There is a fascinating interaction between Jesus and Martha in the account of Lazarus' resurrection. It explains why Jesus had the power to raise him up.
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The Resurrection
John 11:23-27
- We find that a man named Lazarus, of Bethany, the brother of Martha is dead in our passage of the day
- Jesus tells us plainly he is dead
- In fact, he has been dead for four days by the time we arrive at our text
- And he has already been buried
- The only One who can change this is God himself
- And by the time we arrive at verse 43, He does
- Jesus tells Lazarus to come forth from his grave - and he comes forth alive
- Making this one of the more memorable miracles in the New Testament
- But there is an interaction between Jesus and the sister, Martha, that we want to highlight today
- It tells us why Jesus had the power to do this
- And causes us to think about what we believe regarding "The Resurrection"
- Which is our theme from John 11:23-27 today
- All of the actions and interactions surrounding today's text are important
- Context, in scripture, is always important
- But this context is a real life explanation of something that we read
- It is one of the physical proofs for a spiritual truth
- It wasn't necessary for Jesus to provide it
- But He provides it anyway
- And for feeble people like you and I, it helps
- Let's read a little context, then read the five verses we're here to talk about
- At the beginning of John 11 we learn that Lazarus is sick…
John 11:1-4
1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
- Jesus didn't immediately go - if fact, He stayed where He was two more days
- Then telling His followers "we should go back to Judea"
- That's where we pick up the chapter, at the end of verse 11…
John 11:11b-15
11b Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
- We've already heard two things from Jesus that inform us about the future
- He says "the end of this sickness will not be death"
- And He says "for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe"
- There is no doubt Lazarus is dead
- He makes this plain to them
- But He also reveals hope
- He will soon be there
- And He will make all of the difference
- Jesus is speaking with Martha in today's text…
John 11:23-27
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
- This is a response to Martha's accusation
- She says to Jesus (in verse 21) "if you would have been here, my brother would not have died"
- The first part of His response is "even now, whatever you ask, God will give you"
- With all of this background
- Let's take a closer look at each verse…
John 11:23
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
- Words of promise like this from Jesus are a guarantee
- There can be no doubt
- When He is involved, a dead man can return to life
- For the Creator of the Universe
- The God over all things
- The One who holds everything in the universe together
- This is not a difficult task
- Lazarus will live
- The end of his illness will not be death
- Even if it has been death for four days
- It is not over
- Not while Jesus is there
- But Martha seems to spiritualize what Jesus says…
John 11:24
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
- Martha believes, rightly, in a resurrection for all who are dead in Christ
- It's almost as though she can't dare hope for a resurrection of her brother at that moment
- Instead she looks to a future reunion in the last days
- She is demonstrating belief, no doubt
- But, in a certain way, she is looking past the Creator in front of her
- While she was perfectly willing to believe in His healing power while Lazarus was sick
- Remember her words from verse 21 "if you would have been here, my brother would not have died"
- She seems to fail in her recognition of His power while Lazarus is dead
- Jesus explains…
John 11:25
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
- Jesus is not just the Savior who forgives
- He is not just the Savior who gives grace
- He is not just the Savior who heals our diseases
- He is the Savior who raises men, dead in their trespasses and sins, to life
- When He dies, He will not stay dead
- The grave would have no hold on Him
- He is the resurrection and the life
- It is not just the realms of spiritual death that He rules
- But physical death as well
- He has power to intervene and to overcome death
- We're talking about the Master over everything
- The Author of eternal salvation
- He goes on to make this clear…
John 11:26
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
- When He says never die - He means it
- Those who believe have eternal life
- And if He can grant eternal life, certain he can bring the physically dead to life
- The question is whether or not Martha believes
- The question for us is whether or not we believe
- And Martha gives the right answer…
John 11:27
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
- The Christ is the anointed - the Messiah
- This is the One who was prophesied
- The Savior of Israel
- The One who would bring salvation to the Gentiles
- He would die, and be buried, and raise from the dead
- His death would be for our sins, not His own
- To pay our penalty
- Because His Father is just
- And blood must be shed for the remission of sins
- He is the only One worthy to make this sacrifice
- And He will
- Martha believes
- In the following verses, He provides a physical demonstration…
John 11:43-44
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
- And the next verse is key…
John 11:45
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.