Even Now I Know
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Intro
Intro
Opening Story/Illustration: Have you ever been late before? We’ve all had our moments where we’ve been late to something. For me personally, one of the events I hate being late to the most is either the movies or a play or show of some sort - Anything with a story line where being late is going to cause me to miss what’s going on. I like to know what’s happening. In fact, my wife and I were talking the other day and I said sometimes I have FOMO. How many of you know what FOMO is? Fear of missing out. If being late causes me to miss out or be confused, I don’t want to be late.
Transition to the Text: There’s a story in the book of John where Jesus appears to be late. Jesus sometimes it seems runs in a different time zone than we do. There are times in the gospels where you get the sense that people are a bit confused by Jesus. It’s as if Jesus is playing from a different set of rules. It’s as if Jesus has his own time table and lives in his own timezone. There’s a story in the Gospel of John where two sisters Mary and Martha are a bit confused because Jesus doesn’t seem to be doing what you would think he should when they think he should. He’s running late according to their timetable and this brings all sorts of confusion and misunderstanding for these two sisters.
Text:
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 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. 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.” 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. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Transition to the Points: This morning I want us to look at this passage and talk about what we do when it feels as though God isn’t moving the way we want him to.
Points
Points
Jesus is in Hiding
Our text is bracketed with two accounts of people wanting to kill Jesus.
After our story the religious leaders begin making plans to kill Jesus.
Before we get to this story of Lazarus, Jesus has had a fiery encounter with the religious leaders.
He has plainly come out and told them that he is God.
Jesus Stayed
They don’t like this at all.
They become angry and get ready to stone him
Jesus slips away
Jesus is now across the Jordan with his disciples and he is, in a sense, hiding out there.
He’s hiding, not because he is afraid of the opposition, but because he’s not going to let them rush God’s timing.
I find it interesting that before and after his greatest miracle, he faces some of his greatest opposition.
Our text is also bracketed with the idea that many people believed on him.
The word believe is key in the book of John.
John is writing his gospel, showing all the signs and wonders that Jesus did so that people might believe.
Here’s the point: In one of His greatest moments some people believe in him and others want to kill him.
As we come to this story about Lazarus, Jesus is in hiding. He’s not moving about as publicly as he did before because of this opposition.
Jesus is Waiting
Jesus is Waiting
Jesus, while in hiding, gets a message that Lazarus is sick.
Jesus Wept
The text tells us that Lazarus lives in Bethany.
He’s the brother of Mary and Martha
The text tells us twice that Jesus loved Lazarus (, )
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick, the text tells us that Jesus loves him, but then it tells us that Jesus stayed 2 days longer in the place that he was ()
6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Why would he wait? If he loved them wouldn’t he try to get to him as quickly as possible?
Some would say if you look at the timeline here, Lazarus was probably already dead by the time the messenger gets to Jesus. But still - When someone dies, you move.
If I got a phone call today that someone close to me has passed, I don’t wait around. I move.
Typically, when someone you love is sick or dying, time is of the essence, but Jesus doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.
Finally, after two days Jesus gathers his disciples and they leave.
His disciples question why they’re going back to the place where people wanted to stone Jesus.
Thomas even makes a sarcastic remark - “I guess we’ll go and die too...” ()
16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Mary and Martha are confused
Jesus heads towards Bethany and he meets Martha on the way there.
The first thing see says to him - “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
We need a moment of Clarity
In other words - Why the delay? While you were hiding and waiting, my brother died. You could have stopped this. Where were you?
Jesus Raised
Mary comes to meet Jesus and gives him the same line of questioning - “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Jesus is moved by all of this. The Shortest verse in the Bible, is perhaps one of the most powerful. - Jesus Wept.
Twice the text tells us that he is moved (, )
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
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.
He feels their pain and their loss
He is
I also think he feels their confusion
In the Middle of all this, Martha has a moment of Clarity
When You’re in the middle of a situation that you do not understand, can you say, “Even now I know…?”
Notice what she says in
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.”
“Even now I know...”
She’s saying, Jesus, I don’t understand it all, This situation looks hopeless, But even now I know.
Jesus then tells her that her brother will rise again.
She thinks Jesus is talking about a future event
Jesus rocks her by telling her - The future event is standing in front of you. Resurrection is not simply an event but a person.
She was looking forward to what God wanted to do in the future, and Jesus was ready to do it now.
Jesus asks where they had laid him, walks up to the tomb and asks that the stone be rolled away.
Martha says “there will be an odor..”
You can tell that she is still slightly confused.
Jesus prays and in his prayer he clarifies all of it - This is happening so that those there may believe.
Lazarus’ situation wasn’t just about Lazarus. God was using the situation to bring Glory to himself so that others may believe.
Sometimes we feel like Jesus is hiding and delaying
I wish that Jesus always told us what he is doing. He doesn’t. Even if he did, I’m not sure we would fully understand it.
Jesus doesn’t choose to work on our terms and in our timing.
We pray and we feel Jesus isn’t answering. We know he loves us, but it doesn’t feel like he’s moving on our behalf.
Illustration: I Remember a few years ago we did a lock in at the Church and we played man hunt in here. I found myself a good hiding place and no one could find me. Everyone had been found but me. So all the kids and leaders are looking for me. After about 10 or 15min one of them screams out - Ok, you need to come out now, this isn’t fun anymore.
Sometimes we feel that way with Jesus. We’ve been praying and we don’t feel like he’s answering. We’ve been waiting and it doesn’t seem like he’s coming through.
We want to throw up our hands and scream - Ok, you can move now, because this isn’t fun anymore!
This brings us confusion
We know what Jesus loves us, so why doesn’t he seem to be listening?
We know what his word says, so Why doesn’t he seem to be coming through on it
We know what he spoke to us, so why doesn’t it seem to be coming to pass?
Why does it seem like he’s hiding when we need him? Why does it seem like he’s silent when we need him to speak?
Couldn’t he have kept it from happening? Couldn’t he have worked things out?
In our confusion we need a moment of clarity
BUT EVEN NOW I KNOW
The dr. said this…But even now I know
The finances say this..But even now I know
My child is running from God..But even now I know
My marriage is a wreck..But even now I know.
This morning, this is what I’m praying for God to do in your life - That you will have a “But even now I know moment.”
Jesus feels your pain and your confusion and he’s right there with you.
He’s waiting to raise dead things to life
Your situation isn’t just about you - What’s God going to do through in his time and his way to bring glory to himself and bring others to belief?
This was Jesus’ greatest miracle in some ways because it seemed so impossible. If Jesus had moved when Mary and Martha wanted him to, there would have been no great miracle.
If Jesus moves when you want him to, you may miss the greatest miracle of your life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Restate the Main Idea: But Even Now I know...
So What? Maybe you’re in a situation that is confusing. Maybe you don’t understand what’s going on. Even in the midst of that you can know that God is with you. That God is able to do the impossible.
Now What? I want us to pray this morning for those of you in a time of confusion or waiting