The Death of a Friend

January 31, 2016 Background Scripture: John 11:1 – 44 Lesson Passage: John 11:38 – 44 Rarely does the news of a loved one’s death end on such a positive note. But this was the case concerning the death of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus. We still struggle to comprehend how God gets glory from the most tragic events in our lives. However, the bible shares many situations where this is exactly the case. Today’s text is a prime example. Jesus received word that his friend, Lazarus, was sick but Jesus chose to not go and visit or heal him. Jesus waited four days after he knew of Lazarus’ death before he visited Lazarus’ two sisters. When Jesus arrived on the outskirts of Bethany, Martha met him with what could aptly be described as a polite tongue lashing for refusing to come and heal her ill brother—especially since Jesus was a friend of the family. Martha made it clear that she knew that God would hear and answer Jesus’ prayers. In other words, as Martha put it, if Jesus had come, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus’ reply seemed less than what she was expecting. Rather than apologize for his absence, Jesus promised her that she would see Lazarus again. Martha was probably offended at that because she interpreted his response in the only rational way she could at that time. She knew she would be reunited with Lazarus in the resurrection but that was no reason for her to feel okay about Jesus not healing him. Even when we grow weary of seeing loved ones endure the pain of an illness, we are never quite ready to accept that they are about to leave from this life, forever. We would rather hope that somehow healing would come and they would remain here with us a little longer. Jesus’ healing touch was the obvious answer to Lazarus’ illness. Instead, Jesus did not come to heal him and Lazarus died. Jesus did not arrive in time to stop the burial procession as he had done for the widow’s son when he raised him from the dead. Jesus waited four days before he made his appearance in Bethany. This was enough time for rigor mortis to set in and for the biological cells of the body to begin to decay. After four days, the lifeless body would begin to stink. With no physical body to animate, Lazarus was now part of the spirit world and his sisters’ only hope was to be reunited with him in the resurrection. All of this grief could have been avoided if only Jesus had come and healed his friend, Lazarus. God had other things in mind for Lazarus. Jesus’ friend would be the first to experience the resurrection power of Jesus. A body that was already decaying was no match for the resurrection power of Jesus. Jesus’ response to Martha was clear: I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he was dead, shall live and he that lives and believes in me shall never die. Jesus had previously raised the dead but those bodies were not decaying. Those miracles of raising the dead would seem like “CPR” compared to the power displayed through the resurrection of a decaying body into a state of renewed physical life. This was special. This power had only been displayed in Ezekiel’s vision. But this was no vision. This was resurrection power on display for God’s glory and it was first demonstrated in Jesus’ friend, Lazarus. Our hope and joy should be in knowing that we too are Jesus’ friends. If Jesus tarries, one day we will all die physical deaths but because we are his friends, we will experience the power of the resurrection. Robert C. Hudson December 23, 2015