IF ANYBODY CAN...

INTRODUCTION

Martha and Mary both expressed that they felt the arrival of Jesus was too late as evidenced in their statements: “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died (v.21 and v. 35). This theme of being “too late” raises the issue that many people have today. Some have given up on trusting in the Lord because He did not do what they wanted Him to do in the time limit that they set for Him. Others have concluded that “if you really want something done, you need to do it yourself” instead of sitting around waiting on a God that may not come through at all. Still other have been waiting so long till you are the place where are ready to throw in the towel and give up. Well, I have a word from the Lord for you today; He has sent me to declare and decree it emphatically today that It does not matter how much time is on the clock; what the score in your life my look like now, nor does it matter if the buzzer has sounded signifying that the game is over…If anybody can turn your situation around: Jesus Can!

He can because:

HE IS MUCH CLOSER THAN WE REALIZE

New American Standard Bible (Chapter 11)

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away;

Explanation

In order to understand this proposition we must return to the previous chapter where we discover that Jesus had relocated from Jerusalem back to beyond the Jordan. In John 10, near the end of the chapter, The Jews attempted to arrest and stone Jesus because they offended them with his claim that he was God incarnate. See Jn 10:39-42

John 10:39–42 NASB 2020

39 Therefore they were seeking again to arrest Him, and He eluded their grasp. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.

While the text states that “He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing.” The New Bible Dictionary informs us that the place where John baptized beyond the Jordan’s identification remains uncertain. The Bible Knowledge Commentary states that Jesus went … across the Jordan to Perea, which had been the location of John the Baptist’s activity (1:28).

We We can see from this passage that Jesus was not a long way away from Bethany. In fact, John lets us know that Jesus stayed where he was two more days after he received word of Lazarus’s critical condition (See Jn 11:6,11)

John 11:6 NASB 2020

6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.

John 11:11 NASB 2020

11 This He said, and after this He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.”

Illustration

His circumference is nowhere, but his centre is everywhere. God’s Nearness To Us, Volume 33, Sermon #1973 - Acts 17:27

[Some] go to God’s house, not with the idea of meeting with God, not with the idea of waiting upon him, it never crosses their minds, or enters into their hearts that something may happen in a service. No, we always do this on Sunday morning. It is our custom. It is our habit. It is a right thing to do. But the idea that God may suddenly visit his people, and descend upon them, the whole thrill of being in the presence of God, and sensing his nearness, and his power, never even enters their imaginations. The whole thing is formal, it is this smug contentment. I heard a man once describe such people in this way: he said, ‘They give me the impression that as they go to their churches, they are really just paying a morning call on the Almighty.’

Revival, 72

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Charles Spurgeon

When it seems as if God is far away, remind yourself that He is near. Nearness is not a matter of geography. God is everywhere. Nearness is likeness. The more we become like the Lord, the nearer He is to us.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Application

The text is tailored to teach the reader: See Ps 34:15-22

Psalm 34:15–22 NASB 2020

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears are toward their cry for help. 16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To eliminate the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears And rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 The afflictions of the righteous are many, But the Lord rescues him from them all. 20 He protects all his bones, Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil will bring death to the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt. 22 The Lord redeems the souls of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.

Take this home with you and work on it daily: Draw near to God (James 4:8).

James 4:8 NASB 2020

8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

HE IS NOT RESTRICTED BY HUMAN RATIONALE

New American Standard Bible (Chapter 11)

and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them about their brother. 20 So then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”

Explanation

This verse builds on the knowledge about how close Jerusalem was to Bethany. Many Jews...

The disciples had used rationale about this very issue when Jesus made it known to them that he needed to return to Judea to see about Lazarus.

The Jews: A post-exilic designation for descendants of the people from the kingdom of Judah and also for adherents to their religion from other nations. The term is used extensively in the NT where it has a variety of nuances. In this instance it is used as Jewish people in general.

The text says many Jews had gotten word about the bereavement of Martha and Mary and were coming to offer consolation.

The problem here that those same people who were being so friendly and consoling to the sisters of Bethany, were mean and hateful toward Jesus. Lest we forget, his last visit to Jerusalem resulted in his attempted murder at the hands of these “friendly folk.”

The text here turns the attention on Martha. According to the Word Study of the New Testament Dictionary says “Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary. She seems to have been the eldest of the family, as she is always mentioned before Mary and generally portrayed as the mistress of the house. She was more active in practical life than the younger sister, but was deficient in her concentration on the one thing needful. However, she was sincere, devoted, and beloved by Christ (John 11:5). Although she was somewhat overwhelmed by the distractions of daily life, she at last concentrated her faith in the Savior. See Luke 10:38, 40, 41; John 11:1, 5, 19, 21, 24, 30, 39; 12:2.

That Martha came out to meet him speaks to her personality but what she says speaks to her need to rationalize her experience and her expectation.

Her experience: you were not here when I needed you most.

Her expectation: A Final Resurrection

Human beings generally seek for answers or a rationale that can help them deal with the hard questions of pain, suffering, and evil.

Gerald L. Borchert

Illustration

In the frigid waters around Greenland are countless icebergs, some little and some gigantic. If you'd observe them carefully, you'd notice that sometimes the small ice floes move in one direction while their massive counterparts flow in another. The explanation is simple. Surface winds drive the little ones, whereas the huge masses of ice are carried along by deep ocean currents. When we face trials and tragedies, it's helpful to see our lives as being subject to two forces--surface winds and ocean currents. The winds represent everything changeable, unpredictable, and distressing. But operating simultaneously with these gusts and gales is another force that's even more powerful. It is the sure movement of God's wise and sovereign purposes, the deep flow of His unchanging love.

Unknown.

Application

What I am saying is that the Lord is Sovereign and He will always have the last word. Be slow to speak and quick to hear.

HE IS NEVER LATE

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and bHe who comes into the world.”

Explanation

Illustration

Application

CONCLUSION

“Too late! What do you mean? You mean I’m too late to be saved?”

“No, you’re just too late to do anything yourself. Christ has already done it all.”

A group of boy scouts went hiking and when they were returning, a couple of the fellows said they knew a short-cut back to camp. Later one of these two fellows said he knew an even shorter way. But the other boy thought it best to stay on the one he was on. So they separated. But when evening came, the boy who went on the newest trail didn’t return. Even the search party didn’t find him that night nor the next two days.

Anonymous