John 11
INTRODUCTION
We have come together to celebrate the gift of life. Our ultimate destination is not the tomb but a new life in the presence of Christ and of our loved ones. In cases like this, believers often reflect on the story of Lazarus, recorded in John 11. It is a story of four friends (Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and Jesus) who together experienced the profound emotional pain that follows the incursion of death among the living. The narrative illustrates the way believers should face the disturbing presence of our last enemy (death) during our pilgrimage in a foreign land.
I. WAITING FOR JESUS
The main character in the story is Jesus, who left on a journey leaving behind His three beloved friends (John 10:40). In the story, the departure of Jesus is a simple fact that was easily solved, but for us this detail describes what the Christian life is as we follow Him. He ascended to heaven and He is no longer physically and visibly present on earth, though He continues to be present among us through the Holy Spirit. While Jesus was on earth, He was fighting sicknesses and demonic powers, thus revealing God’s immense love for us.
In the story of Lazarus, Jesus is far away. It is during His journey and absence that Lazarus, the one He loved, gets sick (John 11:3). Martha and Mary’s prayers for healing are not answered as they expected. Their hope is that Jesus would return and heal their brother, but while they are waiting, Lazarus dies. We also wait for the return of Jesus, and we too get sick and die while waiting. Why do we die? There are many reasons for the presence of death on our planet. The most important is that there is a cosmic conflict going on and the intention of the enemy is to obliterate God’s magnificent creation. This planet is the battlefield because most humans have taken the side of the enemy.
We, like Lazarus, are deeply loved by Jesus, but we also get sick and die. The redemption of our bodies has not yet been consummated (Rom 8:23). Our bodies get infested by microorganisms or viruses, we age, our bones ache, we get sick, and we finally die. While all of this is going on, we eagerly wait and look forward to the moment when our last enemy, death, will be permanently defeated (1 Cor 15:26). We, like Mary and Martha, wait for Jesus.
II. JESUS AND DEATH
Yes, Jesus’ beloved friend, Lazarus, died. Perhaps Martha and Mary wondered about the death of their brother and about the absence of Jesus. Could it be that Jesus did not love them any longer? We can certainly affirm that the death of the ones we love does not mean that Jesus no longer loves us. Paul wrote with great conviction, “For I am persuaded that . . . death . . . shall [not] be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38–39; NKJV). Natural death is a common phenomenon; good and bad people die. But Jesus has a view of death that is worth considering.
First, natural death is inevitable; we all die. It is not a choice but a fate that brings life to an end, thus constituting death into our enemy. We can only choose eternal death or eternal life.
Second, according to Jesus, death is meaningless. There is no reason for it to be present in God’s creation, for it only results in the disintegration of life. Note that Lazarus’s body was in a state of decomposition (John 11:39). Jesus will demonstrate that there is no place for death in God’s will for us.
Third, Jesus frees natural death from its terror by saying, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up” (John 11:11, NKJV). Death is not our final destination! A waking up is coming our way! The alarm will go off and we will hear the trumpet’s sound! For those who believe in Him, the sleep of death will come to an end.
Fourth, Jesus will use death—that which is meaningless and absolutely unnecessary—to reveal His love, mercy, and glory when, through a display of His omnipotence, He will delete it from the universe. The resurrection of Lazarus illustrates the moment when Jesus’ power and glory will be manifested in the eternal defeat of our last enemy (John 11:4).
III. JESUS AND LIFE
Mary and Martha both say to Jesus, “If You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, NKJV). This is a profound statement. It expresses a deep understanding of the power and nature of Jesus. Death is probably the most powerful thing we know on this planet. There is no natural life-form that can stop it or escape from its claws. Yet Martha and Mary, with their limited understanding of Christ’s might, are able to confess that where Christ is, there is life: “Had You been here, our brother would be alive!” Ultimately, death cannot exercise its power in the presence of Jesus. Based on that conviction, He tells the two sisters to get ready for something even more majestic. Jesus asks them to place their faith in Him, for He has power to do the unimaginable. Death does not have the last word; Jesus does. While we wait we are also exhorted to place our faith in Him.
Then the Lord says to Martha, “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 11:25–26, NKJV). The question is of major significance: Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life? Do you, who have been touched by the power of death, believe the words of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life”? The statement makes a claim that changes everything we know. It is not just that Jesus has power to resurrect the dead; He does. But He is in Himself the resurrection because He is life in Himself. His resurrection assures us that all who are in Him will be resurrected. In other words, there is no resurrection without Jesus. He said to John, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev 1:18, NKJV).
CONCLUSION
The story of Lazarus was written for us, who are waiting for the return of Jesus and who, while waiting, experience death. The experience is painful because we are separated from loved ones, but we continue to wait for the ultimate defeat of death. Jesus reminds us that although natural death is inevitable, there is no reason for its presence among us. For us it is like falling asleep; the wake-up call of the trumpet is about to be sounded. Then death will be deleted from the universe, revealing the power, love, and mercy of God for His people. This most glorious experience is grounded in the fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus asked, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). Our answer should be, “Yes, we do.”
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Cor 15:51–54, NKJV). May this most glorious hope sustain you and transform your sadness into joy.
Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, ThD, is a retired director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
