How many times have you read in the book of John the story of Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus? If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably say something like, “Without exaggerating, I’ve probably read it nearly 100 times!” I had just read it again – once to my son, and a couple other times myself, and it was the same old, same old story. That is, until today. Today I saw it in a new light.

Though you’ve most likely read it all before, let me set the stage for you before I go into what was shown to me this day. The story begins with a man from Bethany, named Lazarus. Lazarus had become ill, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were so concerned, that they sent word to Jesus about Lazarus’s current condition – “Lord, he whom you love is ill,” they said. Jesus was obviously very close to the family and loved them all dearly. How many know that when you love someone dearly, and they’re ill to the point of death, it’s not unknown to desire to go to them and spend the last few minutes of their life together? You’d do whatever it takes to get to them, am I correct? So why did Jesus, upon hearing that Lazarus was ill, stay two days longer in the location he was in, versus going directly to the one he loved?

Let’s take a look at John 11:4-7; 11; 14.

“But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’”

“After saying these things, he said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him…Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’”

Jesus never failed to listen to and heed the voice of the Lord. He always went to the Lord for direction. Not only that, but there were many times recorded in the Bible where Jesus saw things that would happen before they actually happened – He foretold His own death, burial and resurrection! I believe this was one of those times. Jesus received word from the Lord that this was not the end for Lazarus, but that He had a plan to use these heart-wrenching events for the good of all those involved.

Let me take a second to interject here that as heart-wrenching as a loved one’s death may seem, God has many plans interwoven into it which will ultimately bring about good, whether we can see it in the immediate future, later on down the road, or when we cross over from this life into the next.

So, God was using Lazarus’s death for good. How? I thought he loved Martha and Mary. Why did he lag behind and let their precious brother die?! How could a God who loves us so much, let our loved ones die? I’ll try and explain this the best I can. After sending notice to Jesus, Martha received a word. “This illness does not lead to death…Your brother will rise again.”

“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day,’” (John 11:21-24).

Martha couldn’t quite grasp what Jesus was saying; she lacked understanding, and was relying on what she had heard previously about the resurrection of the dead. She was living from an old mindset and couldn’t understand how Lazarus could possibly live again, or the way in which it could happen. Martha was living from a place of what she had heard and had never seen, but she was about to get first hand experience on what resurrection looks like. She stood looking directly at The Resurrection and The Life.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26).

It’s impossible for people to know and really see Jesus for who He is unless the Lord reveals Him to us. This was Martha’s trouble. Though Resurrection and Life stood before her, she couldn’t understand; she hadn’t encountered Him in this way before. Jesus was about to reveal himself to Martha and Mary in a new way.

God uses the story of Lazarus to reveal to His people what a resurrected life looks like, and also what Jesus was about to experience. Lazarus was about to show the natural side of resurrection and Jesus the spiritual side. If we look again at the above Scriptures, John 11:25-26, one may wonder what exactly does that mean – “though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Let me explain. We can enter into Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, not by physically dying, but by acknowledging that our lives without Jesus will ultimately lead to eternal death in our sins. If Jesus had never came, Lazarus would have remained dead. This is the same with us. Without Jesus giving His life for us, we would still be dead in our sin and transgressions. The way we enter into his death with him is by giving Him control over our lives, and recognizing that we can do nothing apart from Him. Our old self, our old way of doing things is buried, never to resurface again. We then arise a new creation in Christ Jesus, fully forgiven, and heaven bound. We’re in the same body, but we look different; our character begins to change, the way we handle ourselves starts to look different, the way we talk changes, and the things we say and do begin to exude life and bring life to those areas around us which had previously been in a state of death or decay.  Jesus brings to life that which is dead and decaying.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised form the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him…So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 6:5-9; 11).

Matthew 16:25-26 sums it up rather well saying, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

So, Lazarus had died, had been in the tomb for 4 days and had begun the process of decaying, but Jesus raised him back to life and called him out from the tomb, “he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’” And “the man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go,’” (John 11:43-44). It was through the death and resurrection of Lazarus that Martha, Mary, and most all who were present for the miracle, witnessed the power of God at work, and therefore believed. Let me take a second and remind you of how Jesus said he was glad he had not been there when Lazarus died so that they would believe (vs 15). Looking back at John 11:5-6 also, we can conclude that it was because of Jesus’s love for Martha and Mary, and even us, that he stayed back and didn’t come right away. He wanted to reveal Himself to us all and show us that through Him, we can live a resurrected life right here, right now, on this earth, if only we will choose to believe. Jesus had a plan.

One final thought, as I wrap this up, has to do with Jesus’s statement about walking in the day versus walking in the night. Jesus’s disciples were concerned for his life because the Jews were at that moment seeking to stone Jesus in Judea – the same location as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus’s home. By going to Lazarus, it appeared Jesus would be placing himself in danger. Jesus used this opportunity to model Matthew 16:25-26. He chose to do the will of God and go despite the fact that people were out to kill him. How could he do such a thing and not be worried?

“Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him,” (John 11:9-10).

The reason Jesus wasn’t worried, and could go forward was because he had directions from the Lord, and because he was walking in the Light. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same, 3-in-1. The Bible tells us that that God is light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5), and Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12). Whoever is born again by entering into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and are following His leading by listening to His voice through the Holy Spirit, and obeying His commands, are the ones who walk in the day. When we listen, hear, and obey the voice of the Lord, we do not stumble or get caught up in the snares and traps of the enemy. The Lord steers us around them. He knows the exact time we should make a move, or when it’s best for us to stay put, and He knows what’s best for us at all times. Nothing can take us out before our time when we’re walking in the Light. Sometimes there’s only a short window of time open for us to make our move, and it’s important we’re ready. Those who don’t know Jesus, the ones without the Light, stumble around without clear direction and hope they don’t trip. They end up falling into the traps of the enemy because they can’t see what’s coming down the road, nor the things that are right in front of them. There is safety in the Light.

If you’re ready to walk in the Light, to walk with Jesus and live a resurrected life, I urge you to pray this prayer:

Jesus, I’m sorry for trying to live this life all on my own. I repent of all my sins, and I ask you to come into my life and take the reins. I recognize I can’t do it without you. I choose to follow you this day. I receive your forgiveness now, and I thank you for all you’re about to do in my life. I acknowledge you have great plans for my life; plans to prosper me and not to harm me; plans to give me hope and a great future. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

If you’ve prayed this prayer, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave me a comment down below, or send me a quick email. God bless.