Death and Life of Lazarus

Death

There is not a person that doesn’t have to contend with the idea of death

Fear it

Ignore it

Hide from it

Try and out run it

Cheat it

Face it Try to bring it on early

We all face death. And we all do it in different ways but we do all have to confront the idea of death

As we continue in the life of Jesus, we deal with the idea of Death.

Today we are talking about a man named Lazarus. This is really one of the last events in the public ministry section of Jesus life. After today the cross is immanent

Prayer

Lazarus Is a friend of Jesus. A close friend. This is the brother of Mary and Martha who we have already met. All good friends which Jesus loves very much

John 11:1–17 CSB

Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” “Rabbi,” the disciples told him, “just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you’re going there again?” “Aren’t there twelve hours in a day?” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.” He said this, and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.” Then the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.” Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.” Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too so that we may die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Jesus learns of Lazarus from a runner. It probably took the man a day to find Jesus and then another day for Jesus to go to Lazarus and he waits two days in between. Which means that Lazarus probably died pretty quickly after the runner left. Because in verse 17 we learn that Lazarus has been dead for four days.

Did Jesus know that Lazarus was dying. Probably, being fully God looking at other places in the Gospel we would say that he does tend to know these things. But he lets Lazarus Die. Which sounds horrible. We often say if I were god, If god is good then why suffering. Why death. But I remind you that sin brought death into this world. And Jesus came for a life eternal.

Bethany where Lazarus is, is about 1 1/2 miles from Jerusalem. It was impossible for Jesus to sneak into this funeral

Funerals at this time are very public. The formal mourning lasted for 7 days. From burial which was on same day of death, And people would gather and morn together. Woman would wail and weep.

When Jesus decided to Go. It is a risk to his life and the life of his disciples. There really were people who were calling for his blood. Claiming to be God is a dangerous claim. Sparking religious out coming, and after this it will be fear. Fear that Rome who doesn’t like the statues quo to change. To change was to disrupt the peace and they very well might decide to move and put down the people. They will in AD 70 when the temple will be destroyed. This is why Thomas states let us go die as well

Now should we read this as a criticism or as willingness to follow to death. People argue one way or the other. To be honest with you I don’t know but I do know that by going this way they are putting their lives at risk. But Jesus goes. Lazarus is already dead so Jesus waits two more days for the Glory of God. This probably goes back to a well-known Jewish belief that the soul of a dead person remained in the vicinity of the body “hoping to reenter it” for three days. But once decomposition set in the soul left

Jesus waiting doesn’t make this true but Jesus would have to wait to prove that Lazarus is dead. When Jesus arrives both Mary and Martha will express deep devotion in their friend. They both say that if Jesus was here Lazarus would not have died. That is belief And maybe a little anger. Why weren’t you here. Survivors Grief. If I had just Gotten the Dr sooner. IF I have just made him go to the hospital. If ……If you were here Jesus. Why didn’t you save him

Even though Jesus knows what he is about to do

Jesus morns

Verse 35 Jesus wept

Jesus knows that Lazarus is about to rise from the dead. He says so in verse 21

John 11:21–27 CSB

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.”

Martha is referencing the end times resurrection

Jesus however doing something different

John 11:38–45 CSB

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. “Remove the stone,” Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent me.” After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.” Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he did believed in him.

Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave.

Why?

Friend he didn’t want to die. I don’t think so. Lazarus will now have to die a second time and see his friend Jesus die on the cross and then raise from the grave. See Christians put to death.

Why?

Because God is making a point. I am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me will live and even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die

Jesus has just proven that death has no hold for God. Death is not the end. Death is not the end and when we truly believe that death is not the end. That if we believe we will live

Then death has no hold over us

We don’t seek it but don’t fear it

Death is but a transitional state of life. And believing this we live differently

We don’t fear to tell people about the kingdom

We don’t worry as much about the things of this short life

We have peace. A peace that gives us strength to do what ever God calls us to do.

Next Steps

As we all face death. Do you have life?

Pray