The Road to Easter: The Day that Jesus Lingered
(KJV) John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest 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 might be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
Generally, when using John 11 as a basis for a sermon or devotional, we look at Jesus’ humanity which caused Him to grieve for Lazarus and his sisters. We focus on the miraculous resurrection event along with the implications of such an event. Today, however, let’s look at this verse a little differently.
We know that Jesus was close friends with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He had visited them in their home in Bethany on more than one occasion. They were so close, in fact, that, in Luke 10, Martha feels at ease chastising Him for allowing Mary to sit at His feet while Martha is left to do all of the work.
But in this instance, we see sisters in need of their friend. Yet, instead of Jesus rushing to their side, He tarries.
While the disciples had witnessed the miracle of resurrection previously, in this instance Lazarus had been dead four days. There was a well known belief that the spirit lingered for three days, and thus it was possible for life to return to the body at any time within that time frame. So why did Jesus wait?
1. He waited until no one could claim that Lazarus was not really dead, thereby discounting the miracle of resurrection.
2. He knew that His own death was imminent and He wanted to provide assurance that just as He had authority to raise Lazarus, that He, too, would be raised.
3. This event would serve to give glory to God because of the way it unfolded.
Along with these points, I always like to mention that Jesus was not limited by time and space. He could have healed Lazarus without ever leaving Jerusalem. But it was important that the bystanders knew without a doubt that Jesus was responsible for this miracle.
And of course we hear one of Jesus’ “I AM”, statements when He declares to Martha, and then to Mary, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” Jesus needed to make the point that the resurrection was not an event, but a Person.
And when He said “remove those grave clothes,” Jesus was not simply declaring Lazarus had been dead and buried and was now alive. He was saying we cannot live the same, old, sinful life once we have been made alive in Christ. And who would want to???
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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