Sovereign Compassion

Welcome / Introduction

Good morning church

and if you are joining us online

good morning or good afternoon or good evening to you

It is great to be back with you this morning

I trust that you were blessed by Pastor Laramie’s message last week

I know I was when I watched it

This morning we are going to pick up right where he left off last week

John 11:17-37 is our text for this morning

and our title is Sovereign Compassion

Now, up until this point in the Gospel of John

we have seen John describe

mircalce after miracle

discourse after discourse

healing after healing

and through all of this

he Solidified the divinity of Jesus

But as we transition from the public ministry to the private

we will begin to see more of the humanity of Jesus come forward

So with the humanity of Jesus fresh on our minds

Lets read this mornings text

Scripture Reading

John 11:17–37 CSB

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem (less than two miles away). Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.” Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!” When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply movedC in his spirit and troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked. “Lord,” they told him, “come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?”

Let us Pray

Illustration and Introduction

Grief is something we all experience at some point in life.

It’s a deep sorrow,

a heartache that comes when we lose someone or something precious to us.

It’s the emptiness we feel when the world seems to keep moving forward

while we’re stuck in a moment of pain.

It is grief that reminds us just how frail we can be in our pain

But, Thomas Moore once said, "Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal."

And that should come as a breath of fresh air for those of us that are grieving or have grieved

Because this quote reflects the fact that we

as Christians

have hope that no matter how deep our grief may be,

Jesus can bring healing.

But what’s truly remarkable is that Jesus doesn't just offer healing at a distance.

No, He enters into our grief with us.

He comes to us in our grief not as a distant Savior

but as a compassionate and Sovereign Lord who enters into our sorrow.

He weeps with us.

He understands the depth of our pain,

and He is present in it.

as it happens

Jesus’ tears show us that our grief is not too small for God.

that He cares deeply for us,

and He is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

So as we work our way through this text

Let us remember that

Jesus in all his humanity

comes alongside us with compassion,

reminding us that in Him,

there is healing—even in the midst of our grief.

and even when we dont understand the circumstances

Our 3 points this morning as we work through this are

His Coming

His Claims

and His Compassion

So let us begin with our first point which essentially sets up the narrative we are about to explore

His Coming

The scene was set last week as we saw that Martha and Mary sent a letter to Jesus

informing him that his friend

whom he loved

had fallen ill and eventually died

Now we must understand they did not have email or the good ole USPS in that day

so this letter

this message may have taken some time to get there

and the intentions of the letter we can see are somewhat implied in the text

what they said back in John 11:3 “So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.””

They didn’t say Lord, come heal Lazarus

they didn’t say heal him from where you are

they simply said

your friend is sick

they knew Jesus

and they knew he would be there

Its the same thing as me calling my dad when I break down on the side of the road

I don’t have to ask him to come help me because I know he probably already on his way there

This is the type of personal relationship they had with Jesus

Now Jesus delayed for reasons you discussed last week

reasons that are hard for us to understand

but reasons that glorify him none the less

reasons that we know now

as we see from our perspective 2000 years later

John 11:17 “When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

So here we are, it has been 4 days since Lazarus was laid in the tomb

so why this day...

why 4 days later

and 5..

why not 3?

now there are a few substantial things about Jesus arriving on day 4

not only because of the time it took to the message to get to him

his 2 day delay

then then time to travel there

that is what we see from our perspective right

But when we understand the sovereignty of God

of his timing we see something else in this 4th day

See it was the custom of the time for the Jews to believe that the

soul, would hover over a body for 3 days…

because they believed that

during these 3 days there was the possibility of resuscitation

or the possibility for the person to come back to life and for the soul

to enter the body again

but something happens on the 4th day

See it is on the 4th day the body begins to decompose

and therefore it is on the 4th day that

according to their custom

there is absolutely no chance

of life coming back into that body

because on that 4th day,

the soul goes away

See if Jesus raised Lazarus on the 2nd or 3rd day

they could have found some reason for it

made up some excuse

Or if Jesus had waited until the 5th day

that would have led to even more suffering for himself

and his friends

So, by Jesus waiting until the 4th day

According to the precise timing of His father

there will be no doubt that

this raising of Lazarus is purely

a miracle from God

And it also means that Jesus can comfort

and mourn with his friends

at just the right time as well

Now, Martha and Mary

they didn’t know any of this

they didn’t have the luxury of God’s perspective

and they didn’t have the luxury of reading this some 2000 years later

They just knew Jesus loved them all

and He would show up

they knew that he would come for them

And He did

our text tells us in V18 this Bethany is only 2 miles from Jerusalem

which for one thing tells us of the risk Jesus

is taking by visiting them

remember, they essentially have a price on Jesus’ head

and we learned last week in V8 and in V16 that the disciples were

hesitant to go because they just tried to stone him

and Thomas said in 16 “Lets go so that we may die with him”

Essentially Bethany is a nice little suburb of Jerusalem we could say

Kind of like Sugarland to Houston

So, Jesus comes into town

but he does not go to the home

why?

well, maybe / probably to avoid the crowds from all the family and mourners

due to them being so close to Jerusalem there were probably more than normal

maybe due to the danger

or most likely because

that was the because best way to

comfort and show compassion

for the ones he loved

he wanted do so in privacy

he wanted to do so intimately

He needed to spend some time with them

to console them

without all the wailers and mourners around

without the distractions

of family

of friends

without all the drama that comes with the first century

funeral and mourning process

See Jesus came to them,

in their time of need

not for the crowds

not for the show

not for the recognition

But for them

So He calls for them Martha

and I love how we get to see the personalities shown here

Martha, the busy bee right

she jumps right up

and heads to Jesus

And Mary, the more reserved stays back this time

as is customary,

she stays seated in the home due to the mourning process

So Martha, heads out to meet Jesus

and when she comes to him

she says, in V21

John 11:21 “Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”

Well, I guess that’s one way to greet your Lord…Right…

An initial reading of this text may make it sound like some type of rebuke,

some type of sarcastic rebuttal to his absence

but I dont think thats it at all

Lets remember Martha was hurting,

she was mourning

she was grieving

We can imagine as she walks up to Jesus

Her eyes

red from the tears

her arms

sweaty from the stress

her voice

horse from the crying

This is the picture as she says this to Jesus

it is with sorrow

that she confesses this to Jesus

See, this is an outcry of faith

She believed Jesus was who he claimed to be

and she knew Jesus could have done something

but he wasn’t there

and therefore, he didn’t

See sometimes in our time of need

we may question God

and His timing

In our time of hurt

we may cry out to God

wondering why?

why now?

why this?

why me?

not so much out of unbelief

not of out of a lack of faith

but really because of our faith

See we ask these questions because we know God is sovereign

we know God is loving

and we know God loves us

and we know that when we cry out to Him

for answers

He will come to us

we may not understand his timing

or his plan

but he will come for us

Just as he did for Martha here

See Martha didn't ask this question from a position of doubt

but from a position of relationship

from a position of faith

Martha knew Jesus could have healed Lazarus

but because the plan was still unfolding

she didn’t understand why he hadn’t

And it is in that same way that God comes to us in our time of need

when we cry out to Him

even when we dont understand what He is doing

and why he is doing it

we can and should cry out to Him

scripture tells us in

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and the rivers will not overwhelm you, When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched and the flame will not burn you.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.””

See God coming to us is not just an act of random compassion

but an act of Sovereign Compassion,

and act of Sovereign Love

He comes not because we demand it

but because he sees our need

he knows our need

and He cares for us deeply

and personally

Just like he did for Martha

he comes for us at just the right moment

Bringing comfort

even when the answers are still unclear

And our faith in Him

allows us to cry out to Him

in fact we should cry out to him

knowing that He hears

Knowing that He loves,

and Knowing that in His time

He will reveal His greater plan

and because He is God

We know we can trust his plan

because His plan is based upon

His Claims

And it is through His claims

that we are able to be secure in our grief

which is our second point of the morning

His Claims

We will pick up in the second half of Martha’s initial statement in V22

She says John 11:22 “Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.””

This proves to us that her statement in V21 was made out of faith

not out of remorse

Martha is persuaded of who Jesus is

she is persuaded that He loves her

she is persuaded that He is one with the Father

She is persuaded that there is a greater plan

So Jesus responds to her faith by telling her

John 11:23 ““Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.”

Which we know for Him meant very soon

But for Mary that meant sometime in the future

which is shown by her response

John 11:24 “Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.””

See Mary knew the Old Testament

and she was obviously a follower of Jesus

so she knew

that this life is not all there is

She knows that the grave is not the end

But again, Jesus is talking about something much greater isn’t he

He is not talking about tomorrow

He is talking about today!

For it is on this day

that Laz will rise from the dead

See sometimes in our walk

in our faith

we get stuck in what will happen

instead of embracing what is happening

See because we know things will work out eventually

that means we are supposed to fine now

And sure, that is the Sunday school answer

that is supposed to make us feel better

But what does that mean for us right now?

sure, we will have a new body one day

sure, we will be in heaven one day

sure, we will be reunited with our loved ones one day

But what about today

all that sounds great for the future

but I am hurting now

I am in pain now

Well let me tell you brother and sisters

Jesus didn’t just die so that we may have eternal life one day

No!

he died so that we may have life today

Not only that,

Jesus didn’t just die for us who believe

He lived for us as well!

In Him we have life now!

There is no body in that grave!

And because his body is not in that grave

That means we have a living savior that is with us Now

In Him we have a living savior that meets us in our needs, Now

In Him we have a living savior that took on flesh

so that he could live what we live

so that he could hurt as we hurt

so that he could grieve as we grieve

so that now

when we are hurting and grieving

we know that he is with us now!

feeling everything we feel

John 11:25–26“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die...

Now notice...Jesus didn’t say

I can resurrect people

He didn’t say

I have life

no!

He said I AM the Resurrection

He said I AM the life

Our life and our hope is not based

upon the one that hurt us

let them go

it is not based upon the one we lost

even though we love them dearly

and long to see them again

it is not based upon laws that we must follow

it is not based upon being a good person

it is not based upon a man in a funny hat in Rome that apparently

thinks all religions lead to the same God

it is not even based upon who gets voted in in Nov

It isn't based upon any specific event

Brothers and Sisters

our life and our hope

Right now

is based upon the living resurrected Jesus Christ

He holds the keys to our life

and not just one day in heaven

but TODAY

Nothing can hinder him from giving us life

because he doesn’t have life

He is Life!

And because He is the life and the resurrection

that means that

when we believe in Him

that eternal life that He secured

is transferred to us

See, eternal life doesn’t begin when we die—

it begins the moment we believe in Christ.

Jesus’ declaration that He is the resurrection and the life

means that life with Him

isn’t merely a future promise of heaven,

but a present reality.

When we believe in Jesus,

we are not simply awaiting eternal life at some distant point after death.

No, Jesus brings us into a new kind of life right here, right now.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

Our relationship with God begins now because of Jesus

We are not just waiting to meet God in heaven;

no, we get to walk with Him today.

John 10:10 I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” ”

Jesus offers a full, abundant life in Him—

not just later, but now.

Knowing that Jesus is already the resurrection and the life

means that we can experience peace and security in this life,

even in the face of suffering, trials, and death.

We don’t need to wait until the end to have assurance and comfort

we can live in that today.

Because Jesus has already overcome death,

we can live without fear

of death

or whatever the future may hold.

Romans 8:38-39 neither life nor death—can separate us from God’s love in Christ. and that includes time

Just as Martha was comforted by Jesus’ presence,

by His coming to her side

and His promise of life,

we too can find comfort in knowing that Jesus

is with us in our struggles,

bringing life into even the darkest situations.

and into our deepest griefs

Every other religious figure died

and you can find them in a grave somewhere

indicating that those that follow them

follow a dead person

But the one we follow is alive

His grave is empty

so that we dont have to be

He is Alive

and He gives us life

Now, I love how he finishes his statement

as he asked Martha

John 11:26 “Do you believe this?””

And with one of the greatest statements of faith within the bible

she says

John 11:27 ““Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.””

And that is a question we must all ask ourselves

see if we do not believe this

then what hope do you have for today

See if you do not believe this

that Jesus is the… Messiah…

Then He will leave you to your own devices

He will leave you alone

If you reject the life that comes in Him

then you will get exactly what you ask for

but let me warn you

the comfort you long for

the comfort that deep down you know you need

will never arrive

Because it is not until you believe

that He will come for you in your times of trouble

and it is not until you believe the claims he makes

That you will truly be able to understand the compassion he provides

Which brings us to our final point of the morning

The Compassion

V28 tells us that after Martha confessed to Jesus

that he is the messiah, the son of God who came into the world

that that ended their conversation

So we must imply that Jesus asked her to now go get her sister

but lets note

he sent in private

See he still wants to keep this between them

Showing his personal love and care for them all the more

So Martha goes and gets Mary

and this time she shot up

our text says she got up quickly

The Greek here reads more like

she arose or

she was awakened

she was raised up by the fact

That the Lord Jesus is calling for her

That her friend Jesus, is there for her

So she went to Him

V 30 tells He was still in the place he met Martha

But, as she got up to go see Jesus

everyone else did as well

the mourners were there to comfort her

they figure maybe she is going to the grave again

so they get up and follow her

so much for privacy right

Now as Mary approaches Jesus

We see in John 11:32 “32 , she fell at his feet ,

we will again get to see the differences in personality dont we

First Martha got private time with Jesus

And now it seems Mary’s time is public

Martha engaged in a theological debate if you will

Ans Mary., she fell at His feet

Martha expressed and confessed her faith verbally

Mary expressed it physically

Neither is wrong

But I can tell you one thing

There is no place that you will find greater

comfort and compassion

Then at the feet of Jesus

And it is at the feet of Jesus

that Mary

crying,

wailing

mourning

grieving

hurting

expresses the same question that Martha did

She says in V32 “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died”

Now lets not read into this too much either

again this is an emotional response to Jesus in faith

She knew he could heal him

she knew he could have prevented her brothers death

and she also knew that he loved him

and in that confusion, in that grief

she utters the same words

as her sister

See even in her grief, in her hurt

she acknowledged Jesus’ power

and she proclaimed her faith in Him

even when her circumstances seemed unknown

and it is in this setting we see Jesus

with mourners all around him

crying

wailing

With a dear friend dead in the grave

with another dear friend and the sister of dead friend

standing next to him

crying

Then with the other sister and dear friend

crying and hurting at his feet

It is in this moment and in this setting

that we see the humanity of Jesus revealed fully

John 11:33 “33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled.”

Jesus heart was broken for his friends

he was experiencing their grief

he was hurting with them

He hurt to see them hurt

Romans 12:15 “15 ; weep with those who weep.”

why, Becuase Jesus weeped with those that weeped

Here Jesus is willingly entering into their suffering

and what is remarkable is the fact that he knows he is about to do something to take the pain away

but before that,

he takes on their suffering anyway

before he fixes their pain

he enters their pain

Jesus as the living savior enters

our grief

takes it upon His shoulders

As he takes it away from us

one tear at a time

But this verse goes even deeper than that

this is where being fluent in Greek would be beneficial

see our english translations do not do this full justice

See the words our translations translate as

groaned or deeply moved and troubled

something along those lines

But the first greek word here is used to describe a horse snorting

it connotes that Jesus had a deep anger or even rage as well

We could better say that a

deep anger welled up within him

See he was outraged and troubled to the depth his soul

not only was he hurting for his friends

but he was hurting for all of mankind

See he understood the power of sin and death in this world

he understood that due to sin

this will continue happen to the people that he loves

we will encounter death

and the grief that comes with it

And He is overcome by that

So with the weight of his friends grief

and with the weight of the grief of the world

on his shoulders

He asks them

“Where have you put him?”

Christ can wait no longer

it is time for him to defeat death for his friends

for his believers

So they tell him, come and see

And it is in that moment that we find the shortest

yet one of the most profound verses in scripture

John 11:35 “35 Jesus wept.”

The theological impact of just these 2 words is immense

See within just these 2 words we see

the union of Christ’s divinity and humanity,

It shows us

that while Jesus has the power to conquer death,

He also experiences genuine human emotions like grief.

His tears reveal God’s deep compassion and personal identification with our suffering,

His tears affirm that He is not distant

but intimately involved in our pain.

His tears show His sorrow

over the brokenness caused by sin and death

And His tears foreshadow

His ultimate authority over them,

as we will see in the raising of Lazarus.

This one verse

these 2 words

combines Christ’s profound compassion

with His sovereignty,

and this should bring us great comfort

Now all of those around him saw this

despite the fact that he wanted to keep this encounter with Martha and Mary private

it did not remain that way

Therefore, as we see in V36 and 37

many of the Jews watching saw how much he loved him

and they saw how much he loved his followers

Conclusion

Yet, in the face of

His coming

His claims

and his compassion

in the face of everything we saw about the humanity and divinity of Jesus today

At the end of our passage in V37

We see that some doubted

As some wondered why He didn’t stop Lazarus from dying in the first place

after all, he healed the man that was born blind

And this should serve as a reminder that if we refuse to Believe

IF we reject the claims of Jesus

If we reject who he is

as the Son of God

The Son of Man

The Messiah

and the savior

If we reject that and refuse to believe in Him

Then we will remain blind to his love and compassion

and that unbelief will separate us from the fullness of his comfort and hope

But for those that do believe

those like Mary and Martha

Those that confess who He is

and fall to his feet

He offers life

And not just life after we die

No, he offers us life now

Because He is life

and because He is life

he not only grieves with us in our pain

He also promises to walk with us every step of the way

So Let me ask you this morning

Do you Believe?

Do you believe that Jesus

who was once seated on the throne of heaven

that he stepped down from that throne

onto our earthly plane

took off his kingly robe

and put on our flesh

In order to walk in our footsteps

In order to be temped as we are tempted

in order to suffer as we suffer

only to persevere perfectly

Only to live a perfect life

a life without sin

Why? Why did he do this

because he knew we couldn’t

He knew the wages of sin is death

And he knew that we will all fall short of the glory of God

he knew that we are embedded with sin

and the only way to reunite us with the father

the only way to give us life

was to give his own as a ransom for us

So He hung on that cross

He endured the penalty we deserve

And when he rose 3 days later

and left that grave empty

He established the fact that we can now have life

and that life is not based on anything we do

no,

it is a free gift given to us through grace

So that we may be saved

and so that we may have a savior

who endures for us

and with us

And if you do not believe

I pray you understand the time of salvation is now

Do not reject the grace, the compassion, and assurance

that comes with knowing Christ is your savior

Repent, and turn to Christ

For he will never turn from you

he will never forsake you

he will never abandon you

Let us Pray