John 11: 17-

Recap:

Last week we saw that Jesus really loves this family from Bethany. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

It is pretty neat to see that Jesus loved the family as a whole but also the individual as well.

The sisters sent news to Jesus that their brother was sick and that it was serious.

Jesus doing everything in God’s timing waited 2 days before leaving for Bethany. He knew it would not end in death. The Son of God would be glorified through Lazarus’ death and resurrection.

When God is at work He isn’t just doing one thing but probably thousands of different things that we are unaware of.

Despite the disciples uneasiness about going to Judea, they left to go watch Jesus bring this man back to life.

We need to be reminded at times to understand that we all under the careful watch of God.

Nothing can shorten our time on this earth. We will die when God is done with us.

Thomas ended our time last week with, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Thomas was willing to go with Jesus even if it meant dying with Him. He made this commitment without much understanding of a promise of resurrection.

Vv 17-22) Martha Greets Jesus.

[17] Jesus waited four days because He knew the Jewish superstition of that day that said a soul stayed near the grace for three days, hoping to return to the body. Therefore, it was accepted that after four days there was absolutely no hope of resuscitation.

What does this tell you about the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit takes every precaution to show that the resurrection of Lazarus was really a miracle.

[18] Lazarus must have died shortly after the messengers left to find Jesus. It was a day’s journey from Bethany to Bethabara, where Jesus was.

After hearing of Lazarus’ illness Jesus stayed two day. Then it was a day’s journey to Bethany. This explains the four days Lazarus was in the grave.

Bethany is about 2 miles east of Jerusalem.

[19] The nearness of Bethany to Jerusalem made possible for many of jews to join the women around Mary and Martha, to comfort them.

It was considered an important obligation to join with those who mourned the death of a near relative.

These processions composed of relatives, friends, and sometimes hired mourners.

Little did they know that in a short bit their comfort would be entirely unnecessary and that this house of mourning would be turned into a house of great joy.

[20] Why do we see Martha go to Jesus and Mary stay seated?

We are not told exactly why she remained home. Perhaps she wasn’t told of Jesus’ arrival.

Maybe she was paralyzed with grief. Grief has a way of paralyzing people.

Or maybe she was simply waiting in the spirit of prayer and trust.

[21] Martha honestly stated her disappointment in Jesus’ late arrival. It was real faith that enabled Martha to believe that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus from dying.

Her faith was imperfect thought, she didn’t realize that He could heal from a distance, still less that He could raise the dead. It wan’t even a possibility that Jesus could raise him from the dead now.

Death was no stronger in Jesus’ presence than disease, but often it is thought of as unconquerable.

With disease men may grapple, fight, and often overcome. But in the presence of death they are helpless

Often in times of sorrow, we talk like Martha. We think that if such and such a drug or medicine had been discovered, then this loved one would not have died.

What would help us in times like that?

But all these things are in the hands of the Lord, and nothing happens to one of His own without His permission.

[22] Again the faith of this beautiful sister shines. She didn’t understand or know how the Lord would help, but she believed that He would.

She wasn’t confident that Jesus would raise her brother. Instead, she said that she would still trust Jesus despite this disappointment.

This is quite remarkable demonstration of faith, one that should be taken as an example.

I’ve seen people turn their back to Christ for far less then this woman.

I don’t think Martha quite understands who Jesus is yet. She does recognize that Jesus is far greater then an ordinary man, and that He is probably greater than the prophets of old.

There can be great power in “even now” prayers.

Your loved one can be dead as Lazarus. - do you believe for them, even now?

Your own situation can be as far gone as Lazarus was- do you believe Jesus for yourself, even now?

In this section we get the fifth “I Am” statement of Jesus.

I am the bread of life.

John 6:35 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

I am the light of the world.

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I am the door.

John 10:9 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

I am the good shepherd.

John 10:11 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

I am the resurrection.

John 11:25 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

When we look at verse 23 Jesus is wanting to draw out her faith to greater heights, the

Lord Jesus made the startling announcement that Lazarus would rise again.

It is so wonderful to see how the Lord deals with this sorrowing woman and seeks to lead her step by step to faith in Himself as the Son of God.

[24]Martha had a small grasp of the resurrection. She understood that Lazarus would rise again with all the righteous on the last day.

This is a good example to show us that we are all theologians. She has a concept and an idea about who God is, and what He is capable of.

She did not even consider that Jesus might immediately bring Lazarus from the dead.

Many of us has probably comforted a grieving person by saying, “You will see them again.”

We sincerely mean it and sincerely mean the comfort, but we don’t mean, “You will see them again right now.” Jesus meant that Lazarus would rise right now.

For Martha, thanks to the influence of the Pharisees and those who followed their line of thinking, this was now the general belief among the Jews. Except for the Sadducean they didn’t believe in a resurrection.

It really is clear that she derived very little consolation from the fact of a distant and general resurrection: She needed resurrection and life to come nearer home, and to become more present fact to her.

[25] What stick out to you in this verse?

It is as if the Lord had said, “ You don’t really understand Me, Martha. I do not mean that Lazarus will raise at the Last day, I am God, and I have the power of resurrection and of life in My hand. I can raise Lazarus from the dead right now, and I will do just that.”

Look Jesus didn’t just claim to have resurrection and life, or understand secrets about resurrection and life.

Instead Jesus dramatically said that He is the resurrection and the life.

To know Jesus is to know resurrection and life; to have Jesus is to have resurrection and life.

Jesus looked forward to the time when all true believers would be raised. This will take place when the Lord Jesus comes back again to take His people home to heaven.

At that time there will be two classes of believers. There will be those who have died in faith, and there will be those who are living at His return.

He comes to the first class as the Resurrection and the second as the Life.

Those that believe in Jesus appear to die, but yet they live. They are not in the grace, they are for everwith the Lord. They are not unconscious they are with their Lord in paradise. Death cannot kill a believer, it can only usher them into a freer from of life.

Of course Jesus didn’t mean that a believer would never die physically. What He means that the person will not die in the sense in which death has eternal significance.

This is because for the ungodly death comes as a penal infliction, but for the righteous man it summons them to their Father palace.

To the sinner it is an execution, to the saint an undressing. Death to the wicked is the King of terrors: death to the saint is the end of terrors, the commencement of glory.

[26] For those who are alive at the time of the Savior’s coming and who believe on Him shall never die. They will be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and taken home to heaven with those who have been raised from the dead.

What precious truth have come to us as a result of Lazarus’ death! God brings sweetness out of bitterness and give beauty for ashes.

After all He is truly the Son of God, the Messiah, the Chosen One, the Creator, and our Savior!

Jesus then pointedly asked Martha, to test her faith, “Do you believe this?”

We must ask ourselves this every question too.

When it comes to evangelism. It is this simple. Sharing the gospel then ask, “Do you believe this?”

[27] Martha’s faith blazed in gloried splendor. She confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, whom the prophets had predicted was to come into the world.

And we should notice that she made this confession before Jesus had raised her brother from the dead and not afterwards!

She believed Jesus was who He said He was and that HE could do what He said He could do.

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.