JOHN CHAPTER 11
Read:
John 11:1-16
It was a
relatively straightforward request, at least it would have been simple for
Jesus. Two sisters, Mary and Martha, want Jesus to come and heal their brother,
Lazarus, who has fallen ill. John has already described six other miracles
performed by Jesus: water turned to wine, healing a nobleman's son, healing a paralyzed
man, feeding 5,000 people, walking on water, restoring sight to a man born
blind, and these were just the few John chose to record. We know there were
many others.
After countless
miracles, curing a friend of what was probably a fever doesn't seem like much
to ask. He had done greater things for
total strangers. Jesus' disciples don't seem overly concerned about Lazarus.
They're even quick to point out how dangerous it would be for Jesus to go back
to Judea since they had tried to kill Him when He was last there. Besides, Jesus Himself said that Lazarus's
illness wouldn't end in death, so what's the rush? Later, Jesus informs the disciples that
Lazarus is asleep and everyone feels better knowing that he probably needed the
rest.
While the
disciples are totally misreading Jesus’ words and the seriousness of the
situation, Jesus’ friends back in Judea must have been wondering why Jesus
didn’t seem to be taking their request more seriously. Does Jesus not care
about Lazarus? Is He unable or unwilling to minister to this friend in the same
way He has ministered to others?
John, looking
back on this situation, attempts to frame the truth about Jesus’ unusual
behavior, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5).
Really? He LOVED them? He has a curious way of showing it. Wouldn't love
respond immediately to a need as severe as this? Does love delay when time is
of the essence? To complicate the issue further, consider Jesus’ words to the
the disciples when He finally revealed the truth about Lazarus’s condition;
"Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so
that you may believe” (John 11:14-15). Jesus said He was glad Lazarus was dead. That means that Jesus’ delay was
intentional. He knew that Lazarus would die, and He was glad for that outcome. Let that sink in for a minute. If you are
like me, your mind will quickly go to the end of the story, but don't let it.
Stay in this moment. Live with this consequence in real time, and let the
reality of this story weigh on you like it must have weighed on Lazarus’s
family.
If Jesus loved
Lazarus and his sisters, how could He possibly justify His inaction which
resulted in Lazarus’s death? Again, the key may lie at the beginning of verse
15, “…and for your sake I am glad I was not there." Jesus
allowed Lazarus's death to occur for the good of His disciples. I believe that
includes every disciple who would ever follow Jesus. I believe that includes
you and me. Jesus wants His followers to know that death isn't the end. But the
only way to know that death is not the end is to pass through it to the other
side. You cannot fully understand the resurrection until you've endured the
crucifixion.
“Okay,” you
might say, “but that seems like a cruel way to teach the disciples a lesson,
even a lesson as valuable as that. How does this demonstrate Jesus’ love for
Lazarus and his sisters?” The answer is in the two letter word, “so.” Let’s
read verses 5 and 6 again, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days
longer in the place where he was.”
Jesus loves His
disciples, all of His disciples, even Lazarus, and his sisters. He loves them
enough that He would not only allow them to die to discover His power to
overcome death, but He also invites them to do so. Read the words of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer:
When Christ calls a man, he
bids him come and die. It may be death like that of the first disciples who had
to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther's, who
had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death
every time – death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.
Jesus' summons to the rich young man was calling him to die, because only the
man who is dead to his own will can follow Christ. In fact, every command of
Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and lusts. But we do not want
to die, and therefore Jesus Christ and his call are necessarily our death as
well as our life. The call to discipleship, the baptism in the name of Jesus
Christ means both death and life.[1]
If the only way to
experience life in Christ is to die, it is no wonder Jesus loved Lazarus to
death … and back again.
Patient Jesus,
Thank You for being patient enough to allow me
to die so that You might raise me to real life. I struggle every day, fighting
to hold onto a life that You have called me to release. I am afraid. Afraid of
what it may mean to die to self and live for You. Afraid of the unknown. Afraid
of loss. As You lovingly waited for Lazarus to die, so I beg You, wait for me.
Amen
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