God’s Timing John 11:1-16
This week we’re back to examining the Gospel of John, and as you gathered, we’re looking at the death of Lazarus. John is the only gospel writer who includes this event even as we saw in the text, the other disciples were there. The purpose of John’s gospel is to show Jesus’ divinity, and this story is at the center of that, but for now, let’s work through these verses.
In the very beginning we see Jesus and Lazarus, as well as his sisters Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus, and not just casual friends. “Mary is the one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.” They were believers in Jesus, they knew and accepted that he was the Messiah.
Verse 3, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” What would we do in a similar situation? We’d call and say things like, “Your father is sick” or, “Remember John down the street, he’s sick.”
Lord, the one you love is sick. First, this is a great understatement, Lazarus is dying. The family demonstrates for us that even in the most tragic of circumstances, Jesus our Lord loves us.
It’s said bad things happen to good people. It’s true because we live in a fallen world. But tragic events in our lives are not a judgement nor punishment from God. Does God punish? Yes, but that punishment is upon the death of non-believers, not as a result of our mistakes. Death, disease, pandemics are not God’s wrath upon us.
Verses 5 and 6, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” What? Jesus loves this man and he doesn’t go? The Bible tells us God is always with us, what does this tell us if Jesus didn’t go to Bethany? As we’re about to see, there is a reason.
Verses 7 and 8, “’Let us go to Judea.’’But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘the Jews there tried to stone you…’” The disciples were looking at the earthly situation, but as we’ve seen, scripture has an earthly explanation, and a spiritual one.
First, God has a plan and a timetable. And nothing we do or don’t do can cause it to change. Mary and Martha expected Jesus to come immediately, but God was using this event to glorify his kingdom and to lead others to it. Human expectations were not going to change God’s plan.
I had a friend Bill who’s now passed, he had a stroke. He could drive and take care of himself but the speech area of his brain was damaged, and it was hard to understand what he was saying. He used to ask me why God didn’t just take him when he had the stroke. I told him that his question told me why. He believed in God and Christ, he continued to attend service, and to the best of his ability, he continued to share Christ. His devotion to God in his situation was a great testament, and it served God and his kingdom.
We can find another spiritual lesson in verses 9 & 10, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daylight will not stumble, for they see by the light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
Jesus is referencing that he is in the world for a limited time and how he still has work to do. But it also points toward our limited time to accept Christ, for our time is limited by the length of our life. Upon our death the choosing is removed from us.
Anyone who walks in the daylight will not stumble; this refers to what Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Jesus again is telling his disciples, and all of us that anyone who is with him sees the world for what it is. Jesus is telling the world that anyone who is with him will not stumble over what Satan puts in their path.
These events, and Lazarus’ ultimate resurrection tells us that when you believe Jesus is Lord, whatever happens, you will be in the light, heaven and God’s glory, and nothing can trip you up and remove it from you. But without Jesus, you will stumble over everything Satan puts in your way; without Christ, you will be forever in spiritual darkness.
Verses 11&12, “’Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ His disciples replied, ‘If he sleeps, he will get better.’”
They missed the spiritual lesson. They didn’t understand that only Jesus can wake us and heal us from sin. Their response was a strictly earthly and self-centered one. “Let him rest, then we don’t have to go to a dangerous area, a place where they want to stone us.”
This event is happening about a month before Jesus’ crucifixion. And after three years the disciples still don’t get it, so Jesus makes it plain in verse 14, “Lazarus is dead…”
And now we come to verse 15, “and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe…” Jesus was glad he wasn’t there, you would expect him to want to be with his friends during this very difficult time. Lazarus was destined to die, and if Jesus was there when he did, many would claim Jesus was not who he said he was. Imagine, “I am the eternal life,” and then Lazarus dies. People would be saying “He couldn’t save Lazarus, how can he say he will save us.” And even when he raised Lazarus many would have said he wasn’t really dead, that it all was some kind of a trick.
Verse 15 again, “Let us go to him.” As I read this I thought of the others Jesus healed and raised; the Centurian’s servant he healed with a word while far away from him, the leper he healed with a touch, the girl he raised by telling her to wake up, the blind man he healed by putting mud on his eyes, and now he will raise Lazarus by going to his grave.
Jesus accomplishes his miracles in a variety of ways. God will work in each of you, he will help each of you in different ways. When you approach God in prayer, don’t expect him to do what he did before, don’t expect him to do what he did for someone else in a similar situation.
I also believe this is how the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. There is no one way the Holy Spirit will lead everyone to Christ. Those denominations and churches that say there is only their way to accept Christ, do God’s grace, mercy, work, and power a disservice. What opened my eyes and heart to Christ is probably not what opened yours. Don’t discount someone who says they know Christ because they came to him differently, their acceptance and salvation is as true as yours.
Finally, verse 16, “Then Thomas said…’Let us go that we may die with him.’” This is very similar to what another disciple will do. We all know that at the Last Supper, Peter vowed to die with Jesus, and then he denied he even knew him later that same night. Here we see Thomas vow to die with Jesus and in just a months’ time he will deny all Jesus said over these three years unless he could see and touch the wounds of the crucifixion. If these men could misunderstand what Jesus was saying and question the truth, is it any wonder why so many do so today?
These verses about Lazarus’ death show us a lot. They point us to John’s conclusion that Jesus is divine, he is God on earth. They re-enforce that Jesus is the light and the life of the world. That he loves each of us who accept him as Lord and that through him death is not the end; Jesus gives us eternal life in him.
These lines illustrate for us that in our fallen world, bad and tragic things happen, but they are not a punishment from God.
And finally, they explain that there is not one way God will work, not one way he leads, that there is not just one way he will lead us to truth and salvation. And as Christians, we should never dismiss someone’s testimony because it is different than ours.
May the peace, love, and joy of our Lord Jesus be with you always,
Amen