6/23/2023 0 Comments John 11 1 44![]() ![]() Then it would abandon the body, and there would be no hope of life. Some Jews believed that the soul hung around the body for three days, until decay set in. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Jesus knew what was coming, and he knew it had a higher purpose. Are you going there again?” Thomas said in verse 16, “Let’s go, too-and die with Jesus.” Bethany was only a couple of miles away from Jerusalem, and everyone knew that if they went, they were walking into harm’s way. ![]() The disciples said in verse 8, “Teacher…only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Jesus already made a statement that this would have a higher purpose: that he would receive glory through the upcoming events – not just the immediate events, but the chain of events that would follow, leading ultimately to his death.įor Jesus to return to Bethany would be extremely dangerous. By the time Jesus got there, Lazarus had been dead four days, and the messengers had left four days earlier, probably right before he died. We find out later that Jesus already knew that Lazarus had died, even by the time that the messengers arrived. Finally after two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” (John 11:5-7) I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this.” Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them. But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. Mary and Martha somehow knew where to find Jesus, and when Jesus was told “the one you love is very sick,” he didn’t have to guess. John assumed everyone would know the story of what Mary did, even though it’s not one he included in his Gospel. Some guess that Jesus lived with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha whenever they came to the area. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, the one you love is very sick.” (John 11:1-3)īethany was Jesus’ base of operations near Jerusalem. This is the Mary who poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. Let’s look at what happened in John 11, and let the story enter into our lives today. But when his wife died, he found himself asking brutally honest questions about God. Lewis was a strong believer in Jesus Christ, and even gave lectures on suffering. The wind blows, and we are gone-as though we had never been here” (Psalm 103:15-16).ĭeath is a reality, whether we want to talk about it or not. The Bible says, “Our days on earth are like grass like wildflowers, we bloom and die. They’re forgotten, and even their names aren’t remembered. It’s a bit sobering that nobody comes to lay flowers there anymore, nobody’s got pictures of these people on their mantles. The tombstones are so old that you can’t even read them anymore. When I visit my father in England, I often pass by the church cemetery just off the village square. Sure, he can turn water into wine, but what can Jesus do about death? The question at the beginning of John 11 is, “What can Jesus do about death?” You may already know the story, but there is a bit of suspense at the start of the chapter. But as we approach John 11, we’re approaching something more serious than that. They show that he has power over nature, power to heal, whether it’s someone who’s been blind from birth or someone far away. The miracles aren’t just events that happened. ![]() ![]() If you’ve been following along, every one of the miracles has pointed to something deeper. Today we’re coming to the final one, the most climatic one. For the past seven weeks, we’ve been looking at the miracles in the Gospel of John. ![]()
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