Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
When’s the last time you experienced something no words, no amount of words, in any language, could explain?
Today let’s witness one of those events. I left you yesterday standing outside the village of Bethany, only a few miles from Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago. We were standing in a crowd of grieving people, for their dear friend Lazarus had died and was buried four days ago. Jesus and His disciples had finally come after being urgently summoned.
Sadly, they had arrived much too late, leaving almost everyone to question much of what they had previously believed about Jesus. There was no good explanation for Jesus arriving well after Lazarus had died, especially when the people found out Jesus had intentionally delayed coming! They had known Jesus to be compassionate and loving and always ready to help, but not this time. Why not?
Jesus offered no explanation for His delay. When He first heard the news that His friend Lazarus was very sick, near death in fact, Jesus had told His disciples “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4) Because by this time the disciples had witnessed several miracles of Jesus including healing of sick people, restoring sight to blind people, casting demons out of people in demonic bondage, and even walking on the waves of Lake Galilee, I imagine the disciples concluded Jesus would simply say the words, take Lazarus by the hand and raise him up from his sick bed.
So, for the disciples I presume they really weren’t too concerned when Jesus waited two more days before heading toward Bethany. But upon their arrival when they heard the shocking news that Lazarus had died several days before, there were no words which could answer the confusion in their minds. This was totally contrary to anything Jesus had ever done before!
May I ask my friends, have you ever been in such a head scratching situation with God that you simply did not understand what God was doing, or not doing in the face of great and urgent need for a God answer?
You may recall I left you yesterday standing with the crowd looking at a little cave in the side of the hill. That cave was where they had buried the dead body of Lazarus now almost 5 days ago. Jesus, wiping the tears from His eyes, had just made a bold, maybe ridiculous statement: “Roll away the stone”. (John 11:39) Martha, sister of Lazarus and dear friend of Jesus, had responded very confused and respectfully: “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor for Lazarus’ body has been there four days.” Jesus nodded and tenderly responded with words that confused everyone even more: “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
Look at the faces of the people in the crowd. Confused, some even shaking their heads, but then sure enough some of the men are stepping forward and pushing that large rock away from the mouth of the cave.
Everyone instinctively puts their hands over their face and nose and turns to look at Jesus. Jesus looked up to the sky and out loud said: “Father, thank You that You have heard Me. I know that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.” (John 11:41,42) Mmmm, the people standing here, that’s us?
Jesus always amazed His disciples and others when He just very naturally looked up into the sky and began talking to God, calling God His Father. Jesus looked around at everyone with a look that seemed to challenge each person to be honest with themselves about what they were thinking right now! And then Jesus stepped forward toward the little cave, and with a loud voice shouted: “Lazarus, come out!!”
Everyone is leaning forward, holding their breath. Jesus is leaning forward also, expectantly. What could He possibly be expecting? Lazarus has been dead in that cave more than four days! John, the disciple who witnessed this event and gives us a detailed description of what happened that day writes this: “The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of cloths and a cloth around his face!” (John 11:44) There are no words to explain it, but a whole crowd of people are seeing a man dead nearly 5 days standing there wrapped in grave clothes, asking to be unleashed!
No one moved. No one can believe what we are seeing or hearing. Some people want to run away in fear. Jesus shouted: “Take off the grave clothes and let him go!” Slowly some courageous men approach the standing dead man. How else do you describe him? Timidly they reach out their hands removing the cloth from his face. It IS Lazarus! Alive! With his eyes wide open, smiling, laughing, urging them to hurry up and unleash him! Finally, the dead man is unbound, and he rushes toward Jesus giving Jesus a big hug. How do you thank someone for giving you a second chance at life?
Lazarus turns to his sisters Mary and Martha. They are stunned, shocked, speechless. They want to believe it, but could it be? It’s not possible, is it? They had wept as they watched Lazarus die. They had wrapped his body lovingly in spices and cloths. Friends had carried his body to this little cave and laid it there, several days ago. No one, no one has ever walked out of a tomb after nearly a week. How can this be real? Are they hallucinating? Finally, Lazarus takes his sisters in his arms, and they are convinced, and the shouts of joy are almost deafening as the crowd raises their arms in celebration! Jesus smiles with great delight. Jesus has defeated death for Lazarus and a crowd are all eyewitnesses!
But not all are joyful. John tells us some of those in the crowd rushed back to Jerusalem and reported, as best they could, this amazing miracle to the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Stunned the leaders asked questions, lots of questions, but the answers were all the same. The people told what they had seen and heard. No one could deny it. Jesus had the power of life and death!
In one sentence John summarizes what the religious leaders concluded: “So from that day on they plotted to take His life.” Why? Here’s what John tells us was said behind the closed doors in the Sanhedrin, the meeting of the most influential religious in Jerusalem: “If we let Him [Jesus] go on like this everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our Temple and our nation.” (John 11:48) So it was clear, they felt Jesus was such a threat to the delicate balance of power in Jerusalem that He had to be stopped, maybe even killed.
So now we understand why John tells us: “Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead, He withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with His disciples. When it was almost time for the Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem. They kept looking for Jesus…but the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest Him.’ (John 11:54-57)
What a sad reality. Jesus who raised a dead man to life, now spending a few days in a remote village in the wilderness because certain people want Jesus dead! So, look around your world today my friends, is Jesus welcome where you live or would most people prefer Jesus not be at all involved in the life of your city or your country. In fact, are most people living as thought Jesus doesn’t even exist?
Let’s be honest today about our attitudes toward Jesus. Is He welcome in your home and mine, your life and mine, your family and mine, your business? Or would Jesus be an unwelcome intruder if He showed up at your front door right now? Here’s a worship song to help us consider this…
Today’s Scripture is John 11:38-57.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.