Gtcotr/ss072620
John 11
1 ¶ Now a certain man
was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was that Mary who
anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was sick.
·
John
identifies this Mary by referencing an act that took place soon after this
account of Lazarus. What Mary did was a well-known and often told story in the
first century Church. We read more about what she did in John 12:3ff. John
records how:
o Mary’s love and
appreciation is shown in how she offers her riches, her heart, and herself to
Jesus perhaps in thanksgiving to Him for the life of her brother.
o The instance of Mary
anointing Jesus with costly perfume takes place about 2 months after Jesus after
our story today.
o When Mary anointed
Jesus with that perfumed oil, Judas did not like it and he complained.
o The Judas’ of this
world will always find something to complain about. They are worldly, selfish,
liars and thieves, who care for no one but themselves. They make noise and
betray trusts. Yet Jesus loves them and gives them every chance to know Him.
o Some people will never
give their money, and neither will they give themselves to Jesus.
o But, when someone does
give their heart, they give everything they have and all they are.
o Mary had given her
heart to Jesus, Judas had not.
·
It
is a sobering thought that a person can be so close to Jesus and even help Him
with His work, yet never give their heart to Him.
·
Jesus
defended Mary and only gently rebuked Judas … why?
·
Jesus had a greater mission, as He still does today. Let’s continue with
the story of Lazarus and his sisters …
3 Therefore the sisters sent
to Jesus, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that,
He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the
Son of God may be glorified through it.”
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Note
here that Jesus loved this family, each one, and yet Jesus did not immediately
come to their aid, at least not in the way they asked of Him. Jesus told His
disciples that the sickness was not unto death.
Some
who seek to find contradiction in truth might raise a question here. No
generation lacks this sort. However, the word of the Lord is always right and is
proven in ways God intends. Truth is never determined by a show of hands nor
disproven through the lens of current concerns.
In
the end, truth demands no defense. Jesus does not
need us to save Him, we need Him to save us!
6 So, when Jesus heard that Lazarus
was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
7 Then after this He said to the
disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
11 … “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I
may wake him up.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps
he will get well.”
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they
thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them
plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 “And I am glad for your
sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to
him.”
16 Then Thomas, who is called
the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with
Him.”
Things
must have looked pretty bleak about then:
·
Jews
were seeking how to kill Jesus … they wanted Him dead!
·
The
disciples did not agree that they needed to go back to Jerusalem at that point.
·
Jesus
told them that His friend Lazarus was dead. Wait … He had just told them two
days earlier that this sickness would not end in death.
·
As
always, Jesus knows something the others do not …
·
Thomas
abandoned all hope that any one of them were going to live.
·
It
must have been more difficult for Jesus, just a little more stressful on Him
hearing His disciples talk defeat and resigned to death.
·
Jesus
had something much bigger and more important on His mind … He was on a
greater mission … and He had a plan.
17 ¶ So when Jesus came, He
found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two
miles away.
19 And many of the Jews had joined the women
around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus
was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
These
two girls were disappointed, and they were dealing with their grief in
different ways. While Mary sat weeping while Martha went to meet Jesus and
leveled an indictment. She basically, although respectfully, shared her hurt
and her frustration with Him.
John 11:21 Then Martha
said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Basically,
it is really your fault. And I know you could do something about this right now
if you would.
22 “But even now I know that
whatever You ask of 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 at the last day.”
Jesus
answered her … but it was not enough. Martha wanted help now!
·
If
only you would have done something – problems of the past
·
I
know it will all be better in heaven one day … promises of the future … But
what about now!
25 Jesus said to her, “I
am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he
shall live.”
26 “And whoever lives and
believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
That
is the question of the day. It is not about the problems of the past nor about
the promises of the future … but about what Jesus can do for you right now! He
is what we need! Do you believe this?
27 She said to Him, “Yes,
Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into
the world.”
What
is your answer? … let’s continue … Martha went home to Mary …
28 And when she had said these things, she went
her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The
Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as Mary heard that,
she arose quickly and came to Him.
Notice
how Martha went out to meet Jesus when she heard He was coming and how Mary ran
quickly to Jesus when she heard He was calling for her. People are different.
Some seek Him out and some respond to His call.
John 11:32 Then, when Mary came where
Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord,
if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
·
These
two girls had evidently been talking and they both felt the same way and they
both said the very same thing.
·
Jesus
had such compassion on Mary and her loss and grief. He is easily touched with
the feelings of our infirmities. (Hebrews 4:15)
33
¶ Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping,
and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was
troubled.
34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They
said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man,
who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, 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 him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a
stench, for he has been dead four days.”
John 11:40 Jesus said to
her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of
God?”
·
He
had already asked Martha if she believed … now her faith is put to the test.
·
Remember
… There will be a test …
·
It
is not a test of action but a test of faith that demands action …
·
What
do you believe?
41 Then they took away the stone from the
place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and
said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 “And I know that You always hear Me, but
because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may
believe that You sent Me.”
John 11:43 Now when He had said these
things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
·
One
Word from the Lord changes everything.
·
When
will we hear that word? When Jesus is ready … and I believe He is ready!
·
Jesus
has not forgotten us and His love for us. He has a plan that is much bigger and
more important than our current concerns.
·
Jesus
has a greater purpose in all of this going on around us.
·
Just
as He said to Martha, I ask you: “Do you believe this?”
On
Friday I received a text from a woman whom I have known to be a true
intercessor and gifted with the spiritual gift of prophecy. Many of you know
her. She preached for us in March, just before COVID19 dramatically impacted
our world. Her name is Lanell Miller; she is the
wife of Pastor John Miller at Church on the Rock in Texarkana. She is also the
daughter of one of a well attested modern-day prophet, Emmanuel Cannistraci.
She
said in her text to me that while she was praying Friday morning, she had a
spirit of intercession come upon her and she began weeping like she has not in
a long while. She asked God what it all meant, and she believes the Lord showed
her that “Jesus is weeping over our nation and the
nations of the world. But He is about to cry out: COME FORTH!”
I
wholeheartedly believe that we are right on course and headed for the destiny
which God declared from the beginning of time. Jesus was not late in John 11
and He will not be late now. Jesus never intended
to attend the funeral, He planned on showing up for the resurrection!
Despite
Covid19, the cancel culture, violent protests, nightly shootings and murders of
innocent children and adults in Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis,
Baltimore, New York City and elsewhere in our nation, calls to defund the
police, the defacing of our national monuments, revisionists history, Church
burnings, political divisions and fake news, Jesus is still Lord and even
though He might not be answering our prayers when and how we want Him to,
nonetheless He has a plan and He is never wrong and He is never late.
He
had a much bigger and more important mission than Martha, Mary or His disciples
knew … and He still does today! He has a Greater Mission and we have a Great
Commission.
What
is our part in all of this?
1.
Believe
… Have Faith in God
a. “Did I not say to you
that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
b. God will do what only
God can do … but then …
2.
Get
ready to Take off those graveclothes from
the people Jesus will be resurrecting and put on the garments of praise!
a. Go and make disciples
of all nations, teaching them all the things that Jesus taught His disciples
b. God is with us … even
to the end of this age. (Matthew 28)
44 And he who had died came
out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a
cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
I
have a lot more to say about being bound hand and foot with graveclothes and a
face covering, but that will have to wait for another time. For now … Believe
Jesus is what we need and prepare yourself to disciple those whom He will be
resurrecting to new life soon …
