He (Abraham) did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." --Romans 4:20-22
The Bible is full of narratives that have unexpected twists. Things don't always go as we think they should. One example of this is Abraham. He and his wife Sarah were old and childless. Abraham was all ready to leave his estate to his nephew Lot. Then God appeared to Abraham and told him that he would have a son.
Abraham and Sarah did finally have their miracle baby and called him Isaac. But then God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham obediently built the altar, stacked the wood, and raised the knife to slay his son, when God stopped him. Abraham had proved himself faithful, and believed God would somehow work it all out for His glory. Isaac was a miracle child after all, and Abraham believed God would raise his son from the dead.
I often wonder what I might have done in that situation. If God had given me a miracle baby to carry on my family name, and God had promised to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens, would I have obeyed God's command to offer my miracle baby as a sacrifice?
Probably not.
Often that's the way we sometimes approach stories we see in the Bible narrative. We try to see the situation through our own eyes. Sometimes we may judge the characters, saying things like, "Well, I would never have done that--Jesus was right there! For the love of God, man, have faith!" Other times we may approach the story line in humility. We may bow our heads and admit, "I could not imagine myself in that situation. I would not have trusted God the way they did. God forgive me!"
Bearing that thought in mind, let's continue in our study of John. You will recall that early in chapter 11, Jesus hears that His friend Lazarus is sick. He takes that opportunity to teach His disciples a lesson on glorifying God. Later in the chapter, we see Jesus interact with Martha and Mary. It is a very emotional scene, as the sisters believe Jesus came too late to save their brother. Even Jesus is moved to tears.
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"--John 11:38-40
Let's stop right here. Jesus is still emotional. He is groaning audibly. When they approach the tomb, Jesus wants the stone covering removed. Perhaps Martha thinks that Jesus is overcome with grief and wants to see his friend Lazarus one last time, maybe even hold him close like a friend and brother who had missed an opportunity to say goodbye.
It's a reasonable assumption. From a human perspective, they knew that Jesus loved Lazarus. They had already gotten on His case about not coming earlier, perhaps to heal Lazarus and keep him from dying; or, as an alternative, to be able to say a proper goodbye before he had passed away. Martha may have misinterpreted Jesus's tears as tears of grief along with some shame or regret. So when Jesus asked that the grave be opened, she spoke to Him, maybe to bring Him back to reality. "Jesus, Honey, you don't really want to do that. Four days in the ground is a long time. There's going to be a smell."
Jesus's response whips Martha out of the physical reality of unbelief back into a spiritual reality of faith. He had just told her in verse 23, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Moments before, Martha had expressed faith. She told Jesus that she knew whatever He asked of God, that God would do it. Now that they were at the grave, however, the reality of death sunk in, and her faith was shaken. Jesus had to remind her that she needed to keep the faith, to believe and to glorify God.
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." --John 11:41-42
Another plot twist. Martha had indeed expressed some measure of faith before, saying that she knew that whatever Jesus asked of the Father, it would come to pass. If Jesus was going to pray, He would certainly ask God to raise her brother from the dead.
But that's not what Jesus prayed.
Jesus said, "God, thank You for hearing Me."
Remember back in verse 6, when Jesus had received the news that Lazarus was sick? It says He stayed there two more days. Some commentators think that Jesus spent those two days in prayer, either asking the Father's guidance in this situation, or more probably, that God would be glorified in this situation. Jesus likely knew that Lazarus would die, and that he would be resuscitated. His prayers for this miracle may have happened in the two days that Jesus delayed His coming.
Today we may wonder why Jesus has delayed His second coming. Our hearts' desire is to be with Him in His glory. Romans 8:34 says, "It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Jesus is praying for us even now.
Other commentators say that when we see that Jesus was groaning in verse 38, that He was praying even then. We are reminded of Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." When Jesus prayed, "Thank You, God, for hearing Me," we can take heart. God also hears our prayers.
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice," Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." --John 11:43-44
Jesus had the authority Himself to raise the dead. When He called Lazarus, Lazarus came out, either hopping or penguin walking because of the graveclothes that bound him. Jesus commanded those who were with Him to unbind Lazarus.
We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Jesus called out to us, and we responded in faith. We could only take baby steps because of the remnants of the grave still clinging to us. We must rely on others who follow Jesus to free us from what binds us. That's why we are encouraged to go to churc. And when Jesus calls someone new out of the sepulcher of sin, we should not make fun of them; we should heed the call of Jesus to release them from the cloths (or chains, if you will) that bind them. We should remind ourselves that where they came from, where they were when Jesus called them, we were there, too. This is the ministry that Jesus calls us to.
Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus did. --John 11:45-46
You may recall that when Martha and Mary were sitting shiva in their house, that many Jews were with them. The passage hinted that those same Jews were enemies of Jesus. They knew about His past miracles, and whispered among themselves, "Could not this Man who had opened the eyes of the blind have kept Lazarus from dying?"
Jesus heard their murmurings against Him, which added to His emotions. We don't like to think of Jesus as being angry at anyone, but He certainly was. Part of what made Jesus so emotional perhaps was the specter of death that followed Him. There was foreshadowing:
- Lazarus was buried in a cave with a stone sealing the entrance. Jesus was likewise buried in a carved rock enclosure with a large stone set in place at the entrance.
- The stone at the entrance had to be removed.
- Lazarus came out with the graveclothes still wrapped around him, and his face covered. Jesus came out with the graveclothes still sitting in the tomb, and the face covering neatly folded and placed apart from the rest.
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