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Passage: John 11:1-44 Key Verse(s): 11:25-26 I'M THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"" Chapter 11 is about Lazarus and Jesus. Two sisters (Martha and Mary) are included here, along with many Jews who came to comfort her. Lazarus’ sickness led him to death. It looked as if it ended in tragedy. But it was not the end. It led to God's glory! In this first part of John 11, we learn how Jesus seeks God’s glory and trains his disciples beyond Lazarus’ sickness and death. In the second part, we learn who Jesus is--Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The resurrection of Lazarus was real, but we cannot rarely see the same event in our generation. What connects us now to the event in this passage is Jesus’ promise in John 11:25-26. Jesus is the Eternal God, so he still speaks to us today, saying "I AM". Today, we meditate on Jesus’ promises for us. These are the words of God that we must take hold of to have a victorious and vigorous life. First, "This sickness will not end in death" (1-5) In the quiet village of Bethany, one of the satellite towns of Jerusalem, there lived a family of three members: Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Lazarus was between two sisters and was always so sickly that he could not work to support the family. Nevertheless, his sisters loved him dearly, because he was the pillar of the family. The family of Lazarus was poor and sorrowful. But as long as Lazarus was there, they were as happy as any family in the world. Martha was known as a hardworking woman. She was talkative and active. Mary, on the other hand, was quiet and shy. But she loved Jesus passionately. She brought her expensive perfume saved for herself, poured it on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. To Mary, Jesus was more precious than the whole world. Jesus was the meaning of her life. Mary's joy was to listen to Jesus and be attentive to his teaching (Lk. 10:39, 40; Jn 11:28). This family had a close relationship with Jesus. Jesus visited this family frequently to teach them the Bible and to feed his hungry disciples (Lk 10:38-42). To this lonely family, Jesus was like a good father. One day, Lazarus became sick. He watched world cup games every day. Sometimes he spent a whole night watching soccer games. One Sunday afternoon, he played soccer with AFC members. He used to play as a goalie, but that day, he wanted to play as a middle fielder and ran hard and vigorously beyond his physical ability. In the evening he suddenly had breathing difficulty with high fever. The sisters were greatly distressed. Immediately they sent word to Jesus for help, "Lord, the one you love is sick." They believed that Jesus would surely come right away. No doubt, they expected Jesus to heal Lazarus with his miraculous power. Look at verse 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."" This sounds as if Lazarus would not die. Jesus' point was that the sick Lazarus would die, but death is not the end. What is the end? Jesus saw God's glory beyond sickness and death. Jesus consistently shows his realism and hope in approaching issues in life. Jesus anticipated that Lazarus would die. This is realism. Yet, Jesus saw beyond death—God’s glory. There is a solid reality beyond sickness and death. The best example might be Jesus' death on the cross. When good Jesus died on the cross, many people saw it as the end. Beyond the cross, there was resurrection. It was God's glory. We live in problems, big or small. When we face a problem, we see it as the end. However small it is, we speak as if it is the end. We like using the term 'death' in our language: "I'm starving to death.", "I'm tired to death.", "I'm sleepy to death." Even when we mention good things, we say, "I'm joyful to death." This shows that we are seeing a problem as the end and we are under the power of death. Those who are under the power of death consider all problems as 'sickness that ends in death.' As you know, the suicide rate in Korea is soaring. Park Yongha, a famous 'Hanryu' star, committed suicide. The overall rate of suicide in Korea ranked top in the OECD countries. This shows that Korean people are sickened by the poisonous attack of death. Korean students are growing up in severe competition. They must study and study for better universities, for better job, and for better life. If they feel left behind in competition, they choose to die too easily. This is our trend. They don't learn to face problems. They don't have time to wrestle them by themselves, because they have to study. To Korean students, studying is the matter of life and death. This is the tragedy our society is having. Why are they sickly? It is because they see problems as the end. It is because they don't see God's glory beyond their painful reality. If only we keep being realistic, we fall into despair. How can we keep being realistic and at the same time, hopeful? We must keep Jesus' point of view about sickness: 'That's not sickness that ends in death, but for God's glory.' Jesus, with his almighty power, could see all things from beginning to the end. We only see in part. We don’t see all. We can’t see all so far ahead. It is natural for us to become preoccupied with pressures of events ahead of us. However, here comes the power of faith. Here comes another world. That's the world of God's glory. There are a lot of problems we're facing, but there is always more ahead. What is there? Who is there? God is there! He is beyond the painful realities. Where God is, there is God’s glory. May God help us to see God's glory beyond harsh reality. Second, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight?"(6-16) Look at verse 7. "Jesus said, to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea"" Jesus stayed there two more days after receiving the urgent news. During this time, Lazarus died. Then Jesus wanted to go to Judea. He wanted to see Lazarus, who already died. Jesus was going to see Martha and Mary. Jesus was willing to meet the hostile Jews. Jesus was going to face his final days—his eventual, painful death on the cross. To face problems in Judea, Jesus took his disciples along. How did the disciples respond? Look at verse 8. "But Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there? Don't say anything about it! The mere thought of the very "stone"? --makes us shudder!" Look at verse 9. "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." The disciples' problems was fear. Fear has always been a problem for mankind. Fear makes people cowardly and ungodly. Some psychologists suggest that there are 530 kinds of fear. We call fear "phobia". For example, cyberphobia, that is the fear of computers or working on computers, and decidophobia, that is the fear of making decisions, and ebephobia, that is fear of teenagers, gamophobia, that is fear of marriage, gynephobia, that is fear of women, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, that is fear of long words, petheraphobia, that is, fear of mother-in-law, and phobophobia, that is, fear of phobias. How can we overcome these phobias? Can psychiatrists help us? Learning martial arts brings you brave heart? Not at all. Ultimately, fear is rooted in the power of death. The devil uses the power of death to terrify people and make them his prisoners (Heb 2:15). It was the devil that whispers in our ears to trap us in fear. How can we overcome fear? We must accept Jesus. Jesus has risen from the dead. He crashed the power of death by resurrection. He won a glorious victory over death. By his resurrection, he gave us the living hope in the kingdom of God. By his resurrection, he helps us live in peace without fear of death. When we listen to Jesus’ words, he shines our hearts. His light drives darkness away from our heart. When we follow Jesus, we never walk in darkness and we have nothing to fear. Jesus went on to tell his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” This reveals Jesus’ view of death. To Jesus, death is like a sweet sleep. I have a question: "Is there anyone here who hate sleeping?" Luckily, nobody. How nice it is to sleep well after a day of hard work. Likewise, when our mission is completed in this world, we will sleep in everlasting rest with our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we do not need to be afraid of death. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They thought Lazarus was sleeping. But Jesus meant Lazarus was dead. Then they were confused which is right or wrong. Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." He announced as if he went into a battlefield in Afghanistan. He showed his determination of death solemnly. Here we praise his determination of death. But there's limits in human decision. Third, "I'm the resurrection and the life."(17-32) When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. Martha said in a complaining voice, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." She knew that Jesus could have saved Lazarus from death. Yet Jesus did not. Jesus had deliberately delayed coming. As a result, Lazarus died. Martha could not understand Jesus’ action. She was doubting the love of Jesus. She tried to have faith in Jesus, but her heart was sick with doubt. Jesus told Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” Jesus meant that he had come to raise Lazarus from the dead. And Jesus would do it soon. It was time for Martha to say, “Amen.” Instead, Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Martha believed in the resurrection at the last day. Her faith is futuristic. It was not connected to her present real life. Our faith must be connected to present. 'Present faith' is real faith. Someone sticks to his or her past. They live in a rapture about their accomplishment in the past. Someone has a vague hope in the future like Martha. It is somewhat idealistic and theoretical. Sticking to the past or the future doesn't bring living faith. To speak strictly, that is not faith. That is dead faith. God wants us to have present faith. Present faith is real faith by which we can solve problems. Present faith is power faith that let us challenge limits to make impossible possible. Let's read verse 25 and 26. "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” Jesus did not say, “I will be resurrected.” Jesus said, “I am the resurrection.” This means that Jesus is God. God revealed himself to Moses in the wilderness. In Exodus 3:14, God had told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” When he called himself “I AM” God emphasized that he exists by himself. God is absolute Being. God is eternal. God is the Almighty Creator God and the Sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth. This God has power to raise the dead. Those who live in his presence do not suffer from the thought of death. They can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness, before him all their days (Lk 1:74,75). Jesus is this Eternal, Almighty God. Jesus is the source of life and power. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Why is it so important to believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? It is because without his life and resurrection power, we would live under the power of death. The power of death makes a person miserable no matter who he or she may be. When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” he wanted Martha to accept him as God at that moment. She did not have to wait for the last day to experience Jesus’ power over death. Jesus wanted her to have victory over death immediately by believing in him. Jesus wanted her to receive eternal life and to live for the glory of God. Look at verses 25-26 again. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” Jesus gives us eternal life from the moment we believe. In fact, Jesus himself comes to dwell in our hearts. Jesus gives his life to us. It is life with Jesus that never ends. Jesus solves our future security problem. Jesus solves our death problem. Jesus gives us peace. Jesus gives us great joy and the meaning of life. Jesus is the best gift, and Jesus is everything to everyone, no matter who he or she may be. Jesus wants each of us to enjoy his life right now and forever. We can do so when we simply believe in Jesus. However, Martha and Mary did not take Jesus at his word. How did Jesus deal with them? Fourth, “Take away the stone” (33-40). Look at verse 33. When Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Verse 35 is the shortest verse in the Bible, consisting of only two words: "Jesus wept." Jesus wept because he had compassion for those suffering under the power of death. But Jesus’ weeping had a deeper, divine element. Jesus wept over the unbelief of those he loved. Unbelief makes Jesus weep. When we don't have belief, Jesus weeps. Jesus determined to help them overcome their unbelief as a matter of life and death. How did Jesus help them overcome unbelief? Look at verse 39a. “‘Take away the stone” Jesus gave a command to take away the stone. Jesus wanted them to challenge the power of death through an act of faith based on his word. Jesus wanted them to live by his word instead of their senses and feelings. Was it easy to take away the stone? Yes. It was easy! It only required action! But Martha made an excuse. "By this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." She was filled with the thought of death. Martha’s problem was that she did not remember Jesus’ words. When she did not remember Jesus’ words, she suffered under the thought of death. She fell into doubt and became unbelieving. Look at verse 40. “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God.” Jesus got angry with her unbelief. Jesus helped her and the people around her overcome unbelief. Then Jesus looked up and thanked God that God listened to him. He also thanked God that everyone might believe in Jesus by his resurrection power. When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. He looked like a mummy that came to life. At Jesus’ word, Lazarus walked out of the grave alive! Jesus is the Almighty God. Jesus is the Son of God who gives life to the dead. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. In this passage we learn that Jesus really wants us to believe that he is the resurrection and the life. Jesus wants to live in our hearts and give us victory over death. Jesus wants us to live for the glory of God and do great things for God. For this, Jesus trains us by giving problems. Problems are not disease that ends in death. Problems are the opportunities to learn resurrection faith. We must see his glory beyond the painful realities by resurrection faith. Let’s take away the stones of unbelief from our hearts by making practical decisions to challenge our situations and problems. Let’s live by resurrection faith for the glory of God. |
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