Jesus
waits two days to begin His journey to Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany. He
and His disciples would have a two-day journey to get there. By the time Jesus
and His disciples came close to the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, four
days have passed. Many Jews had come from Jerusalem to comfort Martha and Mary
in the loss of their brother. The Jews believed that the soul hovers over the
body for three days. After this, there is no hope for revival, and decay has
set in. So, they are all without hope for their friend and relative Lazarus.
Jesus gives hope to the hopeless. He will demonstrate His resurrection power
over death using His powerful Word and the power of the Holy Spirit within Him
bringing glory to the Father and Himself.
Martha
When
Martha heard that Jesus was coming, “she
went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed home.” John 11:20 Martha was happy to see Jesus, but she
was also somewhat upset that Jesus didn’t come right away. “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I
know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” John 11:21-22 “If
only,” shows Martha has some doubt and wanted Him to act in her timetable, but
Jesus only moves when the Father tells Him, not humans. Even though Martha is
disappointed that Jesus didn’t come right away, she still believes that God
will do whatever Jesus asks. She had faith in Him.
Jesus says to
Martha, “Your brother will rise again.”
V23 Without death, there can be no
resurrection! Martha is somewhat confused about Jesus’ statement. She responds,
“I know he will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.” The Jews believed in the resurrection at the
end of time because of scripture. Martha is talking about the Day of the Lord
at the end of the age, but Jesus wants her to know that His resurrection life
starts right here on earth NOW. Jesus breathes new, spiritual life into those
who are dead in sin when they come to Him as their Lord and Savior. Spiritual
rebirth is offered to every human now. Jesus wants to put our fleshly ways to
death so we can walk in new, resurrected, spiritual life in Him. Once we accept
Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we live in the Spirit, and when we die
physically, we will live on forever in the Spirit and our spiritual body just
as Jesus did.
Jesus sees
Martha’s faith in Him, so He takes Martha even deeper. He reveals to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in Me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes
in Me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25 Jesus is telling Martha that resurrection
life can only come through Him. His resurrection life is not just in the
future, but a present reality when we walk with Jesus. Martha responds, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the
Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” V27 Mary used the same words that Peter spoke in Mark 8:29
Jesus treated women equally with men. He gave revelation knowledge
to both. He looked for open hearts whether Jew or Gentile, male or female,
young or old. By revealing to Martha that He is the resurrection and the life,
He was showing her that He was not only her friend, He is the Messiah. Jesus loved Martha and Mary like sisters, but
they must understand His lordship. They must understand whom they served and
why. Jesus didn’t want to take away Martha’s wonderful hospitality and
servant’s heart. He wanted her to use it to advance His Eternal Kingdom under
His lordship and teach others about Him.
Mary
In Luke 10:40, Martha criticized Mary for
sitting at the feet of Jesus while she did all the work of serving the guests.
But, not this time! She ran to tell Mary, “The
Teacher is here, and is asking for you.” V28
Martha has grown in the knowledge of Jesus and jealously and envy
are gone! Perhaps Martha referred to Jesus as the “Teacher” because in Luke
Jesus was teaching Mary as she sat at His feet learning of Him and His Kingdom.
When Mary heard that Jesus was asking for her, she got up and ran quickly to
Jesus. She met Him in the same place that Martha had met Him. (John 11:30) Jesus meets us right
where we are in our spiritual journey. They came to Jesus first, then Jesus
acted upon their request.
Mary left so
quickly to go to Jesus that the Jews who were there consoling her in her
mourning for her brother decided to follow her. They thought she was going to the
tomb to mourn there. Mary wasn’t going to the place of death. She was going to
the place of life – to the Life-giver. Mary’s quickness to come to Jesus and
her heart for her dead brother brought these Jews to Him also!
Mary
approached Jesus in a different way than Martha. Mary was deeply grieved. Mary fell at his feet in humbleness and wept.
At His feet is the place of honor, respect, submission and humility. Disciples of rabbis would sit at the feet of
the teacher-rabbis in respect and honor to learn from them. Before the title
rabbi, these were called sages (wise
ones). Martha questioned Jesus about His delay in coming, as did Mary. but
Mary humbled herself and wept. Mary and Martha both believed in Jesus’ ability
to save indicated by their comments about Him not coming quickly, but Mary
added humility, reverence, compassion and worship to her faith. Mary’s humility,
love and sorrow moved Jesus to act. “When
Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,
He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” John 11:33 Jesus felt their
pain.
Jesus wanted
Martha and Mary, as well as their family and friends who were mourning with
them, to know Him in all His power and glory. He would use Mary and Martha’s
brother’s death to show His power to bring new life to the dead. He would also
use it to show what He would go through soon – death and resurrection.
God has a plan
and a time. If Jesus had come sooner, these Jews would not have been gathered
around Martha and Mary to console and comfort them in their loss. Lazarus’
death brought these Jews to Jesus also. They will witness the miraculous
resurrection of Lazarus and see the glory of God through it and ultimately see
the glory of God in Jesus' own death and resurrection.
Jesus said, “Where have you lain him (Lazarus)?” “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept." John 11:34-35 Jesus no doubt wept over the grief of
Lazarus’ family and their loss, but I believe He also wept over the sin and the
death that it brings to our spirit. Physical life is the gift of God. Eternal spiritual life is also the
gift of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Lazarus is not only physically dead, he is also spiritually dead because
he hasn’t believed that Jesus is the Son of God – the promised Messiah. Mary
and the Jews with her will lead Jesus to their dead brother and friend. Jesus
wants those who love and follow Him today to do this also. We are saved for a
purpose. Jesus knew that those who came to Him with Mary needed Him! The fact that
some of God’s chosen people did not accept Him troubled Him. Jesus wept over
the city of Jerusalem for the same reason. The love and compassion of Jesus and
the Father toward lost humanity causes them to weep. Those who love and follow
Jesus also sometimes weep over those who are dead in sin.
Some of the
Jews said, “See how He loved him (Lazarus)!” But others criticized Jesus. “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man
from dying?” v 37 They questioned Jesus’ power, criticized His timing and
perhaps even questioned His heart. We must trust Jesus and His timing over
every circumstance. He has a plan and a purpose that we may not know about.
Those who love and follow Jesus will always have both encouragers and critics. We
must, however, keep our eyes on the goal – Jesus and His ability to resurrect
life in those who are dead in sin.
(To be continued)
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