Daily Bread 2010 - John 11
Daily Bread 2010 – John 10
Jesus Comforts the Sisters
17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
I usually try to extract just a few verses each day, but this story is so good I had to copy and paste the whole story. As we have been saying, John uses the word “signs”, not “miracles” to describe the supernatural things Jesus does that point to where he comes from. In John 11, we see the ultimate sign, raising someone from the dead. And, in fact, in this case Jesus raises his friend Lazarus.
A little bible trivia for you, what is the shortest verse in the bible? John 11:35, “Jesus wept!” When we see this verse we see the humanness of Jesus. And that he truly cared for his friend. We also notice that both of his sisters Mary and Martha were good friends of Jesus. You remember Martha was the one so worried about the details when Jesus came over, that Jesus gently rebuked her saying, “Martha you worry so much about all these details, Mary has done the one thing that is needed.”
In this story when they get there of course Martha is the first to meet him and you almost picture her saying, “Lord if you had been here he wouldn’t have died.” But then she expresses her faith that Jesus will do what is necessary. When Jesus says, “He is the resurrection and the life”, she expresses her belief. So it this time that Martha has done the one thing that is needful.
Meanwhile Mary is weeping and being comforted by her friends and when she hears that Jesus has come, she runs to meet Jesus and similarly says, “Lord if you had been here he would not have died.” Possibly in a different tone of voice than Martha. As Jesus goes to the grave side and asks the stone to be moved, Martha again intervenes as says, “Don’t do that there will be a bad odor it has been 4 days.” Gently Jesus says, “Didn’t I tell you if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
Who are you more like Mary or Martha? Fortunately Jesus deals with both graciously and meets them where they are at in their faith. May we extend the same to the Mary’s and Martha’s in our lives!
Jesus, thank you for your promise that you are the resurrection and the life, and if we believe we too will never die. Give us patience when we don’t see you doing things the way we think you should do them, or in our time frame. Help us remember you make all things beautiful in Your time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus Comforts the Sisters
17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
I usually try to extract just a few verses each day, but this story is so good I had to copy and paste the whole story. As we have been saying, John uses the word “signs”, not “miracles” to describe the supernatural things Jesus does that point to where he comes from. In John 11, we see the ultimate sign, raising someone from the dead. And, in fact, in this case Jesus raises his friend Lazarus.
A little bible trivia for you, what is the shortest verse in the bible? John 11:35, “Jesus wept!” When we see this verse we see the humanness of Jesus. And that he truly cared for his friend. We also notice that both of his sisters Mary and Martha were good friends of Jesus. You remember Martha was the one so worried about the details when Jesus came over, that Jesus gently rebuked her saying, “Martha you worry so much about all these details, Mary has done the one thing that is needed.”
In this story when they get there of course Martha is the first to meet him and you almost picture her saying, “Lord if you had been here he wouldn’t have died.” But then she expresses her faith that Jesus will do what is necessary. When Jesus says, “He is the resurrection and the life”, she expresses her belief. So it this time that Martha has done the one thing that is needful.
Meanwhile Mary is weeping and being comforted by her friends and when she hears that Jesus has come, she runs to meet Jesus and similarly says, “Lord if you had been here he would not have died.” Possibly in a different tone of voice than Martha. As Jesus goes to the grave side and asks the stone to be moved, Martha again intervenes as says, “Don’t do that there will be a bad odor it has been 4 days.” Gently Jesus says, “Didn’t I tell you if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
Who are you more like Mary or Martha? Fortunately Jesus deals with both graciously and meets them where they are at in their faith. May we extend the same to the Mary’s and Martha’s in our lives!
Jesus, thank you for your promise that you are the resurrection and the life, and if we believe we too will never die. Give us patience when we don’t see you doing things the way we think you should do them, or in our time frame. Help us remember you make all things beautiful in Your time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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