Managing the Rough Edges of Miracles

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.” ~ Jean de la Bruyere

Prayer

Holman New Testament Commentary: John V. Prayer

PRAYER

Father, thank you for our family friend who can weep with us when we grieve and still has the power to raise the dead. Amen.

Focal Text: NRSV 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Introduction

Miracles don’t always present themselves in neat packages.

Sometimes they appear with rough edges and in dangerous and tight passageways.

Our lesson exposes two sisters, Mary and Martha, who are battling unmet expectations at the edge of their miracle.

edge of their miracle.

They experienced deep discouragement and pain while waiting for Jesus to arrive.

This experience, in some ways, diluted the potency of their faith.

What can we do when our expectations are unmet, but our miracles are in view?

Our lesson shows us how to cope with the in-between time before we receive God’s best for us.

The Big Idea: God performs miracles in complex situations and against impossible odds.

I. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Death And Decay.

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.

3 Greek fifteen stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters

c ver. 31;

d [, ]

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

A. Lazarus had been dead for four days.v.17-18

The general belief was that the spirit of the deceased hovered around the body for three days in anticipation of some possible means of reentry into the body. But on the third day it was believed that the body lost its color and the spirit was locked out. Therefore the spirit was obliged to enter the chambers of Sheol (the place of the dead). The passing of the third day, therefore, signaled the conclusion of the last modicum of hope for the mourners.

B. Jews come to mourn, but not to pray.v.19

The mourning events for the family of Lazarus apparently drew a significant number of Jews (“many,” 1:19). The use of the “Jews” here does not seem to carry the usual political overtones of Jesus’ opponents. The reference to “many” may suggest that Lazarus had been a person of some influence. But perhaps its primary significance for John was to indicate to the reader that this work of Jesus was witnessed by many people and therefore could not be dismissed easily by the authorities (cf. 12:9; note also the interesting contrast between the Jews and the authorities at 12:9–10)

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 354. B. Jews come to mourn, but not to pray.v.19 C. A family is divided by their pain and Jesus’ delay. v.20

C. A family is divided by their pain and Jesus’ delay. v.20

The statement at 11:20 clarifies the fact that Jesus had arrived in the vicinity of Bethany (perhaps the outskirts of Jerusalem) but had not yet come to the house of the sisters itself. Having heard of Jesus’ nearness, Martha arose and went out to meet him.

Mary, however, remained “seated in the house” (kathezesthai, “sat;” the NIV has the less acceptable “stayed at home,” 11:20). The custom was for the bereaved to remain seated in the house and for the guests to come and sit in silence and periodically support the grieving parties with sympathetic tears and moans. For me the experience of having observed modern wakes in the Middle East has left an unforgettable memory of what “sitting in the house,” crowded on benches in the heat of day and mourning for the dead, can mean. Moreover, one must not forget that it was the brother (the obvious wage earner of that home) who had died. The loss was an intense one.

I. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Death And Decay.

NIV New International Version

315 See Ruth Rab. 2:14; for further examples of customs see Str-B 4.593–607.

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 354–355.

I. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Death And Decay.

II. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Doubt And Disbelief. (Focal Text)

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

21 Martha said to eJesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; oI believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

f [ver. 37]

h [ver. 39]

i ch. 5:29; ; See ch. 6:39

j [ch. 5:21; 6:40, 44; ]

4 Some manuscripts omit and the life

l [ch. 12:25]

n ch. 6:50, 51; 8:51

o ch. 6:69; 20:31; , ; [ch. 8:24; 13:19; ]

p

q ch. 6:14; See

A. Martha confronts Jesus first, in faith. v.21-22

Martha expressed the pathos of that experience: “Lord … if you had been here.” Those words were hardly a condemnation of Jesus for not being present when Lazarus was ill. The stark reality of this fact becomes clear almost immediately. The words are those of a grieving person who desperately wished it could have been different but who has recognized that the inevitable had come to pass. Moreover, her subsequent words, “even now …” (11:22) must not be read as her belief that Jesus could reverse the reality of death (cf. 11:39). Instead, her statement should be understood as indicating a strong confidence in Jesus’ relationship with the Father and that in spite of her resignation to Lazarus’s death, somehow Jesus would understand the plight of the mourning sisters as well as the general nature of Lazarus’s future hope.

B. Jesus promises Lazarus’ complete restoration. v.23-24

Jesus’ response, “Your brother will rise again,” would have been startling had it been understood. Instead, it serves to introduce another of the familiar double-level ideas in John (e.g., two temples, 2:19; two births, 3:3; two waters, 4:10). For Martha the statement was perceived as a confirmation of her Pharisaic-like theology concerning the future. She would hardly have sided with the Sadducees of the Synoptics and Acts, who denied the resurrection (cf. ; ; ; the Sadducees do not appear in John). The Pharisaic doctrine of the afterlife, however, had virtually become the popular theology of the people in Jesus’ day. The old idea of Jewish corporate personality, where one lived on only in the lives of one’s children, hardly provided a satisfactory hope for the hasidic (pious) ones who had risked their lives for their “God and country.” While the Sadducees charged the Pharisees and their followers with being revisionist in their theology, the populace wanted the assurance of a personal involvement in Israel’s future. Accordingly, when Martha heard Jesus say that her brother would rise again, her thoughts immediately fastened on the end of time (“the last day,” 11:24).

C. Martha is unable to conceive of the type of miracle Jesus promises to perform. v.25-27

Martha’s confession is not the end of the story. Indeed, when one sets the confession side by side with Martha’s reaction at the tomb, a very different picture begins to emerge. At the tomb Martha attempted to restrain Jesus with the words, “Lord, he already stinks!” (the NIV “there is a bad odor” is nonoffensively polite, but it loses the emphasis of the Greek, 11:39). The point is that Jesus and Martha had been talking on two levels. Martha was full of words; but she completely missed Jesus’ message to her.

It is not enough to make statements about Jesus. Indeed, if a person would make a statement akin to Martha’s in some churches, the tendency would be to baptize such a person and accept him or her into membership. But we must all be warned that verbal confessions and life commitments are not always partners with each other.

C. Martha is unable to conceive of the type of miracle Jesus promises to perform. v.25-27

I. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Death And Decay.

324 Note that Bultmann, John, 404, citing Dibelius for support, sees the text as a fundamental confessional statement of the early church. He finds it “incomprehensible how many exegetes can say that Martha did not rightly understand Jesus.” My problem is not with Martha’s words but with Martha’s commitment. Theology is not the only test of Christian commitment. This point is exactly what the Gospel of John is all about. It is, I would argue strongly, why John avoided the nouns for belief (πίστις) and knowledge (γνῶσις) in the Gospel and used only the verb forms for “believe” and “know.” He was not interested in mere informational statements about Jesus. Martha is a clear example of the problem which this Gospel seeks to confront. I find it, therefore, “incomprehensible” how Bultmann, the author of the articles on γινώσκω and πιστεύω in TDNT could have missed this point. See TDNT 1.689–719 and 6.205–28.

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 355–356. C. Martha is unable to conceive of the type of miracle Jesus promises to perform. v.25-27

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 357.

I. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Death And Decay.

II. God Can Perform Miracles In The Face Of Doubt And Disbelief.

III. God Can Perform Miracles When Jesus Is Disturbed And Delayed.

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

38 Then Jesus, adeeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was ba cave, and ca stone lay against it.

s ver. 19

t ver. 21

u ver. 38; (Gk.)

5 Or was indignant; also verse 38

v ch. 12:27; 13:21

w []

x ver. 3

y ch. 9:6, 7

a ver. 33

b

T.

A. Martha relays a message to her sister.v.28-31

This segment begins with Martha, the activistic organizer type, summoning her sister to action. Carson assumes that Jesus was calling for Mary. Such a reflection may be correct, but I wonder if that statement may not also have been an indication of Martha’s controlling temperament (note her role at the tomb; cf. a similar type of driving personality evident in ). Sanders thinks that Martha’s private or secret approach (lathra̧, “aside”) to Mary () was an attempt to protect Jesus from his enemies, but such a conclusion is at best speculation. Whatever Martha’s motivations, it became clear immediately that her words resulted in Mary’s action: she left quickly (tachu, 11:29). Mary’s hasty departure was noted by the mourners, who considered it their duty to follow her and support her in her mourning, presumably at the tomb (11:31).

B. Mary’s exit draws a crowd of spectators.v.32-33a

Instead of heading for the tomb, however, the mourners discovered that Mary went to Jesus. This pericope involving Mary is an intriguing contrast to the earlier story of Martha. That the pericopes are intended to be viewed as a pair seems evident from the fact that both sisters approached Jesus with basically the same introductory words, “If you had been here” (11:32; cf. 11:21), but that is where the similarity ends.

The emphasis on weeping in the Mary story contrasts vividly with the word exchanges of the Martha story. The pathos here is immediately heightened when after having encountered Jesus, Mary fell at his feet before uttering her helpless cry, “if …” Schnackenburg’s reaction that “Mary gives the impression of being nothing but a complaining woman” seems to be a western male’s misunderstanding of the story’s focus. Obviously, Mary expressed her loss differently from Martha. Mary’s tears have in fact taken the place of most of Martha’s words. The careful reader of John will remember the mourning of Mary Magdalene at the Lord’s tomb when what she wanted was merely to care for Jesus’ lifeless body (20:16). Here Mary’s pathetic piety became a hallmark of her portrait. Even her sacrificial anointing of Jesus (12:3) fits this picture of her.

326 J. Sanders, A Commentary on the Gospel according to John, ed. B. Masten (London: Adam & Charles Black, 1968), 270.

In the present story weeping, indeed loud weeping or wailing, would have conformed to Jewish public mourning practices. Professional mourners and musicians were generally engaged to assist the family in expressing grief. The fact that Mary fell at the feet of Jesus and wept (klaiein or “wailed”) was undoubtedly a signal to others that they too could support her in the weeping or wailing process (11:31, 33a).

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 358. B. Mary’s exit draws a crowd of spectators.v.32-33a- C. Mary’s pain and praise prompted Jesus to act.v.33b-37 D. Jesus restored Lazarus before a crowd of Jews, and many believed. v.38

C. Mary’s pain and praise prompted Jesus to act.v.33b-37

But the reaction of Jesus to that kind of wailing by the mourners was hardly empathetic support. The result was that Jesus became “disgusted” or “angered” (the Greek is embrimasthai) in his spirit and “perturbed” (tarassein) by the actions of the people (11:33). While psychoanalyzing Jesus is impossible from a report about Jesus, a statement needs to be made here about the meaning of v. 33. The sense conveyed by most english versions is that Jesus was troubled along with the Jews over the death of Lazarus because he loved Lazarus (11:36). But that statement was made by the mourners, not Jesus. Clearly Jesus did not like death. Death, like sin, was an enemy for him, as it was for Paul (cf. , ). His problem in this story, however, was not death. It was the mourners. Jesus was not a helpless human in the face of death. The story has a much different focus. Martha had been full of words, and here Mary and her supporters were full of tears and wailing. But for all of them Jesus was an unrecognized power in their midst.

Therefore Jesus asked for the tomb. It was then that Jesus wept (11:35). John carefully used a different word (dakryein) for Jesus’ tears, a word that is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. It was almost as though the evangelist wanted to send a signal to his readers not to misinterpret Jesus’ weeping. It is, I would argue, precisely what the Jews here did. They interpreted his weeping as the loss of one “he loved” (11:36). They also questioned why the wonder-worker could not “have kept this man from dying” (11:37; italics added). After all, he had already opened the eyes of a blind man (cf. 9:6–11). But the time for miracles had by their reckoning already passed. Clearly, it had been four days since the death of Lazarus, and for them the situation was closed.

Yet in interpreting this text it is important for us not to rely on what other people have said about Jesus. Their evaluations may be skewed. Of course Jesus loved Lazarus, but I doubt that that was the basic reason Jesus wept. Of course Lazarus had been dead four days, but I doubt that death was the main reason Jesus wept. The evangelist had made it clear from the very beginning of this story that the illness of Lazarus would “not end in death” but would bring glory to God and to the Son of God (11:4).

Then what about Jesus’ weeping? The other places in the Gospels where such a depth of Jesus’ emotions were expressed are specifically places related to his mission: the places where he groaned over the failure of Jerusalem to come to him (cf. ; ), where he prayed for his disciples’ safety and future (cf. ), and where he wrestled with his death and the disciples’ weaknesses (cf. ; ; ; ). Accordingly, I would maintain that Jesus’ weeping here is directly related to the failure of his followers to recognize his mission as the agent of God. God’s Son was in their midst. They really missed the point. That fact becomes more evident in the next two segments of the story.

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 358–359. C. Mary’s pain and praise prompted Jesus to act.v.33b-37 D. Jesus restored Lazarus before a crowd of Jews, and many believed. v.38

D. Jesus restored Lazarus before a crowd of Jews, and many believed. v.38

He was again (palin) “disgusted” or “angered” (embrimōmenos; cf. NIV “deeply moved”) by the events. It is important to remember that 11:37 ends with the mourners questioning his power. It was accordingly a tense situation when Jesus arrived at the tomb.

328 See Beasley-Murray, John, 192–93. Beasley-Murray notes that even the second edition of English translation of Bauer’s Lexicon has the meanings of “scold, censure,” “warn sternly,” but for it has merely “deeply moved.” The necessary meaning should have carried some sense of anger. Cf. also Brown, John, 1.425–26; Carson, John, 415–16; Schnackenburg, St. John, 2.335–36.

The grave site briefly described in v. 38 conforms to many of the tombs that can still be seen in that vicinity. Such sites were usually formed from hollowed out caves, some of which would have multiple horizontal or vertical vaults dug out from the main chamber. Each vault would generally be covered by a flat stone slab that sealed the grave. The entrance to this type of a tomb-chamber normally was closed by a large circular stone that rolled across the entry in a stone trough. This type of tomb apparently served not only the body of Lazarus but also that of Jesus (cf. 19:41–20:1–12).

329 J. Beutler speculates that there is some reflection of the depression evidenced in the Psalms. See “/43 in Johannesevangelium,” NTS 25 (1978): 33–57.

330 For an example of the tombs see R. Mackowski, Jerusalem: City of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 20–21, 157–59.

331 The traditional site of Lazarus’s tomb dating back at least to the fourth century has been marked by a chapel, and today a mosque occupies the area.

332 For further information see Str-B 1.1051.

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 359–360. D. Jesus restored Lazarus before a crowd of Jews, and many believed. v.38

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 362.

Conclusion

Jesus has taken all our poison. The poison of confusion which so clearly marked the disciples; the poison of sadness and hopelessness experienced by Mary and Martha; and the poison of the chief priests and Pharisees, who directed their murderous intent at Jesus. Caiaphas probably considered himself Jesus’ worst enemy and most dangerous threat when he said the nation could be saved only if one man would die for the people. Jesus showed the way to true life by raising Lazarus and then a few weeks later, he led the way through his own death and resurrection. God used Lazarus to prove that he could take a person safely through death and back to life again. Now both Lazarus and Jesus call to us from the other side of the river, “Real life is over here.”

How do we respond? Do we choose belief or unbelief? Do we put all our hope in the basket of this life, or can we invest in the real life to come? Do we see death as the end or just the beginning? A friend of the family shows us as he showed them how to move from death to life.

• Believe God even when you cannot see him working.

Holman New Testament Commentary: John III. Conclusion: He Took Our Poison

How do we respond? Do we choose belief or unbelief? Do we put all our hope in the basket of this life, or can we invest in the real life to come? Do we see death as the end or just the beginning? A friend of the family shows us as he showed them how to move from death to life.

• Recognize in Jesus God’s understanding of real life.

• Shed tears for and with others who have lost loved ones.

• Let God remove the “grave clothes” of sin from your life and set you free.

There it was right in front of me in a full-page advertisement. The bold print announced “Reduce Eye Strain.” Right beneath it in large letters the marketing team had placed the words “Seeing Is Believing.” And as if that were not enough, the large drawing occupying a full third of the space showed a man holding his open Bible and staring into it with a large eyepiece extended from a headband. This is apparently called MAGEYES—head-mounted, hands-free magnifiers whose dual lens prevents distortion!

The cushioned headband slips on and fits all sizes, the visor swings out of the way when not in use, and the MAGEYES motto shouts, “For all the world to see.” John never saw a magnifying glass, but this ad would have made him sit up and take notice. He tried to get his readers to reduce eye strain and heart strain by recognizing that believing is seeing. But he would be in favor of any kind of dual lens that prevented theological distortion. Above all, he would love the motto of universal proclamation: “For all the world to see.”

Both John and Jesus want us to take off our grave clothes and put on the MAGEYES of faith. They do not want us to live under the fear, sorrow, and deception of death. The assurance of eternal, spiritual life frees us to love God and live for him with utter abandonment, free of the worry, despair, and discouragement that bind those who do not know where they are headed.

One day the voice that called Lazarus and the power that raised Jesus from the tomb will bring us back from the dead (). And just as he will then call us out of our physical graves, he now calls us out of our spiritual graves to love him and serve him.

Apply It! W.I.I.F.M.? (What’s In It For ME?)

Jesus has taken all our poison. The poison of confusion which so clearly marked the disciples; the poison of sadness and hopelessness experienced by Mary and Martha; and the poison of the chief priests and Pharisees, who directed their murderous intent at Jesus. Caiaphas probably considered himself Jesus’ worst enemy and most dangerous threat when he said the nation could be saved only if one man would die for the people. Jesus showed the way to true life by raising Lazarus and then a few weeks later, he led the way through his own death and resurrection. God used Lazarus to prove that he could take a person safely through death and back to life again. Now both Lazarus and Jesus call to us from the other side of the river, “Real life is over here.”

Holman New Testament Commentary: John III. Conclusion: He Took Our Poison

How do we respond? Do we choose belief or unbelief? Do we put all our hope in the basket of this life, or can we invest in the real life to come? Do we see death as the end or just the beginning? A friend of the family shows us as he showed them how to move from death to life.

Holman New Testament Commentary: John Applications

Believe God even when you cannot see him working.

• Recognize in Jesus God’s understanding of real life.

• Shed tears for and with others who have lost loved ones.

• Let God remove the “grave clothes” of sin from your life and set you free.

Apply It! W.I.I.F.M.? (What’s In It For ME?)

What miracles am I trusting God for this year? Does my faith match my miracle or do I feel discouraged by unmet expectations?

2. How might I embrace God’s impossible realities for my life?