The resurrection of Lazarus (Revised)

24 Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.

John 11:26–27 HCSB

26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.”

In our grief we think will meet again “someday,” Jesus is meaning right now.

“That resurrection in the last day shall be only by MY Power, and therefore I can raise him now as well.” - Alford

The Pharisee’s had a general belief in resurrection, but would be on the last day. The Sadducee’s did not.

Jesus did not claim to have power for resurrection. His claim was He is the resurrection and the life.

Know Jesus know resurrection and life; and to have Jesus.

Another good quote by Spurgeon

“It is clear that she derived very little consolation from the fact of a distant and and general resurrection: she needed resurrection and life to come nearer home, and to become more a present fact to her.”

Think about this.

Christians may die, but yet live

Christians maybe put in the grave, but the grave does not hold them for they are forever with the Lord

Humanity fears death, Christians only fear dying but know they will transition to an imperishable, uncorruptible body.

OK, so I’m using a lot of Spurgeon tonight. He has a lot to say on this matter.

“Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction, but to the righteous as a summons to his Father’s palace.”

He would go on to say

To the sinner an execution, to the saint an undressing.

Death to the wicked is the king of terrors; to the saint the end of terrors and the commencement of glory.

Jesus calls for belief not a debate or intellectual assent.

Martha does make a true statement “You are the Christ, the Son of God.

Even in her disappointment, even in her grief she knows who He is and have her faith in Him.A look back so can look forward

Have you ever had to look back so that you can look forward? What would be an example of that?

Have you learned from the past so to apply for today and future or not to repeat it again?

May we look at the recent history of the scripture then look forward.

John 11:25–26 NASB95

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he 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?”

What bold statements do you find in (Jn11:25-26)?

So Lord willing this evening we will:

Look at the passage

Mary’s regret (11:28-32)

Jesus is moved (11:33-38)

Jesus command (11:39-40)

Jesus prayer (11:41-42)

Jesus command (11:43-44)

I know that seems like a lot, but let’s see what we get as we go tonight.

Our Passage

Passage is too long, so we will break it down.

John 11:28–29 NASB95

28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.

John 11:30 NASB95

30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.

John 11:31 NASB95

31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

John 11:32 NASB95

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 not have died.”

Who is the she in (v.28)?

Martha, you can make assumption but to know for sure must look at (v.20), 21, 24)

What was said secretly and to who (v.28)?

Teacher asking for you

The you is Mary

Where was Jesus in (v.30)?

Still outside the village

What was the assumption by the mourners (v.31)?

Mary went to the tomb to weep there

Finally, what was the statement by Mary (v.32)?

If you had been here he would not have died, very similar to what Martha said (v.21)

“It is likely that they had said this to each other several times since Lazarus died.”

Now there was a spark of faith within Martha, she got a little sidetracked about the theology, wondering if Jesus would do something personally for her.

Can we ever get where we think Jesus will do things, just not for me?

Maybe we can learn from Mary. She seems to always be at Jesus feet. In Luke-10 it was a happy time, now here in a sad, grieving time.

It is easy for us to trust the Lord when everything is going right. Sometimes harder when things are going wrong, or not how we want them to go.

May we learn from Mary and come running to Jesus regardless of the times.

The truth is the people we hang out with are going to impact us, for the good or for the bad. So, choose wisely and be with people of faith that want to grow closer to God. People who give thanks regardless of situations. When we do, that will be the actions and attitude we will have and that is what will come out from us.

FF Bruce said in conjecture

Interesting that Martha referred to Jesus as “teacher.”

As for women were not educated, were not taught in the custom there, but Jesus was anti-culture wasn’t He?

Jesus is moved

Has there been things that have really moved your heart? Willing to share an example?

Do you think it is out of the ordinary for Jesus to be moved?

John 11:33–34 NASB95

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

John 11:35–36 NASB95

35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”

John 11:37 NASB95

37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

John 11:38 NASB95

38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

Of course as simply Christians we need to asks questions of the scripture before anything else.

What did Jesus see and what was Jesus response (v.33)?

What did Jesus do (v.35)?

What did the Jews think (vv.36-37)?

How did Jesus feel (v.38)?

Jesus was deeply moved by seeing Mary weeping

and the others that followed.

Jesus sees the tears of the grief stricken and moved with compassion.

We can learn from this.

God sees our tears

God is touched by our tears

God remembers our tears

God acts on our tears.

Then we see one of the shortest verses in the bible “Jesus wept.”

Another of those bible old questions is why did Jesus weep? Scripture does not tell us exactly why.

Some say it was the fact they failed to see the grievousness of sin that kills, and it stinks

Maybe it was the lack of faith, they had been told would not end in death but in glory to God

Maybe it was that Jesus was going to bring him back from Paradise, what a bummer for Lazarus.

Maybe it was in grief for everyone around him was grieving.

Why exactly we do not know.

Jesus was deeply grieved and his weeping was quiet vs. the weeping of the Jews which was loud wailing.

“In these two words we can see the deity and the humanity of our Lord.” - Jon Courson

The question arises “couldn’t he do something?”

Listen to this quote by Spurgeon

“Suppose that Jesus is willing to open the eyes of the blind, and does not open them; is He therefore bound to raise this particular dead man? if he does not see fit to do so, does that prove that He has not the power? If he lets Lazarus die, is it proven therefore that he could not have saved his life? May there not be some other reason? Does Omnipotence always exert its power? does it ever exert all its power?”

Jesus command

What is a command?

Does a command leave any room for question, when it comes from Jesus?

OK, having said that may we look at this next section

John 11:39–40 NASB95

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 dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

In the KJV version it says “he stinkith” I like that more than there will be a stench.

Jesus wanted the stone rolled away to expose the problem so could address the problem.

Jesus wanted total access, just like he wants that with us. To expose our problems so He can address the problem and deal with it. We need to allow the stone to be rolled away.

I love what David Guzik said

“I gave you a promise, Martha. But here is the prerequisite: Roll away the stone.”- David Guzik

Jesus told her what was going to happen, and they should believe, and it would be for the glory of God. Yet there was still some unbelief.

Jesus prayer

Jesus calls for an action of faith.

Does Jesus call for an act of faith from us?

John 11:41–42 NASB95

41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus lifted up His eyes and prayed

It was not Jesus normal thing to pray in public. Most of His prayers were away from people just between He and the Father. We know in the garden he prayed a little ways away from the apostles.

Jesus lifted His eyes, maybe we can learn from that too. Not to look down in despair in our prayers, but lift our eyes for the glory of God who hears our prayers.

Look closely why did Jesus pray aloud here (v.42)?

“No pomp or incantation, no wrestling in prayer even; but simple words of thanksgiving, as if Lazarus had already returned.” -Dodds

it is not about the style of prayer, not about the amount of words in prayer. It is about the power of prayer that is surrounded by the faith of the person praying. God will hear, God will answer in accordance to His will.

Jesus command

We already discussed what a command is, and what the results should be. Let’s look at the next command.

John 11:43 NASB95

43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

John 11:44 NASB95

44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Why do you think Jesus used Lazarus name (v.43)?

I think that if He did not use Lazarus name, all the dead in the tomb would have come to life.

Jesus used a raised voice so people could hear and so they would know this is no work of magic, but a work of God.

We can know that the giver of life can speak life to a dead body as it Lazarus was already alive. (Rom4:17) speaks that calls those things which do not exist as though they did.

Another good quote

“Jesus fought death at Lazarus’ tomb, and plundered the grave. Jesus told death that He would soon completely conquer it completely.” - Weirsbe

One commentator, not sure where it came from said Lazarus was not resurrected but was resuscitated. If resurrected would not taste death again, and surely he faced death again, so he was resuscitated.

Jesus left His graveclothes in the tomb, Lazarus came out in them.

Jesus would never need them again, Lazarus would.

Jesus invited, commanded them to remove the graveclothes and set him free.

Jesus can take a dead sinner and give him/her new life. Then invites us to set them free by sharing and helping them grow.

Jesus causes man to be born again, man is God’s tool to teach one how to be born again and how to be set free from their graveclothes.

One more quote, again this one by Spurgeon

“What man can do for himself God will not do for him, and what Christian people can do for sinners they must not expect the Lord to do, they must work themselves according to the ability God has given them up to the point of possibility, and then they may look for divine interposition.”