Transcript

A father once had a young son that would run across a bed and leap off and the father would catch him. And the boy absolutely loved it.

After the father caught him, he would put his son back on the bed, and then he’d repeat it over and over, running from one side of the bed to the other, leaping off with the father grabbing him in mid-air. The boy would do it for as long as his dad would let him.

One night the father thought he’d test his trust. It was nighttime, and he put the boy on the bed, but then the father flipped the light switch and turned the lights out.

But this did not deter the boy at all. He ran across that bed and jumped like always, and the father caught him like always. No problem.

The little boy had learned to trust his father in the light, and so the darkness didn’t matter. Because his father was trustworthy, he was trustworthy period, light or dark.

And that’s the way the Christian life is. If we can trust Jesus Christ in the light, we can trust Him in the dark. He’ll be there. He is always there for us.

And because He is the faithful God and the resurrection and the life, when we reach the end of our physical life and we leap into the darkness of death, we know He’ll catch us, no question about it. He will bring us to glory.

John 11:1-3: “Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”

We are introduced to Lazarus in verse one. This Lazarus is mentioned only in this chapter and the next in God’s Word.

Lazarus lived in Bethany, with his sisters, Mary and Martha. Bethany was a small village located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

According to verse 18 of this chapter, “Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.” Fifteen furlongs means it was about two miles from Jerusalem.

The Lord had a special relationship with this family. Verse 5 states, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.”

Mary and Martha are mentioned also in Luke 10 when the Lord and the disciples visited them. This was when Mary sat at Christ’s feet and listened to Him teach, while Martha was busy preparing the meal.

At this time, the Lord was in Bethabara. In the previous chapter we read that the Lord “went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there He abode” (John 10:40).

You learn that this is Bethabara when you compare this passage with John 1:28, “These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

Bethabara was about 20 miles from Bethany. So the sisters sent word from Bethany near Jerusalem to the Lord in Bethabara beyond the Jordan River that Lazarus was sick.

Mary and Martha did not specifically ask the Lord to come and heal their brother, Lazarus. They felt that it was enough to make Him aware of the need, while at the same time reminding Him of His friendship with Lazarus, stating “he whom thou lovest is sick.”

There’s an important truth in that phrase, “he whom thou lovest is sick.” It teaches that sickness is NOT a sign of the Lord’s lack of love or displeasure.

Lazarus was sick yet the Lord loved him. We cannot judge God’s love for us by our temporal circumstances or sickness or health.

The Lord loves His own as truly as when they are sick as when they are well. He loves us in life and in death. His love is unchanging and abiding and eternal.

Going to Bethany at that time, which was only two miles from Jerusalem, was dangerous and meant entering a hornet’s nest. It was to courageously go right back to the area where His enemies had tried to stone the Lord the last time He was there.

In verses 7 and 8, after the Lord said, “Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?”

And then a few verses later, “doubting Thomas” doubted that they would survive going to Jerusalem, but he resolved to go and said, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

What you have in Christ going to Bethany to deliver Lazarus whom He loved, was Him going by a humble, voluntary act of His will, entering a dangerous place where His enemies resided, coming to a scene of death with resurrection life, to deal with death on a physical level and to defeat it.

Likewise, when Christ came into the world, it was by a humble, loving voluntary act of His will, entering a dangerous place where God’s enemies resided, coming to a world of death with resurrection life, to deal with death on both a spiritual and a physical level and to defeat it, to “abolish death” by His death for our sins and His resurrection.

John 11:17-27: “Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

“Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

“Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

The scene now shifts from Bethabara to Bethany, and our Lord’s arrival there. When He arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.

The day that Christ received word that Lazarus was sick was the day that Lazarus died and had been buried. We learn that by the timeframe given to us in these verses.

In verse 3, on day one, He received word that Lazarus was sick, then verse 6 says that He waited two additional days, then when they departed on the fourth day, it took a full day to travel the 20 miles to get to Bethany from Bethabara.

And at that point, Lazarus “had lain in the grave four days already.”

Verse 18 and 19 point out that, being so close to Jerusalem, many Jews came from there to comfort Mary and Martha.

Like weddings in that time and culture, funerals also often lasted up to a week, as people stayed to comfort the family and be there for those who were grieving.

Thus, four days after Lazarus’s death, we find in this account that there were still many Jews present at Martha and Mary’s home to comfort them.

As soon as Martha heard that “Jesus was coming,” she immediately went out to meet Him, leaving Mary behind sitting in the house.

When Martha met the Lord, her statement was likely what had been rolling around in her mind for the past four days: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Her words were an expression of grief and regret, but also of faith.

It’s easy to relate to Martha here, because “If only” questions are normal when one is shaken by grief and things in life spin out of our control.

At these times, we search for answers, and we replay what has happened and imagine many different scenarios that might have possibly changed things.

Martha’s mind was on the scenario that if the Lord had been there Lazarus would have been healed from his illness and not have died.

By faith, Martha believed that if Christ had been there, no matter how sick Lazarus was, Christ could have healed him and raised him right out of his sick bed.

But her faith was imperfect. She thought He could only do this if He was present, and did not realize that He didn’t have to be there to heal Lazarus.

And she also only believed He could help Lazarus when he was sick not when he was dead.

She thought death was unconquerable. Thus, she had confidence in Christ, yet she limited His power. But death was no stronger in Christ’s presence than disease was.

Then Martha said, “But I know that even now, whatever Thou will ask of God, God will give it Thee.” Martha’s statement does not mean that she believed that Christ could raise Lazarus back to life right then. We see that by how, later in this account, Martha objected to the stone being rolled back from Lazarus’s tomb.

Martha was simply reaffirming her personal confidence in Christ that her severe loss had not shaken her faith in Him. Her words show that though she regretted her brother’s death, “even now,” after his passing, Martha still trusted the Lord.

In response to her statement, in verse 23 Christ then assured her that her brother would rise again.

Now, if her words in verse 22 meant that she believed Christ could ask of God and God would give it to Him and He could raise her brother, then this would have caused her to explode in joy and sent her running to go get Mary.

Instead, Martha interpreted the Lord’s words to mean in the future “at the last day” and not immediately.

She fully believed in a future resurrection, and she took Christ’s words to be words of comfort, but He intended them to mean what He would do right then. His words had an obvious literal meaning and were truer than Martha realized at the moment.

But she took it as a way off in the future somewhere, that He was referring to the resurrection of the just prior to the kingdom, assuming that He couldn’t be talking about a physical resurrection today.

So her response was, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

She believed Christ had the power to raise Lazarus in the end times, but didn’t even consider that He could raise him right then when he had been dead for four days.

We do this. We rejoice and believe in the power of God in all the wondrous things He’s going to do in the future. God can do anything in the future in our minds, but with our problems in the present we get nervous and our faith can give way.

Christ then told her “I am the resurrection and the life.” He is the great “I am.” “I am” is a name that declares Christ is the eternal, self-existent God.

He is also saying that it is immaterial whether you’re talking about past, present, or future: “I am” the resurrection and the life.

Martha had it all off in the future and He is saying it’s here right in front of you and because I am the resurrection and I can resurrect anyone, at any time.

The power and authority to resurrect and give life always reside within Christ.

As God, He has the power to effect resurrection and bring the dead to life. In Him and through Him is resurrection and life. The resurrection of all depends on Him, depending on His power and will. And no eternal life exists outside of Him.

Martha’s thinking about an event. Christ says look at Me, a Person. And that’s how it is with salvation. Eternal life resides in a Person, in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ then added two statements to this. And it’s important to remember with these words, that Christ is teaching Israel here in light of her millennial kingdom hope.

The Lord stated that he that believes in Him, though he may die physically, because Christ is the resurrection, “yet shall he live,” he has resurrection hope, and his body will be raised by Christ’s power at the first resurrection of prophecy, raised to life eternal, raised to life and to live in His kingdom. Because Christ is the Resurrection.

The words of verse 25 are also in relation to Christ’s earthly kingdom: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

People who survive the Tribulation and believe in Christ will be granted entrance into the kingdom in their physical bodies. And they will have children during the millennium. And their children will have children, and so on for 1000 years.

When one is born during the kingdom, and lives during that time, if they believe in Christ, they will “never die.” Thus, verse 26 means, “And whosoever liveth [during the kingdom] and believeth in Me [during the kingdom] shall never die.” Because Christ is the Life.

The Lord then asked Martha if she believed these statements. Martha replied, “Yea, Lord: I believe.” She believed all He had said, and in accordance with the gospel of the kingdom, she believed Him to be the Christ, or Israel’s promised Messiah, and the Son of God.

John 11:32-35: “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. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

“And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.”

Following her conversation with the Lord, Martha went and found Mary, and quietly told her that “the Master” or Teacher, had come and was asking for her. Mary leaped up at these words and went out right away to meet Him.

When the comforters in the house saw Mary leave so suddenly, they followed her out of the house thinking she intended to go to Lazarus’s tomb to weep and mourn. So they followed after her to continue their reason for being there: to comfort the sisters.

When Mary came to where the Lord was she fell at His feet. And Mary repeated the same words to the Lord as her sister: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”

The sisters had probably repeated these words and shared these thoughts together for the past four days.

After Mary said this she was overcome and began “weeping.” This word means to sob and wail aloud. At this, the Jews which had followed her from the house wept loudly with her.

Verse 33 then says that Christ “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” “Groaned” means the Lord was deeply moved, and troubled means He was stirred and disturbed.

Christ was fully man, and we Him experiencing the emotions of a man here.

There’s a lot going on here. His heart was torn by the consequence of sin that had brought death and sorrow into the lives of people.

His emotions swelled from the death of a beloved friend, coupled with sympathy for the sisters, and He felt sorrow and grief and became upset.

He was also deeply moved and stirred because of unbelief here. By this point of His ministry, very near to the Cross, after three years of His powerful and authoritative ministry, unbelief in Him stirred His spirit.

They should have known by this point who He was. He had raised two people from the dead already. This loud wailing at death in His presence troubled Him, because they should have known and believed that He had power over death.

Christ then asked, “Where have ye laid him?” They told Him, “come and see.” And “Jesus wept.” As a result of all these feelings, spontaneously, Christ broke out into tears.

He was experiencing a broad spectrum of human emotions, and He just burst into tears. This word “wept” is different from Mary’s and the Jew’s loud weeping. This word speaks of silent tears. He wept quietly, as His tears rolled down His cheeks.

They were tears that couldn’t be held back even by the Son of God. He was caught in the sorrow of the moment: sorrow at death, sorrow at unbelief. As Isaiah 53:3 says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…”

Jesus wept because He’s a man. He wept because He is genuinely sympathetic for those in sorrow. He was acquainted with and felt the pain of grief and sorrow caused by death.

His tears tell us He is deeply moved by our sorrows and they assure us of His compassion.

And His tears tell us that He sympathizes with us when we are discouraged and rejected by others, because He experienced this pain and sorrow as well.

And from one of the most poignant examples of His humanity, we come to one of the most powerful examples of His deity.

John 11:38-44: “Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 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. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

“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.

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

“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.”

Christ, Martha, Mary, and the crowd of Jews moved toward the grave. As they did, Christ remained troubled and deeply moved.

Walking up to and seeing Lazarus’ grave, which was a symbol of the curse of sin which brought such anguish and hurt to people, Christ’s spirit was torn.

And also due to Israel’s rejection of Him and unbelief in Him, our Lord was just days away from Him being laid in a tomb, which looked a lot like Lazarus’s tomb. John tells us that it was a cave, and a stone was lying against its entrance.

And to the shock of all, “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone.”

Martha, who had said she believed He was the resurrection and the life, impulsively objected to removing the stone from the entrance into the tomb, saying that by this time he would stink being dead four days, with the body having begun to decompose.

She was thinking that the Lord wanted to have a last look at Lazarus, not considering at all what He was about to do. In response, the Lord told Martha, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”

Christ reminded her of His previous statements to her in verses 23-26, and that if she believed that He is the resurrection and the life and believed in Him, she would see the glory of God in her brother rising again (v. 4).

Martha’s eyes and mind were on Lazarus and his corpse, but Christ’s response was an instruction to get her eyes on Him. If she kept her eyes on the corpse, when the body came alive, all she was going to see was a solution to her problem. But if she kept her eyes on the Lord, when Lazarus came alive, she was going to see the glory of God in Christ.

In verse 41, Christ’s command was carried out and the stone was removed.

Christ then lifted His eyes and looked up to heaven. He then prayed a simple prayer of thanksgiving. It was not a petition. He doesn’t ask the Father; Christ thanked Him.

He didn’t have to ask the Father for the power to raise Lazarus, He had the power as the “I am” and the Resurrection and the Life.

Christ thanked the Father that He heard Him, and that He heard Him always in their perfect communion and fellowship together.

Christ prayed at this moment publicly for the sake of the unbelieving spectators that they would know and believe that He was sent by God, who did nothing apart from Him and who always carried out His Father’s will.

When He said this, He dropped His head, looked at that open tomb entrance, and addressed the dead man, and “He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”

The loud voice was not for the sake of Lazarus, not because the miracle needed the force of His voice, it was for the sake of the crowd, so all could hear it and know that this was the power of God at work, and that they might believe that He is the resurrection and the life.

With power and authority, with three words, briefly and directly, Christ told Lazarus to come out. And the voice of resurrection and life spoke and the dead responded. “And he that was dead came forth” and Lazarus stood in the entrance of that tomb.

At the sound of the voice of Christ, death, the king of terrors, yielded up its captive. The grave HAD to give up its prey at the word of the resurrection and the life.

He came forth just as the Son of God instructed Him to, and Lazarus stood there in his graveclothes, with his head wrapped separately with a face cloth. It’s said that the Jews did not wrap the body so tightly that movement wasn’t possible. And so they all probably saw Lazarus shuffle along and come forward to that entrance.

It’s been said well that “Lazarus arose bound in grave-clothes, for he would need them again; Jesus left His grave-clothes behind in His tomb, never again having need of them.”

Christ then instructed the shocked and speechless onlookers to “Loose him [of his graveclothes], and let him go,” so they would see he was indeed really alive.

Lazarus was addressed personally, at the Lord’s command, and it’s been said “If Jesus had not named Lazarus when He shouted, He would’ve emptied the whole cemetery!”

But we can think even bigger than that, if He hadn’t said “Lazarus,” every single grave in the world would have split open and been emptied.

The Lord had said earlier in His ministry, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which ALL THAT ARE IN THE GRAVES shall hear [the Son of Man’s] voice, and shall come forth.”

This miracle was a single demonstration of this truth and a preview of the power that will be displayed at the resurrections of the future when all the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son and come forth.