May 20,2012
Lesson Scripture:
John 11:17-27
Lesson Focus:
Jesus brings life
from Death
INTRODUCTION.This week we focus on the events leading up to the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The lesson teaches us that if we believe in Jesus, we will experience the resurrection and the life to come in Him.The background for this story begins at a time when Lazarus became sick.Jesus and His disciples were in an area east of the Jordan River (see John 10:40).He stayed there two days after receiving news of Lazarus’ illness (see John 11:6) and returned only after Lazarus had died (see John 11:14-15).
Death and burial (John 11:17).The lesson begins with “Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.”When Jesus received the news of Lazarus’illness while east of the Jordan, He delayed two extra days before leaving. Since Jesus is all-knowing, He knew what was happening and what He was going to do about it. Therefore, He felt no need to hurry.When Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus “had lain in the grave four days already.”In other words, Lazarus had been dead for four days.
(vs. 18). Here John tells us that “Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.” The town of Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus was less than two miles east of Jerusalem on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and also on the road leading to Jericho. A “furlong” is about five hundred feet. So fifteen furlongs is a little less than two miles.
(vs. 19).This verse says“And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.”The closeness of Jerusalem to Bethany allowed many friends to travel to Bethany to comfort Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha.Such a large number of people present indicates that they may have been a well known family in Bethany.As a result, many people were drawn there in this time of need.
(vs. 20).John now writes “Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.” As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was near, she went to meet Him. Martha, not one to sit and brood, as soon as she heard Jesus was near, went to meet Him even before He entered the town (see John 11:30).Mary stayed behind and sat in the house.It was customary for those who were bereaved to remain seated in the house while comforting friends came by to sit in silence with them.
(vs. 21).This verse says,“Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”Upon reaching Jesus, Martha voiced her belief to Him that if He had been there earlier her brother would not have died. Martha’s words expressed faith in Jesus’ power. She fully believed He could have healed Lazarus from his illness and kept him from dying.
(vs. 22).Martha’s faith became even more evident as she said “But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.”The words “even now” indicate that she had not completely given up hope. She probably didn’t believe that Lazarus would be resurrected but she knew that if Jesus had come earlier whatever He asked His Father would have been done. (vs. 23). In response to Martha’s vague expression of hope, “Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.” Jesus promised Martha that her brother would “rise again.”
(vs. 24). Martha interpreted Jesus’ promise that her brother would rise again this way: “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Of course she was correct. However, she was thinking of resurrection the way the Old Testament refers to it. Her Jewish religion had taught about the resurrection of the dead (see Job 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2). However, for the Jews, the resurrection was an event in the distant future completely isolated from their immediate sorrows. It was also isolated from the Person who would give resurrection meaning. Jesus would one day call forth the dead and give them life (see I Thessalonians 4:13-17).
(vs. 25).In His superb teaching style, Jesus led Martha gently from one level of faith to another. He said to her “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”Martha believed in a future resurrection but she had not identified it with Jesus.Therefore He attempted to raise her faith one step higher by declaring that resurrection was more than an event, it was bound up in a Him as a Person when He said “I am the resurrection, and the life.”Jesus alone is the resurrection and the life.Life has always resided in Him (see John 1:4); so it is His life that replaces death in the resurrected. Jesus continued to explain that He functioned as the resurrection and the life in two ways.First, He said to Martha “he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”Here, Jesus spoke of the believer who experiences physical death as Lazarus did.The believer will still live by experiencing resurrection.The believer is not exempt from physical death, but he is assured of living again.(vs. 26). Here Jesus gives the second way in which He functions as the resurrection and the life.He said “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”The word “liveth” here refers to physical or earthly life.The phrase “shall never die” refers to spiritual death. It is a statement that all believers in Jesus Christ will never, ever experience spiritual death,or separation from God.Once we become part of God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we will never lose that family relationship.From that moment on we have eternal life (see John 3:16; 5:24; 10:28-29).In the last part of this verse, Jesus challenged Martha’s faith by asking “Believest thou this?” He wanted to know if Martha believed what He said about being the resurrection and the life.
(vs. 27).Martha’s reply to Jesus was “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”Martha’s answer to Jesus was that she now believed that He was “the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”Identifying Jesus as the Christ, Martha revealed a deep faith in Him understanding that He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God sent by the Father to the world.Note: Martha did not yet grasp just how Jesus was the resurrection and the life, but she believed that He was all He claimed to be. Her heart was again at ease and her faith in Jesus as the Messiah, or the Christ was vindicated when He miraculously raised Lazarus from the dead. In Martha’s imperfect but growing faith we find hope for ourselves, for if we have received the right Person, He will continue to reveal new truths about Himself to us.
Conclusion.Is your heart at ease knowing that you have eternal life?Everyone will exist forever, but unbelievers are not going to be with God.They will experience eternal death in the lake of fire.The Christian, however, has no need for anxiety about the certainty of life after physical death.God’s promises have been recorded and He keeps His promises.Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life, we can be assured of life after physical death, and through faith in Christ we can be assured of spending eternity in God’s presence.
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