“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’
“When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’
“‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?’
“Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.’
“After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’
“His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’
“Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
“So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’
“Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” (John 11:1-16, NIV)
Let’s make sure a couple of things are clear before we talk about anything else.
First, you have to know that Jesus loves Lazarus and his sisters. He cares deeply for them. He wants to help them and he does. He sends them an encouraging word: “This sickness will not end in death.”
Who wouldn’t want to hear that? And he adds that God’s going to get the glory for all that happens.
Jesus loves us the same and cares for us in a similar way. Any time you’re going through a difficult situation and a verse or passage of Scripture lifts your spirits, that’s Jesus. He’s expressing his deep passion for you and offering you his peace. He’s doing in you what is necessary to help you and to bring glory to your Father in heaven.
Second, we need to note that Jesus waits purposefully after he’s received the message from Mary and Martha. After John confirms Jesus’ great love for these sisters and for their brother, the apostle intentionally inserts the word “yet”.
“Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, [Jesus] stayed where he was two more days.”
Despite Jesus’ love or, dare we imagine it, because of Jesus’ love, he delays his answer to their desperate plea for help. You’ve experienced this “yet” in your life too. You’ve prayed to God with as much faith as you can muster and the answer is slow in coming. You wait, patiently at first, then less patiently. You keep praying. You keep seeking God’s mercy and there seems to be no change in your situation. Do you ever think in those circumstances that God is working on the answer that will bring him the most glory? I don’t always. Most of you probably don’t. We just wonder why God is letting our troubles go on so long.
The answer to that question is: he’s doing it for our good. He knows that we grow most during hard times. We are more dependent upon him then. We learn trust then and when he sees us through our trials he gets glory as we tell of his goodness.
If you aren’t concerned about God’s glory, but only about your own comfort and ease, this isn’t the answer you were looking for. But God’s glory matters. It matters more than my pleasure in life. When he is glorified, men are drawn to him and they receive eternal life. That’s more important than any discomfort I may endure.
Now that we’ve been assured of God’s love for us and of his Son’s desire to bring him glory, let’s talk about fear.
After two days have passed since the arrival of the sisters’ prayer, Jesus says, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
That’s where Jesus had just come from a few days earlier. While he was there, a crowd had tried twice, unsuccessfully to stone him to death. The story is in chapter 10. We won’t get into it much here, but I’ll say this much. Those who were ready to cast the first stone understood correctly Jesus’ claim to be God’s Son. That’s why they were ready to kill him. He was, in their eyes, a blasphemer, a man claiming equality with God.
The disciples remember this incident really well and they question Jesus’ sanity. “‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?’” They think he’s lost his marbles.
Then Jesus speaks some really profound words. “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?” he asks. “A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”
Kind of cryptic, but Jesus is saying something important. He is speaking to his fearful followers and saying, “If you are following me, you will be protected. As long as you’re doing my Father’s will, you have no reason to fear. It’s only when you ignore his direction or disobey his commands that you will stumble.”
Let me explain using a story from my own life. Almost every time I’ve been to Africa, there have been people in the church who have been concerned for my safety. The questions concerning safety were especially pointed when Susan and I were gearing up to take our kids with us in 2004. “Is it safe?” was the question some asked.
My response to those questions, which I understood to come from genuine love and concern, just as the disciples’ question to Jesus did, was this: “It is safer to be in Africa following God’s will for my life than to be in Argonia ignoring his direction.”
I believe those words with all my heart. God watches over and walks with his own. God gives his children comfort and encourages them when life is at its toughest and most dangerous.
That’s what Jesus is telling the twelve. “While you’re walking through this world, you’re not going to stumble beyond recovery as long as you walk in the light. Why fear men? They can’t harm you unless I allow them to and I will only allow what will cause you to grow. I will not permit something that will not, in the end, bring glory to the Father.”
Friends, you have nothing to fear! What’s the worst someone can do to you? Kill you? Then you’re with Jesus! So fear God and love Jesus and follow the Spirit’s leading. You cannot die until God says it’s your time to die.
Jesus walked away from those who were intent on stoning him. They could not harm him because he was doing his Father’s will and it was not his Father’s will at that time that he die. The same is true of you. No harm can befall you unless it is approved for your benefit – so that you can grow in your faith – by your loving Father.
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