Waiting on Jesus Part 1

John 11:1-44

Speaker:

Jesus, John records the account, teachings and conversation of Jesus and the disciples, the sisters (Mary and Martha) and what the onlookers overheard.

Place:

Bethany, Home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha

Audience:

Disciples, Mary, Martha and others there to mourn

Context:

Jesus had been with His disciples in Jerusalem (part of the region of Judeah). He had been teaching that the Shepherd knows His sheep, was confronted by the Jewish leaders and they were attempting to stone Him for claiming to be the messiah. He then goes away beyond the Jordan (where John had been baptizing and evangelizing) and He had been talking with believers when a messenger from Mary and Martha arrives with the news about Lazarus.

Explanation:

This story again begins with virtually no direct time but some place references. Other details are added as the story unfolds. The main persons who are the objects of Jesus’ concern, however, are introduced in the first verse. They are a very sick man by the name of Lazarus and his two worried sisters, Mary and Martha.

I: A Request to Jesus (vs 1-3)

A certain man was sick!

This begins perhaps the most remarkable miracle Jesus performed.

Here we see a request is made to Jesus. Lazarus is sick.

Lazarus name means God is my help. The name “Lazarus” appears in the New Testament only in John 11 and 12 and in Luke 16:20–25. In the Luke context Lazarus (a poor, very sick man and full of sores) is contrasted with a rich man in both pre- and post-death experiences. In both of the Lazarus stories the grace of God is made evident through divine assistance.

God’s grace is still made evident today by divine assistance.

Our miracle working God has not changed one bit!

The same power that was working through Jesus is present within us as the Holy Spirit of God!

Lazarus was Mary and Martha’s brother. Jesus had a close relationship with this family.

When Lazarus was sick it was natural for them to bring their need to Jesus.

It was expected that if He miraculously met the needs of so many others, He would meet their needs also.

Do we have a close relationship with Jesus today?

Do we truly trust and expect Him to meet our each and every need?

Do we immediately bring our needs and requests to the Master?

Or do we try and work them out ourselves first?

You get a glimpse of the relationship when we look at the mention of Mary- the one that anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.

We see a glimpse of the humble and completely devoted relationship with Mary and Her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This was her legacy and how she will be remembered.

The sisters send word that “he whom you live is sick” in verse 3.

They did not specifically ask Jesus to come and heal Lazarus. They felt that did not need to, that it was enough to simply tell Jesus what the problem was!

Do we prayerfully do the same?

Do we make our problem known to the Master or do we also often give a solution when praying?

Father I have a lot of bills, things I want and need to do and have lost my job. Let me get a job at “so and so” making this amount and that should do me just fine!

Now take notice that our Love of Jesus does not separate us from sickness and physical death. Each and every believer will get sick, our bodies will become frail, age and we will eventually die.

This is all as a result of sin. The wages of sin are death (Romans), but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

II. The Response of Jesus (vs 4-6)

Jesus hearing the request responds by saying that this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Lazarus was most likely already dead when Jesus said this, but He knew the end result would be the glory of God, not death. Jesus also knew that the events recorded in this chapter would set the religious leaders in determination to kill Jesus (and they also would later try and murder Lazarus).

This meant the end result would be that the Son of God may be glorified in His death and resurrection!

Jesus is stating that death would not be the final outcome of this sickness that the final outcome wold be the glory of God through the Son of God.

We next see it reiterated that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. John is reminding us that Jesus genuinely loved these folks.

This shows us that a testing of our faith is not a denial of His love!

When you are going through testing, trials, even tribulations do you feel the love of God?

He is there, He wants to sustain you, carry you through the storms of life, provide for and comfort you even when the odds seem impossible. We should turn to Him and trust in Him and allow our faith in Him to be strengthened in the good and the difficult times.

Jesus responds with a delay! He stays two more days!

We would likely think of this as a cruel response from someone that loves us!

Humans generally interpret any delay in rendering help as cruel because of our perspectives on the avoidance of all pain and because of our general commitment to the immediacy of action as it pertains to time. But cruelty is hardly what this story is about.

We must learn to wait upon the Lord for His timing is perfect!

This delay was likely mystifying to the disciples and agonizing to Mary and Martha.

Jesus deliberately waited to bring Lazarus back from the dead until he had been in the tomb for four days. In Jewish culture grief would reach it’s height on the third day and they believed the spirit hovers about the tomb for three days after an individuals death in case by chance it may return to the body. After 3 days they believed it abandoned the body. We see Jesus’s purpose in the delay when we know the context and beliefs of this culture- Jesus was making sure that everyone knew without a doubt that Lazarus was dead and no chance of coming back alive! This was ALL ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN TO GLORIFY THE FATHER AND REVEAL JESUS AS THE TRUE MESSIAH. 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.

The delay had a purpose to remove any doubts about who Jesus was and to strengthen the belief, faith and trust of those seeing and hearing about it!

In the gospel of John we see 3 situations where someone dear to Jesus asks Him to do something (John 2:1-11 water into wine, John 7:1-10 His brothers disbelief, and of course here in chapter 11 with Lazarus). In each of these three cases Jesus responded in the same way

Jesus first refused to grant their request and then He fulfilled it after showing that He does things according to the timing and the will of God, not man.

Through His actions Jesus demonstrated that His delays were not denials. They would bring greater glory to God!

How do we do with delays from Jesus in our requests?

In our prayer life?

Do we devote ourselves to prayer with zeal, fervor and determination?

Or do we get mad or frustrated when things don’t happen on our time table?

We see the timing and purpose of the Master is perfect and can be trusted!

After this delay Jesus goes! (vs 7-10)

Jesus could have raised Lazarus from a distance. Because of the opposition from the religious leaders, Judea was a dangers place for Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus was willing to go to Judea again- despite the warnings from His disciples.

Isn’t it good that there is NO WHERE that Jesus will not be willing to meet us at?

The disciples questions Jesus’s decision to go back to Judea and Jesus responded with a sermonette. Employing the traditional religious theme of light and darkness usually associated with good and evil, he applied these symbols to the imagery of travel by day and night.

The day permits of safe travel whereas the night is to be associated with the danger of stumbling.

But picking up the theme from the Festival of Tabernacles that he was “the light of the world” (cf. 8:12; 9:5), Jesus reminded his disciples that the light enables them to see.

Conversely, those who do not have the light in them were in danger of stumbling.

Jesus was implicitly suggesting that the disciples needed to deal with their spiritual condition of “nightness” by relying on the presence in their midst of “the light” (Jesus).

The concept of stumbling is itself a term that is packed with theological significance. The Greek term is proskoptein, which is linked to ideas of “being offended” and of “falling.” In the New Testament it is a term that carries serious consequences, such as the stumbling of a Christian brother (cf. Rom 14:21); and Jesus is described by both Paul and Peter as the rock of stumbling or offense that leads people to stumble because they do not accept him (Rom 9:32; 1 Pet 2:8). It is in fact the opposite of seeing, believing and walking in the light.

ARE YOU WALING IN THE LIGHT TODAY? OR STUMBLING AROUND FALLING DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO SIN?

JESUS SAID IN JOHN 8:12 “12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

ARE YOU LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST OR DEAD TO SIN AND TRESPASSES!

HE WILL TAKE YOU JUST AS YOU ARE- CROSS OF JESUS AND GUARANTEE YOU A RESURRECTION INTO NEW ETERNAL LIFE

Are there not twelve hours in the day?

Jesus is teaching that there is only twelve hours in the day!

We have a set amount of time we will live here on earth. Nothing can shorten our time that God has set.

There is enough time for everything that needs to be done, we only have that time so it must not be wasted.

III. Jesus Speaks Plainly (vs 11-15)

Jesus uses the metaphor of sleep to describe the death of Lazarus. The figure of speech was especially meaningful because Jesus would soon wake him up- bring Lazarus back from death! It caused some confusion with the disciples thinking that if he was asleep that he would wake up and be fine.

See this same reference to the dead Jarius’ daughter in Matthew 9:24 and with Stephen during his martyrdom he “feel asleep” or died (Acts 7:60)

Do we sometimes feel we are asleep spiritually? We somehow think that we will one day wake up and be back where we need to be with God?

The only one that can wake us from spiritual death is Jesus Christ- let us go to the Master!

Jesus clears up the confusion and questions and plainly says that Lazarus is dead!

Don’t we sometimes need to plainly hear Jesus speak? He does through His world under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But we must ask Him to give us understanding and in doing so must be willing to be obedient....even when it requires us to cast aside the things we think we know or have always believed based on what others have said. All that matters is what Jesus .... The Word… says!

Jesus says Lazarus is dead. And I am glad that for your sakes I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.

Jesus could be glad, even in the death of a dear friend, because He was certain of the outcome!

No matter what we are facing as a Christian we should be glad! The outcome is assured in Jesus Christ! Victory over sin, death, war, sickness, worry, depression, worry, anxiety, addiction.... Jesus is above all and before all, is the creator and sustainer of all and is over all. He is preeminent, the complete authority and Master of all things (Paul teaches this in Colossians).

We see at the end of this chapter that grief was comforted and mourning turns to rejoicing. Life was restored, many more believed and the necessary death of Jesus was set in motion!

We today can be restored to life- eternal life in Jesus Christ by repentance, belief and submission to Jesus as Lord and Savior.