“When they arrived at Bethany, they were told that Lazarus had already been in his tomb for four days. Bethany was only a couple of miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish leaders had come to pay their respects and to console Martha and Mary on their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed at home” (John 11:17-20).
The town of Bethany was a kind of “suburb” of Jerusalem and was located near the top of the Mount of Olives. Because of it’s location, travelers on the road to town can be seen long before they actually get there. So when Jesus and the disciples were spotted on their way to town, Martha made sure that she was there to meet them. This lead Martha and Jesus to an emotion-packed meeting…
“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Sir, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. And even now it’s not too late, for I know that God will bring my brother back to life again, if you will only ask him to.’ Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will come back to life again.’ ‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘when everyone else does, on Resurrection Day.'”
“Jesus told her, ‘I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. He is given eternal life for believing in me and shall never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?’ ‘Yes, Master,’ she told him. ‘I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one we have so long awaited'” (John 11: 21-27).
Can’t you just feel the depth of emotion in this scene? Martha is a swirling jumble of pain and confusion over her brother’s death, yet look at her faith- “…even now it’s not too late, for I know that God will bring my brother back to life again, if you will only ask him to.” Even though Martha didn’t understand why things happened the way they did, she did realize that if Jesus was on the scene, there was hope. It’s clear that Martha still believed in Jesus despite her deep pain and disappointment.
In His response to Martha, Jesus made one of the most powerful statements in the entire Bible: “I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again.” Think about those words for a moment. Who but God could possibly say such a thing? No one would dare make such a statement unless they could back it up. But Jesus’ words were not only important to Martha, they are important to us as well. They tell us that people who put their trust in Jesus will never have to fear death. As a Christian, you will never have to be afraid of what will happen in eternity because Jesus promises eternal life to those who put their trust in Him.
“Then she left him and returned to Mary and, calling her aside from the mourners, told her, ‘He is here and wants to see you.’ So Mary went to him at once. Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. When the Jewish leaders who were at the house trying to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’ tomb to weep; so they followed her.”
“When Mary arrived where Jesus was, she fell down at his feet, saying, ‘Sir, if you had been here, my brother would still be alive.’ When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jewish leaders wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and deeply troubled.
‘Where is he buried?’ he asked them. They told him, ‘Come and see. Tears came to Jesus’ eyes. ‘They were close friends,’ the Jewish leaders said. ‘See how much he loved him.’ But some said, ‘This fellow healed a blind man– why couldn’t he keep Lazarus from dying?’ And again Jesus was moved with deep anger. Then they came to the tomb. It was a cave with a heavy stone rolled across its door” (John 11: 28-37).
These few verses contain some incredible expressions of Jesus’ humanity. The words used to describe Jesus’ emotional response to this situation tell us that He had a very difficult time maintaining His composure. It seems that Jesus made a visible effort to restrain His sadness but we’re told that Jesus was finally brought to tears over this situation. The original language used here indicates a quiet weeping, meaning that Jesus was deeply moved by this emotionally wrenching experience but not out of control.
Jesus response to this situation tells us something very important about Him. You see, it’s sometimes it easy to think that God is detached and unfeeling concerning the situations that we experience in life but here we see Jesus crying openly as He saw the pain that his friends were experiencing.
Though it sometimes may appear otherwise, Jesus is not distant and removed from us when we go through difficult times. Psalm 68:19 tells us that the Lord bears our burdens every day and Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus sympathizes with us in our weaknesses. Jesus understands your struggles and He will be there with you to share your pain, sorrow or whatever else you may be feeling and help you through it.
Now some of the people were moved by Jesus’ genuine display of emotion but others weren’t so convinced: “This fellow healed a blind man– why couldn’t he keep Lazarus from dying?” Well, Jesus was about to answer that question in a way that no one could have expected…
“‘Roll the stone aside,’ Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, said, ‘By now the smell will be terrible, for he has been dead four days.’ ‘But didn’t I tell you that you will see a wonderful miracle from God if you believe?’ Jesus asked her.
So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me. (You always hear me, of course, but I said it because of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.)'”
“Then he shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And Lazarus came– bound up in the gravecloth, his face muffled in a head swath. Jesus told them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go!’ And so at last many of the Jewish leaders who were with Mary and saw it happen, finally believed on him” (John 11: 38-45).
Wow, there’s nothing like a story with a surprise ending, huh? Just imagine if you were standing there in the crowd and saw Lazarus walk out alive from his burial tomb! Imagine the joy of Mary and Martha! It must have been a tremendous scene. But before we get all caught up in the happy ending, let’s take a moment to look at some very important things in this passage.
First, notice what Martha said when Jesus ordered the stone covering the tomb to be rolled away: “By now the smell will be terrible, for he has been dead four days.” This is very important because it tells us that the people who were there were absolutely convinced that Lazarus was really dead. In other words, it wasn’t like Lazarus passed out and Jesus performed some trick- Jesus actually brought a dead man back to life.
Next, Jesus reminded Martha that she would see God do something that would bring her great joy if she only believed. This brings to mind Jesus’ words in Mark 9:23 where He said, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (NIV). Remember, nothing is too difficult for God but anyone who comes to Him must believe that He really exists and that He rewards those who sincerely look for Him (Hebrews 11:6). If you desire to see God work in your life, than faith is an absolute necessity.
Finally, check out how Jesus summoned Lazarus from his tomb: “…he shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!” Notice that Jesus spoke directly to Lazarus as a living person and not as though there was a question as to whether he was really alive or not. Why? Because Jesus is God in the flesh and He gives life to the dead and calls things which do not exist as though they did. (see Romans 4:17).
So if you are in a situation (like Mary and Martha) that appears hopeless, remember the example of Lazarus. Don’t lose heart and don’t give up. If God seems like He is delaying His answers to your prayers then you can be confident that there is a good reason for it. And don’t forget the words of 1 Peter 1:6-7…
“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it– and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return.”