“Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” -John 11:18-44
One of the most difficult observances in life is that of people mourning over a dearly beloved friend or family member who has died. As far as this world, death is a permanent separation of fellowship – a final goodbye. Even when we are blessed to have a biblical perspective that we will see our beloved again in the resurrection, the separation and loneliness that follows the loss of a friend causes a sorrow deeper than most any other hurt we experience. This really is no surprise: biblically speaking, death is the end of sin, and described in James 1:15, “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (also consider Genesis 2:17 and Romans 5:12). Therefore, death is a cruel and devastating plague to us. Death is the last enemy that shall be destroyed (I Corinthians 15) and even now, after the ascension of Christ, we universally experience death. As we will see, the difference for the believer is not the absence of sorrow, but rather the presence of hope. For an unbeliever, there is no victory over death and therefore no true and lasting comfort for such a great loss.
When our text begins in John 11:18, Lazarus is dead and has been buried for four days. His mourning family is being comforted by evidently a large number of the Jews. Upon Jesus’s arrival, he is asked the same basic question three times (vs 21, 32, and 37): “If you had been here, couldn’t you have prevented this tragedy?” The implication of the question is obvious: “If you had the power, why didn’t you stop this?” Of course, this is the same question which has been asked countless times throughout history when the ugliness of sin is fully manifest. If God is all good and all powerful, why do bad things happen? It is almost as if mankind wants to blame God for the presence of sin and death in this world. But, to remain biblically grounded, we must never forget that God suffers sin (Romans 2:4), but He never causes it. “By man came death” (I Corinthians 15:21). On the other hand, Jesus declared to Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” A Biblical worldview proclaims that God is righteous, and that man brought the curse of sin upon himself. But, God loved His people and restored them to Himself that they may live without sin before Him forever in glory. They brought death, but He brought life.
Martha’s statement in verse 27 is as great a profession of faith as is recorded. “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” John’s inclusion of this statement no doubt serves to remind the reader of his primary intention in writing his account of the gospel. He wanted to confirm and reconfirm that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah (Christ), God manifest in the flesh, One who is both God and man. This is the fundamental takeaway of all of the miracles in John we have studied in this series. In fact, this one serves as the climax of these miracles. As stated above, our greatest and most feared enemy is not hunger, sickness, or blindness; it is death. In this miracle, Jesus gloriously demonstrated the power of God. Our strongest enemy is treated merely as “sleep” by our Savior. How did our Lord resurrect a dead man? He did so by calling him, the same way we awaken someone who is asleep. This miracle was performed as proof-positive that Jesus Christ has power over death and resulted in the conversion of many of the Jews who were present (verse 45).
Lazarus was resurrected, but he was not resurrected into glory by this miracle as evidenced by the fact that he was still on earth in chapter 12. I mention this to say that there is a greater resurrection at the last day which we still anticipate. The same voice who called Lazarus particularly will call all of the dead, small and great, to come forth from their graves at the last day. We believe with Martha in the “resurrection at the last day” and take great hope in it. We may be deceived to believe that life would be easier if all of our loved ones who have previously died could be resurrected in a special blessing like the one given to the family of Lazarus. However, the Bible tells us that the resurrection to come is a “better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35) because we will be raised immortal and incorruptible (I Corinthians 15:54), and at that time “Death is swallowed up in victory.” There is no better hope or greater comfort for the child of God than to see his Master as triumphant over sin and death. In fact, Jesus Christ Himself is the one who said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” May Jesus Christ be praised!