John 11

¹ Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

² (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

³ Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

⁶ When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

⁷ Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

⁸ His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

The Disciples reminded Jesus that the last encounter with the Jews, they were trying to stone him (John 10:31).

⁹ Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

¹⁰ But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

¹¹ These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

¹² Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

¹³ Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

¹⁴ Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

¹⁶ Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

Good old doubting Thomas. I’m reminded of something from my own past. My mother and father were in a serious car accident. I was 5 when the accident occurred. They were on their way to an OB appointment with what would have been their 3rd child. A drunk driver crossed the center median at a high rate of speed and crashed into my parents head on. My mother’s throat hit the dash and her skull hit the windshield, she braced herself with her legs so one leg broke in 3 places and the other one in 6, it was so bad it took a couple of weeks for them to discover she had also shoved an entire ink pen into her thigh. She was wearing a seat belt, which is why she wasn’t sent through the window. My father broke the steering wheel with his mouth, knocking all of his upper teeth out… his hand was broken, and his chest was hurt… I just remember when I saw him again, the area was red and angry looking. The cars were on fire… but they managed to get my parents out. My mother wasn’t breathing because her throat was crushed. A lady across the street saw the accident and came running. This woman was a spirit filled Christian… a Pastor’s wife if I remember correctly…. she began praying over my mother, not a calm prayer… but a spiritual warfare prayer. The paramedics pronounced my mother dead, but my father wouldn’t have it… neither would the prayer warrior. My father was about to open her breathing way with his pocket knife when the paramedics gave it another go… and my mother came back… her breathing started slowly, her heart was beating, and she was taken to the hospital. My dad and the prayer warrior refused the paramedic’s declaration of death over my mother… the prayer warrior stood in the gap for my mother and saved her life that day by being a representative of Jesus. Had this woman not been there… they may have just bagged and tagged my mother. I say this because not only did she get Jesus involved, she kept my father from giving up and the paramedics from giving up. Where ever we are in our beliefs… God will meet you there and grow you. The prayer warrior had the faith to believe in a miracle, my father had the faith to want to keep trying, and the paramedics had the faith to give it one more shot…and on that day, Jesus intervened, and my mother was saved from death. My mother lived another 51 years and always gave thanks to God for the miracle she received that day. I also remember that when our family was passing through that town a few years later, we stopped to visit the prayer warrior…but we also stopped at the home of the man who hit my parents, so my mother could forgive him personally. The paramedics, my father and the Prayer warrior all believe on some level and Jesus gave the increase and healed my mother… so grow where you’re planted.

¹⁷ Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

¹⁸ Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:

About 1.8 miles

¹⁹ And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

²⁰ Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

²¹ Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

²² But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

²³ Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

²⁴ Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

²⁵ Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

²⁶ And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

²⁷ She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

²⁸ And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

²⁹ As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

³⁰ Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

³¹ The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.

³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

³⁴ And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

³⁵ Jesus wept.

I have heard preachers say that Jesus wept because of the unbelief of the people, but I think it was because Jesus had compassion for those that were grieving the loss of Lazarus. This is important too… because when someone loses a person they love, they can be comforted in knowing that Jesus understands… he’s not going to say things like “Heaven has a new Angel” or “God needed them more” or “At least they aren’t suffering”…. all phrases that shame the person who is grieving by making their grief feel selfish. I get that it’s said in an attempt to comfort, but often it doesn’t. What does help, is knowing that other people understand your loss and they give you permission to feel that loss in their presences.See a lot of times people will be understanding at first, but they become less understanding as time goes on because they aren’t comfortable with your emotions…. they don’t want to be brought down by it. This pressures the grieving into hiding their pain. It’s unkind to ask someone to pretend to be happy when they have suffered a loss so that YOU can feel comfortable… and while we would never articulate that so directly, we do it by not inviting the grieved out for lunch, by not calling them to chat… by distancing yourself. Jesus was touched by the grief of those around him even though he knew in less than an hour, Lazarus would be alive and returned to them again. Jesus met them where they were. No matter what, we can go to Jesus with our grief, he knows and will comfort you.

³⁶ Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

Well, this is true, but that wasn’t why Jesus wept… He wept because of how much he loved everyone around who were heartbroken… Jesus already knew Lazarus was about to be risen from the dead.

³⁷ And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

³⁸ Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

⁴⁰ Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

All along as people were giving Jesus reasons why what he was about to do could go wrong, Jesus answered them with faith affirming responses. From the disciples telling Jesus that to go to where Lazarus was he would be going into the place where those Jews who were wanting to stone him were… then when Martha spoke to him about the death of her brother, he reassured her that her brother would live and even lead her to confirm what she knew about him, that he, Jesus was the ressurection and the life…. and she responds affirming Jesus as the Son of God. Then Mary came and fell at his feet, heart broken and Jesus was moved with compassion towards her. Then at the grave Martha reminds him that it’s been 4 days now and his body is going to be stinky… but Jesus responds to that with, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” Again, building her faith and directing her to believe in his word.

⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

I heard another preacher say that had he not called Lazarus by name , every dead person in that tomb would have come forth…. because he’s Jesus and Jesus is the ressurection and the life… and Jesus can speak to even death and have it obey his voice. Lazarus was bound so he did not come forth with his normal stride… in my mind he came out hopping. Imagine the people, even though Jesus called Lazaruz back from the dead in front of them, I imagine they were AMAZED… what we call MIND BLOWN…. when Lazarus came hopping out all alive again. I see myself , my jaw dropping, my eyes wide and my head turning to look at Jesus.

⁴⁵ Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

⁴⁶ But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

Now, Jesus just ressurected a man from the dead…. something none of them had ever seen… truly a Miracle from God… undeniable…. and yet, they were still trying to set Jesus up. Why… because they didn’t want God. They had to deliberately stay in unbelief at this point.

⁴⁷ Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

They acknowledge that Jesus is doing miracles, a confirmation of who Jesus is… the Son of God….and instead of this fact bringing them to repentance and acceptance of Jesus, it seems that they are trying to figure out a way to overcome this so they can destroy Jesus.

⁴⁸ If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

⁴⁹ And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,

⁵⁰ Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

⁵¹ And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

⁵² And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

⁵³ Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

Ok, here they are clearly trying to destory Jesus’s minitry and keep people from following him. What I hear in my spirit right now… “He that seeketh to save his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life shall save it.” By Jesus laying down his life, his plan for salvation for all of us is complete…. the exact opposite of what the Jews were wanting to happen. They thought if they put Jesus to death, that would be the end… but it wasn’t… that was the beginning of salvation through faith in the blood of Jesus. Jesus was the Lamb of God… he presented himself to the temple and the High Priest sacrificed him for the sins of all mankind… but the High Priest never realized that he was complying with the plans of God for the salvation of mankind. Here they were trying to stop Jesus so they could keep their old system of the Law. … and instead what happened was Jesus fulfilled the law and started something new, Salvation by faith in his blood.In seeking to keep the old system, they lost it by inadvertantly starting the Dispensation of Grace.

⁵⁴ Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

⁵⁵ And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.

⁵⁶ Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?

⁵⁷ Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.