Lent - Week 6

Lent – God’s Grace in God’s Time

Study Materials: 

A Clearing Season, Reflections for Lent, by Sarah Parsons **
Wondrous Encounters, Scripture for Lent, by Richard Rohr ****
Give Up Something Bad for Lent, James W. Moore ****
Unpacking Forgiveness, Chris Brauns **
Sifted, Pursuing Growth Through Trials, Challenges and Disappointments, Wayne Cordeiro (with Francis Chan and Larry Osborne) ****
Hearing God, Developing a Conversational Relationship with God, Dallas Willard ***
Lord, Teach Us to Pray, Andrew Murray *
How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Finds from a Leading Neuroscientist, Andrew Newberg MD, Mark Robert Waldman **
http://christianity.about.com/od/prayersverses/a/basicstoprayer.htm  ***
John Wesley – Sermon 26  ***
The Lazarus Life, Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People, Stephen W. Smith  ****

John 11 tells the story of the death of Lazarus.  You might recall Jesus’ friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus were siblings. The sisters had sent word to Jesus.

  

Lord, the one you love is sick. – John 11:3 (NIV)

Later, we read

...he stinketh… - John 11:39 (KJV)

I love this phrase in the King James Version, and it has stuck with me since the first time I read it in Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis. Bell mentioned that he wrote the phrase on the wall of his office, and that he was having a hard time getting it out of his head. He says “this phrase continues to swirl around in my mind and my heart. Where is there death in my life? Where am I dying because of decisions I’ve made? Where do I stinketh?” Every future reading of John 11 has had new meaning for me, as I ask the same questions… Where do I stinketh?

This week, I have had the privilege of reading Stephen Smith’s The Lazarus Life, and the phrase from John 11:39 continues to swirl in my head. It has been joined by a question that Christians ask daily. Namely, why doesn’t God show up and fix my problems?

Quite often we end up feeling like Mary in John 11:32.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Why did Lazarus die? Why wasn’t Jesus there? Why do people suffer every day? Why doesn’t God show up and fix my problems? The reason is simple. God gave us a great gift, and unfortunately, that gift keeps on giving. The gift was Free Will.  We chose it in the garden, and we keep it to this day.

But God does hear our prayers. Sometimes he comes in our hour of need. Other times, God shows up in His own time. This is the case in the story of Lazarus. I have recopied the NIV version below, interspersed with my own commentary.

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” – John 11:1-3

This is the first we hear of Lazarus. He is not a king. He is not Moses. He is just a man, and Jesus loves him. We know so little of Jesus’ life, and yet it must have been a life rich with love, for it is through Jesus that we are taught to Love.

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” – John 11:4-7

The first time I really read this, I couldn’t stop focusing on the fact that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, “so when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” WHAT??? That’s not part of my training, or my mind set. But then, I’m part of a generation that lives with phrases like “Come on, I want my latte now!” “What is taking them so long to cook that steak? Did they have to kill the cow?” “Geez, it took 10 seconds for this webpage to load.”

Why didn’t Jesus come right away? Why didn’t he just fix things? He healed so many people immediately. We have all read of Jesus’ healings in the Bible. There are healings of the blind in Mark 8:22-26, Mark 10:46-52, Matthew 9:27-31 and John 9:1-12. There are healings of Lepers in Matthew 8:1-4 and Luke 17-11-19. The list goes on and on, including paralytics, a bleeding woman, the mother of Peter’s wife, a man with dropsy (abnormal swelling of the body), a man with a withered hand, a deaf mute, a centurion’s servant, etc. Jesus loved people, and he healed anyone who believed. We see passages like the one below repeatedly.

“Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” – Luke 18-42

And, of course the disciples were constant witnesses to Jesus’ healings and witnesses to his love. He is their savior (and ours), and they don’t want to lose a good thing. As we read further in the passage, we see this.

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” – John 11:8

Are they concerned for Jesus’ safety or their own? Do they believe Jesus is the son of God?

Of course, Jesus is not concerned.

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”  - John 11:9-11

I love that Jesus refers to Lazarus as “our friend.” Lazarus gets friend billing in the Bible before the disciples. No doubt Jesus had many friends. Jesus is OUR friend too!

His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  – John 11:12-16

Jesus definitely had a way with words, and quite often the disciples were confused. We also see here that Jesus is aware that his disciples still do not fully believe. That seems amazing, given all that they have seen, but perhaps it isn’t given our own doubts and unbelief…

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. – John 11:17-19

Notice, there was a crowd. There were many witnesses to what was about to take place, and this very event was pivotal in Jesus’ life and God’s plan. (Read further in John.)

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. – John 11:20

Do you get the impression that Mary was a little upset with Jesus? Not much changes in 2000 years. Mary wasn’t the first or last person to be upset when Jesus didn’t do what she wanted or needed. But Martha, although upset, was steadfast in her faith.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” – John 11:21-22

That’s powerful! Read that as many times as you have a chance. God will give Jesus whatever he asks! Jesus does the will of His Father, and His Father grants His Son’s wishes because they are the will of His Father. Our relationship with God is circular in the same nature.

This passage immediately takes me back to John 5:30, where Jesus says “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” That phrase puts me to shame, and makes me realize how much I miss the mark on a daily basis…

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”  - John 11:23-27

Notice the question Jesus asks Martha. He is asking all of us. “Do you believe?” This is the fundamental question in your life. This question cuts to the essence of our being. This question is the reason for life, and the only path to living it more abundantly. Praise God!

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.  – John 11:28-29

So, perhaps Mary really wasn’t upset with Jesus, but only didn’t know he was there. Perhaps… But I doubt it. Still, when Jesus calls, we answer quickly, just as Mary answered.

Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:30-32

Notice the greeting. Jesus is our “Lord,” and Mary’s statements echo those of Martha, and ours to this day. “If you had been here…” But, truly, Jesus is always with us.

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. – John 11:33-35

The last sentence is every student’s favorite. John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible! But there is power in all three verses. Our sadness moves Jesus. Jesus does care for us. Jesus was doing the will of the Father, but even in that stead, we was moved by the sadness of the people.

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. – John 11:36-38

Notice the selfish comments in the midst of the truth. Jesus loved Lazarus, and yet we ask “Why didn’t he just fix this?”

“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” – John 11:36-39

The NIV says “there is a bad odor,” but I still like the KJV – “he stinketh.” I bet he did “stinketh,” as does the death in our own lives. Lazarus had been dead four days. I can’t tell you how many parts of me have died, stunk, and been resurrected by God. I still stink. Our life is Lazarus’ life. We die repeatedly, and Jesus comes to save us.

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew 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.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” – John 11:40-44

Notice that the last portion involves others. Jesus invites us to take part in the resurrection, not just our own resurrection, but the resurrection of others. Are you still wearing your grave clothes? What parts of you “stinketh?” Believe! Your savior will come rescue you from your tomb, and you friends will be there to help you take off your grave clothes and set you free.