As we begin to live out, apply, and proclaim the hope of the gospel to the world, what does Jesus prepare us for in John 15:18-20?
Why does the world hate those who abide in Jesus?
How does the fact that God came and suffered for us comfort us whenever we experience persecution?
We learned on Sunday that “being rejected by the world does not mean that we are rejected by God.” How does God’s unconditional love for us comfort us in the face of rejection by the world?
What does it mean to abide in Jesus?
Describe the difference from obedience to earn love and obedience as a response to love.
Read 1 John 3:11-24. What similarities do you see between 1 John 3 and John 15? What are some tangible ways that we can love one another?
Jesus, in John 15:12-13, calls his disciples to love one another as he has loved them. This assumes that Christians ought to be willing to serve like Christ and be served like Christ. Why is it so difficult for us to be served sometimes?
What does it mean that God chose us rather than we choose him? Why does Jesus say that God chooses people?
How does Jesus contrast with Israel according to Isaiah 5:1-2 and Jeremiah 2:5-8; 13; and 21?
When you hear the word "prune," how does that make you feel? What encouragement is there in that Jesus says, "every branch that does bear fruit he prunes?"
What fruit should be evident in a believers life?
What does it mean to abide?
We saw in Acts 1:8 that there is not a single person on this planet that we are to withhold the good news of Jesus from. Is there anyone in your life that you struggle to share the gospel with?
We also saw how important the Holy Spirit is in our evangelism. Spend a few minutes discussing this. Share with the group stories of how the Holy Spirit has worked in and through you as you’ve shared the gospel with others.
Let’s strategize. What are some practical ways that you as a community group can engage in missions locally?
Let’s pray. Spend a few minutes praying that (1) God will bless those who are already taking the gospel to unreached areas, (2) that God will call men and women from Harbor to take the gospel to unreached areas, and (3) that we will be faithful in supporting, training, sending, and partnering with those who take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Why do we join in God's mission to the whole world?
What does it look like for every church member to be a part of God's mission in Mobile? Around the world?
If Jesus commands us to make disciples in the great commission then what does that look like in our every day lives?
If our disciple making reflects our obedience to Christ (1 John 2:3-6), what sacrifices do each of us need to make to be making disciples in obedience?
What makes God worthy of our praise?
How did this week’s message shape or re-emphasize your understanding of missions?
Knowing the message and getting it correct matters, what is the gospel message?
What are some practical ways you can be living on mission now? What fears do you have?
What Scriptures bring you encouragement when you think about the difficulty of living on mission?
Discussion Questions:
What do these verses tell us about the Holy Spirit?
Why does Jesus give the promises and assurances of the Helper, his peace, and his divine knowledge before the chaos of betrayal and crucifixion ensue? Why is it so important to rehearse and dwell on the truth of God's word before we enter storms, trials, struggles, and suffering?
How does the world try to offer peace today? How does all of this contrast with the peace Jesus offers and the way he secures peace for us?
Read Philippians
How do we know the Holy Spirit is at work in a person's life according to John 14:15-24? What evidence will be obvious? How will our love for Jesus be evident according to vs 15, 21, and 23?
What are some commands that Jesus has given in this gospel?
What does this passage tell us about the Holy Spirit?
Where does this passage say that the Holy Spirit lives? Why is that important?
In what ways has the Holy Spirit helped you in your walk with Jesus?
What are some other passages in John and outside of John that speak to the divine nature of Jesus? Why is understanding Jesus’ divine nature so important?
What does it mean that “greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father?”
What does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name?
How do these verses impact your prayer life?
Wayne pointed out that we all are going to have troubled hearts. What is causing you trouble? How does this passage bring you comfort?
There is room in the family for all who believe. How does that truth bring you comfort, personally?
How does this passage speak to the urgency of sharing the hope of the gospel?
Whose salvation are you praying for personally? How can your group join with you in praying for the lost in light of the urgency of the message?
How is God glorified through the betrayal and death of his son Jesus?
If God is holy and perfectly just, then he cannot allow sin into his presence for eternity. Sin has to be paid for. How does this affect your perspective on who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?
If you reject God on earth, why in the world would he force you into his presence for eternity?
What makes Jesus’ commandment in verse 34 a “new” commandment?
What does it look like to love those around you in the same way that Jesus radically loves us?
Read Psalm 41 and 2 Samuel 15. What are some of the parallels between what happened with Ahithophel and David and Judas and Jesus? Why is that important?
How does Jesus announcement of Judas’ betrayal before it happened give us hope?
We saw that Jesus was able to see what man cannot see when it came to Judas. How is that a warning to us today?
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “betray”? Have you ever been betrayed by someone? How does John handle his betrayer in John 13?
Read Philippians 2:1-11. What are some of the similarities between this passage in Philippians and John 13.
How does Jesus’ action of washing his disciples feet foreshadow his death on the cross?
As we saw in our passage today, Jesus doesn’t avoid washing Judas’ feet, despite knowing Judas’ plan to betray him. What does that teach us about the type of service that we are called to as Christians?
Is there anyone in your life that you need to ask for their forgiveness because you have been withholding service from them?
During Covid-19, who are people in your life that you can serve better?
Why did the masses reject Jesus?
Read Isaiah 6. How is Isaiah’s response to the Lord something that we should imitate?
What does the fear of man look like in your own life?
How does this text lead you to worship, motivate you to plead with God on behalf of others, and encourage you to proclaim the good news of the gospel?
How does Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross display his love for you?
How does Jesus’ words in verse 28 show us how to pray when crisis threatens to crush our lives? Is the priority of Jesus your greatest priority? Is glorifying the Father your central aim? Are you, by the power of the Spirit, bringing all things under his authority and aiming all things towards his glory?
Verse 32 does not mean that literally everyone will be saved. Rather, it means that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be drawn to himself. This tells us that there will/should diversity in the church.
How can you, personally, be intentional building relationships with others who look, talk, and act different than you?
How can your community group be intentional building relationships with others who look, talk, and act different than you?
What does this passage teach us about Jesus? What does it teach us about ourselves?
How, in the midst of calamity, can you and your family be an instrument for the advancement of the gospel?
What does it mean to “hate our life in this world?”
In what areas do you struggle to serve others in a way that reflects the gospel?
Though we do not serve to earn blessings, what does Jesus promise in John 12:26b to all who submit and obey?
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).”
Have you ever felt like you’ve been hustled? Where someone leads you on to think one thing, then eventually their true motives are exposed, and you’re left shaking your head wondering how you were so dumb to not see the truth at the beginning.
Well, several years ago, I had a guy reach out to me, and he was an extremely friendly individual. We had mutual friends. Everyone I knew spoke really highly of him. He wanted to have lunch, and at lunch he asked questions about my wife. He asked questions about my kids. He’s asking questions about our church plant, and he’s acting like he’s trying to help me with finding a location for our church plant.
I’m thinking, “Man, this dude is really nice. I would enjoy being friends with him.”
We made plans to get together as families. I thought a new friendship was brewing.
Well, it didn’t take too long for me to find out why he was so friendly…He was trying to sell me something.
All of his friendly acts were nice, but they were ultimately an attempt to cover up his true motives. Over time his true motives were exposed. He wasn’t truly interested in a friendship, he was interested in selling me a product.
Ironically, we really needed the product that he was selling. So, we purchased the product that he was selling.
But, the moment that he made the sell, he was no longer interested in the friendship that he was once interested in. I quickly learned that, where he appeared to be concerned with myself and my family, he was really concerned with himself and his business.
Well, in todays passage we will begin to see the true motive of the religious leaders.
Ever since John 5, we’ve been noticing a group of people, the religious leaders, grow more and more frustrated with Jesus. They’ve claimed that Jesus has broke the law by healing on the Sabbath and by claiming to be God. So, they’ve been hiding behind a “zeal for the law” and a “love for God’s people” up until this point in the gospel.
But, today we will see their true colors begins to shine…and they’re not pretty colors. Today we see the true motives of the religious leaders.
They could care less about loving God. They could care less about loving their neighbor. All they are concerned with is their own status, power, and authority.
When they were confronted with the truth about Jesus, rather than submitting to him in belief, they reject Jesus in order to preserve their own kingdom and social rank.
It is following the most miraculous miracle and the clearest sign that Jesus is the Messiah that they devise their plan to kill Jesus. Where the evidence is clear that Jesus is the Messiah, they look past the evidence in order to preserve their fame and power.
But, what’s remarkable is that their plan to destroy the Son of God is all a part of God’s plan. Where they think they’re about to eliminate Jesus’s ministry by killing him, they’re about to actually help him carry out the very purpose of his ministry.
Those are really going to be the two points we camp out on today:
The idolatry of the religious leaders. How the fear of losing power prevented the religious leaders from believing and trusting in Jesus.
The sovereignty of God in the midst of this idolatry. God used the hard-hearted plan of Caiaphas to carry out his predetermined plan to save the world.
Now, before we get there, let’s really quickly refresh our memory of what’s happened thus far in John 11.
At the start of John 11, we’re introduced to a family that Jesus loves on an intimate and personal level. But, when Jesus hears that one of these family members, Lazarus, is sick, he (ironically) does not rush to heal him. Rather, Jesus stays two more days in order to allow this sickness to lead to death. John tells us that, because Jesus loved this family, he stayed when he heard that Lazarus was ill. He does this because he knows that he will raise Lazarus from the grave. He knows that God’s glory will be displayed through Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave.
Well, two weeks ago we saw that very thing take place. After Lazarus had been dead for four days— in front of a large, diverse, crowd— Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave.
He yells, “Lazarus, come out!”
Then, out trots Lazarus, still wrapped in his linen cloths.
Jesus then tells the crowd to go unbind him and let him go.
Jesus performs many signs and miracles throughout his lifetime. But, this miracle (besides his own personal resurrection) is the most mind-blowing. Raising Lazarus from the grave, goes to show us that Jesus is not just a man. He is in fact the Son of God.
As we saw in John 1, the creator of all things has become flesh, and the creator of all things is Jesus. He was in the beginning with God, and he was God. In him was life, and without him nothing was made.
As we see in John 11, he is the one who possesses power over life and death. He is the Messiah who Israel has been anxiously waiting for. He is the one who possesses the power to defeat our greatest enemy: sin and death.
Now, what’s crazy is that we don’t really hear much about Lazarus after this point. At the start of John 12, we see Jesus go to a celebratory dinner with Lazarus in Bethany, and we also see that the religious leaders want to kill Lazarus because a lot of people are believing in Jesus because of him.
But, here’s the thing, I got 1,000,000 questions that I want answered. When Lazarus came out, did he or his clothes stink? What did Lazarus look like? Did he dance when he came out or was he sad when he came out? How much longer did he live after this took place? Did he write a book called “5,760 minutes in heaven?” Tell me more about Lazarus!
But, John gives us no further details about Lazarus. In verse 44 we see Lazarus come out of the grave and Jesus tell everyone to unblind him (We don’t even know if anyone does it! We can only assume they do.). Then in verse 45, at the start of our passage today, John transitions into the response of the crowd.
“45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done."
What that tells us is that the purpose of this story is not Lazarus or even the miracle itself. The purpose of this story is to show us how God is glorified through the exaltation of Jesus. This quick transition from the miracle itself to the response to the miracle, should leave us asking the question, “What is my respond to Jesus in light of this miracle?”
You have two options when it comes to Jesus: you can respond in belief or you can respond in rejection. There’s no middle ground. You either respond in belief, trusting and submitting to him as Lord or you reject him as an enemy.
The farther we get into our passage today, the more we will see what rejection looks like. But, next week we will catch a glimpse at what true belief looks like.
So, what we see here is that there was a large crowd that witnessed this miracle performed by Jesus, and now there’s a great divide when it comes to responding to this miracle.
First we see that many believed in him. After seeing Jesus raise Lazarus from the grave, they conclude that Jesus is the Messiah. He’s the one we’ve been waiting for. Behold! The lamb of God! They believe in him.
But, then in verse 46 we see that some do not respond in belief. Many believe, but some do not. And those who do not believe go and proclaim to the Pharisees what Jesus had done.
The way John presents these two responses tells us that their going and telling is not a good going and telling.
In fact, their actions remind me of the Parazine household right now. As parent of a 2.5 year old and a 3.5 year old, we often hear the words, “Dad, sissy took my toy,” or “Momma, bubba hit me.” Kayla and I are surrounded with little tattletales.
Well, we see in verse 46 that some people never outgrow the tattletale stage. Those who do not believe run to the Pharisees with the intention of getting Jesus in trouble.
Remember, Jesus has been a thorn in the flesh of the Pharisees up until this point in the gospel. He’s healed on the Sabbath. He’s claimed to be God. And because of these things, they’ve sought to arrest him and put him to death. But, their efforts have continually fallen short.
So, when the Pharisees hear this news, they’re greatly disturbed. Therefore, they get together to discuss what they should do in regards to this miracle.
Look at verses 47-48,
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
First off, the council here is the Sanhedrin, which would be the highest ruling body or the high court of justice in Jerusalem. It consisted of seventy men. The men present at this meeting (both Pharisees and Sadducees) would be the political elite, the religious elite, the wealthy…they were the cream of the crop. And the high priest, Caiaphas, presided over this ruling body at the time.
What this tells us is that the issue at hand is huge! It’s monumental.
This is no longer some guy turning water to wine at a party. This is a man who is claiming to be the Messiah and he’s raising people from the dead.
Get the council together, we got to figure this out… In the words of John Piper, “This is a high-level federal consultation.”
So, as they all gathered together, they first asked the question, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.”
This may be a small detail in the text, but I don’t want us to breeze over this statement. What we see first hand here is an acknowledgment of the miraculous works performed by Jesus.
Even Jesus’ enemies acknowledge his divine power.
So, let me chase a quick rabbit here for a moment and speak to the skeptic.
Pop quiz: who is the author of this book?
The author of this book is a man named John. John is known as the beloved disciple of Jesus. Which means that he is someone who walked with, talked with, laughed with, and cried with Jesus. John was an eye witness to the miracles that he is recording. He’s not making them up. He’s not writing about stories that he’s heard from his grandparents. He’s writing about things he’s seen firsthand.
But, in last week’s passage we saw that it was not just John that was present at the raising of Lazarus. We saw that a large, diverse, crowd was present, which speaks to the authenticity of this miracle.
The more eyewitnesses you have present, the more reliable your testimony becomes.
For example, let’s say your best friend’s uncle Ricky passed away and you, along with everyone else in town, went to his funeral. You stood in line to hug your friend. You consoled your friend’s aunt Judy. You saw uncle Ricky in the casket. You watched them bury uncle Ricky. There was no doubt in your mind that uncle Ricky died.
What would you do if aunt Judy eventually wrote a book saying that, at uncle Ricky’s funeral, he was raised from the casket back to life? You, along with everyone else who was present at the funeral, would call BS! There would be an uproar of folks saying, “That didn’t happen.”
The large, diverse, crowd at the funeral would weed out the false claim of uncle Ricky’s resurrection.
So, when John, an eyewitness to this miracle, records this account in his gospel, no one who was present dismissed it as false. In fact, John is showing us in our passage today that this story is spreading like wildfire. Both those who believe and those don’t believe are spreading this message! It was widely understood that this really happened. Even Jesus’ enemies are acknowledging his divine power.
John recorded this gospel not too many years after this story took place. In fact, most of this audience would likely still be alive. So, if Jesus didn’t raise Lazarus from the grave, then you would have documentation of people claiming that it didn’t happen.But, we don’t. This was a widely recognized story that really happened.
So, if I can lovingly be frank with you for a moment, claiming that this story didn’t really happen is just an ignorant claim.
Even Jesus’ enemies are acknowledging his divine power. These men could not explain away these works performed by Jesus. They could not avoid them. Jesus is healing the lame, he is giving sight to the blind, he is feeding the masses, and now he’s raising the dead to life…And the town is buzzing. Many people are believing in him. The whole town is looking for him (as we will see at the end of our passage today). The word is spreading about Jesus and the miracle that he just performed.
The religious leaders are trying to figure out what to do about it because if they don’t do something, then everyone will believe, and if everyone believes in him then the Romans will come and take away both their place and their nation.
They’re afraid that the Roman Empire, which really ruled the Jewish nation at this time, will come crashing down on Israel and destroy whatever bit of independence that they had.
So, it’s at this point that we see their true motives being exposed. Here is verse 48 we see their biggest concern finally come to light.
They’re rejecting Jesus because he is a threat to their place of power and authority.
Their true motives for opposing Jesus are beginning to be exposed. They’re not concerned with the law. They’re not concerned with loving God, nor are they concerned with hearing from God. They’re not concerned with loving their neighbor. They’re only concerned with their place and their nation.
“Our place” undoubtedly refers to the temple, which is the place that they possesses prominence and authority in. “Our nation” is the place that they rule over. These men are thinking that if everyone continues to believe and the Romans catch wind of this, then they will lose everything.
The very thing that they are finding their identity in has been threatened by Jesus. Their greatest concern is not getting Jesus right, it’s protecting their stuff from Jesus.
So, they are presented with a problem, a dilemma… Do they embrace Jesus for who he is, even if it means they might lose everything? Or do they continue to reject Jesus in an attempt to protect their fame and position of power?
What a terrifying reality that it’s possible to look past the facts about Jesus and reject him strictly out of a fear of what might happen to your life if you believe in him.
They are not rejecting Jesus because Jesus is full of falsehood. They are not rejecting Jesus because Jesus has done something wrong. They are rejecting Jesus because of their love for self.
Jesus was a threat to “their kingdom,” and Jesus is a threat to our kingdom today. Belief in Jesus means that you have to submit and lay down every part of your life for his glory. But, they refuse to do that, and they choose cling to the idols of their heart.
Jesus, in Matthew 16, says,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” — Matthew 16:24-26
Belief in Christ brings with it trust and submission, and it brings with it transformation. When you believe in Jesus, you abandon that which you once knew for something greater, Jesus. That which you once found your identity in is no longer your identity. Where you were once dead, you are now a new creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
As a Christian, you are daily proclaiming, “I cannot make it on my own and I need help. My kingdom, my net worth, my status, my life is not worth pursuing apart from Christ. So, I’m laying down my wants, desires, and life so that I might have new wants, desires, and life in Jesus.”
At the heart of following Jesus is a denying and abandoning of yourself and the things that this world offers. At the heart of the gospel is a clinging to Jesus.
And, listen, the more you have, the harder this is. To the broken and lowly, the invitation to come and believe in Jesus so that you may have life is an invitation that’s hard to pass up. But, that same invitation is easy to pass up to the brother or sister who has “gained the whole world.”
We live in a culture that prides itself building your kingdom, your status, your power at all cost. But, in following Jesus you are proclaiming that he is your ultimate joy and he is your ultimate treasure. We must decrease so that he must increase.
Although you may lose in this life, you know that you have an eternal hope and an eternal inheritance that is being kept in heaven for you by God, and this inheritance is one that cannot perish.
But, these men cannot fathom this truth. So, in attempts to hold on to this idol of status and power, they reject Jesus, their only hope for eternal life.
What I want you to think through this week is this: What in your life are you afraid of God touching?
Are you afraid to come to Jesus because you’re afraid that he might call you to give up a certain relationship or job or social media platform? Are you subtly rejecting Jesus out of a fear of him actually being Lord of your life? Do you avoid confessing certain sins out of fear of people seeing you for who you really are? Do you avoid sharing your faith out of fear of being seen as a silly Christian?
Folks, lose your life so that you may find it! Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus! Jesus offers you life, abundant life. Although you may lose what you have currently, you will gain so much more for eternity.
So, rather than submit to Jesus as king, they’re declaring war against Jesus, and they’re strategizing on how they can remain king of their own kingdom.
Then, the high priest speaks, giving direction to their rejection of Jesus. Look at verses 49-50,
“49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
The first thing I want us to notice here is that this brother isn’t the most gentle and encouraging individual in the world, is he? He begins his formalized prophecy by saying, “You know nothing at all.” In others words, “You bunch of idiots. You big ol’ dumbs!”
You wouldn’t think he’s addressing the entire council of Jerusalem. You would think he’s addressing a group people getting ready to board an Alaskan cruise saying, “Guys! You know nothing at all. Don’t know that cruises are meant to be taken in warm weather? Haven’t you seen how Titanic ends???”
But, nonetheless, he now has their attention, and he begins to counsel the council. He says, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
What’s happening here is truly remarkable. This man is using strong sacrificial language. From a political stand point, Caiaphas is saying that in order for their nation to live, Jesus must die. If Jesus does not die, the whole nation will perish. Their enemy will win… Rome will take over and there will be no more Israel. It’s a death sentence to allow Jesus to continue to live. Therefore, Caiaphas hard-heartedly says, “We need to put Jesus on the altar so that we may live.”
Now, does this message sound familiar?
Do you remember what Jesus told Nicodemus back in John 3? Maybe a better question is, What did Tim Tebow wear on his eyeblack back when he played football for the Gators?
John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Now, Caiaphas is saying,
“It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
HELLO! Caiaphas, that’s what is doing! That’s why Jesus has come. God knew that it would be better for Jesus to die than for the whole world to perish. Therefore, God gave his one and only Son.
We’re now able to look back and see that Caiaphas is hard-heartily, and unknowingly, proclaiming the gospel.
***Discuss in greater detail how this declaration is actually a summary of the gospel.
Now, we can tell that John sees this connection clearly by his commentary in verse 51,
“He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”
What I want us to see here, and please do not miss this: despite his ill intentions, Caiaphas is proclaiming the message of God.
God spoke through Caiaphas.
What does this tell us?
It tells us that the disobedient act of crucifying Jesus (which was rooted in unbelief and rejection) was orchestrated by God. God never falls off his throne. His redemptive plan will prevail! What man is intending for evil here, God is intending for God.
The cross, as awful and unjust as it was, was not God’s plan B. It was God’s plan, before the foundation of the world, to cleanse and adopt sinners into his family, through the death of Jesus (Eph. 1, Rom. 8, etc.).
This is the gospel message!
It was God’s plan for Jesus to die on the cross so that we don’t have to. It was God’s plan for him to be glorified through the substitutionary death of Jesus.
We have to understand that the cross was not God’s scrambled attempt to make things right when sin entered the picture. It was his predestined plan, before the foundation of the world, to offer his Son as a substitute for all of sinful humanity.
This is the point that John has been constantly reminding us of all throughout this book. No one took Jesus’s life. Jesus willingly laid it down.
Jesus came to give life to the lifeless, through his death.
John the Baptist, when he sees Jesus, proclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (1:29).” We therefore, see that the purpose of his coming was to be the passover lamb who was led to the slaughter in order to take away the sin of the world.
In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Father sent him into the world to save the world through his death on the cross.
Jesus said in John 6 that in the same way that God sent down bread from heaven to give life to Israel in the wilderness, God sent down his Son, the true bread of life, to give eternal life to his people. The purpose of his coming is to give life through his death.
In John 8 and 9, Jesus says that in the same way that God came down and lead his people by the pillar of fire by night in the wilderness, Jesus is the light of the world, who was sent into the world. Whoever follows him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. He came to illuminate the darkness and to give life to the lifeless through his death on the cross.
In John 10, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd who came so that his sheep may have life and have it abundantly. He came to lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus came to give life through the laying down of his own life.
And as John tells us here in John 11, Jesus didn’t just die for just one specific group of people, Israel. He died for all of humanity. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus died to “gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad (v.53).” People from every tribe, tongue, and nation will experience this eternal life, through belief in him.
So, Caiaphas was right. If Jesus does not die, their enemy will win. But, what he didn’t understand is that sacrificing Jesus would not save them from their enemy, Rome. Sacrificing Jesus would actually save sinners from their greatest enemy, sin and death.
It’s in verses 53-57 that we see the official plan to kill Jesus come into full effect, and it’s here that we see Jesus avoid them for a short time longer. He doesn’t avoid them out of fear. He’s just waiting for the right time, and the right time is approaching. It’s about a week away. As Passover is approaching, so too is Jesus’s death, and as this time is approaching, everyone is asking questions, wondering if Jesus will show up.
Let me read these last few verses. We’re not going to dig into them too much. I wanted us to spend a bulk of our time looking at what we already looked at today. But, I do want us to close by looking at one specific detail of these verses, which is the fact that it’s passover.
The remainder of the chapter says this,
“So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.”
Do we remember what Passover celebrates?
I’ll give you the cliff notes version. If you were to think back to Exodus 12, you would see where God’s people were in slavery in Egypt. God heard the cry of his people, and he prepared to lead them out of slavery, into the promised land. Well, as God was preparing to lead his people out of slavery, he announced the last plague that will take place in Egypt. And that plague was this: he would strike down the firstborn child of every household in the land. In order to be spared from this judgment, every family was commanded to slaughter a lamb without blemish and spread the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, and in doing so, the LORD would passover their household and spare them.
So, by the blood of a spotless lamb, God’s people were spared from his judgment. The lamb died as a substitute for God’s people. The lamb died in the place of God’s people. The lamb died so that the nation would not perish. A lamb had to die to grant salvation…
Does that ring a bell?
The passover feast (which was about to take place) was therefore a time of remembrance, reflection, and celebration of God’s faithfulness on behalf of his people. Jews from far and wide would come to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast. During this feast each year, each family would sacrifice a lamb in order to celebrate and remember God’s faithfulness.
Well, ironically (and according to God’s predetermined plan), they were going to unknowingly sacrifice the true lamb of God, Jesus Christ, this year.
As the prophet Isaiah prophesied (Is. 53),
“…he will be pierced for our transgressions; he will be crushed for our sins; upon him (Jesus) will be the punishment that brought us peace. By his wounds we will be healed. He will be oppressed, and he will be afflicted, but he will not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before it’s shearers, Jesus will not open his mouth.”
Jesus is the spotless lamb who came in righteousness and justice in order to take upon himself the condemnation that we deserve. In the same way that Israel was spared from the judgment of the LORD during passover because of the bloodshed of a spotless lamb, so too can we be spared by the shedding of the blood of Jesus.
Everyone look at me.
You are not perfect. You have been wronged by others, sure. But, you have wronged others. You have sinned against your neighbor, and more importantly you have sinned against God, and sin brings forth death and condemnation.
But, here’s the good news: Jesus is the lamb of God, who came to take away your sins through his death on a cross. There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
So, as Christian comes up to lead us in worship, my question for you today is: do you believe this to be true?
I’m not asking do you intellectually understand that Jesus possessed an incomparable, divine power. The enemies of Jesus believed this.
I’m asking have you trusted in Jesus as your only hope for salvation?
The cross and the resurrection is your only hope! There is grace and mercy and forgiveness and hope in Jesus. There is no condemnation in Jesus.
Come to him. Believe in him. Trust in him.
Have you confessed, repented, and asked for forgiveness of your wrong doing? Have you denied yourself and begun to follow him? My plead to you is that your answer is “yes.”
The cost of following Jesus is high.
It demands humility and meekness. It demands you stepping off the throne of your life and bowing down before Jesus, saying, “You are king!” It requires an open handedness with money and earthly possessions. It may lead you away from comfort, prosperity, and safety. It may lead to you being mocked and ridiculed. It may lead to your death.
But, listen to me, the cost of following Jesus is worth it.
When you follow Jesus, he gives you the Holy Spirit, who will comfort you and give you joy and peace. He gives you an eternal hope that cannot be taken away.
“Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him.”
If you have not done this and you want to today, come talk to me in the back. If you have done this, then lets spend a moment worshipping Jesus, the lamb of God, together as a church.
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).”
Alright, guys! Today we will be continuing on, working our way through John 11. So, please turn in your Bibles to John 11:28.
This will be our third week working our way through this specific chapter. This chapter is a pretty remarkable story; and we know that this story (like every other story in the gospel of John) is being told for one specific purpose: our belief in Jesus.
At the close of this gospel, John tells us that he’s writing this book so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
So, that means that John chose to record this story about Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (when no other gospel writer chose to) in order to give us more evidence, in order to persuade and show us that there is something different about Jesus.He is the Christ, the Son of God, that the OT constantly spoke about and he is our only hope for eternal life.
Therefore, when we finish studying our passage today, we should be left standing in awe of who Jesus is. We should be astonished, amazed, and blown away at (1) who Jesus is (2) what he accomplished here and (3) what this accomplishment points to.
And when we finish looking at chapter 11 in two week, we should be left astonished, amazed, and blown away at how anyone could respond to Jesus with hostility and opposition.
How could someone not respond to Jesus by falling on his or her face in worship?
Now, up until this week, John 11 has been a pretty dark and gloomy chapter. We’ve seen a lot of heartache and pain. But, this week we will see the rain stop and the sun begin to rise over the clouds.
Think about what we’ve learned thus far…
At the start of John 11, we see John introduce us to a family that had an intimate relationship with Jesus. This family is Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. This family loved Jesus and Jesus loved them.
But, then we quickly see that this family has encountered a major trial. What is that trial? Lazarus became sick, and because of this illness, Mary and Martha do the only thing they know to do. They send for Jesus.
Then in verses 5-6 we see one of the strangest progressions in the gospel of John. We see that, because Jesus loved this family, he stayed were he was for two more days. Rather than stop what he’s doing and dart to their aid, he stays for another weekend. Because he loved them, he allowed them to continue to suffer.
This taught us that prolonged suffering does not negate God’s love for us. When we encounter prolonged suffering, that does not mean that God has not heard our prayer for healing, nor does it mean that God is mad at us. There was purpose in his delayed response. There was purpose in their prolonged suffering. And that purpose was that they see the glory of God displayed through their suffering.
Well, after two days pass, the pain of Martha and Mary increases because their brother, Lazarus, dies. And, once he dies, Jesus goes against the counsel of his disciples and he returns to Bethany to bring him back to life. Remember, the disciples didn’t want Jesus to return to Bethany because Bethany is two miles away from Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is where everyone who wants to kill Jesus lives (that will be important for us next week). But, rather than listen to his disciples, Jesus is obedient to the Father and he returns to Bethany anyways.
Well, at the start of last week’s passage, we see the scene switch over to Martha. Martha hears that Jesus is coming and she rushes out to meet him. Upon meeting him, she says something pretty profound, and this profound statement leads to a theological discussion between her and Jesus.
She says in verse 21, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
Jesus responded with words. He said, “Your brother will rise again.”
And Martha is like, “Yeah, I know he will. He will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Martha has apparently been listening to Jesus, because her answer is theologically correct.
But, Jesus, in response to her response, makes one of the most remarkable claims found in the gospel of John. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
So, if you believe in Jesus, death will simply be a doorway. Death is not the end. It is simply the beginning. Though you die, you will live. He is the resurrection and the life. He is the one who raises the dead to eternal life.
She then responds to his question about whether or not she believes by saying, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
This is a sister who gets it! The religious leaders are blind to the truth. But, this woman right here sees and knows the truth about Jesus! Jesus is the Son of God. He is the resurrection and the life.
Now, that exchange between Jesus and Martha will be important for us in our passage today. So, be prepared to go back to those verses at times.
But, what we will primarily see in our passage today is validation to Jesus’s claim to be the resurrection and the life. Where we saw last week Jesus claim to be the resurrection and the life, this week he gives proof to that claim by raising Lazarus from the dead.
Let’s dive in.
“28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.”
So, what we see here is that apparently after Martha declares her belief in Jesus, Jesus tells Martha to go get her sister Mary. Martha says to Mary in verse 28, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
Now, if you’re like me and you’re skimming through last week’s passage, wondering when Jesus told Martha to go get her sister. Save your energy. There’s nothing in the previous verses that show this exchange between Jesus and Martha. It’s like there should a verse 27.5 that says, “Jesus then sent Martha to go get her sister Mary.”
But, nonetheless, she goes to her sister in private and says, “The teacher is here and is calling for you.”
I think one thing John wants us to see here is Mary’s immediate response. In verse 29 we see that… “when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.” Then, in verse 31 we see that the Jews take notice of her “rising and going quickly.”
So, John wants us to know that without any delay, Mary wastes no time and darts to Jesus. In contrast to last week’s passage where Mary remained seated, she now runs to where Jesus is, which is (as we see in verse 30) outside of the town of Bethany.
When Jesus calls, we should move quickly.
Now, lets remember that Mary was not mourning alone at her home. We saw last week (v.19) that many Jews had come from Bethany to console Martha and Mary. So, when the Jews who were with Mary see her leave quickly, they get up and follow her, as well. She moves quickly so they don’t have time to ask questions. They can only assume. Verse 31 tells us that they assume she is going to the tomb to weep there. So, they follow her.
Now, I think that’s important for us to take note of.
The fact that a crowd got up and followed Mary to Jesus is important because it tells us that a large, diverse, crowd is present at the time of the miracle that will soon take place.
During this time not just family would be present with Martha and Mary. Yes, family would obviously be with Martha and Mary at this time. Yes, friends likely traveled from Jerusalem to mourn with them, as well. But, there would also be professional mourners present.
D.A. Carson tells us in his commentary on John that there was a custom during this time that even a poor family was expected to hire at least two flute players and one professional wailing woman. What a job!
So, that tells us that there is a large, diverse, crowd following Mary to Jesus at this very moment.
Why is that important? Well strictly from an apologetic stand point, this is crucial for us.
The large crowd present tell us that it would be irrational to be skeptical of the authenticity of the miracle that’s about to take place.
Let’s be real for a moment. The miracle that Jesus is about to perform is remarkable and very unbelievable.
If I came to you and told you that I died Friday night, but that Kayla brought me back to life this morning, I would hope that you would roll your eyes, shake your head, and then leave and find another church.
But, if I, and Kayla, and my kids, and my neighbors, and my friends, and my distant relatives, and the nurses, and the funeral home people all said the same thing, then you would be compelled to believe the testimony that they’re give.
The abundance of witnesses give validation to the claims being made. So, John is making a point to tell us that a large, diverse, crowd of people were present at the sickness, the death, the burial, and the soon raising of Lazarus.
So, how do we know that Lazarus was really dead?
Well, there’s a long line of witnesses (both believers and non-believers) that would say, “Yeah, he was dead.”
Some would say, “I checked his heartbeat.” Other would say, “I was hired to mourn, and I walked with Mary to the tomb to mourn with her.”
How do we know that Lazarus was raised to life?
Well, there’s a long line of witnesses that would say, “Yeah, that’s true. That man who died was raised to life.”
Some would say, “I was his doctor.” Others would say, “I was their professional wailer, and I watched Jesus yell at the tomb. I rolled the stone back. I unraveled his linens.”
John is telling us that it’s not just friends and family present. It’s not just Jesus’s disciples that saw this miracle. There’s a rather diverse crowd of friends, family, and hired workers present at the time of this miracle. There’s those who believe that are present, and there are those who do not believe who are present.
So, listen to me. The large crowd, the abundance of witnesses present, tell us that it would be irrational to be skeptical of the authenticity of the miracle that’s about to take place.
So, Mary got up quick, and started heading to Jesus; and as she’s going, a large crowd is coming with her. Then, we see in verses 32-35 Jesus and Mary meet for the first time since the passing of her brother.
Let’s look at this exchange.
“32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
Now, I want us to take a moment and look at (1) what we see here in these verses and (2) what we don’t see here in these verses.
First off, what do we see here in these verses?
First, we see pain in Mary’s posture before Jesus. She’s hurting. The death of her brother has caused her deep pain
In verse 32, we see that she is broken and hurting, and she falls at Jesus’s feet. In verse 33, we see that she is weeping (this is a loud, uncontrollable sobbing).
She is broken over the death of her brother. So, she says to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Do those words sound familiar?
If you were paying attention just a minute ago, they should! Just a minute ago, we read Martha’s words to Jesus in verse 21; and now we see that the words of Mary in verse 32 are nearly identical to the words of Martha in verse 21.
I think this tells us that Mary and Martha have had this conversation already. At home, in the midst of their despair, in the midst of their pain, they’ve said to one another, “If only Jesus had been here, Lazarus wouldn’t have died.”
You know in these four days, they’ve likely wrestled through the question “why,” asking, “Why did Jesus not come? Why did he heal all these strangers, but not Lazarus, the one he loves?”
Therefore, when they both make it to Jesus, out of the abundance of their heart, their mouth speaks. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
So, what we see here is Mary has fallen before Jesus broken hearted, and she is weeping and pouring her heart out to Jesus.
Just to reiterate what Jacob taught us last week: it’s ok to come to God broken. It’s ok to be honest and raw with him. But, in our coming, may we not lose sight of who he is and the power he possesses.
Now, that’s what we see. Mary has come to Jesus hurting.
But what do we not see here in these verses?
Well, if you have a red letter Bible (meaning the words of Jesus are red in your Bible) you don’t see much red here.
Let’s compare Jesus’s exchange with Martha with Jesus’s exchange with Mary. This won’t be on the screen, but if you were to look at Jesus’s exchange with Martha in verses 20-27, you see quite a bit of red.
In response to same words spoken by Mary, Jesus told Martha that her brother will be raised, and then he told her that he is the resurrection and the life, and then he asked her if she believed.
Jesus and Martha had a theological conversation in the face of her suffering and pain.
But, here you don’t see Jesus have that conversation with Mary. Here you see a lot of silence from Jesus.
In response to Mary, he asked one question with five words (to which they both respond). These words should be on the screen. He says, “Where have you laid him?”
With Martha, Jesus spoke. With Mary, Jesus was silent.
Now, has something changed since the time he spoke with Martha? No. Everything he said to Martha is 100% true. Does his silence discredit the validity of what he spoke to Martha? No. Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Both of those things are 100% true. Does Jesus love Martha more than he loves Mary? No.
So, it is the God of this universe, the one who possesses power over life and death, the one who possesses all wisdom and knowledge, the one who knew what he was about to do before he did it, and the one who loves both Mary and Martha deeply, who, rather than speak, wept with Mary in her pain.
It’s not what Jesus does in this moment that is so powerful, It’s what he chooses not to do.
Jesus’s silence tells us that silence is not the equivalent of failure. At this moment, he doesn’t take on the role of a teacher and explain what’s going on. He doesn’t begin to apologize saying, “I’m sorry for your loss,” although he was. He doesn’t seek to encourage her by saying, “Cheer up! Lazarus is present with the Lord,” although he was. He doesn’t rebuke her by saying, “Stop crying because I’m about to bring him back,”although he will. No, Jesus simply wept with those who wept.
Church, we are to do the same. As Paul tells us in Romans 12, we “rejoice with those who rejoice, and we weep with those who weep…”
Sometimes, in the midst of pain and heartache, silence is not bad. You don’t always have to have an answer. You don’t always have to have an encouraging word. Silence is not the equivalent of failure. Don't be quick to view silence as failure.
Sometimes your brother or sister in pain needs to be reminded of the gospel. Sometimes we need to lift up the head of a suffering saint and point them to our eternal hope in Christ Jesus. Sometimes you need to share and explain, and comfort through words, just like Jesus did with Martha.
But, sometimes your brother or sister in pain needs you to be silent and weep with them. Sometimes, rather than try to lift up their head, we need to bow our head with them and hurt with them.
“Weep. with. those. who. weep.”
May we follow Jesus’s example in how we interact with one another in the midst of trials. There’s a time to speak and there’s a time to be silent.
Now, here’s something that rocked me this week as I was studying this passage. As I began to dig into commentaries, I began to quickly realize that I didn’t have a true understanding of what Jesus was feeling and going through at this point. I don’t think I ever really thought about what it meant for Jesus to be “deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” I think when I read “Jesus wept” I always thought that Jesus was just really sad; and because he was sad, he wept.
But, John is actually going out of his way to tell us that Jesus experienced something far more severe than sadness. What we’re about to see is that Jesus isn’t simply sad; he’s angry and he’s upset. He’s deeply frustrated. The grief he is feeling is far different than the grief that Mary, Martha, and the crowd are feeling.
The Greek word used for “deeply moved” is “embrimaomai,” and it’s equivalent to anger, outrage, or emotional indignation. The word was also literally used to describe the snorting of a horse.
This is strong language. John is seeking to tell us that when he saw the weeping of Mary and the Jews, a deep anger welled up within Jesus. And he adds to that by saying that Jesus is “greatly troubled,” which means that he was agitated and emotionally unsettled.
So, as he is emotionally unsettled with a deep anger welling up within him, he asked the question “where have they laid him (their brother Lazarus)?” And they then say, “Come and see.” And it’s at this point that Jesus wept.
But, even Jesus’s weeping here is different from the weeping of Mary. The word used to describe the weeping of Jesus in verse 35 is different than the word used to describe the weeping of Mary and the crowd in verse 33. The weeping that we see in verse 33 is a loud, uncontrollable sobbing. The weeping in verse 35 is more of a silent overflow of inner turmoil.
Why is that important?
That’s important because it tells us there is an internal struggle taking pace within Jesus right now that different than Martha and Mary. There is deep anger welling up within him that is beginning overflow into a silent weeping.
Which leads to the Jews (1) acknowledging his love for Lazarus and (2) questioning his motives.
“So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
They’re trying to reconcile Jesus’s love with his lack of action. They’re essentially asking the question, “If Jesus loved this man, and he possessed the power to heal him, then why did he not prevent him from dying?”
Notice how they’ve learned that Jesus possesses the power over life, but they have yet to learn that he possesses power over death. Raising Lazarus from the dead right now is on no ones radar.
But, before we get to the act of raising Lazarus from the dead, let me go back to the emotions that Jesus is feeling and ask the question “why.”
Why is Jesus angry?
What is leading to this inner anguish that Jesus is experiencing?Is he frustrated over the hopelessness of this situation? Is he frustrated that he showed up too late? Is he frustrated that he was unable to keep Lazarus from dying?
No. Jesus has made it clear that this sickness will not lead to death. He knows that he will raise Lazarus from the grave. He knows that this will lead to his glory. Jesus is not in anguish over the hopelessness of this situation.
Now, some commentaries, however, say that Jesus could be angry over a lack of belief displayed through their weeping. But, I’m not sure if that’s it, either.
I think what we see here is that Jesus is face to face with his enemy: Satan, sin, and death. And I think we see this a little more clearly when we look ahead to verse 38, “Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.”
So, let me seek to explain. In this passage, as Jesus’s death is approaching, he’s visually seeing someone that he deeply loves experiencing the negative repercussion of sin and death. And he, himself, is personally experiencing the pain that comes from sin and death.
Remember, when sin entered the world in Genesis 3, it is at that point that we see death enter the picture. Mankind was originally created in the image of God in Genesis 1. But, in Genesis 3, they fell from their innocent and sinless condition by disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. And it’s at that point that sin brought forth physical, spiritual, and eternal death.
Therefore, the death of Lazarus is a result of sin. It is sin that has tore this family apart. It is sin that has brought forth this pain. Now, the whole purpose of Jesus’s coming is that we may have life through his death. So, where sin, death, and Satan have distorted and fractured God’s creation, God has now come to restore and redeem and give life to his creation.
Jesus— the one that all things were made by, through, and for— is experiencing the heartache and pain that comes from sin; and he’s deeply disturbed.
At this point, he’s standing toe to toe, looking eye to eye, with his enemy. And, as his blood is boiling, Jesus is about to show his enemy that he. Stands. No. Chance.
Death will soon be defeated.
Jesus’s time to defeat his enemy— sin and death and Satan— is on the horizon, and when he does it’s not even going to be a close battle.
Let me try to set the stage for what’s taking place here and what’s about to take place.
If you and I were standing toe to toe with one another, looking eye to eye, and we’re about to fight, and you’ve had time to carefully calculate every punch that you’re about to throw at me, and you feel like you feel like you’re going to win the fight because you’ve never lost a fight before…But, right before you rare back to throw your first punch I said, “Hang on. Here’s what’s about to happen… You’re about to jab me as hard as you can with your left hand and it’s not going to phase me. You’ll then throw a haymaker with your right, but it won’t hurt. That uppercut… it won’t work. That roundhouse kick… pointless. You’re going to exhaust yourself, throwing your greatest blows at me. And once you do that, I’m going to punch you square in the nose with my left hand and I’m going to knock you out.”
Please know that this is what we’re about to see take place. Jesus, looking eye to eye with death, is about to give his enemy a foretaste to how he will defeat him. Jesus, in watching Mary and the Jews mourn, in looking at the tomb, he’s angrily standing toe to toe with his enemy, sin and death, and by raising Lazarus from the grave he’s saying, “Your greatest blows will prove to be ineffective. You are about to throw everything you have at me by trying to kill me, and it’s not going to work. You will lose. In the same way that I’m about to raise Lazarus from the grave, I will rise from the grave. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
In the midst of such a hopeless situation, the obvious question rings loud, who will defeat the dreaded enemy of sin and death.
It is Jesus, the one who is standing toe to toe with sin and death at this moment that possesses the power to defeat them.
Lets keep reading.
“Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”
Hold up. Wait a second.
Martha literally just made this beautiful declaration of her belief in Jesus back in verse 27. Remember in verse 27 she just proclaimed that she believed “Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, then you should trust him as the Christ. But, now, within the same day, we see her try to correct Jesus.
Let’s notice two things really quick:
First, this reminds us that Christians are not perfect. We will say and do some pretty dumb stuff. We will doubt God, even though he’s given us no reason to doubt him. It would do us well to remember that although we are forgiven, cleansed, and justified in Christ, we are still imperfect people going through the sanctification process. We are still going through the process of becoming more like Jesus. Although you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, you will still at times sin. At times you will still wrong your neighbor, and at times your neighbor will still wrong you.
May we therefore be a people who fix our eyes on Jesus, not our works, as our only hope for salvation. We, like Martha, will say and do some dumb things as Christians. Therefore, we need much grace.
I also want us to notice how her statement gives further validation to the death of Lazarus. In case you’re still doubting, Lazarus is dead.
Seconds before Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave, Martha reminds us that Lazarus has been dead for four days. He’s been dead so long that there will be an odor from his decaying body.
With the crowd present, no one steps in and rebukes her, which tells me that everyone agrees with her logic.
Lazarus isn’t alive in the tomb playing poker with the roaches. That man is dead. His body is decaying, and the stench of death will invade their nostrils the moment they roll away the stone.
Jesus then responds in verse 40 by saying,
“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
Notice the patience Jesus displays to Martha here. He doesn’t mock her. He gently directs her focus back to who he is and the promise he gave her. He’s gently directing her back to belief so that they can see his glory.
And in response to these words, look at verse 41.
“So they took away the stone (not Jesus, but the Jews). And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”
So, here we see Jesus praying publicly what he’s already prayed privately. Jesus is thanking God for hearing him past-tense. This tells us that Jesus has already been praying for Lazarus. In the same way that Jesus prayed for Lazarus, he intercedes on our behalf.
But, here Jesus goes to God in prayer for a specific purpose. What is that purpose? That purpose is the belief of those around him.
And then we get to the grand finale, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Look at these last two verses.
“When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
At the calling of Jesus, Lazarus comes to life. Think about that, Jesus possesses the power to call the dead to life. He’s not simply a good man. He’s not simply a good teacher. He is the only one who possesses the power to bring the dead to life. He is the only one who is capable of defeating our greatest enemy: sin and death.
How do we know this is true? Once again, look at the details John gives us here. Who unbinds Lazarus? The crowd.
Can you imagine what’s going through their mind at this moment? At the calling of Jesus, Lazarus, the man who died came out, and now they gotta go unwrap him.
Levitical Law prohibited the touching of a dead body. Therefore, Jesus’s command to unbind him proves that Lazarus is now alive. This is no longer a dead body that one must avoid touching. This man is alive, and the crowd must unbind him!
What a moment in history. Jesus is not simply a good man. He’s not simply a good teacher. He is the only one who possesses the power to bring the dead to life.
And this is the gospel.
Paul, in Ephesians 2, says to the church, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins…” So, that tells us that all of humanity is spiritually dead because of their sins. But, Paul goes on to say that “God, being rich in mercy has made us alive with the Messiah, even though we were dead in our sins.”
So, if your faith resides in Jesus, then you, by God’s mercy, have been brought to life (just like Lazarus). Where you had no hope for life, God graciously gave it. Where you were lifelessly and hopelessly trapped in a spiritual tomb, Jesus has called you out by name to a new life in him. Where you once let off a terrible stench of death, you are now the aroma of Christ to God. The hope of the gospel is that Jesus Christ defeated sin and death through his death and resurrection. And because of his death and resurrection, we too have been brought to life through belief in him.
