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The raising of Lazarus to life, John 11:1-44, shows us several important things. The omnipotence of Christ, that Jesus has a reason for everything, when we suffer God suffers, and how to pray. Even when faced with what appears to be an impossible situation, there is hope through Jesus Christ. In God’s time our prayers will be answered. Through faithful waiting we are made spiritually stronger. When we suffer we are not alone, Jesus agonizes over our suffering, and weeps with us. Some have wondered why Jesus waited four days before He raised Lazarus back to life. I believe that Jesus had a perfect plan for Lazarus’ life, and has a perfect plan for our lives. The raising of Lazarus after four days proves there is nothing impossible for Jesus. The Jews believed that the spirit of a deceased hovered over the corpse for three days, but then the spirit departed the corpse due to the change of color of the corpse: “For three days the spirit returns to the tomb. It intends to reinhabit the corpse. But when it sees that the color of the corpse’s face has changed, then it goes off and leaves the corpse” (Genesis Rabbah 100). On the fourth day all believed there was no hope for Lazarus, but Jesus arrived and changed things. As long as we seek Jesus there is always hope for us, and when we allow Jesus in our lives He will change things. When Mary and Martha first sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, There are a few things we can infer, or conclude about Martha and Mary. In John 11:2 it states that Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with oil and wiped his feet with her hair. The Apostle John referred to Mary as the women that anointed Jesus’ feet with oil even though the washing of Jesus’ feet by Mary had not occurred yet, John 12:1-3, to make a distinction between Mary, Lazarus’ sister, and the “woman that was a sinner” that washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair described in Luke 7:37-38. These are two separate but similar incidents. The incident Luke describes occurred in Galilee and the anointing that John describes occurred in Bethany. John had the insight to know that one day Christians would get these two women confused. Martha and Mary were wealthy or at least well off financially. They owned a house, had a tomb to bury Lazarus, and the alabaster jar of perfume used by Mary to anoint Jesus’ feet was worth three hundred denarius or nearly a year’s wages for a manual laborer. Jesus’ delay in going to Bethany was not due to lack of concern. Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary, John 11:5. In John 11:6, abode was used instead of tarry which may indicate that Jesus had work to do, or work which needed to be completed. When Jesus told his disciples “let us go into Judea again” John 11:7, his disciples were worried that Jesus may be killed. John 11:8. Jesus reply was He was the light of the world. John 11:9-10. Without Jesus lighting our paths we will stumble. The Jews divided the day into two equal twelve-hour parts from sunrise to sunset. If we let Jesus be our light, our paths will always be lit even from sunset to sunrise. Jesus used a metaphor for death in John 11:11, by stating that Lazarus sleeps. I believe Jesus stated, “Lazarus sleepeth” because He knew that He was going to Bethany and raise Lazarus form death. The disciples told Jesus if Lazarus slept he would get better. The disciples did not understand that Jesus was using a metaphor for death, or maybe they were more concerned for Jesus’ life, and their own lives, that they could not comprehend what Jesus was telling them. We do that when we get too focused on our flesh. We lose focus on our spiritual lives, and what Jesus is telling us. There is a lesson to learn from the Apostle Thomas, sometimes referred to as Doubting Thomas, in John 11:16-17. Thomas was willing to go with Jesus into Judea and even die for Jesus. Thomas was always questioning, but was loyal and willing to give his life for Jesus. When Jesus and His disciples arrived in Bethany they found many Jews and family members of Lazarus, John 11:19. Many Jews were there due to Bethany’s close proximity to Jerusalem, and they were still mourning. Mourning lasted thirty days for the Jewish people. The first seven days work was not performed. During the complete thirty days new or white clothing was not to be worn, men had to be unshaven, and torn garments were not repaired. Martha went to meet Jesus, John 11:20. Martha did not wait for Jesus to come to her and Mary, nor did she wait for Jesus to arrive at Lazarus’ tomb. When we want a blessing or miracle from Jesus, we must go to Jesus and not wait for Jesus to come to us. Martha did recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but under-estimated the omnipotence of Christ. Martha had faith that Jesus could heal Lazarus’ illness in John 11:21-27, but she did not understand that Jesus has unlimited power, and He could raise her brother even after four days of death. How often have we missed our miracles by under-estimating the power of Jesus even when in the presence of the Lord? |
Martha believed as all Jews, except the Sadducees, that the dead would be raised on the last day, John 11:24. Martha still did not understand why Jesus was there, nor did she understand what Jesus was telling her. Jesus gets more direct with Martha stating, “I am the resurrection and the life”, John 11:25. These words are just as powerful today as they were 2000 years ago. From John 11:28-31, we can conclude that Jesus asked about Mary. Martha went to the house to tell Mary that Jesus arrived, but Martha did not tell the others in the house of Jesus’ arrival, John 11:31. There may have been members from the Sanhedrin in the house. Mary was happy to hear of the arrival of Jesus, John 11:29, and she went to worship Him, John 11:32. Mary also had faith that Jesus could have healed Lazarus’ illness, but Mary also may have under-estimated the power of God since she told Jesus that if He had arrived sooner Lazarus would not have died. Jesus groaned in spirit and was troubled, John 11:33-35. This indicates that Jesus did not weep tears of a hypocrite, but was suffering for Mary and Martha. Jesus suffers when we suffer, and He sheds tears when we cry, even when He is going to do a miracle in our lives. Some say there are no tears in heaven, therefore God cannot cry for us. This is not correct. There will be a day when God wipes away the tears, but it will not occur until after the Great White Throne Judgment, Revelation 21:4. If there are no tears in heaven, how can God wipe the tears away? The day when there are no more tears in heaven has not yet come. Until then, God will continue to weep for us. When Jesus said take away the stone covering Lazarus’ tomb, John 11:39, Martha must have thought Jesus was only going to look at the body of Lazarus because she warned Jesus that the body “stinketh”. No amount of sin in our lives, no amount of stench in our lives, can keep Jesus away if we have faith. After the stone was removed from the entrance of the tomb, Jesus began to pray. Notice in John 11:41-42 how Jesus prayed. Jesus was very concise and thanked the Father for already answering Him. Lazarus was already brought back to life. When we want Jesus to do a miracle, we should pray as Jesus prayed. Concisely, and with the faith that our blessing, our miracle, our prayer has already been answered. Jesus commanded with a loud voice, “Lazarus come forth,” John 11:43. Lazarus came out of the tomb still bound in his grave clothes, John 11:44. When we want Jesus to do a miracle in our lives we have to come to Jesus. Jesus did not go into the tomb to raise Lazarus, which indicates that Jesus expects some effort from us when He gives us a miracle. If we go to Jesus He will meet us. The story of Lazarus is a very important lesson for us today. We should never underestimate the power of God, there is always hope in our suffering, we are never alone, and the importance of prayer. We should keep our prayers concise for the glorification of God, and with the faith that our prayers are already answered.
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