“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ’This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer 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, the Jews were just now seeking 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 anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’ After saying these things, he said to them, ’Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ’Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him’" (John 11:1-15, ESV).
My father loved wine. He did not want milk. But when I was a baby, according to my mother, my father would taste first the milk from the milk can before giving it to me. He would like to make sure that before I drink it, it’s perfectly okey for me.
Someone I knew before, who was an instructor in College of Fisheries in the nearby City, was sent by the Government to England to further his study. According to him, while they were in the field work, their professor brought his small child with him. Later, he saw that the child was about to hold a crab that is alive. And, of course, he tried to stop the child from doing it. However, he was prevented by the father. The Englishman told my friend just to let his child do it, so he could learn a lesson to be careful in touching a live crab.
My father loved me and he did not want me to get sick. Of course, the Englishman also loved his child. Though he placed him at risk, he wanted him to learn something.
Now, what would you desire or do for someone you love?
We want always to be with them. We desire for them to be safe, to be happy, to advance or to learn good lessons in life. And we try to do something to help them when they are in need, or when they suffer difficulties.
What do you think the Greatest Lover would desire for those He loved? Is it possible also for us to have the same desire for the persons we loved?
Let us, then, go to our topic, BECAUSE JESUS LOVES YOU, while we study some verses in our text (John 11:1-15).
Because of the love of Jesus, what do you expect He would like you to experience even during this life?
Again, be reminded that the Gospel of John was written by the one who addressed himself as, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” The writer, who is John, focused on the life and words of Jesus in His remaining hours on earth. He emphasized that Jesus is God. And he showed the importance, not only of belief on the Gospel, but also in the genuine love for Jesus.
In the early verses of John 10, John related that Jesus told the Jews that He was the good Shepherd. And He laid down His life for special group of people. He identified them as the sheep.
Then, when He was in Jerusalem, He further told the Jews about the identity of the sheep. According to Him, they were the special people given to Him by the Father for eternal preservation. So, not only they believed, but they persevered to believe, persevered to follow.
Now in our text, John pointed out an unexpected action of Jesus toward those He loved. And if we count ourselves as among them, we could also experience it. Much greater than the earthly favors we could enjoy, what’s the loving desire of Jesus for those He loved?
-- To behold the Glory of God (verses 1-6).
We read verses 1-6, “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ’This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
In verses 1-2, three personalities are introduced to us. The first one was Lazarus. He was different from the Lazarus, the beggar who died and went to Abraham’s bosom. Another personality was Mary. In chapter 12, she anointed Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. And the third one was Martha, the sister of Mary.
The text stated that Jesus loved the three of them. And one of them, Lazarus, was reported to become ill.
Because of His love for them, what did Jesus do? We read in verse 6, “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
In other translation, the opening word is not “so,” but “therefore.” Instead of going at once to Lazarus, Jesus “stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
If we just read verses 5 and 6, it will not make sense to us: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So (or, Therefore), when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
After reading verse 5, the normal human mind would think that, “So, (or, therefore) …. Jesus went immediately to Lazarus.” But, John wrote that “He stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
Why?
If we try to understand it along with the other verses, especially the earlier ones, we could see the right way to get the point.
When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, notice what He said: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (v. 4B). For Jesus, whether the illness was serious or it could even result to death, ultimately, it would not be the end of it. The final outcome for the illness would be for the glory of God, that the amazing work of God be displayed.
It was similar in the case of the man born blind. While the disciples of Jesus were trying to find whether the man or his parents sinned, Jesus corrected them that the reason of his blindness was not who sinned, but in order that the work of God be manifested.
So, 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.
And what would happen of that on us? In verse 14, Jesus partly told His disciples, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe…” On the Divine side, God displays His glory. On the human side, we believe with an ingredient of affection. Remember the man born blind? When he saw the spiritual glory of Christ, he believed and worshiped.
So, what is paramount in the heart of Jesus for those whom He loved?
He wanted them to behold the glory of God. And in His great loving desire for them to experience it, He would even ordain for them to suffer pain. He would not spare them the agony of waiting. He would not just subject them to shed tears, but even to be crushed by tragedy.
Lazarus was not in comfort while he was ill. Perhaps, even as he waited for Jesus. His two sisters could be in great emotional pain, not only while the life of Lazarus was ebbing away but as they also waited for Jesus. And what a tragic experience they suffered, when Lazarus breathed his last. Their heart was truly in great sorrow, as they buried Lazarus. Jesus did not yet arrived. While mourning for their loss, Mary and Martha were also painfully longing for Jesus, not just for hours but for days.
Jesus knew the pain that they would go through. But He knew more what they needed most. They needed more to behold the Glory of God. And He was determined that those whom He loved would experience it. No matter what the cost is. He wanted to make sure they would have such glorious experience. In fact in His prayer in John 17, one of His desires He related was in verse 24:
“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with Me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
“Whom you have given me” -- be reminded that there are special people given by the Father to Jesus. We encountered that truth in John 10, wherein they persevered to believe or follow Jesus. They did so, because they were given to Him for eternal preservation.
Now, in John 17, Jesus petitioned the Father that these people to be with Jesus, “to see my glory…” It is noteworthy that the Greek word from which the English word “see” came gives the idea of being a “spectator.”
The glory to be seen and enjoyed in the future by the people given by the Father to Jesus, or by the people specially loved by Jesus, will be more glorious and will be savored not just for a short time, but forever!
Meanwhile, though with our limited comprehension of God’s Glory, Jesus would like now that the elect would have at least a glimpse of it.
Believers or lovers of Christ, do we desire to behold the Glory of God?
Do we experience that joyful feeling to apprehend the Glory of Christ, as the Son of God, having the power to raise someone from the dead? Imagine how Lazarus felt when he realized that he died and almost 4 days in the tomb; afterwards, he responded to life, as Jesus called him, “Lazarus, come forth!” What joy and thanksgiving could be in the heart of Lazarus! And that feeling could remain in his heart until he would meet again Jesus in the next life.
Realize that we are all spiritually dead, even when we have our initial physical breath. Through the same grace that was extended to Lazarus, we realized the Sovereign Word and Glory of Christ, we also responded to His call. And we beheld His Glory! The man born blind, believed. He worshipped.
Adoration, joy and thanksgiving ought to reign also in our heart.
Christ continues to reveal His glory to those He loved. Be reminded of John 14:21. He told His disciples, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be love by my Father, and I will love Him and manifest myself to him.”
As you value and keep His Word because of your love for Him, you will feel more His Sovereign love and He will reveal His glory. And He will lead you to it, even through pain. As long as He loves you, whatever pain, whatever tragedy, it will not end as it is. Ultimately, you will behold the glory of God.
Remember the pain, the agony or tragedy that Mary, Martha and Lazarus suffered. It did not end in the death of Lazarus. It was for the glory of God.
And as people given by the Father to Jesus, people loved by Jesus, people “seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,” should we not also “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31)?
Then, whatever we do, not only we acknowledge that we accomplish it through our own ability or strength, but because of God. But whatever we do, our ultimate intention, or motive should be to bring out the glory of God.
If we are going to study, our intention or purpose is to gain knowledge or to prepare ourselves for the challenges in life. But our ultimate intention why we study is to display the glory of God. So, as we study, we will really study well.
When we are looking for a job or being employed, our purpose should not be just to finance our personal needs or wants. But our main reason should be to honor or glorify God by our income.
We want to have a spouse, not because we just love to have children or to enjoy companionship or for intimacy or romance. Beholder of God’s glory would want to have a spouse in order to exalt the One who established the sanctity of marriage.
Yes, we do all to the glory of God. And to promote it in this world.
CONCLUSION:
In closing, in His prayer in John 17, Jesus said to His Father, “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave me to do” (verse 4).
Actually, every work that Jesus accomplished while He was on earth was to honor or glorify His Father. His motive was always to display the goodness and greatness of the work of God, especially His agonizing death on the cross. All the pains on earth could not equal the pain He suffered. But the glory of God was supremely displayed -- redeeming all the special people given by the Father to the Son, paying all the sins of those He loved and clothing them with righteousness.
As adopted children of this Glorious God, we ought to experience the glorious work He has been doing in our life. Even now we ought to behold His glory through His Word. And like Jesus, who desire those He loved to behold the glory of God, let others we loved witness God’s Glory in whatever we do!
