2023-06-02
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The story of Lazarus reveals many truths about Jesus and our need for patience in asking the question: What can I learn from what happened? Let me share some examples. JN 11: 1-4, “Now, a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary whose brother Lazarus now lay sick was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair [MT 26: 6-10; MK 14: 3-9; LK 7: 36-50; JN 12:1-11]). So, the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When He heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory, so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” It surprised me that the key lesson was given so early in this story, [vs 4]. However, reading on, we see that it takes a while for the others to catch on to it. As we read on, we learn that Lazarus dies, and his body is placed in a stone cave nearby. The sisters grieve over their loss, especially in view of Christ not arriving in time to save Lazarus. What makes this occurrence so poignant is that the two women, Lazarus, and the Lord have been close and loving friends.
Bethany was a small town very near Jerusalem in Judea. Jesus started His days and ended His days in Bethany not in Jerusalem as commonly thought. Moreover, Bethany, was a small suburb of Jerusalem, also significant as the place where Jesus ascended back to heaven forty days after His resurrection [LK 24: 50-53].
When Jesus finally got to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days and He found Mary and Martha grieving for their brother. The assumption on their part was this was Lazarus’ final resting place, but Jesus’ lesson had not yet had its message. Some confusion about “falling asleep,” the term used to describe the state in which Lazarus had occurred among the disciples. They thought it meant a state of natural sleep, from which he would awaken. However, Jesus said, in JN 11: 14, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe…” Upon His arrival, the Lord needed to comfort the sisters. Certainly, they wanted to hear His reasons for the delay in His arrival. I have a theory that Martha, the more outgoing of the two sisters, was as angry as she was grieving, and Mary, the more introverted of the two sisters, was simply weeping. Nevertheless, it was time for Jesus to explain His delay. Martha said, “If you had been here, my brother might not have died.” Then, Jesus spoke these surprising words, JN 11: 23, “Your brother will rise again.” Mary acknowledged that Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection of the last day [REV 20: 5-6]. Jesus said to her, in JN 11: 25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live; even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha answered in the affirmative. This faithfulness was to her credit. Mary, who had been in the house out of earshot came out to Him. Mary was still weeping, and Jesus, out of His compassion also wept with her. Then, he instructed the two sisters and the band of others to step over to where Lazarus’ grave was. He told them to roll away the stone entrance to the burial place. Then the Lord asked the Father to grant His prayerful request that He may drive His lesson about believing might come true. This was followed by Jesus calling to Lazarus to come out, which Lazarus obeyed. Christ had instructed Lazarus to remove his grave clothes, and once again, Lazarus obeyed.
What was the guaranteed outcome of the Lord’s words in JN 11: 40? “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.” Herein lies the real value of Jesus’ lesson. We should pay attention to His words in vs 42, as well. “Father, I think that You have heard Me, but I said this for the benefit of those standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Later, in JN 14: 9 and 11, Jesus clearly identifies Himself as the second personality of the Trinity, which is the nature of God. The raising of Lazarus certainly gives evidence of this truth about Jesus Christ. This amazing story ends up revealing the sinful nature of some Judean’s who worried about the impact of Christ’s deeds. Look at JN 11: 43-48, and 57 and see how worried the city leaders were over these deeds and what their these Judeans’ evil intentions were.
PRAYER: O Lord, as we have read and analyzed the story of the raising of Lazarus, we can see Christ’s righteousness revealed. He knew ahead of time when He would give life for the sake of all those who would come to believe in Him. There are so many reasons why His sacrificial Atonement is a matter that we should assign as of primary importance in our own lives. Our Lord makes this point strongly motivating us toward living with love, peace, joy, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, patience, kindness, and self-control [GA 5: 22-23]. These things together are a picture of righteous-
living. It’s the kind of lifestyle that leads to earning many heavenly crowns. It pleases You to know when we are willing to dig for important lessons that may not be on the surface of Your ministry on earth. We can believe that Your love for us is great enough to want us to take the difficult path that leads from the narrow gate to eternal life. We thank You for having enough love and compassion for us to give us the Scriptures and cause us to fall in love with them. You, Lord, are the Subject of our faith and the grace You show us each day. Your blessings are on our mind as we thank and praise You for them. We pledge You our trust. We offer this prayer in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ.
NEXT WEEK: Next we will begin by looking at the question, what effect did the raising of Lazarus have on the circumstances of Christ’s life? During the telling of the story of Lazarus, we identified several people with different personalities. Patience on the part of Martha was seen, with her continuing faith in her Friend, Jesus, even though she didn’t understand His actions at first. Mary never lost her quiet and dignified faith in Him, showing it by her obedience when the group was asked to go before the gravesite of her brother. Lazarus was the subject of an answer given to Christ’s prayer to the Father—Both wanting the same thing, to reveal God’s glory when Lazarus rose and came out of the rocky cave. This lesson was for the benefit of them and us. We are all to put our thoughts on the matters of heaven. There is a reason why Jesus would eventually sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven. COL 3: 3-4, “For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” What better reason can we have to believe in our Lord, Jesus Christ? Thanks and praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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