LAZARUS – JOHN 11
Even the most biblically illiterate person has heard the story of the raising of Lazarus. It is a very familiar story to many of us. Yet the truth is it is a story that we rarely read, fail to understand and more importantly I believe wonder how it actually applies to our daily lives. So this morning let us turn together to John 11 and look again at this familiar story.
CONTEXT
Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha. Their home in Bethany, a village some 2 miles outside Jerusalem, was obviously a place where Jesus was made welcome and felt very much at home. We know from John 10.40-42 that Jesus was presently staying in the area of Perea, some 20 miles from Bethany, across the Jordan. So Jesus is about a days journey away from the home of Lazarus. In opening couple of verses in chapter 11 we learn that Lazarus is ill and that Mary, his sister, on a previous occasion had poured perfume on to the feet of Christ and wiped it with her hair, a very intimate act. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that Lazarus is ill (verse 3) and the implication in the message is that He should come immediately.
DELAY.
Read verses 4-6. Do you not find this a strange reaction of Jesus to their message? He delays. They have sent word, obviously urgent word, that Lazarus their brother, the ‘one Jesus loved’, is ill and yet Christ delays. Not just for a few hours but for two days. Why? Why delay like this? Does Jesus not really love Lazarus? Is He indifferent to the suffering of Mary and Martha? Does He not actually care after all? Or is He afraid to go back to Bethany? After all it is in Judea and there was a price on His head in Judea. Well the reasons for the delay is given to us. In verse 4 the reason is ‘God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Then if you turn to verse 15 we read that the reason for the delay ‘that you might believe’ and again in verse 42 ‘for the benefit of the people…that they may believe.’ Here are the reasons for the delay in going to Lazarus. Mary and Martha wanted an immediate response, as we often do. To delay would seem to be cruel, indifferent and uncaring. But that is because we do not have the full picture. The truth is delays are inevitable in this life. Truth is delays are always from our perspective because we live within time – but God is not limited by time and therefore His time of answering is always right – never late and never early. God’s love is not the love of an indulgent parent who gives in to every whim of the child. God’s purpose is to make us holy, not (contrary to all the propaganda) to make us happy. God allows things into our lives which our self-centred pursuit of happiness would never allow. So Jesus delays in going to Bethany. He delays – remember that – it is not that He refuses to go. It is not that He does not care or that He is indifferent to Lazarus, Mary or Martha. The delay is for the glory of God and for their greater good – that they may believe. It is exactly the same in our lives. So remember that when you are attempted to give up in prayer or to start to believe that God is uncaring, indifferent and will not answer. His delays are the means of bringing glory to the Father and to bringing faith into the hearts of men. Jesus knew that He was in this world to serve the Father, to bring the Father glory by doing His will. He was not in the world to answer the ‘felt needs’ of the world. He was not at the ‘beck and call’ of the world but in the world to do the perfect will of the Father.
Verse 7 – after twp days Jesus announces that He is now intending to go to Bethany. The disciples, with the exception of Thomas, try to dissuade Him from going. ‘It is far too dangerous’ they say in verse 8. Then in verse 11 Jesus tells them why they are now going – Lazarus is ‘asleep.’ They misunderstand Him, thinking He means literal sleep when Jesus is in fact saying ‘Lazarus is dead’ (14).
Mary and Martha.
Then in the next section of the passage we encounter Martha and then Mary. Look at verse 17 – Lazarus has been in the tomb 4 days. At the time of Jesus many believed that after 3 days the soul departed the body and that the body would then begin to decompose. The body would be anointed on the third day and then the tomb would not be opened again. So in this little snippet of information John tells us there is no doubt Lazarus is dead and that his body was now decaying. It also tells us that by the time Jesus received the news that Lazarus was ill he had in fact already died. So you see the delay was not responsible for his death but would be the means of his resurrection from the dead.
When Martha hears that Jesus is coming she goes out to meet Him, whilst Mary remains in the house mourning. Martha and Mary both make similar confessions to Jesus ‘if only you had been here Lazarus would not have died’ – verses 21 and 32. Both Mary and Martha wrongly believe that Jesus is there to minister to their ‘felt-needs.’ The same is true today of many within the Christian church – believing Jesus is there to minister to their needs. Many Christians want a Jesus who answers all their needs whenever they call Him to do so. Many within the church also have that mentality concerning the pastor. They believe he should come whenever they call. One of the simple lessons I learnt about my work in this passage that whatever brings God the Father glory is to be my concern and not meeting the felt needs of people. Also a lesson for all of us – if Jesus could delay for two days before responding to a request from Mary and Martha what does that teach us about people who demand we come immediately to sort out a problem which is a lot less trivial than the one encountered here? Maybe we all need to refocus our hearts on what brings God glory. To refocus on what reveals Jesus more clearly and what brings people to faith in Him. Rather than jumping every time someone picks up the phone.
Martha adds in verse 22 READ. Even now Martha confesses that Jesus is the answer, although as we shall see her belief is not as strong or deep as her words would have us believe. Jesus then speaks – verse 23 and Martha’s response in verse 24 is to state the Pharisaical belief in the general resurrection on the last day. But Jesus is not speaking about the general resurrection but about the resurrection of Lazarus in particular and more importantly of Himself. In verse 25 He makes one of His ‘I am…’statements – read verse 25. When He finishes the statement He then asks a question of Martha – ‘do you believe this?’ Martha’s confession in verse 27 is similar to Peter’s when asked by Jesus ‘Who do men say I am?’ Then Mary enters the scene. Martha had gone to get her and told her that Jesus had been asking for her. Mary had spent this time sitting at home mourning, as was the tradition of the day. Many family, friends and official mourners had come to comfort her and to pray with her at this time of grief. But isn’t it interesting that amongst the mourners there were also cynics, who we will come to in a few minutes. Upon hearing that Jesus was asking for her Mary leaves in such a hurry that the mourners assume she is going to the tomb of Lazarus to grieve and they follow. When she encounters Jesus Mary falls at his feet and bathes them with her tears – something which she had done on a previous occasion – but then it was tears of repentance, now they are tears of grief. Jesus is obviously deeply moved by this – as we can see from verse 33. John tells us Jesus was ‘deeply moved and troubled.’ This description is normally used of someone who is moved to anger by what he sees. John wants us to understand that Christ is moved deep within His spirit at what He witnesses. His anger is not directed at Mary nor Martha but at death and the one behind death – satan.
Then in verse 34 Jesus asks to be taken to the tomb of His friend and we read that ‘He wept’ verse 35. Some of those looking on assume that His tears are a sign of His love for Lazarus but I want you to note at this point that Christ is not weeping for Lazarus. Why would you weep over someone you were going to raise from the dead? Christ knew what He was about to do so the tears are not for Lazarus – he is going to be raised to life. Jesus’ tears are for Mary and Martha and the grief of their souls at the death of Lazarus. His tears are for the pain that death brings into the life of a family and friends. His tears are for all of humanity who must go through this experience at some point of their lives here on earth. His tears are for the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve which brought death into creation and brought such pain into the hearts of mankind. He weeps with them and He weeps for them. But here comes the cynics. You know there will always be cynics around you, even when you are grieving. Look at what they say verse 37 – read. They never say it directly to Mary, nor Martha but they doubt Jesus here. ‘I mean, if He could help a compete stranger, why would He not have helped His friend Lazarus?’ Isn’t that the reaction of some of your friends when grief, of whatever kind, comes to your door? Don’t you hear their questions of ‘where is God now? What use is your faith now?’ They may not say it directly to you but it is there in their comments and questions. The answer to the cynics comes in the form a miracle.
John tells us that Jesus was once more ‘deeply moved’ when He arrived at the tomb. Jesus instructs them to remove the stone from the tomb. Just a little aside, men had to remove the stone from the tomb of Lazarus – but the power of God removed the stone from the tomb of Jesus. But back to this story. Look at Martha’s reaction to this request of Jesus – read verse 39. Martha had stated her belief in Jesus as the Christ. She had said she believed Him when He said He was the resurrection but now when asked to take a step of faith – up comes all the reasons for not removing the stone. Lord, Lazarus has been dead four days – dead, four days. What was she saying in reality – ‘Lord it is an impossible situation – there is no life here only death. Lord, there is no hope here.’ Then she says ‘and besides that the smell will be awful.’ Lord, the body will have begun to decompose and it will smell bad. Lord, don’t ask us to open the grave we could not face looking upon Lazarus’ body now.
Friends there will always be reasons not to take that step of faith. They will, like these reasons of Martha, be reasonable and sensible as to why you should not do what Jesus has commanded. But friends there were two precedents for what Jesus had commanded them to do – hadn’t Elijah and Elisha raised two boys from the dead? Hadn’t Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter and the widow of Nain’s son from the dead? And even if these had not occurred – hadn’t they already stated their belief that God would answer whatever Jesus asked. Now they are called to put their faith into actions. Jesus challenges their unbelief and again states the reason for what is about to happen – that they might see the glory of God.
Then in verse 42 Jesus prays – not for His benefit but so that the crowd may be in no doubt as to whom the glory belongs. Jesus thanks the Father for what is about to happen, even before it happens. All along He has been praying to the Father – praying for the Father’s will to be done and the Father’s glory to be manifested. There is a lesson there for us all in our prayer life – the key to any of our prayers – what will bring God the greatest glory?
Then in verses 43 and 44 the miracle happens. Jesus calls to Lazarus and upon hearing the voice of Jesus Lazarus walks forth from the grave. The voice of Christ brings life to the dead Lazarus. Jesus reveals His authority over death. The power which had held mankind in its terrible grip has been defeated. Death has been conquered by the Word of Jesus. This is the revelation of the glory of God and the glorification of the Son – the defeat of death. The Word of God in Christ brings forth life from the grave. Now I want you to listen to the final words of Christ Jesus here – ‘take off his grave clothes.’
Friends, Lazarus had the strength to shuffle from the grave but he was still wearing the clothes of the grave. Wrapped around him were the linen clothes of a dead body. He had been raised to life but he was still in the shroud of death and the shroud needed to be removed – but he was unable to do that himself – he needed help. Again there is a simple lesson for each of us here. As Christian believers we have been raised from a life that leads to eternal death to a life that leads to eternal life. We have gone down into the grave with Christ and been raised to New Life in Christ. Yet many Christians still shuffle about with ‘grave clothes’ on. Many Christians are still bound in the clothes of death. What am I talking about? I am talking about the old habits, the old lifestyle, the old man that you were before you were raised to new life by the grace of God. When Lazarus was raised from the dead he had no need of grave clothes. When he was raised from the dead he did not want to wear a shroud, it would only be a reminder of the days spend in the tomb. Lazarus had no desire to wear grave clothes after being raised from the dead but though he had the strength to walk out of the tomb after being called by Christ he needed help to remove the grave clothes. Friends it is true for some of you in here this morning. Some of you know the reality of being raised to new life in Christ but this morning you are still shuffling along the road wearing grave clothes. Your old self, your old lifestyle, your old habits are still around your feet and you are unable to walk by faith and instead you shuffle – not very far though. You have no business this morning waddling around in grave clothes if you have been raised to new life in Christ. Those old habits, those old attitudes, that old lifestyle, that old way of life, that old man only led to the grave. Why would you still entrap yourself with those things when you have been freed from sin and death by the grace of God in Christ? I will tell you why you are still shuffling because you are too proud to ask for help. You are too proud to admit you even need help. You are putting on the false face and telling everyone ‘it is fine, my Christian life is fine. I have been born again into new life.’ The truth is your shuffling along when you should be walking and the only thing stopping you walking this morning are the grave clothes of your past life. So when are you going to let others help you remove your grave clothes? When are you going to allow others who have had the same grave clothes as you removed to help you remove yours? Aren’t you fed up shuffling yet? Don’t you want to walk with Christ instead of shuffling along in your faith? Then get rid of the grave clothes that stop you from walking. Friends the truth is some of you like to shuffle. Some of you have gotten so use to shuffling you don’t even know the Christian life is not supposed to be like that. Listen to Jesus this morning ‘take the grave clothes off.’
Finally, you will be glad to hear, I want to remind you what this passage teaches us:
The Shadow of God’s love – when it appears that God delays it is because He wants us to see the Father’s glory revealed and to believe in Christ as His Son.
The Sympathy of Jesus – Jesus comes to us and He weeps with us and for us in our distress, in our trials, in our tribulations and in our grief. He weeps for us and with us. He is deeply moved and troubled by our tears – remember that. Remember those wonderful words in Psalm 56 verse 8 – READ.
The authority of Christ over death – in the face of death in Christ alone there is the hope of the resurrection to new life. Death is a universal fact – as a poster I once read said ’10 out of 10 cats said there owners met it.’ In Christ alone is there hope over death because He alone conquered death by rising from the dead.
So this morning the challenge to each of us is in the words of Christ ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ There is the question for you to answer ‘Do you believe this?’ Then isn’t it time to put faith into action and to walk and stop shuffling?
Amen.
