THE SILENT MAN WHO SPOKE NOT A WORD – Message John 11 LAZARUS Part 1
THE CHARACTERS OF JOHN’S GOSPEL
Today we are looking at a very interesting but important episode in the Gospel of John. It takes up most of one chapter and a bit of the next. The character we are studying is known as Lazarus. How many people in the bible carried that name? Well, there were two of them, one in the Gospel of Luke and one in John. The interesting thing about these two men is that both were dead. Dead men don’t speak; they are silent – or are they? Both these men spoke from the grave in a very special couple of circumstances. Both are unique.
I want to spend some time on both men.
The first Lazarus is recorded in Luke 16 and we turn to that to read it - Luke 16 v 19 Now there was a certain rich man and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendour every day, Luke 16:20 and a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, Luke 16:21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Luke 16:22 Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried, Luke 16:23 and being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:24 He cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue for I am in agony in this flame,’ Luke 16:25 but Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things, but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. Luke 16:26 Besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ Luke 16:27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house - Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers - that he may warn them lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Luke 16:29 Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them hear them,’ Luke 16:30 but he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ Luke 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
That account of Lazarus is a most ridiculed, despised, and rejected story by the mockers, and by certain preachers. It is added to the great list of laughable stories, and some preachers mainly refer to it as a parable not worth considering, except to draw out from it, some nebulous moral application like, “Care for those not as well off as you are. Help the needy; Give to the poor.” The fact is, this is not a parable. Parables do not have names of people. This story names Lazarus. This episode was one known to the Lord, as Jesus knows all His sheep whether alive or dead. What can we draw from this story? I have made a list I consider important teachings from this account in Luke. Here they are.
Number 1. Lazarus did not go to Abraham’s bosom because he was poor, and the rich man did not go to hades/hell because he was rich. However, God teaches very clearly that riches are a very real hindrance to finding salvation, and that is because those with money and riches put their trust in what they possess, in what is tangible, not in a Saviour. God does say some things about rich people and here are 4 verses:-
Matthew 19 v 24 and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
1Timothy 6 v 17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Luke v 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty-handed.
James 2 v 6 but you have dishonoured the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Number 2. The place of the departed before the cross was the “grave” or “hell (Sheol/Hades)”. It was in two compartments, one called Abraham’s bosom or Paradise; and the other part called just hell. Even Jesus went there to hell but to Paradise as He Himself said to one of the crucified men before His death - Luke 23 v 42 and he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom,” Luke 23:43 and He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Number 3. Hell is a place of torment as will be the lake of fire (Gehenna). We must not think of God hurling torment and hurt at the lost souls in hell, or even demons there tormenting the lost souls. That comes from Dante’s Purgatorio. Satan does not rule hell! Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels (demons) but those who follow in Satan’s train by rejecting the Saviour will follow Satan to his future abode and partake of what that place has in store for Satan. A person’s own sins meet their evaluated justice in hell. There are some like the Seventh Day Adventists who teach “soul sleep” or annihilation where the wicked are destroyed to have no more existence forever. That is contrary to God’s word.
Number 4. In verse 22 the poor man was carried away by the angels. Does that happen to us? I don’t know but a verse says “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” As Paul said, 2Corinthians 5 v 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. There is no longer any Paradise because in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, He took home to heaven all those who had been held captive there because heaven, before the cross, had not yet been prepared for them - Ephesians 4 v 8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” The death of Christ prepared heaven for the redeemed. (John 14 v 1).
Number 5. It was in the afterlife that the rich man saw things in perspective but it was too late. Because in verse 24 the rich man mentions Lazarus to Abraham, that means he knew of him in this earthly life. In that verse he wanted Lazarus to comfort him with water while in earthly life he did nothing to comfort Lazarus with anything. Then he wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, but the answer was direct – “They have Moses and the Prophets”. God’s word is going to be the yardstick whereby judgement will happen, and man’s acceptance or rejection of God’s word, seals his fate.
Number 6. It will not be signs and wonders in this current world that will lead men to repentance. That is why no one returns from the grave and why God does not flash around the spectacular. Yes, miracles do happen but not in showmanship, only in the holiness of God’s special place.
Number 7. In this special account of Lazarus in Luke, this godly man was silent. Not a word of his is recorded in scripture. He was “the silent man”.
The subject today is “The Characters of John’s Gospel” but we have been looking at Luke. The specific title is “The Silent Man” so we will now turn to John chapter 11 for the study of one character there, another Lazarus, another silent man. We begin with the first 5 verses - John 11 v 1 Now a certain man, Lazarus of Bethany, was sick in the village of Mary and her sister Martha, John 11:2 and it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. John 11:3 The sisters therefore sent to Him saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” John 11:4 When Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.
If we had to pick out touching stories in the life of Jesus, Mary and Martha would definitely feature as we see the devotion of Mary and the service of Martha. John and Luke are the only writers to speak about this trio of believers, though Luke does not refer to this Lazarus. We know Luke’s account very well - Luke 10:38 Now as they were travelling along, He entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Luke 10:39 She had a sister called Mary who moreover was listening to the Lord’s word, seated at His feet, Luke 10:40 but Martha was distracted with all her preparations and she came up to Him, and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me,” Luke 10:41 but the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, Luke 10:42 but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her.”
The story is about Mary’s devotion and Martha’s service but Mary had chosen the good part. Notice, will you, that in verse 38, Martha had a home. I think it is generally assumed that Mary, Martha and Lazarus all lived together, but we do not know that. They all lived in Bethany. We do not know if any of them was married. The bible is not a gossip account, nor does it treat people like the Americans treat celebrities. The Holy Spirit is very economical with the facts and gives only what is sufficient.
Martha thought her sister was being lazy by leaving her with all the preparations for the meal. Remember it was not just Jesus who was there but His disciples also for they always travelled with Him. That is a lot of preparation for a meal.
Let us return to John chapter 11. The story begins with the sickness of Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha and they all lived at Bethany. Now just so that we have the correct Mary, in verse 2, John mentions the incident where Mary anointed the Lord with costly ointment. The record of that is found in the next chapter of John - John 12 v 1 Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead, John 12:2 so they made Him a supper there and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume, John 12:4 but one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot who was intending to betray Him said, John 12:5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” John 12:6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. John 12:7 Jesus therefore said, “Let her alone in order that she may keep it for the day of My burial,
That story is a beautiful account of devotion and leading by God in a prophetic way, an act setting out the burial of the Lord that was about 5 or 6 days away. At the time of its happening, no one at that event except Jesus, realised the significance of it but later on they did, and it is why John mentions the Lord’s comment on it in verse 7. Because of the way John talks about Mary, Martha and Lazarus, I think he has a special relationship with these three people.
Such was the sisters’ concern that they sent a message to Jesus in verse 3 of chapter 11 and it is interesting to notice the little expression, “he whom You love is sick”. What a glorious comment. It shows the sisters knew Jesus loved them, and Lazarus. It shows they had faith in His ability to heal. It shows that Lazarus must have been very sick for them to have sent to Jesus.
Jesus received the message from the sisters and His response was this in verse 4, When Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” The Lord said that Lazarus would nor die, but he did. He indicated that the sickness had come on Lazarus so that the Father and the Son would be glorified from it. John would never make such a glaring error as to say Lazarus would not die when they all knew that shortly after, he did, so what is meant by this? I think what the Lord said was that Lazarus would not be lost to them in the long run through death. The Lord was fixed on the finishing line, not the stumble along the way. Jesus Himself was in a similar situation. He was gone from His loved ones for a short time but He returned to be restored once again. Do you know that God can be glorified through tragedy? We are so earth-centred and do not see the window of light through which the glory of God comes streaming down. We see through cataract eyes.
If the Lord tarries we will all die. It is a certainty, but in a sense it can be said of all of us, “this sickness is not unto death” even though we might die, but we don’t die, because when we do leave this scene we are more alive than ever!
Verse 5 is such a special revelation. What a special family this was. Jesus’ love to them was special. Jesus loved all and did not have favourites but He did have some very special connections with some of the people in His ministry. We may be assured that Jesus loves me in just the same way He loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus, but the relation is different. The same could be said about the disciples, and even among them, Peter and John were special, but He loved His own unto death, all equally. See John 13 v 1 for that.
Let us continue with the account as given by John and read from verses 6 to 16 - John 11 v 6 When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was. John 11:7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” John 11:8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews just now were seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?” John 11:9 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, John 11:10 but if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.” John 11:11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go that I may awaken him out of sleep.” John 11:12 The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” John 11:13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. John 11:14 Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, John 11:15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe, but let us go to him.” John 11:16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go that we may die with Him.”
Verse 6 is one of those actions that only God Himself could be in control of. What would we have done? We would have rushed to Bethany as quickly as we were able, but we did not create and sustain life. The universe is not under our control. The laws of nature and the balance of life is not in our hand. The Saviour knew all things. He knew Lazarus’s every breath. The Lord heard the news and remained two more days before setting out. “I come to do Thy will, O God,” from Psalm 40 is the Lord doing the Father’s will, and that meant two more days in the place where He was. Sometimes God’s will does not make sense to our finite minds. Our path to perfection may go through thorn bushes and obstacles. We see dimly through the trees; God sees as if by an overhead drone.
There was an exchange between Jesus and His disciples in verses 7 to 10, which we could consider but we will pass on. Jesus knew why He was going to Galilee but the disciples did not know.
Verses 11 to 14 is a quaint incident of terms, and “disciple confusion” and we will look at it carefully. Jesus was explaining to them why He was going to Galilee again. It is to meet with Lazarus. Verse 11 is classic - This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go that I may awaken him out of sleep.” Here the disciples were thinking, “Why would You go there just to awaken him when he is sleeping? It makes no sense. He needs his rest, especially when he is sick. Anyway, he will wake up when he has slept enough.” We can totally excuse them especially when they did not know what had happen, that is, that Lazarus had died. In verse 13 John explains that for all of us – “Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.”
There is not one incident in the New Testament where death for a believer is termed as dying, died, passed away. The term that is used is always “sleep” or “asleep”. We see it in the death of Stephen - Acts 7 v 60 and falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” and having said this, he fell asleep. Acts 13 v 36 David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay. 1Corinthians 15 v 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. 1Corinthians 15 v 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. That will do for examples. The closest we get to the word “died” is in this passage - John 11 v 14 Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”
Jesus was going to Bethany to waken Lazarus from sleep. Two verses close this section - John 11 v 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe, but let us go to him.” John 11:16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go that we may die with Him.”
We have Thomas, always the optimist! “We might as well go so we can all die with Him”. Thomas – so human! We will look at Thomas on another occasion and you might not expect what he probably meant. Verse 15 is touching on faith. What is the greater pillar of faith - to see Jesus heal Lazarus who is sick; or to see Lazarus rise from the grave? Jesus was glad He was not there at that time to heal Lazarus, for He was very concerned about the disciples’ faith.
END OF PART 1. PART 2 WILL FOLLOW.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
