John 11:1-4 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto Him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. And when Jesus heard that, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby (emphasis added, KJV).
There are times when things come our way that do not look good at all. Such was the case with Lazarus who had fallen sick in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Mary and Martha knew that if Jesus were to come to their brother, everything would be okay, he would be healed by the Master’s touch. So they did what we all would do, they called upon the Lord. As the Son of man Jesus healed on the earth, but now we see something new in His response to the message he received concerning Lazarus: “The sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified.” As the Son of God, Jesus gives life, which we will discover as we progress in John eleven. A very important aspect to this story that we must keep in the forefront of our heart and mind is that everything that transpires in our life is to bring glory to God; regardless of the circumstances surrounding us. In everything Jesus did or said, He always glorified the Father. In everything we do or say, we should always seek to glorify the Father as well.
Looking further into Jesus’ response, we find that He waited to go to Lazarus: “When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was. Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let us go into Judae’a again” (John 11:6-7). Jesus knew the will of the Father and waited to go. In everything the Lord does there is a timing for it, and His timing is perfect -even when it does not appear to be so! As we progress in chapter eleven, we find that by the time Jesus arrived on the scene, Lazarus had already been dead four days. What was Martha and Mary’s response? “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died” (paraphrased). When death came to Lazarus, in the natural it would appear that it was too late. Keep this thought tucked in the back of your mind for now. However, Martha did recognize Jesus’ authority and said to Him in verse twenty-two, “But I know, that even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.” To which, Jesus replied, “Thy brother shall rise again” (verse23). At this point, Martha recognized the Resurrection of the dead in the future, but she did not see the possibility of her brother being raised that very day; even when Jesus reveals His nature as the the Son of God: “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (verse 25). Back in John 5:25-26, Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself: so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.” As the Son of God, Jesus gives us life.
When Jesus went to the grave of Lazarus (which was a cave with a large stone over its mouth), even some of the Jews commented in verse thirty-seven, “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” When Jesus said, “Take ye away the stone, ” Martha’s response made it clear that she still did not understand what Jesus was telling her: “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days” (verse 39). Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God” (paraphrased). At this point the stone is taken away from the grave, Jesus speaks to the Father, where we learn that He spoke so that the people who were nearby would believe; and then, calls Lazarus forth from the grave. Jesus made a very important statement that we need to hold onto, especially during a time of crisis: “If you will believe, you will see the glory of God.”
God is to get the glory in everything, which means there are going to be circumstances that are going to be beyond our control, and only He is going to be able to deliver. This is especially true when it does appear to be too late! When things look too far gone, it is time to start believing the Word of God. For example, many have been given prophetic Words concerning their future, that appear to be false promises because they have yet to come to pass. It appears to be too late for them to come to fruition. In fact, they are dead in all appearances. But that is when it is time to stand firm in the faith! In many cases, our sense of timing is out of sync with His. God has a purpose for everything, including the time it takes for things to come to pass -one of those reasons is to reveal His glory. Unless God gives us a specific time, one of the best things we can do is not put a date to it -wait on His Word. If we place some superficial time frame to anything He says will come to pass and it does not materialize at the said time, we will have a tendency to back off from believing. We cannot use natural reasoning in God’s timing, we must stand firm on His word. As it written: “So shall my Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (emphasis added, Isaiah 55:11).
So what are some lessons from this part of history with Jesus and Lazarus? 1. God gets the glory. 2. Jesus gives us life, and can breathe life into that which is dead. 3. It is not about us being pleased, it is about pleasing Him! When we seek to please Him, joy will follow. 4. Even that which has been dead can be raised, and that which has been lost can be restored. 5. If we believe, we will see His glory. 6. When all appears to be lost, stand firm in the faith. 7. Impossible circumstances that come into our lives can help others believe as well.
