? And of course, he died. Jesus didn’t say that Lazarus wouldn’t die – He simply said that death wouldn’t be the end! That’s some great news we’ll get to in a few minutes. But the question for now is, "Why did Jesus let His good friend Lazarus get sick and die?"
Have you ever asked, "Why does God allow suffering and injustice, pain and sorrow? If God is a God of love why do bad things happen to good people?" Have you questioned God and said, "God, If you love me, why have you allowed these bad things to happen to me?"
Yes, Jesus could have prevented "his good friend Lazarus" from getting sick. He could even have healed him from where He was. But He deliberately chose not to. Jesus had something even better for his good friend!
Jesus used the resurrection of Lazarus from death as concrete evidence that there is life after death! And He did this before his own death and resurrection. He used this miracle to prove that death is not the end of it all, that, if you, like Lazarus, will place your faith in Him, you will have abundant life here on earth and eternal life forever with God in heaven!
Here’s an illustration from nature. You’ve probably always figured that a possum was a dumb animal. I’ve been told that you hardly ever see one except when its dead on the road. There’s a joke that goes, "Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the possum that it could be done."
But in spite of the bad press, possums actually are smart, at least in one area. Did you know that a possum won’t go into a hole in the ground if there’s only one set of tracks outside the hole? They know that something is still in there. But if there’s a set of tracks leading in and another set of tracks leading back out, the possum isn’t afraid to enter the hole.
The message of Easter is that we can enter the grave - we don’t have to fear death because not only are there a set of tracks heading into Jesus’ tomb - but there is also a set of tracks heading back out!
Sickness and death were bad things to happen to Lazarus and his family - but resurrection was a marvelous thing! And, what do you think happened to the faith of all of those who knew Lazarus
The second way this story illustrates that Jesus is the best friend you could ever have is
2 – He laid His life on the line for you.
5. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
7. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8. The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9. 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.
10. “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
11. This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
The disciples were afraid for Jesus’ safety. They knew that Christ’s enemies were looking for an opportunity to kill Him. Why would Jesus risk this by going back to the vicinity of Jerusalem?
There’s only one reason. He was willing to lay His life on the line for His friends!
The Good News is that Jesus not only did this for Lazarus and Martha and Mary – He did it for us also! He hung between heaven and earth, between God and man, between good and evil – on Skull Hill, the literal meaning of Golgotha, the summit outside of Jerusalem on which they crucified Christ, so named because it resembled a skull - certainly a fitting name for a place with the atmosphere of death. On Skull Hill Jesus was making a public statement for all the world to see and hear: "I am giving my life for my friends!" In fact, the Bible says that, “The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Have you ever given away something or thrown it out, only to have a newly discovered need for it and go and buy it back from the thrift store or have to buy a new one? I have been known to buy something back that once belonged to me.
That’s what Jesus was doing on the cross. Jesus created you. And then sin separated you from Him. On the cross He was paying the price to buy you back. He laid His life on the line for you.
The third way Jesus is the greatest friend you could ever have is
3 – He initiates the opportunity for friendship.
When Jesus told his disciples why He was going back, even in spite of the danger to His life,
12. The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
13. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14. So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15. and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
16. Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Jesus gives us the chance to put our faith in Him. He left heaven, became human, died for your sins, and then conquered death for you – all in an attempt to show you how interested He is in being your friend. He took the initiative!
Don’t you like to have friends who take the initiative to contact you and be friends? You can tell they really love you because you’re not the only one always picking up the phone or starting the conversation. You’re not the only one trying to get together. Jesus wants to be your friend so badly that He took the first step.
But there’s more!
The 4th way Jesus is the best friend you could ever have is
4 – His promises will get you through difficult times.
17. 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 off;
19. and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21. Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22. “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
The greatest comfort Jesus could give his grieving sisters was the promise of resurrection. "Your brother will live again!"
There isn’t a greater promise in the universe than knowing that you can live forever!
I read last week that babies born now, in the early part of the 21st Century, can expect to live to be 150 years old! Because of the advancements in health care. That’s amazing, and a little bit disturbing!
Want to know something even more amazing? You can live forever because of the promise Jesus has made to you!
But there’s more!
The 5th way Jesus is the best friend you could ever have is
5 – He offers you eternal life for believing in Him.
How does Jesus offer eternal life to you? What’s the catch?
When Jesus told Martha of the resurrection of her brother, here’s how she responded.
24. Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26. and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27. She said said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
28 . When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
Jesus didn’t merely say that there is life after death - He said He is the One who provides that life!
A Philadelphia legal firm sent flowers to an associate in Baltimore upon the opening of a new office building. Through some mix-up, the banner on the flowers read, "Deepest Sympathy." When the florist was informed of the mistake, he let out a shriek, and exclaimed, "Then the flowers that went to the funeral said, "Congratulations on your new location!"
That’s what death is - it is simply, moving to a new location, you have a new residence. It is one without the annoying neighbors, the leaky faucet, and weeds in the front yard. If you have placed your faith in Christ - after you experience physical death you will enjoy eternal life with God in a perfect place!
You couldn’t possibly have a better friend than One who offers you eternal life!
Why would He make this offer?
That leads us to the 6th way Jesus is the greatest friend you could ever have.
6 – Jesus loves you.
Everyone craves love, and it’s good to be loved. God created you to be loved. There’s nothing to compare with loving and being loved. And God is the source of unfailing love. Most if not all of us have experienced love that has failed in one way or another, God is the source of a love that will not fail.
Look at how much Jesus loves His friends.
30. He was still outside the village where Martha had gone to meet him.
31. Many people had come to comfort Mary, and when they saw her quickly leave the house, they thought she was going out to the tomb to cry. So they followed her.
32. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
34. and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35. Jesus wept.
36. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”
37. But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
The Greek word for love used in verse 35, talking about how much Jesus loved Lazarus, is phileo, brotherly love, friendship love.
What the Bible says on this subject is that:
The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. (John 15:13)
Jesus proved how very much He wants to be your friend by dying in your place on the cross on Skull Hill.
The Bible says we are all sinners.
All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23)
And sin has a horrible price tag.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Jesus loves you so much that He took the penalty of your sin for you!
And the final way this story of the resurrection of Lazarus illustrates how Jesus is the best friend you could ever have is
7 – Jesus is the only One who can truly set you free.
After the conversation with Lazarus’ sisters we read that:
38. So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
39. Jesus said “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40. Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41. So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43. When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
Like Lazarus, your only hope against death, physical and eternal, is faith in Jesus.
Man could roll the stone away but only Jesus could issue the command for the dead to rise to new life.
You may have tried many things in your life to find true freedom. Some of the things you have tried may have even been religious. But true freedom doesn’t come from religion – it comes from a relationship – a personal relationship with the greatest friend that you could ever have – Jesus. And, how do you build a relationship with someone? By spending time with them.
You begin that relationship by making a faith commitment to Jesus. You need to tell Jesus that you believe in Him and that you appreciate what He did for you on the cross and what He did for you by rising from the grave.
We want to give you that opportunity today. Would you please bow your heads in prayer with me?
If you want to begin that personal relationship with Christ today, if you want to be set free, if you want to have abundant life here and eternal life hereafter, I want to ask you to pray this prayer silently in your heart and mind right now,
"Dear God, I realize that you love me and want to be my savior and my friend. Today I want to ask you to forgive all my sins and let me begin a personal friendship with Jesus today. Thank you for giving your life on the cross to prove your love for me Jesus – and to prove how much you want to be my friend. I want to live for you. Help me learn more about you."
While our heads are still bowed in reverence to God, maybe there’s someone here today that would like to renew their commitment to Jesus.
I want to ask you to pray this prayer silently in your heart and mind right now,
"Father, forgive me for not placing the importance on our relationship together that I should have. I know that you have done so very much for me and I want to ask you to help me to a consistent friendship with you. Help me to overcome the bad things that have happened and to realize that you have better things for me if I will trust in you."
