Raising Lazarus

The transcription discusses the story of Lazarus from John chapter 11. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha are introduced as individuals with whom Jesus has a close relationship. Lazarus becomes sick, and his sisters send messengers to Jesus to seek his help. Jesus delays his arrival for two days, explaining that Lazarus's sickness is for the glory of God. Jesus eventually decides to go to Lazarus, despite the risks of returning to Judea. When Jesus arrives, Lazarus has already been dead for four days, which is significant because it is believed that the spirit leaves after that time. Many Jews come to comfort Martha and Mary, and Martha goes out to meet Jesus while Mary stays at home. Martha expresses her faith in Jesus, believing that he could have saved Lazarus. Jesus responds by saying that Lazarus will rise again, to which Martha mentions the resurrection at the last day. Jesus then declares himself as the resurrection and the life and asks Martha if she believes this. Martha affirms Alright everybody let's take a look at John chapter 11. We're going to read it together and dig into some of the details just a little bit. Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany the town of Mary and her sister Martha. This is Mary and Martha from before where Mary's at the feet of the Savior and Martha's working. Well they have a brother named Lazarus and the Savior has a wonderful relationship with all three of them. We're switching over to the JST for a second for verse 2. And Mary his sister who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair lived with her sister Martha in whose house her brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto unto him unto Jesus. They sent messengers out to go find Jesus. Remember Jesus was in Jerusalem and that's when they wanted to kill him when he gave his sermon and he left and he went northwest to a place called Perea and that's where he's been for the last little bit. So they sent messengers to him saying Lord behold he whom thou lovest is sick and when Jesus heard that he said I assume to his disciples or to the messengers this sickness is not unto death but it's for the glory of the Lord that the Son of Man might be glorified thereby. In other words I'm gonna do a miracle here. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick he abode or he stayed two days still in the same place where he was. You would think because he loved him like hey I'm gonna come right now but the Lord has other things in mind. He's going to grow their faith rather than simply heal him he's gonna help them go through something here. Then after that he said to his disciples let's go again into Judea. His disciples said unto him Master the Jews have late have sought to stone thee and goest thou thither again? They're trying to kill you. You're going back to there again? Jesus answered and he's gonna teach them about keeping the commandments of being obedient. He's following the Spirit here. Jesus answered are there not 12 hours in the day? If any man walk in the day he stumble if not. When you when you walk in the commandments it's like you're walking in daytime with the Sun. You don't trip over stuff usually when it's when it's bright outside because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk at night you go out of the commandments it's like being at nighttime. He trips he stumbles because there is no light in him. Commandments give us light on the inside they give us direction and insight. He's like yeah I know they're trying to kill me but I keep my father's commandments and we all should too. These things he said he and after he said after that he said unto them our friend Lazarus sleepeth but I go that I may awake him out of his sleep. Then said his disciples Lord if he sleepeth he shall do well. He's fine he'll be okay if he's just sleeping we don't need to go over there. The Savior's not talking like a normal person he's talking like Jehovah. He's like he's died but we're gonna bring it back here this isn't a permanent thing. He's seeing it from a more eternal perspective. How be it which means but but Jesus spake of Lazarus's death and they thought that he spoke of his taking his rest in sleep. Then Jesus spoke plainly unto them Lazarus is dead and I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there to heal him before he died. For this intent that you may believe nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas which is called Didymus and his fellow disciples let us go that we may die with him. They're like this is it we're gonna die. Then when Jesus came back to Judea back to the house of Mary and Martha when he came to that city and picking up with the JST he tells us the name of that city. When he came back to Bethany to Martha's house Lazarus had already been in the grave four days. That number four days is important. For Jewish belief they believed that spirit would be around the body for three days and there was a chance they might be called back from the dead but in the fourth day it was impossible the spirit had left. And so even though Jesus has raised Jairus's daughter from the dead and the widow of Nain's son they're like okay that can happen a miracle worker could do that a prophet could do that and if you're a Pharisee and attributing this to evil powers you could do this to evil powers because the spirit is still around for three days. But everybody believes after the fourth day that's it you cannot call anybody back the spirit has left which is perhaps why the Lord waited four days. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem it was close to Jerusalem about 15 furlongs according to the footnote a furlong is about 607 feet which according to a calculator I found on Google makes that about 1.72 miles so Bethany is about almost two miles from Jerusalem. And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother wasn't that far away so they come out of the city come to her. Then Martha as soon as she had heard that Jesus was coming left her house and she went and she met him. So you remember earlier when Mary was the one we're like oh she's at the Savior's feet she's doing what she's supposed to be doing well now it's Martha who acts in faith and goes out to meet the Savior. But Mary sat still in the house then Martha said unto Jesus Lord if thou had been here my brother had not died that's an exclamation of faith I know you could have saved him and but I know even now that whatsoever thou will ask God he will give it thee another exclamation of powerful faith Jesus said unto her thy brother shall rise again Martha said unto him misunderstanding what he's saying I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth on me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die believeth thou this she said unto him yea Lord I believe thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come into the world and when she had said so when she had declared her faith she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly because there's a bunch of people in the house right so she's trying to get her one-on-one out of the house saying the Master has come and calleth for thee as soon as Mary had heard that she arose quickly and came unto Jesus now Jesus was not yet coming into the town but was in that place where Martha met him the Jews which were with her in the house and comforted her when they saw Mary that she arose up hastily and went out when she got up so quickly just headed out they followed her saying she goeth unto the grave to weep there then when Mary was come to where Jesus was and saw him she fell down at his feet saying Lord if thou had been here my brother had not died when Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the Jews also weeping which came with her he groaned in his spirit and was troubled he knows he's about to raise Lazarus from the dead and that this weeping can be healed but just the pain that they're experiencing he experiences with them and he and he groans in the spirit is trouble and he said where have you laid him they said unto him Lord come and see Jesus wept then said the Jews behold how he loved him and some of them said could not this man which opened the eyes of the blind have caused that even this man should not have died Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave it was a cave and a stone lay upon it so stone covers the entrance of the cave just like happens with Jesus here in a little while Jesus said take away the stone Martha the sister of him that was dead saith unto him Lord by this time he stinketh for it before he hath been dead four days she's not trying to be sarcastic or but she's literally saying no his body is decomposing we open that up and this is not going to be a pleasant thing here Jesus said to her said I not unto thee that if thou wouldst believe thou should see the glory of God then they took away the stone from that place where where the dead was laid and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said father I thank thee that thou hast heard me and I knew that thou that thou hearest me always but because of the people which stand by I said it that they may believe that thou has sent me and when he had thus spoken he cried with a loud voice Lazarus come forth and he that was dead bound hand and foot with grave clothes wrapped up all around and his face was wrapped up with it with a napkin apparently there's two separate parts of the part that they used to wrap your body and then a part that he used to wrap your face when they call that part the napkin it's kind of important to remember that because when Jesus resurrects both of those parts are folded up and they're separated so to show that this is an unintentional act it wasn't like rave robbers or anything these were folded up and separated into separate places with the Savior but anyway and so he comes out wrapped up Jesus sayeth unto them that are there loose him and let him go take these take these bindings off of him then many of the Jews which came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on him but some of them went their ways to the Pharisees and told them what things Jesus had done it's so odd to be like oh we're gonna tell on him he just brought that guy back from the dead we're going to tell on him to the Pharisees but that part is important because now the Pharisees and the chief priests are gonna counsel together and they decide too many people are gonna believe on him and then we're gonna have a problem and so they really start to plan how do we kill him Jesus knew that this miracle was going to lead to his crucifixion the raising of Lazarus was was a too big of a miracle too close to Jerusalem after such a big stir and why they already wanted to kill him this initiates what leads up to his last week not that this is his last week right now but it initiates everything that leads to his crucifixion eventually all right let's get into getting some principles and truths out of these verses