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Lazarus, Come Forth  

John 11:1-44 

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha…So the sisters sent word to Him saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not to the end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. 

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him? They said to Him. ‘Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. 

This is story of the raising of Lazarus. In my reading and reflecting, there are two primary observations and lessons I see here. First is the extent of our faith and secondly, the tender compassion of Jesus toward those He loves. 

This story is timely for me today. I have been struggling with some doubt and uncertainty about the future. Humbling to me because I usually view myself as strong in faith and firm in Gods sovereignty. Nevertheless, I’ve let anxiety creep into my soul.

John 11 tells the story of two women of Faith, believers whom Jesus loved.  But Jesus challenges the “extent of their faith”. I can relate. 

The previous chapter in John, Chapter 10, ends with verse 42 saying, “many believed in Him”. Perhaps, Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha were among those who believed. Regardless, the narrative makes it clear that Jesus loves these three siblings and has spent time with them building a personal relationship.  

• Verse 5 says “now Jesus loved Martha, her sister and Lazarus.”   
• Verse 11, Jesus says, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” 
• Verse 33-34 says, “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping…He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled.” 
• Jesus wept, verse 35. 

I’ll come back to the tender heart that Jesus has for these much-loved followers. But let’s get back to the flow of the narrative. 

Jesus got word that Lazarus was sick. There were some very specific reasons that Jesus did what He did. He delayed going to Lazarus intentionally so that He might glorify Himself, and build up the faith of His disciples. Afterall, the cross is just a few days away and the disciples are going to be tested far beyond any test they’ve experience thus far. 

You see, Jesus had performed acts of courage, boldness and intellect. Bold acts such as cleansing the temple and confronting the Pharisees. He has also performed miracles. He turned water into wine, walked on water, multiplied food and healed some who had been plagued with lifelong illnesses. The disciples had a front row view of the power and Deity of Jesus. Jesus was preparing them for a life of leadership that would be faced with massive opposition and ultimate martyrdom. 

As a result of their mentor-ship thus far, the disciples had a certain measure of faith and hope in Him. But it wasn’t complete. The disciples needed more. They were not yet ready to maintain their faith when their Messiah would nailed to a cross, pronounced dead and buried. 

This miracle of Lazarus was a climatic event that their faith hadn’t yet comprehend; The power of God to raise from the dead. The disciples needed this lesson in order to be ready to face the death of Jesus with the right measure of faith. Jesus told them, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there (to heal his sickness) so that you may believe” (to a greater degree than up to now). 

Jesus will also strengthen the faith of Mary and Martha who already had extraordinary faith. Because of His tender love and care for them, he wants them to also be prepared for facing the coming hardships of Jesus on the cross. We’ll discuss the faith of Mary and Martha next time. 

Is there anything our God cannot do? Jesus, I am so much like the disciples. My faith is limited to what I have seen and is tied up in “my” emotions. In this story, the characters kept making “if” statements and “but” statements of limited faith. But Jesus, you replied “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” Lord, I say that I’m a firm believer in your power and Sovereignty – but I ask that you take this belief beyond my lips and set this belief deep in my heart. Amen!