258 - Lazarus Is Dead!
- Gwen Diaz
- Sep 15, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 4
SEPTEMBER 15- Nº 258 John 11:1-17
Jesus and his disciples were frequent guests in the home of sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. These siblings lived in Bethany, which was a great place to stop on a trip to or from Jerusalem (see #252 - Sept 9). Over the years they had become some of Jesus’ closest friends.
[BTW, did you notice that “Lazarus” was the name Jesus used for the righteous man in the parable he had just told to the Pharisees (see #257 - Sept 14)? This was no accident!]
One day Lazarus became very sick. Since they knew Jesus so well, and because he had met the needs of so many other people, Mary and Martha tried to contact him right away. They sent him a message saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They presumed Jesus would come and heal their brother immediately.
However, when he got the message, Jesus did not rush to Bethany. He remained in Perea. He told his disciples, “The sickness Lazarus has will not end in death. It is for God’s glory. But not only will God be glorified; I will be glorified through it as well.” Surprisingly, even though he loved Lazarus and his family very much, Jesus lingered for two more days.
The disciples were fine with this decision. They had no desire to travel back to Judea at that time—especially to Bethany, since it was so close to Jerusalem. The last time they had been in Jerusalem it was for a feast, and the Jewish leaders had tried to stone Jesus. Obviously, this meant that their lives were in danger, too.
So, two days later, when Jesus announced that it was time to go to Bethany, they argued with him. Jesus explained, “There are only 12 hours of daylight.” He knew that he had very little time left to finish the work God had sent him to do. The “night” of his crucifixion was coming soon, and he still had a very important miracle to perform.
Jesus went on to explain, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, and I am going to wake him up.” This wasn’t the first time that Jesus had referred to death as “sleep” and to resurrection as “waking up” (see #239 - August 27). Plus, this was a metaphor the disciples should have been familiar with. It was frequently used in the Old Testament. When kings or prophets were buried, it was said that they “slept” with their fathers.
However, the disciples were confused. They took Jesus’ words literally. “But if he is asleep, he will get better,” they argued, hoping not to have to travel into Judea.
Jesus stated the facts more clearly, “Lazarus is dead! And for your sake I am glad I was not there so that you may believe.”
Jesus knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He planned to use Lazarus' death as a teaching tool for his disciples.By witnessing this miracle, they would later be able to grasp the reality of Jesus’ own resurrection.
“Let’s go to Bethany now,” Jesus said when it was finally time to head out. Thomas, one of the disciples muttered, “We’re probably going to be killed soon anyway, so we might as well go and get it over with.” It was a statement of loyalty, but also one of impending doom. The disciples were beginning to understand that following Jesus involved a lot of sacrifice—and it might even cost them their lives!
As they approached Bethany, Jesus and his disciples learned that Lazarus was indeed dead. He had already been in the tomb for four days.
Have you ever felt like God did not show up when you needed Him most?
Do you sometimes feel like He ignores your requests?
When God delays, it is never because He doesn’t have time or doesn’t care. When He delays it is because He is putting everything in place to provide the perfect answer.
God often does His best work in the middle of our worst circumstances!
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