Below is the manuscript to this Sunday’s sermon. Chances are, you will encounter grammatical errors. Please be gracious. I pray this will be beneficial to you as you study the Word of God that is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).”
If you would, open up your Bible’s to John 11. This week’s passage marks the start of a new narrative found within this gospel.
Although this is a new narrative found within the gospel of John, this is a narrative that possesses the same purpose as every other story in this gospel.
What is that purpose?
That purpose is that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that, through belief in him, we might have eternal life.
Now, two weeks ago I said John 9 was my favorite chapter in this gospel. Well, I might have to take that back. John 11 is good! It might take the crown as my favorite chapter.
John 11 is rich with gospel-centered application that we really haven’t seen up until this point in John, and it’s rich with gospel-centered hope that has been consistent all throughout the gospel of John. Found in the chapter is arguably the greatest miracle, aside from his own resurrection, performed by Jesus.
Spoiler alert! That miracle is the bringing back to life of a dead man named Lazarus, which is a big deal.
In the first ten chapters of this gospel, we have seen Jesus continually display his power over the physical aspects of this life. He’s restored sight to the blind, he’s healed the paralyzed, he’s healed the sick, he’s turned water into wine, he’s multiplied fish and bread to feed the masses, and he’s walked on water.
But, this particular miracle in chapter 11 tells us that Jesus possesses a power that stretches far beyond the physical into the eternal. He possess power over life and death, which is a power that only belongs to God.
Now, aside from his personal resurrection, this will be his final sign performed in the public eye recorded in this gospel.
Following this miracle, we will see the heat begin to really turn up in regards to his crucifixion. Where the clouds of persecution began to slowly creep in back in John 5, at the end of John 11 we will begin to feel the rumblings of thunder and hear the cracking on lighting off in the distance. The mighty storm of his crucifixion is on the horizon. The miraculous healing of a dead man will ultimately lead to the death of the Son of Man.
Now, our plan is to divide this chapter up into five weeks; and, surprisingly, it won’t be until week four that we see the actual resurrection take place. So, for three weeks we will be setting up for this grand miracle. But, let me tell you, these next three weeks will be packed full of rich application.
We will have an opportunity to zoom in on God’s love for his people, discussing how we know God loves us. We will discuss God’s plan in suffering, how to handle grief, how to counsel a brother or sister who’s going through grief, all while constantly reminding ourselves of the gospel.
***Now, just to reiterate what Kayla said in announcements, next week we will be taking a break from our study of this chapter to discuss church membership. What is church membership? Why is church membership important? How can you become a member at Harbor? So make plans to attend. Then, the following Sunday we will pick back up on John 11.
Let’s dive in.
“1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Let’s pause here for a moment. In these first 6 verses, I think John goes out of his way to introduce two things.
He goes out of his way to introduce important characters in this story and what’s going on in their lives.
He goes out of his way to describe Jesus’s relationship with these characters.
Let me seek to explain by first answering the question: who are these characters and what’s going on in their lives?
Well, in verse 1 we’re first introduced to a man name Lazarus. Lazarus is from Bethany.
John then tells us that Bethany is the the same village that Mary and Martha are from, and apparently Mary and Martha are sisters (v.1). We also see that Lazarus is the brother to these sisters (v.2).
So, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha are brothers and sisters. In these first two verses, we’re introduced to this tight knit little family.
But, John also finds it important to allow us to peek behind the curtain of what’s going on within the life of this family. We see pretty quickly that things aren’t going well for Lazarus.
Lazarus is sick. He is ill. He is weak and feeble, on the brink of death.
But, John also makes a point to tell us that Lazarus isn’t going through this trial alone. We quickly see that his sisters have invited themselves into the trial that he is walking through. He is not going through this trial alone. His sisters are making an intentional effort to care for and look after their brother who is sick. Because their brother is sick, they have sent for Jesus.
Now, that’s an obvious point that’s easy to breeze over. But, I think the example of the sister’s here is something worth highlighting. Mary and Martha’s care for Lazarus is something we should reflect as believers.
Paul, in his letter to Timothy, says,
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
I understand the weightiness of what I’m about to say because we live in a fallen world where, often times, the people who have hurt us the most are the people who share the same last name as us. But, Scripture calls us to care for our family. Caring for your family is a tangible mark of a believer. We have a biblical calling to look after and care for our relatives.
Caring for your family may look different in every situation. But, to those of you who are exhausted from caring for your family, please press on. I pray the Lord blesses you with strength to persevere.
And to those of you who have family in need, with no one to care for them, please consider repentance. We have a biblical calling to look after and care for our relatives.
So, it’s while Lazarus is ill, it’s his sisters who make an intentional effort to care for their brother by sending to Jesus, requesting help. May we, like Mary and Martha, love our family well.
In these first few verses, John goes out of his way to introduce the characters in this story and what’s going on in their lives. But, not only does he introduce Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and the trial that they are walking through together, he also goes out of his way to highlight Jesus’s love for this family.
There’s four different Mary’s found within the gospels. So, John, in verse 2, goes out of his way to clarify who this Mary is.
“It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair…”
What’s interesting is that this small piece of information is a bit of a spoiler because John doesn’t record this act of service until later in chapter 12. It almost like if you turned on Stars Wars and you began watching the first episode, the opening words on the screen read, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, Anakin— who will later become Darth Vader, the father of Luke—begins his training to become the next Jedi…” This is information that is helpful, but it feels premature.
So, this led me to ask the question, why does John tell us this bit of information prematurely? Why does he feel the need to tell us about this particular action of Mary now?
Well, in one aspect, I think he’s clarifying which Mary he’s talking about. This clarifying statement tells us that this act of service was a widely recognized story. John anticipated his readers saying, “Ah, ok, that Mary. Cool. I’m tracking with you.
But, secondly, I think this helps shine light on what led to this incredible act of service by Mary. It’s following the raising of her brother, Lazarus, that she anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.
But, thirdly, (and, in my mind, most importantly) I think he’s telling us of the type of relationship Jesus had with this family. This is a family that loved Jesus; and this is a family that Jesus loved.
We will study this in a few months, but the type of service described in verse 2 is unheard of. It’s a major sign of humility, service, and love. This is a woman and this is a family that loved Jesus. This is a family that enjoyed a close and intimate relationship with Jesus. They loved Jesus, and Jesus loved them.
Twice in these first five verses we see Jesus’s love for this family, particularly Lazarus, mentioned.
In verse 3, the sisters sent to Jesus, saying,
“Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
Your beloved friend, the one whom love and cherish, is sick. Then, John goes out of his way to reiterate this point by saying in verse 5,
“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
So, to summarize what’s going on at this point, it is a man that Jesus loves deeply who is sick; and the sisters of Lazarus have sent to Jesus to let him know of his sickness.
Their attempt to send to Jesus is a cry of desperation.
Because of their close relationship with Jesus, they have to be aware of the power he possesses. They have to remember the miraculous work of Jesus giving sight to the blind and healing the invalid man. They have to remember Jesus healing the official’s son from miles away.
So, they’re crying out to Jesus, “Lord, help the one you love get better. We know you’re able!”
And Jesus responds in verse 4,
“This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now, as we will see in a moment, this illness will lead to death. So, is Jesus wrong here? No. What Jesus is saying is that this illness will not end in death. Though he will die because of this illness, Jesus will bring him back to life so that God may be glorified.
Notice that this is yet another example of Jesus’s divine nature. The purpose of this illness is God’s glory (it is for the glory of God), so that the Son of God (Jesus) may be glorified through it. God shares glory with no one but himself. So, the glory of God is the glory of the Son, and the glory of the Son is the glory of God. This is yet another claim to the divine nature of Jesus.
So, here Jesus makes a prophetic statement that death will not have the final say and that he (Jesus) will be glorified through this illness. This is a hopeful proclamation that there is purpose in his suffering. God sits on the throne, even in our darkest moments.
But, then in verses 5 and 6 we see one of the strangest progressions in all of Scripture. There’s a tension here that’s meant to recognized.
Up until verse 5, John has gone out of his way to describe the intimate relationship that Jesus has with this family. They love him. He loves them.
Then, in verse 5, before he moves any further into this story, he reiterates this love that Jesus has for this family. “
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
It’s those that he loves greatly that have cried out to him for help; and he has heard their cry.
What does he do when he hears their cry? In verse 4 he says that this illness will not lead to death and that he will be glorified through it. But, then what does he do in verse 6?
“When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”
In their cry of desperation, Jesus stays because he has a purpose for their suffering.
Let me reread verses 5 and 6. I want us to feel the tension here.
“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.”
The word “so” here links what is about to be said with what was just said.
What does that mean?
It means that it is because Jesus loved this family that he stayed where he was. Rather than stop what he’s doing and return to Bethany, he stays for another weekend.
Listen, I love my family deeply. I love my wife and I love my kids. I will go to great lengths to ensure that they are safe. The moment that I sense danger or hear their cry for help, I waste no time. I move quickly.
Two months ago at small group, my beautiful and very clumsy daughter fell down the stairs. The moment I heard the thud and scream, I darted to her aid. Hussain Bolt couldn’t beat me to those stairs.
We often rush to help those that we love; and I think John knows this. I think John presents verses 1-5 in such a way that the readers fully expect and anticipate Jesus to stop what he’s doing and run to the aid of Lazarus.
He presents this story in such a way that it leads us to say, “If Jesus loved Lazarus, then he would act quickly in delivering him from this trial.”
But, the opposite is true here. John tells us that It is because Jesus loves this family that he stays. It is out of love that Jesus waits.
Because Jesus loves them, he doesn’t answer their request right away. Because he loves them, he allows them to continue to suffer. Because he loves them, he would rather them see the glory of God displayed through their suffering than rush to grant them healing
Church, listen to me. Do not miss this truth. Prolonged suffering does not negate God’s love for you.
You may be encountering great trials and you may have pleaded to the Lord for him to deliver you from these trials. But, please know that the fact that you’re continuing to suffer does not mean that God has not heard you, nor does it mean that God is mad at you.
What this passage does is it teaches us to not look to our circumstances as a measure of God’s love.
How do we know that God loves us?
We know that God loves us because of the cross. We know that God loves us because he has entered into this world and suffered for us, laying his life down for us so that we might have an eternal hope.
Why do we constantly preach the gospel to the church every Sunday? Because it is our only hope. It is the exclamation mark to the fact that God loves you!
So, in your darkest moments of despair, in the midst of the storms of this life, fix your eyes on the cross. Do not look to your circumstances as a measure of God’s love. Look to the cross. Prolonged suffering does not negate God’s love for you.
In fact, when we look to Scripture, we constantly see the opposite is true. Because God loves us, he uses trials for our good and his glory.
Romans 5,
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Stop. Paul is telling us that we have been justified by faith in Jesus. Because of what Jesus has done on our behalf, we stand in right standing with God. Because of what Jesus has done on our behalf, we have peace with God and we now have an eternal hope in him.
Then, he goes on to say,
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Paul is directing our eyes past our current situations onto God’s love for us that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. God is using our suffering for our good and his glory.
Therefore, we don’t have to get discouraged whenever our suffering is prolonged. Rather, we can rejoice in our prolonged suffering because we know that God loves us and that he’s using our suffering for our good.
James continues this thought by saying,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kids, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
This tells us that the hope of the gospel is not a prosperous life in which we never encounter trials. The hope of the gospel is that our trials don’t end in death. The hope of the gospel is that, though we encounter trials in this life, we know that we have an eternal hope. Although we go through many trials in this life, we know that God is using them for our good and his glory.
Look at me. Are you going though a trial right now? Have you pleaded to the Lord for deliverance, but it feels like God hasn’t heard your prayer? Are you discouraged and feel like God doesn’t love you?
My prayer is that this passage comforts you greatly. It is because Jesus loved Lazarus that he did not respond immediately. Prolonged suffering does not negate God’s love for you.
We are not to look at our circumstances as the measure of God’s love for us. We look to the cross as the measure of God’s love for us. Jesus’s willingness to lay his life down for his sheep is the greatest display of God’s love for his people.
That truth doesn’t remove the pain of your suffering, but it should offer you comfort, peace, and joy in the midst of your suffering. Church, you are loved by God, and nothing can separate you from that love.
Because Jesus loved this family, he stayed two more days. This act of staying will be important for us later on in the chapter because we will see that Lazarus was in the tomb for four days, which means there is zero doubt concerning whether or not Lazarus was dead. Upon Jesus’s arrival, Lazarus is “dead dead.”
Had Jesus arrived earlier and healed him immediately upon arrival, folks wouldn’t believe that Lazarus was really dead. They would believe that this was more of a recitation as opposed to a resurrection.
So, now in verse 7 we see Jesus decides/ to pack his bag and head to their aid. Look at verse 7,
“7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
If you’re not good at geography, like myself, and you’re wondering why Jesus is going to Judea and not Bethany, then it may be helpful for me to point out that Bethany is in Judea.
Also, Jerusalem in is Judea. In fact, John makes a point to tell us in verse 18 that Bethany is about two miles away from Jerusalem.
Why is that significant?
That’s significant because Jerusalem is where Jesus just left at the end of chapter 10 because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
We therefore shouldn’t be surprised by his disciples response in verse 8,
8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
They’re essentially saying, “Jesus, this is a death wish. Why return to the place where the crowd was seeking to kill you?” And Jesus responds with one of the strangest answers in verses 9-10,
"9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
When I first read this, I remember thinking, what in the world does this have to do with Jesus going to Bethany? As I wrestled through this proverb spoken by Jesus, and consulted many different commentaries, I found John Mcarthur’s explanation really helpful.
He sought to explain this proverb by pointing out the fact that the light of day is immovable. No matter how hard we try with daylight savings, you can not lengthen the daylight, nor can you shorten it. It is what it is and it is fixed by God.
Well, in the same way that the hours of the day are determined by God, so too is the life of Jesus. The Jews who are seeking to kill him can not shorten his life, and his disciples who are trying to preserve his life cannot lengthen it. The number of days, hours, and minutes of Jesus’s life are predetermined by God, and nothing can change that. Therefore, Jesus is going to walk in obedience to the Father’s will. He will not walk in darkness; he is going to walk in the light and in doing so, he will not stumble.
“A day cannot finish before it’s ordained end.” Well, neither can Jesus’s life (or our life for that matter)! Avoiding Bethany out of fear of the Jews will not lengthen his life. Being bold in the face of his enemies will not shorten it. It is better to walk in obedience to the Lord into what appears to be danger, than to walk in disobedience into what appears to be safety.
So, following this he says,
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
So, here Jesus tells his disciples his intentions for returning to Bethany. He’s returning to do the miraculous. He’s returning to do something only God can do. He’s returning to wake up Lazarus. But, the disciples are oblivious at this point. They’re still set on not going.
They say to him,
“12 “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
They’re missing the point. They’re saying, “Jesus, if Lazarus is snoozing, he’ll wake up himself. He will recover from this sickness without you. Let the man sleep. Let’s stay here in safety.”
Well, John then gives us (the readers) clarity in verse 13. It’s not that Lazarus is sleeping. That man is dead.
“13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.”
Therefore, Jesus clarifies his original statement,
“14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Here Jesus goes from speaking in an eloquent, proverbial manner to speaking in a point blank, blunt manner. “Guys, he’s dead. I’m going to wake up a man who is dead. And for your sake, I’m glad that I was not there to heal his sickness.”
The illness, death, and resurrection of Lazarus all had purpose, and that purpose is to bring glory to God by glorifying the Son, which will lead to their belief.
At the conclusion of John 11, there should be no doubt that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the one who possesses the power to give eternal life.
Jesus doesn’t just possess power and authority over life, but he possesses power and authority over death; and the resurrection of Lazarus is intended to point forward to the resurrection of Jesus.
Well, following this, Thomas turns to his peers and says,
“16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
They’re anticipating this to not go well. This is a suicide mission. We will spend more time on this verse in next week’s passage.
Listen, what we’ve seen here in our passage today is, because he loved Lazarus, Jesus allowed him to die; and he does this purposefully. He allows those that he loves to suffer so that they may better see and know the glory of God.
Once Lazarus is dead, Jesus makes the decision to return to Judea to resurrect Lazarus. In doing so, we will see, at the conclusion of this chapter, the Jews will begin their plot to kill Jesus.
So, in a very real sense, the healing of Lazarus will lead to his own personal death.Jesus laid down his life so that not just Lazarus will experience life, but that all who are dead in their sins, might be brought to life in Christ, through faith in him.
If you faith resides in Jesus, then you have been brought to life because of his willingness to lay down and take up his life. If your faith resides in Jesus, then your life won’t end in death, either. We have been given eternal life in Christ.
Though you will taste death one day, death will simply be a doorway to the very thing we long for as Christians. We will be with our Savior for all eternity. With him there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more death.
Church, cling to this hope in the midst of suffering. We serve a risen King who loves us deeply.
How do we know he loves us?
We know he loves us, not because of our circumstances, but because of the cross.
The absence of suffering is not a proof of God’s love. Rather, the proof of God’s love is the fact that God entered into this world to suffer for us.
All throughout Scripture we see that God uses pain and suffering for the advancement of his glory. Yesterday, as I was reflecting on this truth, I was reminded of the book of Ruth.
In the book of Ruth, we see that it is through the pain and suffering of Naomi and Ruth that we see God leading Ruth to Boaz, and Boaz to marrying Ruth. It’s through their children that the redeemer of the world, Jesus, was born.
So, as we close today, I want to read this quote,
“Our natural response is to rebel against them [our trials and suffering] as alien intruders, which must be expelled from our lives as quickly and painlessly as possible by every means available, including God’s miraculous intervention. With hindsight, however, another perspective is possible. We can offer our trials to God for him either to remove or retain as he pleases, thereby bringing glory to his name and deepening our faith, and possibly that of others too.”
Church, it is good to plead for the Lord to remove suffering. We see Paul do it. But, in our pleading, may we offer our trials to God, trusting that he is good and that he loves us. He can remove or retain as he pleases. We can pray this way because we know that prolonged suffering does not negate God’s love for us.