I’ve been slowly making my way through the gospel of John, and this week, I came to chapter 11. John 11 is likely a familiar chapter if you grew up
going to Sunday School. You might remember that
John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept,” so you might also remember that John 11 is about
Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
Before I read this familiar chapter again, I
wondered what practical application could possibly be found in this chapter other than an assurance that Jesus has power over life and death or that we will rise "at the last day" (vs 24). Let's be real -- no
one expects to visit a cemetery four days after a loved one was buried and
expects to see them walking out of the grave.
As I read through John chapter 11 this time, I was struck by the very similar comments directed at Jesus by
Martha, Mary, and the crowd.
- Martha said:
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that
even now God will give you whatever you ask” (vs 21-22).
- Mary said:
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (vs 32).
- The crowd asked:
“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from
dying?” (vs 37).
Their statements all
communicate a belief that:
- Jesus was not there. He had abandoned them in their
time of need.
- Jesus had the power to do something, but for some
reason He refused and now it is too late.
- The situation was all Jesus’ fault. He could have
prevented it if He wanted to.
- They were confused as to why Jesus didn’t use the
miraculous power they had seen Him use in the past.
Martha communicates a
tiny spark of hope when she says, “but I know that even now God will give you
whatever you ask” (vs 22). I think she wants to believe this, but she is struggling to do so because when Jesus asks them to move
the gravestone away, she says, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has
been there four days” (vs 39). In the span of a few verses, it seems that she decided that it was too late --even for Jesus.
One study Bible note says that “In Jewish
tradition, the tomb was typically closed permanently on the fourth day –after
three days of mourning. According to rabbinic tradition, a three-day period
assured the person was actually dead.”Martha’s warning is essentially telling Jesus, ‘This is an impossible situation. I believe that you could have done something earlier, but now it is way too late. Even for you.’
Jesus’ response to her was: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (vs 40).
Mary and Martha wanted (and expected) Jesus to heal Lazarus while he was still alive. That would
have been a great miracle and a demonstration of Jesus’ love for them as well as His power over sickness and physical health.
But He didn’t do what they
expected. He did something even greater. He brought Lazarus back to life after
he was dead, the grave had been sealed, and he was beginning to decompose. By
delaying action and not meeting their expectations, Jesus performed an even
greater miracle than what they expected and they saw the glory of God through
their pain.
Do you have anything in your
life that is seemingly dead and buried in the tomb that makes you want say,
like Mary and Martha, to Jesus: “You weren’t here. You could have prevented
this if you wanted to, but now it’s too late. This is all your fault”? I know I
do.
As some of you may know,
after being called into ministry, trained for ministry at seminary, serving in
ministry for several years, and being ordained into ministry, that all ceased
last fall when we moved to Colorado. I expected Jesus to open a door here so I could continue in worship ministry, just like Mary and Martha
expected Jesus to come heal their brother.
But He hasn’t come, and He
hasn’t open any doors. After a year, that calling into vocational ministry seems to be buried in the grave and
I’m left staring at a sealed gravestone, telling Jesus ‘it’s impossible even
for you now –it’s been so much time now that it is beginning to decompose and stink.’
I wish this blog was a story
of victory that is on the other side of Jesus' pronouncement of “Lazarus, come out! [And] the dead man
came out…” (vs 43-44). I wish I could testify to a story of dreams and callings
brought back from the impossible and from the dead. But I’m not there yet. I’m still
standing in front of the grave looking at the sealed stone. You may still be
there too.
However, those of us who are
still standing in front of the grave prior to a miracle can hold on to Jesus' words: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Maybe
Jesus is going to do something even greater that will bring God even more glory
than what any of us have planned or expected. Let’s hold on to faith in Jesus
and to the hope and anticipation of seeing the glory of God in a way we could
never imagine (Eph 3:20).
