RAISED TO LIFE!

Text: John 11:1-46
Readings: John 5:24-30, Psalm 16
Theme: Jesus raised Lazarus to life to show his glory so that people might believe in him.
Purpose: To explain the full humanity and divinity of Jesus in this story of the raising of Lazarus so that you may believe in him. 

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Read: John 11:1-7

Many of us here today have lost someone we love, someone who was close to us: a husband, a wife, a child, a parent, a close friend. 
We have seen their lifeless body, have mourned, grieved, cried, wept. We have gathered with others for the funeral service, we have tried to sing the hymns. We have stood beside the grave, and afterwards have gone home to an empty house. 
This is the setting of this story in the Bible about the death and resurrection of Lazarus.

Context: JC Ryle claims this is one of the most remarkable chapters of the Bible for its simple grandeur. This is the seventh sign in the gospel of John. All the miracles of Jesus are important but this one especially so, for a few reasons. 
* It illustrates the great "I am" statement of Jesus in verse 25; "I am the resurrection and the life."
* It anticipates the resurrection of Jesus himself, foretold in Psalm 16 which we read earlier.
* And it is the climactic sign of Christ's ministry. It is recorded exactly half way in the gospel of John - chapter 11 out of 21 chapters; but by this time Jesus was at the end of his public ministry. In chapter 12 he gave his final appeal to the crowds who followed him; and in chapter 13 he withdrew to be alone with his disciples before his betrayal and death. 
This chapter is the hinge of the gospel; it is the significant turning point in the story of Jesus.  
The story develops over four scenes. In each scene Jesus is the central figure. 
1. Jesus and his disciples (vs 1-16)
2. Jesus and Martha (vs 17-27)
3. Jesus and Mary (vs 28-37)
4. Jesus and Lazarus (vs 38-46)

SCENE 1 sets the scene and introduces the people in this story. 

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick." He was the brother of Mary and Martha. He is only mentioned in chapters 11 and 12 of this gospel. He and his sisters lived in Bethany, a small village that was only 2 miles from Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. 

Jesus was on the other side of the Jordan river and so the sisters sent a message to Jesus; "Lord, the one you love is sick." (vs 3) They made no demands of him, but the request was clear. 

Usually when Jesus received a request for help or healing he acted immediately. But this time he deliberately delayed and stayed where he was two more days (vs 6). 
He did not do that because he was unconcerned or callous or indifferent to their need; John tells us that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." (vs 5).
Rather he delayed for a purpose. He knew that Lazarus would die but he also knew that his sickness would "not end in death." (vs 4) because Jesus would raise him to life again. 
He would do this "for God's glory that God's Son may be glorified through it." (vs 4). 
This reminds us of the man born blind. Jesus explained that "this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (9:3)
The delay of Jesus had a purpose. 

We often find delays hard to accept, whether we are stuck in the traffic on the motorway, or waiting in a long queue at the supermarket.
We live in an instant age. When we send a text message expect an immediate answer and if we have to wait 5 minutes we wonder why it is taking so long! When we send an email we anticipate a prompt response and if it takes a while we get impatient. 

It is the same when we pray to God. If we ask God for something we want an immediate answer. But he often keeps us waiting. He does this for a good reason; it is part of his plan; often he wants to teach us something.  But his delays are not final. He will answer us in his own time and in his own way. One writer says; God is "the best of timekeepers. He created time. He is never late for his appointments." (Milne)

So after delaying for two days Jesus went to Judea and approached the village of Bethany.

SCENE 2: JESUS AND MARTHA (Read vs 17-27)

In this story Martha acts true to her personality type. Her sister Mary was quiet, meditative and passive and she remained at home. But Martha was busy and active and spontaneous and when she heard Jesus was coming she got up straight away and went out to meet him. 

We need to be careful that we don't make too much of this and that we don't make these sisters into theological models. In personality one is neither better or worse; they are different. 
What is important is their christian character, and both at different times showed great faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, as we will see here.

Martha's opening words (vs 21) are a mild rebuke to Jesus; "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died." She did not understand why Jesus had delayed.

Nor did she realise that his power was not tied to his physical presence. Jesus could have healed Lazarus from a distance, as he had with the son of the royal official (4:50). 

Yet she did believe that her brother would rise again in the resurrection at the last day (v 24). She gave a clear statement of this biblical doctrine which we can all believe. But Jesus wanted to make that more personal and direct. He said; "I am the resurrection and the life." 
Christian faith is not only a belief in doctrines and truth but even more a living trust in the person of Jesus Christ. Believing in him involves knowledge of the truth but it also involves making that knowledge personal.

Let me put that to you with a few questions:
Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection; that he raised himself from the dead after his agonising death by crucifixion? 
Do you believe that his resurrection is the guarantee of your resurrection?
Do you believe that he is the giver of life; that he can and will give eternal life to all who believe in him?
Do you believe this? Is all this true of you?

When Jesus asked Martha that question she responded with one of the outstanding declarations of faith in the Scriptures: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (vs 27). 

We have heard young people of the church make their profession of faith at times. This statement of Martha was a wonderful profession of faith made under the most trying and difficult of circumstances. Is this your profession? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

And if you do believe it, do you practice it in daily life? Does it comfort you in times of sorrow and death? Does it give you a certain hope for the future. 

SCENE 3: JESUS AND MARY (vs 28-37)

When Mary met Jesus she repeated the words of her sister Martha; "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died." (vs 32). Again there is a touch of reproach in her words, an implied rebuke to Jesus. No doubt the two sisters had played this over and over in their conversation together; "If only Jesus had been here!"

We often do the same when something goes wrong in our lives. We think of all the other possibilities - "If only I hadn't gone out at that time. If only I hadn't got angry. If only I hadn't drunk so much. If only she had taken the other road. If only we had gone away last week."
All of these are only speculations - and useless ones at that - because this has happened and we cannot change it. Playing this over in our minds only adds to our troubles and difficulties. 

Instead we need to "approach the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." We can do that because Jesus was and is human like us and he can sympathise with us in our weaknesses and our trials. (Heb 4:16f). 

This scene with Mary gives us one of the most touching illustrations of the full humanity of our Lord. In verse 33 we read that when Jesus saw her weeping and all those with her weeping "he was deeply moved in spirit..." This phrase translates a Greek word that refers to profound emotion that is associated with a deep anger. 
As Jesus thought about the death of his friend, and saw the effect of that on all those around him, he felt anger over sin and death and anger towards the originator of all this, Satan himself. 

We also read that he was "troubled". The Greek word is used of the surface of the sea troubled by a storm. Jesus was disturbed by what had happened and what he saw around him.

And in verse 35 we read; "Jesus wept." This is the shortest verse in the Bible, but these two words express the fullness of his humanity. 
Earlier Jesus had seen Mary weeping and those around her weeping (verse 33). The word used there referred to a loud wailing, a lament. 
When John wrote that "Jesus wept" he used a different Greek word, the only time it appears in the New Testament. It refers to tears, a quiet weeping. 

Our Lord was human. He was God and he had a divine nature, but also took on a human nature. He was like us in every way except for sin. He had the same emotions as us, felt the same sadness, shed the same tears. 
Jesus is now in heaven, but he is a man in heaven, and he can and does sympathise with us in our weakness. He knows what you are going through. He has lived and suffered in this same world of sin.

When you are sad and suffering look to him, pray to him, call out to him, ask him for his help. He will not leave you nor forsake you. You can be assured of his presence through the Holy Spirit. 

This scene with Mary gives us a striking picture of the full humanity of Jesus. 
This next scene with Lazarus gives us a striking picture of the full divinity of Jesus. 

SCENE 4  - JESUS AND LAZARUS (read vs 38-46)

Jesus came to the tomb, "once more deeply moved". This is the same Greek word; the same expression of sorrow and deep emotion and anger. Jesus came to the tomb ready to do battle with death and Satan. He approached the tomb as the Captain of the armies of God, as the Lion of Judah, as the one who one day would conquer all evil. 

He told them to remove the stone (vs 39). 
Martha, ever practical, objected because of the smell. The body of her brother had been in the tomb four days and it would already be decaying. 
But this only highlighted the power of the Lord Jesus: he could raise the dead and even a dead body that had already begun to decompose. 
Other people could raise the stone, but no one else could raise the dead. 

Jesus said; "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" (v 40).
All that Jesus would do is summed up in this phrase. "The glory of God" embraces his power over death, his victory over Satan, his promise of life, and his splendour displayed in raising Lazarus from the dead. 

After that Jesus looked up and prayed to his Father in heaven. What he as about to do would be the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He prayed aloud to his Father so that everyone could hear. 

Many of the earlier miracles of Jesus had been private. He had not wanted too much attention. He sometimes asked the person healed not to say anything to others. Sometimes he slipped away quietly into the crowd. 

This time Jesus wanted everyone to see this miracle. He went public. This was one of his last miracles. The time for working in the background had passed; his time had almost come. 
He wanted everyone there to see and hear what was going on. This was a solemn and grand moment. 

When he had finished praying he called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" In the deathly silence that followed Mary and Martha and all those present peered into the darkness of the tomb to see what would happen ... and then they saw him, Lazarus, wrapped in strips of linen, shuffling out of the cave!

The actual miracle is recorded in two brief verses. The gospel record is short and succinct and to the point. Nothing is said about the reaction of Mary and Martha - about their overwhelming joy and excitement. The focus of the story is on Jesus and his power, majesty and glory. 

John tells us that many of the Jews who saw this believed. They saw the great work of God's Son and they put their faith in him.
Others, however, went off to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done; they saw the great work of God's Son and they hardened their hearts and refused to believe.
These are the two reactions people have had to Jesus ever since then. 

This story reminds us of the sadness and grief we experience with the death of someone we love. 
It reminds us that one day each of us will die. 
But "a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out." (John 5:28). One day Jesus will raise the dead and give eternal life to all who have believed in him.

What about you? Have you heard the voice of Jesus speaking to you through the Scriptures? 
Do you believe in Him? 
Do you have eternal life? 
Will you be among those who will hear the voice of the Son of God and rise to live with him for all eternity?

Amen.