DISCLAIMER:
There are different
personality types.
Mary (the sister of
Martha and Lazarus) saying goodbye might be full of hugs and tears. “Oh, I wish
you could stay. Please don’t go. I’ll miss you so.”
However, Martha might
look more like this: “Here’s some sandwiches, cookies and coffee. I washed, folded
and packed your clothes. Now hit the road so you get there before dark. Love
you. Bye.”
Thus, different personalities
will have varied styles of worship. Both have unique strengths and weaknesses.
Different. Not wrong.
All people, even people living
for Jesus, have ups and downs. The Bible records both.
So, we shouldn’t
stereotype. However, many do. Especially when it comes to Martha and Mary. Or,
as mentioned last week, with Thomas (doubting) Thomas.
Most commentaries on Martha
and Mary depict Mary as marvelous and Martha as moody. Today, we will not
follow that school of thought. At all.
I pray we’ll look at
Scripture as written, not through the lens of a preconceived opinion.
Jesus finally showed up, but according to family and
friends, He was four days late.
Martha was the first to greet Him. They had a talk, it
was good. Martha let Him know how she felt. “If You’d have been here, my
brother would not have died.” John l1:21.
We know by the way Jesus responds, that she wasn’t casting blame, or shame, she was simply sharing her thoughts and feelings as she knew them.
She didn’t stop
there. Perhaps without taking a breath she made an amazing, powerful, statement
of faith; one that I pray we all would make in a similar situation. Even now
I know, whatever You ask, God will give. John 11:22.
Jesus responds by blessing Martha with a double honor. He told
her the plain physical truth, that her brother would rise again. And then, He
gave her an even greater Spiritual Truth; the 5th I AM statement.
I am the resurrection and the
life. He who believes in Me, though
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never
die. Do you believe this?” John ll:25-26.
Martha responded (like we all should), with life
giving, soul saving faith. Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, (Messiah—God
in flesh) the Son of God, who is to come into the world. John 11:27.
Don’t forget, this is just four days since her brother’s
death, and she’s speaking to the One who could’ve prevented it, but didn’t. Yet,
she doesn’t waiver. She stays the course; did not allow circumstance to cloud
her thinking, or emotion to fog her faith. She held fast to her Savior, her
Lord.
The conversation was raw Truth, but constructive. It was
calm and healthy; forward thinking, and purpose driven. There were no emotional
outbursts, no angst, anger, drama or trauma.
All that is about to change.
John 11:28 And when she (Martha)
had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her
sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
Martha used discretion, quietly, calmly, privately let
Mary know, Jesus had come and was calling for her personally.
29
As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30
Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met
Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting
her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out,
followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
32
Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying
to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
NOTE: Both Martha and Mary had been surrounded by
mourners (John 11:19).
Yet, somehow as soon as Martha heard Jesus was coming,
she managed to go quickly and privately to Him. They had a powerful, personal,
private, life giving, faith building, conversation (John 11:20-27).
On the other hand, Mary (even though Martha told her secretly,
that Jesus was calling for her personally) went noticeably, so
much so that the mourners followed (John 11:28-31).
33 "Therefore,
when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned
in the spirit and was troubled."
Mary showed up publicly, with all the weepers with her,
and there’s no record of any, powerful, personal, private, life giving, faith
building, conversation between Jesus and Mary, like the one Martha had with
Him. As a matter of fact, we don’t see Jesus speaking directly to Mary at all.
There is however, record that when Jesus saw Mary and
the mourners, He groaned and was troubled.
If our relationship with Jesus is only
in public, it will never be intimate.
Mary used the same words as Martha; Lord, if You
had been here, my brother would not have died. Yet, the reaction of
Jesus was entirely different.
He
gave Martha a double blessing, but to Mary, grrrrrrroaned.
That word "groaned" in the original
text means, grrrrrr. It means to be
moved with anger, to admonish sternly, to snort like an angry horse.
Literally to snort (roar) with rage.
The New Living Translation says, “a deep anger
welled up within Him.”
Why on earth was Jesus moved to anger?
Remember when He first heard about Lazarus, He stayed
for two days. He used the word "glad" when discussing the
situation with His disciples. I AM glad for your sakes that I was not
there, that you may believe.” John 11:15.
His talk with Martha was pleasant with no signs of
angst, or anger.
But, when He saw Mary and the mourners, He got mad.
Why?
There are different opinions.
Some say He saw the anguish caused by death and that
triggered an anger at death itself.
Or, perhaps hypocrisy was the reason for His fury. He
knew many of the people would only believe, when they saw miracles.
Maybe the hysteria of the moment made Him mad. In that
day funerals weren’t subdued like we do today. The louder the wailing and
weeping the more the deceased was loved—or so they thought. They even had mourners
for hire.
I haven’t heard of anyone willing to admit it, but perhaps
Mary played into this hysteria with her public display. Maybe Jesus waited in
the place where Martha met Him so He and Mary could also have a quiet, private,
life giving, faith building conversation; but alas, Mary showed up with the
circus.
Finally, consider that this miracle actually hurt the
recipient; Lazarus. This miracle was, to, Lazarus, but it was not, for,
Lazarus.
Laz was kicking back in Paradise. Getting to know saints
of old. He had no more sickness, disease, sorrow, pain, dying.
He had it made. Forever.
Death to the wicked, is the king of
terrors; to the saint, it’s the end of terror. (Charles Spurgeon).
Did Laz have a choice? Did God ask him, if he’d go
back? If Laz was left to decide, it must've been a tough decision.
We’re not told exactly why Jesus was angry, we’re
simply told when He saw Mary and the mourners, He was.
Jesus doesn’t speak to Mary, like He did with Martha,
He simply says, “Where have you laid him?” John
11:34.
They (not Mary) say, “Come
and see.”
Apparently, while following them to the tomb of
Lazarus, “Jesus wept.” John 11:35.
There are different
ideas about why Jesus wept.
NOTE: The word for wept, is entirely different than the wailing and sobbing of Mary and the mourners. This word reflects a silent tear or tears.
COMPASSION OF JESUS
The prevailing thought is that He wept out of
compassion. He saw others weeping and compassion and empathy
moved Him to tears.
For we do not have a High Priest who
cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15.
We do the same thing. If we see someone weeping, it
moves us to tears. We weep when we lose someone because we weren’t made for
this, for sorrow, for loss, for death.
But here, we see Jesus, weeping with us; so now, we
weep, but we weep with Easter in our tears, with Resurrection hope in our
heart.
COMMISSION OF LAZARUS
Perhaps He wept, out of love for Lazarus. Jesus knew, what
He was about to do. He knew the pain this would inflict on His friend. If Laz
had a choice in the matter, maybe right at that moment, Jesus could peak into
Paradise and see that Laz, agreed to follow Jesus, even if it meant slipping out
of Paradise, and into graveclothes.
Perhaps His eyes glistened and spilled at the parallel,
that He too left heaven, for a tomb. Philippians 2:7-8.
PASSION OF CHRIST
Jesus most certainly felt a rush of emotion knowing that this was a picture-perfect object lesson. He too, would soon be sealed in a similar tomb. And on the third day, the stone would roll, and the Rock of Ages would crush the serpent’s head and conquer, death, hell and the grave.
When they reach the tomb, we’re told Jesus is still angry. No small talk. No lesson. Just a command. “Take away the stone.”
Dear Martha, perhaps the only one near enough, and
bold enough, to say anything. “Lord, by now he stinks.” Jesus reminds her of
their prior conversation.
They roll away the stone.
Jesus prays out loud. Not for Lazarus to be raised,
but for the hearers to believe. All of this, was for that. So, they, and we,
would believe. John 20:30-31.
“Lazarus come forth!”
He calls His friend by name. He calls His sheep by name. John 10:3. Have you answered? Will you? One day soon, with a shout He will call His friends to, come forth! 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. And those who’ve agreed to follow Jesus, will slip out of graveclothes, and into Paradise.
And he who had died came out bound hand
and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said
to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” John
11:44.
Dear friend, today, right now, Jesus is calling you by
name. Come forth, from the stench of sin and death. Come forth out
of darkness, to Light. Come forth, toward His Word…
Perhaps you have.
Maybe you’ve already made the decision to follow
Jesus. But the graveclothes are still binding, still blinding, still stinking.
No worries. That’s normal.
That’s why He puts us in families. Not necessarily
biological, blood, families, but Spiritual families. So, we can help each other
remove the graveclothes. Get rid of the stinkin’ thinkin’. Rip off the habits
of our old sin nature.
Coming to Jesus isn’t a miracle cure for all that ails
ya.
Jesus called, “Come forth.” Lazarus body immediately
came to life. But he had to walk (or perhaps hop) out of the tomb, into the
Light. He needed help from others to see, and be free.
So do we.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for leaving Paradise
to put on graveclothes, so we could put off graveclothes and enter Paradise.
Please help us, to hear Your Voice, and
follow, no matter where it leads. And help us to help others, to see You, and
be free.
We love you, forever.
Amen.
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Watch Sermon: LazarusCome Forth, John 11:28-44
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