Jesus loved
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
John 11:1-16 (NLT)
I’ve always wondered why Jesus didn’t drop everything to go and see Lazarus as soon as he heard he was ill. As soon as that message comes in, even the most hardened of us, would wrap up what we’re doing and make our way to the hospital bedside.
Yet if you’ve been following along with us this week, you’ll know the reason why Jesus stayed ‘where he was’ for an extra two days (v6).
The text says ‘although’, or ‘yet’ however, knowing what we know now, a better reading could be ‘because Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days’. As we saw earlier in the week, their faith was limited to believing Jesus only had power over sickness (cf. vs.21,32) so Jesus wanted to show them he actually had power over death too.
I do wonder if some of the community found that truly frustrating. They did say as much in v37 ‘But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”’
It’s clear Jesus’ disciples did. Confusing talk about sleep vs death, stoning and stumbling, day vs night. What was it all about?
Jesus knew his Messianic mission. He know that his ministry was to be the bread of life (John 6:35ff), light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5), the door and good shepherd (John 10:7ff), the true vine (John 15:1ff), the way, truth and life (John 14:6), and (as we see in this passage in v 25) the resurrection and the life. Phew. He was focused. He was clear. He was not shilly-shallying, or buying time. He was not confused or bewildered. This was not an unexpected curveball.
Jesus would use this opportunity to demonstrate he really can raise the dead. And properly dead too. Not like the girl in Mark 5 or the widow’s son in Luke 7. This Lazarus was going to have been in the tomb for FOUR DAYS. Jesus new the rabbinic traditions surrounding a person’s spirit hovering over a body for three days before finally departing. This opportunity he took to demonstrate we would raise the “definitely” dead.
So that he did. He walked in the light, to bring the light into that dark situation. To bring life to death. Healing to suffering. Peace to pain. Hope to despair.
And he did so a great cost to himself. It’s clear he knew the risks. His disciples certainly did! “Let’s go, too—and die…” proclaimed Thomas.
It is at this point the Gospel of John turns. John has recorded the signs, and turns his attention to the final and greatest sign. The sign which will show EVERYONE the upside down ‘glory of God (cf. v40) as Jesus hammer the head of the serpent with his greatest blow. Not with a sword, or a hammer. But with an upside down sword, plunged into the earth, and on it, the Son of God, the anointed Messiah, the Christ lifted high.
And whoever looks to him, will not perish but have powerful, everlasting, spiritual life. In his greatest passage, the Apostle John tells us ‘For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)
Seeing all of this played out on the pages of scripture, do you “really believe” (v15) that Jesus is able, and willing to rescue you from the grip of the serpent?
