Our Friend Lazarus
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And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
A furlong is roughly an 8th of a mile, so Bethany on foot would have been less than 2 miles in distance.
Intro: We begin here today because I want us to see the close proximity between Jerusalem, Bethphage, and Bethany. Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem and one walk there in as little as 20 minutes. This is the reason that Jesus was seen teaching in Jerusalem during the day, and was lodging in Bethany in the evenings.
And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
We established a few weeks ago that Mary of Bethany (through association to Martha) and Mary Magdalene are very likely the same person. In part we looked at the different ways that Mary the mother of Jesus is described and in part we considered Mary Magdalene being mentioned in Luke 8 and then she is not seen again until the foot of the cross.
We are introduced to Mary in Luke 7 and again in Luke 8 but we are not introduced to Martha until Luke 10:38-42.
We notice a few things here… “…a certain woman named Martha recieved him into her house.” The house was not the house of the siblings but it was the house of Martha. I think of the group we see Martha as the one that had her “life” someone together.
“And she had a sister called Mary...”
We notice that we are not told where they are but we learn of that in the gospel of John.
Something else we notice is that while we are at Martha’s house in Bethany, that Lazarus isn’t mentioned… Which I love, because here from these passages we understand that this was a broken family… Mary was in Galilee, Lazarus sick and suffering at the gate, and Martha had a dwelling place in Bethany. But… Jesus is the one that brings them all together under one roof! Which He did, through their belief and willingness to follow after Him!
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
There are only two book in our Bible that we see Martha and Lazarus mentioned. The gospel of Luke and the gospel of John. They are not mentioned anywhere else… Now Mary however is mentioned in all four of the gospel accounts. In Luke’s gospel Martha and Lazarus both are mentioned in one chapter, and in John’s gospel they are mentioned in two. However, they are not mentioned together in Luke at all, but only in John.
The description of this man Lazarus… (Parable, is a short story that is laid beside a Biblical truth being taught. We see by example that names were never used in parables, and many times they were given along with the description of what the objects in the parable where teaching…) Luke 16 is not a parable.
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
What gate? The rich man’s gate.. (Acts 12 when Peter is in prison and the angel of the Lord shows up and he is loosed, he then goes to Mary’s house whose mother is John surnamed Mark.
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Where did they go from here?
Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
In both of the gospel’s we are very near the end of the Lord’s earthly life, before He is made an offering for sin.
Clsoing:
All toghether!
Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said,
Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger.
Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.