Lazarus - John 11

As I read through John 11 this morning, I thought...

Jesus knows how our stories ends -- which is why he isn't upset (4). A story concludes hen the dramatic tension climaxes, and resolution results. Only then do we see what the preceding story had been all about. Our story isn't finished until Christ raises His people. Christ said Lazarus' sickness was not for ("unto") death. To the mind of unbelief, death is the end, and it empties everything that came before it of all meaning. To the mind of faith, Christ's glory as Resurrector is the real pay-off. When Christ raises all of us in the resurrection, all the praise will go to him. Then will we see what all our stories were really all about.

Jesus didn't live in fear of dying (9). He compared the guidance of God to the light of day. As long as he walked in the guidance and fellowship of God, he knew no fear. If we walk in the guidance of God, we don't need to fear "the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks by night."

Lazarus' suffering was for other people's strengthening (15). Jesus was glad that he wasn't there to save Lazarus? This sounds cold. But this is not cold, because he already knew what he was going to do. Jesus saw benefit in Lazarus' death, because his response to the death would lead to the disciples' faith. When something goes wrong, but you know that you have complete power to fix it up even better than it was before, doesn't that take the sting out of the situation? Would we be willing to suffer a great hardship, if God's coming into the situation to deal with it resulted in the salvation of someone else?

Thomas spoke his unbelief. (16) Thomas' statement was a blatant expression of unbelief. Jesus said he was going back to Bethany to wake Lazarus up. Thomas replied, No, we are all going to die. This was blatant sin on Thomas' part, and an insult to Christ. How often do we insult Christ by the words we say about the future? Thomas sinned in verse 16.

Martha spoke her faith. (21) Martha had confidence in Christ's identity, intentions, and abilities. She knew he would have healed Lazarus, if he had been there. She knew that anything he asked God to do, God would do. Why? Because she knew he was the Son of God (27). She believed in the future resurrection of the body, and in the immortality of the redeemed soul (25-26). Our bodies die, but we do not.

Jesus has the ability to be confident in God and sympathetic with us at the same time (32-36). Christ groaned with pain in his heart. He was upset, and wept. But not for Lazarus. Lazarus was in paradise with Abraham. No, Christ sympathized with the heartache of his friends and the people. It is not "faith" to be stoic and unmoved at a Christian funeral, and even less seemly to put on a hap-hap-happy face.