Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Karen Maghamil, Gracepoint Davis
How does Jesus’ delayed response reconcile with his love for Martha, Mary and Lazarus? How does this challenge my expectations of what it means to be loved by God?
- Jesus loves Mary, Martha and Lazarus, but that love isn’t expressed in wanting to spare them any grief or pain, but in wanting them to mature in their faith in God and trust in his provision and timing. This challenges my expectations of what it means to be loved by God because I naturally associate love with being given what I want, when I want it. And I expect God to make everything in my life smooth sailing and “happy.” But I have learned over the years, through waiting on God through many difficult circumstances – family conflicts, not having a job for months, no apparent marriage prospects for a long time, struggling with my own character problems, that God’s delayed responses do not equal disregard and lack of care, but that he really does have what is best in mind for me. Every time, God’s provision was totally out of the realm of possibility that I envisioned for myself, and I’ve grown confident that what God provides is the best. This is real love: it has greater vision and desire for someone, beyond what that person is panting after and impatiently whining about. A person waits because he knows there is something better to be had, and most importantly, the wait will cultivate the character and heart of the individual.
What lessons about prayer and God’s timing can I learn from this? Because God has his own timing, prayer is necessary for me to be in-sync with him. Prayer is also necessary for me to hear from God and to let him address my heart that is anxious or desiring things for the wrong reasons sometimes. Prayers are not answered according to my timing, but for me to be able to wait for God’s timing.
Devotional Questions:
John 11:1-6, 17-32
- What were some ways in which God has redeemed painful experiences in my life “for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it?” Are there any hopeless situations in my life through which Jesus may be glorified?
- How does Jesus’ delayed response reconcile with his love for Martha, Mary and Lazarus? How does this challenge my expectations of what it means to be loved by God?
- What lessons about prayer and God’s timing can I learn from this?
- What may have Martha felt as she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died?” Despite her brother’s death, what was Martha’s confession? Are there situations in my life where I need this kind of persistent faith?
- How does my life reflect my belief that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life?” How is my life different from those who do not have this faith?
John 11:39-40
- Why does Jesus command that the stone be taken away (i.e., versus removing the stone by miraculous power)?
- What does Martha fear if the stone is taken away?
- What does Martha’s reference to the “bad odor” and “four days” represent in her response to Jesus’ command at the tomb?
- In what ways am I like Martha in how I think about what God can do in my life or in the lives of others?
- What “stones” need to be removed in my life for God’s life-giving power to work in and around me?
John 11:43-44
- What are the two things that Jesus commands, first to Lazarus, and then to the others?
- How is this an apt analogy to salvation and sanctification that needs to happen through the help of the church (cf. Eph 2:1-4, 4:22-24)?
- How have I responded to both commands to “come out” and “take off the grave clothes?”
- Are there some ways I am still clinging on to my “grave clothes?”
Additional Questions:
John 11:32, 37
- What can I learn from v. 37 about the human tendency to instinctively blame God when things go wrong? When have I done this, what was it about, and how were my thoughts corrected?
- What does v. 32 and v. 37 reveal about people’s views of Jesus’ range of power?
- How did their limited understanding of Jesus’ power lead to subtle resentment towards him? How does this apply to me?
John 11:33-36
- How did Jesus react when he saw Mary and the Jews weeping for Lazarus?
- Considering that Jesus already knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead (v. 11), what explains Jesus’ reaction?
- What false notion of God does v. 35 challenge? Are there times when I am doubtful of God’s ability to sympathize or understand? What should be the ultimate proof of God’s love for me during those times?
John 11:45-53
- What were the two divergent responses by the Jews who witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead?
- How was it possible for two groups of people to see the same thing and respond in such drastically different ways?
- What was the real motivation behind the chief priests and the Pharisees opposing Jesus as revealed in v. 48?
- What issues had they been using to oppose Jesus in previous chapters? Similarly, what “smokescreen” issues have I put up in order to avoid confronting the real issues in my life?
John 11:49-52
- What can I learn about how God works from the fact that He was faithful to the office of high priest till the end although Caiaphas was faithless?
Commentary:
vv. 1-16 “When Jesus hears the report about Lazarus’ illness, his response (11:4) parallels his comments about the man born blind (9:1 – 5). The final result of this tragedy is that God will be glorified, not that death will win the victory. It is not a denial of Lazarus’ death since this is the thrust of the whole story, but that death will not gain the final word in this man’s life. The tragedy is not by God’s design, but God will use it for an opportunity to glorify his Son.”[1]
vv. 17-37 “When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. This note is significant. There was a well-known Jewish belief (attested from about A.D. 200) that the soul of a dead person remained in the vicinity of the body ‘hoping to reenter it’ for three days, but once decomposition set in, the soul departed. John wants us to know clearly that Lazarus is truly dead and that the miracle of Jesus cannot be construed as a resuscitation.”[2]
vv. 38-44 “As Jesus steps to the tomb itself (11:38), he is ‘once more deeply moved.’ The verb used here is the same one as in 11:33 (embrimaomai), which suggests he is outraged at what he sees. The Lord of life is now directly confronting his opponent, death, symbolized in the cave-tomb before him.
“The dramatic high point of the story is reached in 11:43 when Jesus calls to Lazarus ‘in a loud voice’ to come out. This is not a whisper or a firm request. It is a shout of raw authority. The Greek kraugazo is used six times in John — in addition to here, once for the crowds on Palm Sunday (12:13) and four times for the cries of the crowds calling for Jesus’ crucifixion (18:40; 19:6, 12, 15). When Lazarus emerges from the tomb, he is bound in grave wrappings, which were strips of fabric wound around his limbs and filled with burial spices. Jewish burials likewise tied the jaw closed and covered the face with a linen cloth.
“Lazarus’ coming from the grave must have been an amazing spectacle witnessed by a growing crowd of people, many of whom carry news of this miracle back to Jerusalem (12:9, 17).”[3]
vv. 45-57 “The Sanhedrin deliberations (11:47 – 50) are noteworthy. (1) There is genuine fear that the populace will accept Jesus as the Messiah. This is not simply religious rivalry, but a paralyzing concern that if a messianic claimant is embraced by the city, the Roman armies will suppress it. ‘Our place’ (11:48) refers to the Jerusalem temple (NRSV, ‘our holy place’; cf. Acts 6:13 – 14; 7:7; 21:28). The Romans had shown their intolerance to this sort of messianism in the past (viewing it as a political challenge), and Jerusalem’s leadership know the seriousness of the threat now.”[4]
vv. 1-57 “We should see this chapter as an important statement about the character of Jesus’ work. John includes this story so that Jesus’ message does not ‘sink into a general symbolic mysticism.’ His works are concrete. He is not just the light; he gives sight to a blind man. Jesus is not just the resurrection and the life; he brings a man from the tomb. The revelation of Jesus does not take place apart from concrete acts in history.
“But we are given advance notice that this death is not going to be a tragedy. What Jesus can do for Lazarus by opening the Bethany tomb is now foreshadowing what he can do for himself. The tomb that cannot contain Lazarus cannot hold him either. Moreover, we are told that the death of Jesus is not simply an obstacle to be overcome by resurrection. Caiaphas tells us that Jesus’ death will be purposeful. Jesus will die for the people and the nation (11:50). Jesus will give life only by giving his own life.
“In some respects, we also live in an age that does its best to deny death. People rarely die at home surrounded by their loved ones. Their bodies are no longer ‘dressed’ and prepared for burial by the family (as they were not too many decades ago). Today this process has been sanitized, taken over by professional hospitals, hospices, and morticians. As a result, few of us have seen someone die, and I dare say that before the twentieth century there were few who had not seen someone die. We build coffins that look like plush, oversized jewelry boxes and cemeteries that evoke the peace and serenity of a botanical garden. We use euphemisms (‘Mrs. Taylor passed away on Tuesday’) to gloss over what we dare not say. All of this is cultural, springing from the heartfelt wish to make death pleasant. But it masks a profound anxiety that even the prettiest funeral service cannot disguise.
“Perhaps this is why in the work of the church, funeral services become such potent opportunities for ministry. Here the raw vulnerability of our lives stands naked and we are confronted by a personal fate we would rather not look at directly. The story of Lazarus draws us directly into the pathos so deeply rooted in our hearts.
“While the chief thrust of chapter 11 is theological, the dramatic setting of the story also invites reflection. (1) In some Christian circles Jesus’ power over the grave is embraced with such conviction that there is no permission to mourn the tragedy of death. To grieve is to show a lack of faith; funerals are to be celebrations of eternal life and victory. To a degree this is true, but it denies a basic human need to express the sorrow and dismay that comes with loss. One obvious thing about John’s story is a thing we may pass over quickly: Martha and Mary were crying. Jesus did not say to Martha, ‘If you believe in the resurrection, why are you wasting your time and your tears?’ He did not say to Mary, ‘If you have victorious faith, you should stand clear-eyed and confident because I am here.’ No. Jesus did not impede this family’s grieving; instead by joining with them, he gives generous permission. It is right to describe death as terrible and painful and horrible without compromising the quality of our faith. Jesus himself cried in anger at the wreckage death brought to one family. Death is a foe that in Christ is being defeated.”[5]
[1] Burge, Gary M. “John 11:1 – 57” In The NIV Application Commentary: John. By Gary M. Burge, 308-333. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.