John 11:1- 46 The Story of Lazarus
It’s during this time of year the story of Lazarus takes place.
John 11:1- 46
John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Bethany means: House of Dates!
John 11:2 And it was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
John 11:3 The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
John 11:4 But when Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
Lazarus means: God is my help!
John 11:6 When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.
John 11:7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
John 11:8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the
John 11:9b-10 light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
John 11:11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
John 11:12 The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
John 11:13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
John 11:14-15a Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there,
John 11:15b-16 so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Thomas therefore who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
John 11:16b-17 “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
John 11:18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
John 11:19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
John 11:20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.
John 11:21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
John 11:22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
John 11:23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.”
John 11:24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,
John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
John 11:28 And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here, and is calling for you.”
John 11:29 And when she heard it, she arose quickly, and was coming to Him.
John 11:30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.
John 11:31 The Jews then who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed
John 11:31b her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
John 11:32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would
John 11:32b not have died.”
John 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was
John 11:33b-34 troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
John 11:36 And so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!”
John 11:37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”
John 11:38 Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
John 11:39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been
John 11:39b-40 dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:41 And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me.
John 11:42 And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.”
John 11:43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
John 11:44 He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.
John 11:44b Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
John 11:45 Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.
John 11:46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.
Have you ever truly mourned over the loss of a loved one?
Mary and Martha had been sitting Shiva for several days now and mourning the loss of their bother.
It wasn’t that they weren’t happy to see Jesus, but He sure seemed a little late.
John 11:20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.
John 11:21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
Why had He waited so long?
Why didn’t He come immediately while there was still time?
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,
John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
What should we learn from this?
Why did Jesus come to Bethany when He did?
What did He come to reveal to them?
Here are just a few things to consider.
Our faith will often be challenged by things that don’t make sense to us.
Close and meaningful relationships really do matter.
There is hope even in what seems to be a hopeless situation.
There can be joy even in the midst of suffering.
We’re called to believe big, beyond what we can actually see, think, imagine or feel.
New life can be found in the face of death.
Think about this – Jesus already knows what He is there to do – He’s not crying for Lazarus.
He sees the great sorrow of Mary and He is moved to weep with her.
John 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was
John 11:33b-34 troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
God loves us and certainly doesn’t want us to suffer alone.
He is present and deeply connected to our hearts.
That’s who Jesus is.
Jesus is not distant, aloof, or remote.
Jesus is right here, holding us in relationship and acknowledging our pain.
Think about the passage itself.
A lot more ink and paper are used on relationship, then on the resurrection of Lazarus.
He genuinely cared for Martha.
He genuinely cared for Mary.
He genuinely cared for His disciples.
He genuinely cared for the whosoever.
But He doesn’t want us to stay in our pain and despair.
He wants us to partner with Him, overcome and become even stronger than we were before the crisis.
Whenever we’re going through a difficult time, we need close friends.
Proverbs 18:24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
And nobody cares for us more than Jesus.
Our faith will often be challenged by things that don’t make sense to us.
It didn’t make sense that Lazarus had to die.
He knew Jesus personally.
His name meant God is my help!
He was surrounded by friends and family that loved him.
He was surrounded by health food and enjoyed a tropical climate.
Dates: Bones Digestion Heart Blood Pressure
Dates: Inflammation Protein Vitamin A
Figs: Antioxidants Prebiotics Regulate insulin Calcium
But God had a plan!
It was time to reveal beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the Messiah!
In those days they believed the soul left the body after three days and nobody except the Messiah could raise someone from the dead after four days.
There is hope even in what seems to be a hopeless situation.
Jesus is our only hope!
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,
As long as we have Jesus, we have hope and life.
John 11:38 Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
John 11:39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been
John 11:39b-40 dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:41 And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me.
John 11:42 And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.”
John 11:43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
If we’re going to partner with Jesus and overcome the grave, then we have to take off the grave clothes.
Have you taken off the grave clothes of your latest death, tomb, circumstance or crisis?
Grave Clothes: Fear Bitterness Rejection Abandonment
Grave Clothes: Lust Pride Arrogance Unloving
Grave Clothes: Anger Addiction Accusation Etc.
If not, it’s time!
There can be joy even in the midst of suffering.
New life can be found in the face of death.
We’re called to believe big, beyond what we can actually see, think, imagine or feel.
“Lazarus, come forth!”
Be…