If you met someone who was really struggling in great pain and deep sense of personal loss, what would you do to comfort this person? Some of us might tell them that everything will be okay. Others might sit there and just feel their pain with them. But most of us honestly just don’t know what to do in these situations.
In John 11, Jesus meets people like that. What did He do? He did not just tell them that everything would be okay, or sit there are feel their pain. What we are about to see in this fascinating passage might make Jesus look really weird, but dare we consider that Jesus’ response through the 4 things he did was the perfect human response to suffering?
(A) Jesus is intentional in meeting the hurting (John 11:1-16)
The narrative begins with information about a place: Bethany, which is 2 miles away from Jerusalem. This might seem odd, but we must remember that the Gospels give us eye witness testimonies because they are completely unique. These places and people that we are about to read are real places and people!
The narrative continues by showing us Jesus’ relationship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He loved them (John 11:3,5), for these are people who were close to Jesus and meant something to Him. Mary was someone who had loved him for being her Savior, seen in an earlier encounter (John 11:2). This man Jesus meant so much to this woman! This is a critical fact for this story.The bottom line here is that Jesus meant an immense deal to Mary and Martha. We learn that Jesus hears the news of Lazarus’ illness, but waits 2 days.
Wait, what?
Why would Jesus, who is God, delay His going to Lazarus whom He loved? This does not seem to make sense at all, for we all know that people use their power to help the ones they love. John 11:6 even seems to complicate things as it describes Jesus’ actions with the word “so”. This means that his delay was deliberately so that Lazarus would die, and by the time they arrive in John 11:17, Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days.
There are two clear options that explain this: Either Jesus was a jerk, or there was something going on that we don’t understand! John 11:8-16 also shows us that even his disciples didn’t understand what was going on. They remember the past experiences in Judea and they are reluctant to go. They have no idea what the “stumbling in the dark and the light of the world of the world” language means. When He talks about “our friend Lazarus” falling asleep, the disciples are puzzled by what He says.
In short, His closest followers have no idea what Jesus intends, what He means, and He stands entirely alone in His understanding of the event and what is happening. In all that Jesus plans, no one understands His actions and intent. Do we presume we know who Jesus is, what He will do? Like the disciples, we often have no clue what Jesus is up to, He defies generalization, and only He knows what He intends.
Friends, there are so many people who think they have Jesus figured out, and so many of these people are His followers. And they forget that the basic function of a disciple is not to hold authority over where Jesus is going, but to stand behind Him and walk where He walks. Have you forgotten what it means to be a disciple?
How comforting then, to know that the road Jesus takes to Lazarus, Mary, and Martha is the sure and right road, but it is not the road we would have taken. It is never what we would have expected to take. Half the time Christians don’t know where He’s going, and why He’s going there, but we know that we have to follow Him.
This text tells us that Jesus plans to meet the hurting, and he plans a delayed road because He loves us. He allows the hurt and pain to befall those whom He loves for a reason. A good one. Do we believe it? These elements of love, trust, and relationally tell us that Christianity is about a real relationship with a real Person, rather than a bunch of ideas and brilliant philosophy. Dare we believe it?
(B) Jesus teaches to lift up the eyes of the hurting (John 11:17-27)
When Jesus arrives, Martha - who loves Jesus dearly - runs out to meet Him. He engages her in 3 rounds of conversation that is broken down in the table below. Pay attention to what He is trying to say to her!
For us who have been to funerals, none of us would dare to say this to the grieving parties. We would never say, “look up, look at me!” But Jesus does. Is this confidence? Arrogance? Insanity? Whatever it is, it is certainly glory, because of what He’s going to do next.
(C) Jesus draws near to weep with the hurting (John 11:28-37)
We see that Martha gains confidence and strength, and turns around to call her sister. Mary says the exact same words as Martha did - a parallel account. But Jesus does not treat Mary the way He treats Martha. To Martha the strong and confident, Jesus gives the ministry of truth. But something about Mary touches Jesus’ heart, and He gives her the ministry of tears.
Lazarus was being grieved over by many, which tell us that he was well known and well loved. Jesus goes to see the burial, sees their grief, and He weeps! This might be surprising or even puzzling to us, for we know that Jesus knew what He was going to do. Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but He sees everyone weeping over Lazarus and was deeply moved! He was not smug, excited, or elated at the opportunity to manifest His power.
Friends, this tells us that Jesus was not performing grief. His grief was real! In fact, the phrase in Greek connotes anger and trouble in His soul. Jesus sees someone whom He loves dead, the ones whom He loves weeping and grieving, and He weeps with them! Remember that this is God we are talking about. Somewhere in our culture, men have been told that if you are a real man you don’t ever cry. But this is a real man. He weeps for His friend, for the loss of the one that He loves, and He weeps with the ones that He loves.
What do you think about Jesus? High and mighty? A great leader? A Jewish King? This text tells us that He is just like us. He feels sadness and He loves real people. For real relationships cause us pain, and they cause Him pain! What are you feeling now? Is life too much? Are things not working out the way you want? Are you asking why your life is a certain way? Does it feel like Jesus is always delaying? What a comfort then to know that Jesus doesn’t just know and instruct. He comes close, sees and knows you, and weeps with you.
John 11:36-37 give us a wrap up of two views that onlookers have about Jesus. One group latches onto the humanity of Jesus – His love for Lazarus and His relationships. They see the Lord who weeps, and the Redeemer who walks with His people. The other group latches onto His divinity – He has power to heal, why didn’t’ He use it? These questions are there for us to think about also – the same God in Jesus who loves and hurts, why didn’t He stop bad things from happening?
Both replies are a powerful summary of the narrative thus far, but Jesus doesn’t only offer them truth and tears. He now rolls up His sleeves to do something...
(D) Jesus acts on behalf of the hurting (John 11:38-44)
Consider the 4 things that Jesus does at the tomb of Lazarus:
1st: He is deeply moved and rages at he tomb (John 11:38a). He allows Himself to experience the weight of death, and expresses His emotions accordingly.
2nd: He commands for the stone to be moved (John 11:39a). If you don’t take away the stone, Lazarus can’t come out! Here, He is setting up the visual display of His power and getting ready for Lazarus to come out. While Martha politely objects, “Can we just leave the stone there?”, she misses Jesus’ exact point.
3rd: He assures Martha, telling her that she would see the weight and value (glory) of God (John 11:40).
4th: He prays (John 11:41-43). Jesus addresses God as His Father, thanks Him for hearing, acknowledges that He always hears Him, and makes known that it’s for everyone around. He wants them to know who God is, who Jesus is, and what their relationship is.
Through these 4 things, we see that Jesus’ concern is not just Mary, Martha, and Lazarus! His concern is that they all would know who He really is.
We have now come to the climax of the story, and Jesus issues the commands: "Lazarus, come out!”
There is such simplicity in this command. It is a personal and simple call that shows His authority over death. John 11:44 follows by showing us the bizarre, zombie-like detail of Lazarus’ coming forth. The details provided show that He was the same physical body that was dead but is now alive, and His command is for freedom and release – showing that death no longer has a hold. At this point, there are two clear possibilities: This is either another myth, or it really happened and you and I really need to pay attention to this man.
When Lazarus came forth wrapped in linen, and people were overjoyed. This had a huge impact on people who hoped that Jesus would use His power for them too – so they believed in Him. It was always about that. But they missed the point. Lazarus is dead now. He died again! It was not a resurrection, it was a resuscitation. Perhaps you are in pain and in struggle. If you want to tell God, “If only you were like _____, and did _______, everything would be okay”. I guarantee you that what you are asking for is a resuscitation. It will pass. If it’s health, you’re going to die. If it’s someone you love, it will come to an end. We know this, but yet we ask God all the time for resuscitations.
We ask God to act on our behalf, and Jesus acts on our behalf - just not in the way that we expect Him to! What he gives is not resuscitation, but an act that helps us believe in Him. He shows us who He really is, and in who He really is, gives us resurrection. For resuscitation is when you regain a good thing, but it eventually dies again. Death, the final enemy, still remains in power.
But when Jesus hung on that Cross for you and for me, taking on the weight of God’s anger and all of God’s righteous judgment against sin - all the bad things that you and I have done that deserves judgment - He uttered these words.
“It is finished”.
When He came back to life, it was not a resuscitation. It was a resurrection. The good thing is has come back to never die again! In Jerusalem today, there is an empty tomb. There was no odour, the cloth was folded and put to the side. Who moved the stone? Who put the cloth there? The Bible tells us that Jesus Himself did it! This is why we have this worldwide movement today, and can sing with great confidence that there is reason for joy to the world. Every heart is to prepare Him room, for He has achieved the supreme victory over death!
Friends, if that were true, then His words must be true when He says that all who believe in Him shall never die again. “Because I live, you too shall live also.” Will you respond to His invitation today?