The
first miracle Jesus performed in the Gospel of John was transforming water into
wine at the wedding at Cana. This showed Jesus’ transforming power. His last
miracle, which is His supreme miracle before His own death and resurrection,
was raising Lazarus from physical death to physical life. Jesus did in the
“natural” what He would do in the “supernatural.” All signs Jesus gave throughout
the gospels pointed to the supreme miracle of His own death for the sins of all
mankind, and His ultimate resurrection. Lazarus will not only receive restored
physical life through Jesus, he will also receive new, spiritual life through
His belief in Jesus.
Being raised
from the dead is not a new concept. God heard the prayer of Elijah and restored
the life of the son of the widow Zarephath. (see 1 Kings 17:7-24) God also worked through Elisha to restore the
life of the son of the Shunammite widow. (2
Kings 4:8-37) In the gospels, Jesus
resurrected three persons – Jairus’
daughter, the son of the widow at Nain and Lazarus. In other words,
resurrection life is for all -- male, female, young or old.
Jesus is not
only the Great Transformer, but also the One who gives spiritual life by dying
in His sinless flesh body for all sinners, and then being resurrected and ascending
back to His original place with the Father. Followers of Christ are also
transformed by the Word/Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. We gain
spiritual life by allowing Jesus and the Holy Spirit to put our fleshly ways to
death so we walk in the newness of spiritual life in Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
It is through His transforming power that we are raised from the death of our
fleshly ways and sin to new, resurrected, eternal spiritual life in Jesus
Christ.
"Let us go to Judea."
Jesus
loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He visited their home in Bethany many times when
He was in the area. Mary is the one who sat at His feet and anointed Jesus’ feet
with precious oil and wiped them with her hair. Mary humbled herself and
hungered and thirsted for the wisdom of Jesus. Martha, on the other hand, was
the one who kept up the home. She worked diligently and was faithful in serving
others. Together, Martha and Mary represent the Bride of Christ who are to love
Jesus and seek the wisdom of God as well as love and serve others.
A message
comes to Jesus that Lazarus whom Jesus loved is sick. Mary and Martha were
grief-stricken that their bother Lazarus was sick, so they reached out to the
only One they knew who could help them. However, Jesus didn’t come to them
right away. He waited two days and then He set out on a two-day journey to
Bethany. So, it was four days before Jesus got to Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In
the meantime, Jesus assured His disciples that Lazarus’ sickness would not end
in death but would instead be used for “God’s
glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 God’s
delays are not God’s denials. It is easy for followers of Christ to question God’s
love when our prayers are not answered right away. Martha and Mary are no
different. They too loved Jesus and knew He loved them but were upset and
confused about Jesus’ slowness to respond even though He loved them all.
Jesus then
says to His disciples, “Let us go back
to Judea.” This upset His disciples because the Jewish religious leaders
tried to stone Jesus there. Jesus answered them in a rather mysterious way. “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A
man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is
when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.” John 11:9-10 Twelve hours in a day is a fixed reality! A Jewish day is from sunrise to sunset. Work and traveling would be done in the light of day, not in darkness. One who traveled in darkness could not see the "way." Jesus
walks in Light because He is the Light of the world.and He is the way to eternal life. His light shines even in the darkness and is also the Light of the New Jerusalem in heaven. Because He is the Light,
He has no fear. When we walk in the Light of Jesus, the darkness will not
consume us and we will have no fear. What is the Light of Jesus? Psalm 119:105 answers this. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light
for my path.” Jesus is the Living Word – the entire Word of God brought to
life. The Word of God contains all truth and spiritual principles that will
help us avoid the darkness and keep us from making wrong decisions and choices.
God wants us to gain understanding of His Word and avoid every wrong path.
When the age of grace is completed, Jesus will return to Judea to the city of Jerusalem again and usher in the millennial age of peace. Jesus will reveal Himself to the unbelieving Jews and rule and reign over the earth, just as Jesus is revealing Himself to all who will believe as He walked the earth the first time.The First is Last and the Last is First in Jesus.Again, the First is Last and the Last is First in Jesus. Four times in in Revelation, Jesus is called the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:11; 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
When the age of grace is completed, Jesus will return to Judea to the city of Jerusalem again and usher in the millennial age of peace. Jesus will reveal Himself to the unbelieving Jews and rule and reign over the earth, just as Jesus is revealing Himself to all who will believe as He walked the earth the first time.The First is Last and the Last is First in Jesus.Again, the First is Last and the Last is First in Jesus. Four times in in Revelation, Jesus is called the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:11; 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
After saying "let us go back to Judea," Jesus explains Lazarus’ condition to His disciples. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him
up.” V11 Death in scripture is often called being in a deep sleep. God
caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep when He cut a wound in Adam’s side to
remove the rib that He would use to create Woman. (See Genesis 2:21) God also caused Abram to fall into a deep sleep
when God passed through the sacrificial animals affirming that God’s covenant
with Abraham was His covenant and He alone will perform it. (see Genesis 15:12) The prophet Daniel
was in a deep sleep when God was giving him a vision and touched him. (see Daniel 8:18; 10:9) After all of these deep sleeps, God
resurrected these men back to life.
God never
intended that humans should die. It was the original sin of Adam and the Woman
that brought death.
Jesus’
disciples thought He was talking about “natural” sleep, but Jesus was talking
about both “natural and “spiritual” sleep. Jesus makes it clearer to His
disciples. “Lazarus is dead, and for
your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to
him.” V14-15 Jesus had knowledge
that His disciples could not yet see. Lazarus was not only physically dead but
also spiritually dead because he had not yet come to believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God. Jesus will give Lazarus a spiritual awakening! He will
turn Lazarus’ body of corruption into new, spiritual life as He does for each
one of us who believe in Him and His sacrifice for our sin. Jesus assures his audience that Lazarus' illness would not lead to death. Lazarus will become a believer in Jesus after Jesus resurrects him. Lazarus did not sit
down at table with Jesus until after he was resurrected. Lazarus’ sisters, Mary
and Martha, believed in Jesus before their brother.
The disciple Thomas was so distraught that Jesus was going near the place where His enemies were plotting to kill him that he said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” V 16 Thomas was willing to die with Jesus.
The disciple Thomas was so distraught that Jesus was going near the place where His enemies were plotting to kill him that he said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” V 16 Thomas was willing to die with Jesus.
Jesus was glad
that He was not in Bethany because He will use Lazarus’ death to show His power over
death and that He is the resurrection and the life. He is also showing those
present what is about to happen to Him. He will die and be resurrected. He will
demonstrate His resurrection power over death using His powerful Word and the
power of the Holy Spirit within Him.
Next week: Part 2
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