Lazarus Raised from the Dead - John 11 - didn't teach, possible sermon prep

Raised from the Dead

John ch.10 ended Jesus’ public ministry and ch.11-13 Jesus instead turns his attention to his existing friends & followers & ch.13-21 are ALL Passion Week.

John’s tone also changes from the consistent hatred & rejection of leading Jews to the unmistakable glory of God in our story today.

Just think without the gift of hindsight we have: we know Jesus’ death & resurrection where on its way but his friends, family & followers didn’t. So what 1 miracle could Jesus give his inner circle to prepare them for what was about to happen? He could show them…..a death & resurrection, 1^st hand experience. 

        Q#1 – What are some ways the Resurrection of Lazarus evidenced Christ’s glory? In 3 ways: pointed to his deity, strengthened the faith of his followers, leads directly into the cross

The Resurrection of Lazarus is THE most dramatic & climatic capstone to Jesus’ public ministry.

         Of Jesus’ 6 prior miracles:

#1 Turning water to wine, Ch 2

#2 the healing of the official’s son, Ch 4

#3 the healing at the pool of Bethesda, Ch 5

#4 the multiplication of the bread & fish ch 6

#5 is 2 fold: Walking on water & the calming of the storm ch 6

#6 healing of a man born blind ch 9

Lazarus’ resurrection is MORE important than all of these & even more monumental that prior resuscitations: Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8) & the widow’s son (Luke 7) because those were right after their deaths. Only Lazarus’ resurrection was like Jesus’ resurrection after a definitive death, a prolonged period of dead time, even definite decomposition as they did not have the embalming methods we use today & then without any aid or assistance – Resurrection! Unlike it is in mythology with miracle elixirs or dips into magical pools (like on the TV show Arrow or Miracle Max from the movie Princess Bride).

        

         Preparation of miracle vs. 1-16

         Q#2 - from vs. 2, 3 & 5 – Why are the phrases, “Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment & wiped his feet with her hair & Lazarus, he whom you love is ill & Jesus loved Mary, Martha & Lazarus” used?

The text seems not just to explain who was involved but to speak to the closeness & intimacy between this family & Jesus.

I think from the timeline Jesus’ friend Lazarus was already dead before he got the note from the Mary & Martha’s messenger because it was about 1 day travel from them to Jesus, 2 day stalling tactic by Jesus, then 1 day travel back to them & when he arrived Lazarus was already 4 days dead.

         Q#3 – Did Jesus want Lazarus to die?

         Follow-up Q#4 – Why did Jesus wait 2 days till Lazarus was    REALLY DEAD to come to him?

 

** Arrival of Jesus vs.17-36 (Faith of Martha)

Faith          in Jesus as healer vs 21

Faith in Jesus’ relationship to God, for God to hear his prayers vs 22

Faith in the general Resurrection on the last day vs 24

**Faith in Jesus, period vs 27. This is KEY, this is the sole reason John writes the book is for more people to come to this confession we hear from Martha (like John 20:30-31) not just any hope, not just any trust, not just any faith, but trust, hope & faith IN Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior & life-giver!

Belief in Jesus the faith healer IS NOT ENOUGH to save! Several times Jesus’ work is to turn people’s minds from mere physical improvement to understand more who & what Jesus really is.

         Q#5 What do you think of vs 35 “Jesus wept,” why? Was he     sad or upset? For whom or about what?

Anger over the unbelief of his people and the cycle of: conception, sin, pain and death they were tied to.

        

         Miracle itself 37-44 Let’s read vs. 41-44

Vs. 39 describe a family sepulcher: cave with a # of casket-sized slots cut into the cave walls where the bodies of the dead were laid until they’d been reduced to just bones, then were often moved to boxes for keeping.

In this section, Jesus’ prayer was one of thanksgiving not one of petition, the reason for the miracle was to authenticate his claims to be Messiah & Son of God & display or preview the power to be fully displayed in the final resurrection when ALL the dead hear the Voice of the Son of God and live. (Read John 5:25, 28-29)

         Last? – What do you think would be the leading Jews response to news of this? Grateful, a dead man was raised & reunited with his family? Remorse, for their consistent opposition of Jesus? Repentance & Faith? We’ll hear about that next week.

@@@@

Revelation 20:13-15 (ESV)

¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Daniel 12:1-2 (ESV)

12 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. ² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Job 19:25-27 (ESV)

²⁵ For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.^[a]
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in^[b] my flesh I shall see God,
²⁷ whom I shall see for myself,
    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!

Isaiah 26:19 (ESV)

¹⁹ Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
    You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
    and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (ESV)

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;^[a] it was full of bones. ² And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath^[b] to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling,^[c] and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”