Glory to God

If I were to tell you that I was going to resign as your Pastor to take a position as an assistant offensive coach for the New England Patriots, there is not a person here who would believe that to be possible. For this to even be a consideration, I would need to have some coaching experience. Not only that, but to be a coach in such a prestigious league with such a powerful team would require that I have an amazing history of previous wins. Interestingly, the only genuine coaching experience which I have is that I have some friends who are coaches at the high school and college level.

We have also heard the phrase, “The proof is in the pudding." In other words, to verify something as being true usually requires a strong history of evidence and proof. Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus has been questioned on multiple occasions as to who he really was. It would seem obvious to us from all the miracles which Jesus performed that he is definitely God. However, that did not seem to register with the religious leaders who claimed to know God, but did not really know God.

Again, I need to remind us that this chapter is not focusing on the resurrection of Lazarus. The focus is on Jesus and his Heavenly Father receiving glory. Though we are taking several weeks to go through Chapter 11, this chapter seems to be the pinnacle of who Jesus is. We have seen that in order for anyone to experience salvation, it is imperative to know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Today’s passage provides us with this theme:

We need to keep our focus on God's glory.

Onlooker’s Cynicism - 11.37

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

There are always those who seem to be related to Darth Vader; they only seem to know about the dark side of life. Those people are almost like Eeyore, that wonderful, sad donkey from Winnie the Pooh. It doesn't matter what positive notes may be sounded, they are quick to bring their own dissonance into the situation.

Last message, we saw how the people thought they had observed Jesus' compassion and love. Even though their perception may have been incorrect, it was still non-hostile, at that point. However, this group sounds almost like the proverbial Monday morning quarterback. They were quick to point out that they knew Jesus had opened the eyes of the blind man. They were not denying that fact. What they were doing was using that fact against Jesus.

If this sounds familiar to us, there is probably good reason. We have all probably either mouthed or thought similar ideas. If not, we can probably give illustrations of similar comments. There are those who would suggest that there is a contradiction about God being all powerful, yet allowing countless individuals to be murdered by a corrupt government. I find myself wondering many times how the God of justice chooses to allow injustice to take place on this earth.

Yet, when we recall that this is not about Lazarus, but about the glory of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, we are forced to silence these types of comments in our heads. You see, when we look at life from our perspective and what we think is best, God is no longer part of the equation.

It seems that these people had no understanding at all as to why Jesus was there. We need to understand that it was not about any healing being done for Lazarus. It is about showing that Jesus is God, and that he is the resurrection and the life, as he raises Lazarus from the dead. His delay was for His glory and that of his Heavenly Father.

So as we observe all that goes on around us, we must guard our ourselves from thinking similar ideas, as were expressed in this verse. We must continue to point toward the glory of God.

Lazarus’ Stench - 11.38-39

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

The description about Jesus being deeply moved within, uses the same word as was found in verse 33. One can understand better this emotion that Jesus was experiencing, as you hear the cynicism in the voices of those speaking in verse 37. It seems as though so many people were so caught up in their own religious dynamic and understanding that they could not recognize God in the very midst of them.

John tells us that this tomb is a cave. The word for cave describes it as a natural cave and not one which was dug by a person. Most of the tombs then had ledges built inside for placing the bodies. In addition, there was a stone which we can assume was covering the opening. We can safely assume this because of Jesus instructing them to remove it. Also, Martha's comment would suggest that this stone may have kept the stench within the cave. Traditionally, they would put spices on the dead body to cover the smell for a few days since the Jews did not embalm.

Wiersbe has some wonderful thoughts regarding the three death and resurrection situations while Jesus was on earth. Christ raised a twelve-year-old girl who had died (Luke 8:49–56), a young man who had been dead several hours (Luke 7:11–17), and an older man who had been in the tomb four days (John 11). They present a picture of three different kinds of sinners:

(1) The little girl. Children are sinners, but open corruption has not yet set in.

(2) The young man. Young people are sinners whose outward corruption begins to show.

(3) The older man. Adults are sinners whose definite outward corruption can be seen.

The point is that all three were dead. One person cannot be “more dead” than another. The only difference lay in the degree of decay. Is this not true of sinners today? The immoral church member is not “decayed” like the person on skid row, but he is still dead.

We also can gather that Martha's thought might have been that it was too late for Jesus to do anything. The common expectation for something incredible to happen would have been if Jesus would have been there in time to bring healing to Lazarus. Even though Jesus had spoken to Martha earlier about being the resurrection and the life, she still understood this only as something that would take place on the last day. Even though she confessed that he was God, the Savior of the world, who had come from heaven, she still had not yet grasped the resurrection power that was available for today.

Quite often, we speak of the incredible power of God, as well as the joy of our salvation in being given a new life; yet, we still look at much of Christianity as being experienced only in heaven. Too often, we hear the excuses of only being human and being sinners saved by grace. Rarely, do we reflect upon the reality that we are more than conquerors; that we are a brand new creation; that we are saints who sometimes sin. That, my friends, is part of what resurrection power does for the true follower of Jesus Christ. We are a fragrant offering to God, not a stench that has to wait for the last day. Newness of life takes place today when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Anything else causes the focus to be upon us and our frailty. Remember, it is all about us bringing glory to Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.

Martha’s Sight - 11.40

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

Jesus responds to Martha's comment by trying to get her to think clearly. It is not about Lazarus; it is not about Lazarus experiencing healing; it is not about the smell from Lazarus being dead four days. It is about the glory of God! That is a summary of what Jesus had shared with her.

There is also not any teaching here or anywhere else in the Bible about how strong a person's belief must be in order for them to see God's glory. Jesus’ power and glory were going to take place, regardless of Martha’s belief or anyone else’s belief. However, only the person who believes will recognize the glory of God. Leon Morris explains this very well: For [Jesus] the “glory of God” was the one important thing. This means that the real meaning of what He would do would be accessible only to faith. All who were there, believers or not, would see the miracle. But Jesus is promising Martha a sight of the glory. The crowd would see the miracle, but only believers would perceive its real significance, the glory.

My friends, I believe that often we do not see the glory of God because we are not looking for it. We are looking at circumstances and situations from our own earthly perspectives. Oftentimes, we do not see the glory of God because we do not truly believe in the importance of getting to know God intimately through reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, and having fellowship with other saints. I am convinced that if we truly believed in Christ and did these things, our thinking would definitely be on bringing glory to God.

Jesus’ Statement - 11.41-42

So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 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.”

This very first sentence carries an interesting thought. Jesus could have supernaturally moved the stone. But that could have been thought of as showmanship. Moving the stone would not have shown that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Having others move the stone would show that nothing unusual had previously taken place. Thus, no shenanigans could happened with Lazarus body.

Jesus points out again that it is about glorifying his Father. He would not have had to say anything. He could have muttered some unintelligible words like what is seen on a lot of so-called faith programs. But none of that would have brought glory to his Father. Instead, he begins the conversation with his Heavenly Father by stating what is already known by him. He knew that his Father has heard him in the past. He continues to know that his Father will always hear him. He is speaking now to make certain that people who are observing this will understand that his Heavenly Father has sent him on mission.

My friends, once again, I am reminded of that wonderful relationship which Jesus had with his Heavenly Father. You and I, who are followers of Jesus, have been adopted into God's family. We know that we have direct access to the Father at any time because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. We are challenged and blessed to continue to pursue our Heavenly Father in prayer. In addition, as we do this, we do it not for our benefit, but for the glory of God.

Death’s Surrender - 11.43-44

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

After Jesus' communication with God, His Father, John states that Jesus cried out with a loud voice. Because Jesus is God, He did not need to speak with a loud voice. Jesus could have whispered the commands and Lazarus would have come forth. However, it was very common for magicians and sorcerers to come to grave sites and conjure up all kinds of incantations in an attempt to raise the dead. Plus there was a lot of loud and constant mourning that was still taking place. It would seem appropriate for Jesus to cry out with a loud voice to make sure that everyone there heard him and knew that this miracle was for the glory of God.

I find myself smiling as many individuals today suggest that Jesus had to call Lazarus by name; for if Jesus would have simply said come forth, every dead person would have risen to life. There really is not any theological rationale for this, but it does make a somewhat humorous thought. The Greek text literally reads, “Lazarus! Here! Outside!” Jesus’ command was very short, sweet, and to the point. There was no need for any hocus-pocus. There was no need for spouting a made-up language. There was no need for any theatrics. This was all for the glory of God. Lazarus! Here! Outside! Nothing more was needed. It was the power of God’s Word that raised Lazarus. It is the power of His Word that the Spirit of God uses in our lives today to raise us from the dead man to newness of life.

John stated that the man who had died came forth. By the use of the verb, who had died, we understand that his death had been a completed event with no hope of life. Then, John describes the scene with Lazarus still wrapped up in the cloths that were used for his burial. The custom was that the dead individual was wrapped loosely with a burial cloth. There are some who suggest that Lazarus floated outside. There is no wording in the text to suggest this. More than likely, Lazarus got up from the bench on which he was laid, and awkwardly wobbled from inside the cave to outside.

It is at this point, while everyone was observing this, Jesus gave instructions to get the wrappings off of him so he could be free to move. It would now have been very obvious that a dead man had been raised from the dead and was now going to be walking about the community again as a living Lazarus.

Summary

Many wonder why John did not go further and describe the wonderful reunion that must have taken place. Nor does he describe anywhere else in his gospel the experience that Lazarus had while physically dead. Nor does John discuss the fact that Lazarus would now probably be among those the Pharisees wanted to kill in order to silence Jesus. I am convinced that the reason for this is so that we would not be distracted from the real purpose of this chapter. It is about the glory of Jesus and his Heavenly Father.

It is also interesting to note that in these verses, Jesus used the people that were there, to do some of the tasks that needed to be done. Some were used to roll away the stone. Some were used to remove the wrappings, freeing Lazarus. This would also help to solidify the fact that Lazarus had indeed been dead and had also been raised to life from the dead. There could not have been any sleight-of-hand involved. There could be no mistake about what had taken place. The stage had been set and the audience should have understood that Jesus is the resurrection and the life; plus the fact, that all glory belonged to him and his Father.

I am also reminded that when Jesus Christ raised you and me from being spiritually dead, we were also set free from the grave cloths of sin which used to bind us. We now have complete freedom in Christ. We live, not by rules, but by the righteousness of Christ. If we are truly born again, we will not carry with us the old ways of life.

Friends, it is so easy to be earthbound in our thinking. Sometimes, even the strongest of believers will be discouraged in their spiritual walk and start seeing things from our own perspective rather than God’s. It is imperative that we, who are followers of Christ, would be in such close relationship with him, that our overriding desire would be for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do or say or think.