This morning I felt lead to read from John's Gospel, the story of His raising Lazarus. I have included some excerpts - John 11:3-4, 11-15, 23-27, 40-44 NIV:
[3] "So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” [4] 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.”
[11] 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.”
[12] His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
[13] Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. [14] So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
[23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
[24] Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
[25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; [26] and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
[27] “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
[40] Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” [41] So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] 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.”
[43] When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
[44] 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.”
As I read these familiar verses the first thing that popped into my head was the statement that Jesus is Lord of both the living and the dead! In other words He is Lord over everything, regardless of its state. He is not dependent on our belief to be Lord, He is Lord and nothing can change that.
The second thought that ran through my mind was that nothing is hopeless for those who believe in Him. There is nothing and nobody that is too far gone to experience His touch, to hear His voice, to respond to His command. We may lose hope, we may think there is nothing anybody can do, but at His word and at His command all heaven and earth respond, regardless of whether they are alive or dead.
Thirdly, I was thinking about Lazarus. So often we hear messages about the sisters, but I am thinking about Lazarus this morning. He was loved by Jesus, and thus we can conclude that he knew Him well, well enough to know that He could heal him. I am sure He encouraged his sisters to send word to Jesus, asking that He come. I imagine his last days were filled with hope that Jesus would come, and fear that He wouldn't get the message in time. I am sure that as his condition worsened, his hope became more desperate. I can almost see him waiting every day for any sign from the Lord that He was coming, yet Jesus waited.
I am also aware this morning of how conscious Jesus was of the situation. He knew from the moment He was summoned what the Father was planning. He had no fear, no doubt, and was fully trusting in His Father's plan, even though He knew it would be personally painful. Lazarus was His friend and He had personal investment in his life and the life of his sisters. Regardless of the pain that would result, He knew that God's greater glory would be the final result. He tried to tell His disciples, but they were limited in their understanding.
Jesus statement that He is the resurrection and the life is really significant as this was before His own resurrection. I looked at the original Greek and His words are quite clear - He IS Anastasis and Zoe - Resurrection and Life. We could also say He IS healing, He IS Miracles, He IS forgiveness, mercy and love. These are not just His personality or words that describe Him. No, it is the other way around, He defines the words.
My encouragement today is that we need Jesus! Whatever we need in life, whether it be hope, love, joy, healing, miracles, or forgiveness, what we really need is Him! It is never too late for Him to move, to give a command, to respond. He IS aware of our situation and fully engaged and invested personally. Lord, I pray that You would fill me and all those in need with hope today, for You are the resurrection and the life!
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