Reflective Bible Study

As we approach the half way mark in our year moving through John’s gospel, we come to one of the longest events in John’s gospel, and, if I’m not mistaken, the miracle Jesus did that takes up the most dedicated space in any gospel record. This miracle is raising Jesus’ friend Lazarus from the dead.

However, because of its length, we will split this event into two episodes, focusing on the first part of the event in this episode, specifically when Jesus hears the news that Lazarus is sick.

Let’s read the opening to this event, and discover some amazing things in how Jesus responds to the news of His friend’s sickness. Our passage for this episode is found in John’s gospel, chapter 11, and we will read it from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

^1-2 A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord’s head and wiped his feet with her hair. ³ The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard this, he said, “His sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son.”

⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and brother. ⁶ But he stayed where he was for two more days. ⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “Now we will go back to Judea.”

⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “the people there want to stone you to death! Why do you want to go back?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in each day? If you walk during the day, you will have light from the sun, and you won’t stumble. ¹⁰ But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don’t have any light.” ¹¹ Then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² They replied, “Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep.

¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead! ¹⁵ I am glad that I wasn’t there, because now you will have a chance to put your faith in me. Let’s go to him.”

¹⁶ Thomas, whose nickname was “Twin,” said to the other disciples, “Come on. Let’s go, so we can die with him.”

Let’s stop reading here, and save the rest of this event for our next episode.

While it is very tempting to race forward to focus in on the miracle portion of this passage, a detail in the first portion of our event is worth paying attention to, because it may explain why God doesn’t race in and act immediately when we ask.

In the first portion of our event, specifically in verse 4, after hearing the news of Lazarus’ sickness, Jesus responds that: “His sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son.” All too often, when we think of the bad that happens to us or the bad that happens around us living in this sinful world, we are quick to judge God for letting it happen, or rationalize that since it happened, He must not exist.

However, in Jesus’ words, we discover two huge promises. First, the sickness will not end in death. We could expand this truth to say that sin will not conquer or defeat God’s people. Another way of saying this is that God’s people will outlive and outlast both sin and death.

The second huge promise is that this sickness will result in glory being given to God and His Son. While this sounds completely backward, what if all the bad that is happening in the world today was an opportunity to bring glory to God and His Son? While I don’t believe for an instant that God wished sin, pain, disease, or death to be present in His perfect creation, what if all the evil present gives God and His people the opportunity to help others?

If everything was perfect in our world, there would be no need for anyone to help another, there would be no reason for us to need a Savior, and we as a race would become unbelievably prideful and arrogant – significantly more extreme than we are right now. If humanity never sinned, Jesus would not have needed to come and face the cross, and Jesus alludes or suggests that the cross was where He would receive glory.

In contrast, in order for Jesus’ response when hearing the news about Lazarus’ sickness to be true, we must understand that Jesus has something bigger in mind. Jesus promised that this sickness wouldn’t end in death, and that it would give glory to God and His Son.

Without both parts of Jesus’ reply, we are left wondering about what happened next. If Jesus had only promised that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t end in death, there would be little reason for Jesus to go help Him. It would be similar to other miracles where Jesus promised people from a distance that their loved one would get well.

However, if we only had the second part of this reply, we might also be surprised at what happened next. If this sickness would ultimately result in God and His Son receiving glory, then it makes little sense for Jesus to stay where He was for two more days.

Looking at how Jesus responded to the messenger, and then what He did following this, I wonder if the disciples believed Jesus’ words to the messenger to be similar to Jesus’ words to the centurion, to the father of the dying child, and to other miracles where the one asking for a miracle was willing to accept Jesus’ promise of healing from a distance. On the surface, Jesus’ response sounds like a similar promise.

However, one of the biggest challenges I see being laid in this opening to this event is within Jesus’ reply. Jesus told the messenger that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, and then two days later, Jesus admits to His disciples that Lazarus was in fact dead.

This challenge is similar to what many people face today. We read about all the miracles and promises God gives us in the Bible, then we pray for God’s help and for a miracle in our own situation, and after praying this, often it can feel as though God ignores our request.

It is like the messenger racing back to Bethany after finding Jesus with the promise that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t end in death, but then less than 48 hours later, Lazarus dies. On the surface, this looks like a huge fail for Jesus and His promises. This looks like Jesus broke a promise. I suspect that Mary, Martha, and those present in Bethany had similar feelings of loss, of disappointment, and of doubt towards God when Lazarus stopped breathing.

However, Jesus’ promise still stands. Jesus saw this event in a larger way than this immediate sickness finishing Lazarus off for good. Instead, Jesus never promised that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t temporarily take Him through death. Instead, Jesus actually refers to the death Lazarus experienced as sleep, which makes this contrast even more evident. It is only when the disciples don’t understand Jesus’ metaphor that He spoke plainly to them about Lazarus’ death.

In a similar way, when we experience pain, loss, or even death, we might feel as though God’s promises have failed us. However, Jesus sees one or more steps past the immediate pain, because Jesus sees the step past our sleep-death and He sees the resurrection He will bring to all of His people when He returns.

While the disciples show virtually no faith in Jesus during this opening of the event, the opening of this event sets the stage for what would be seen as one of Jesus’ greatest miracles in His entire ministry, and a miracle that foreshadows the resurrection that all of God’s people can look forward to when Jesus returns!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, seek God first in your life, and choose to place your faith, your hope, your trust, and your belief in Jesus even when our immediate circumstances don’t seem like God’s promises are coming true. God sees history with a much bigger perspective than we ever could, and the situation we are facing might be like the opening of our event in this episode. However, remember that Jesus sees one or more steps past our immediate situation, and He has promised to give God the glory for what ultimately happens.

Also, even though it is hard to do when facing trials, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself with the goal of purposefully growing closer to God and Jesus while facing trials. Often God walks with us through the trials instead of taking the trial away, and while it is not pleasant to think about, sometimes trials are God’s way of reminding us that we need Him in our lives.

However, trials have an end, and because of this, I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we near the halfway point in our year looking at Jesus’ parables, we come to one of Jesus’ illustrations that doesn’t read like a typical parable, but just because it is not like many of Jesus’ other parables doesn’t make it any less important. The way Jesus teaches this illustration actually may be more powerful than if He had chosen to use a parable, because there is less confusion or chance of misunderstanding with how Jesus shares this important truth.

Let’s read what Jesus shares with this group of people, and discover what we can learn for our own lives. Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 14, and we will be reading from the God’s Word Translation. Starting in verse 7, Luke tells us:

⁷ Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. ⁹ Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. ¹⁰ So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. ¹¹ Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”

Let’s pause reading here briefly, because what Jesus has just illustrated is important for us to pay attention to. In Jesus’ illustration, we discover two options for being honored: We can try to honor ourselves, or we can intentionally step down and let others honor us. The first path is a path that leads to being humbled by other people, which isn’t all that pleasant. The second path is a path where we humble ourselves and step down, and when others lift us up, it is much better.

However, what if we humble ourselves but don’t ever receive honor? What if we step down but noone comes to lift us up?

This is the unspoken fear that many people have with Jesus’ challenge in this parable, and Jesus continues by addressing this fear in the next few verses.

Picking back up in verse 12,

¹² Then [Jesus] told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. ¹³ Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.”

In these verses, it at first doesn’t appear as though Jesus really answered this fear. It seems as though Jesus may have made it worse, because in this second portion of our passage, Jesus tells us to seek out situations where we help others who have no way of paying us back. If those we help have no way of paying us back, then how will we ever be honored?

As I think about this, there are two ways. Jesus shares one of these two ways in these verses, and the other way is by simply being thanked. Saying thank you is a way of showing appreciation when someone has done something nice for you. Saying thank you is not the same as returning a favor or paying someone back, but it acknowledges the kindness and generosity that was given.

The other way, specifically the way that Jesus shared, is that if we are not paid back in this life, we will be paid back when Jesus returns and “when those who have God’s approval come back to life”. In other words, we are challenged to do nice things for other people. If the people we choose to be a blessing to can pay us back, then they will pay us back. We will have our reward from those we helped.

However, if the people we choose to be a blessing to cannot pay us back, then God will store up the blessing, letting it collect interest, and He will pay us back when He returns. We have the choice whether we will help to receive honor and recognition from those in this life, or from God in the next life.

While seeking honor from God does not sound humble, we need to look no further than Jesus to discover what this looks like. Jesus took the path of stepping down and He lets others, God the Father included, lift Him up. In everything Jesus did, we discover that He stepped down and He let others lift Him up.

Jesus first stepped down out of heaven to come to earth as a baby. Jesus let Himself be raised by human parents in a politically difficult world. Jesus let Himself be baptized by His cousin John, when John knew that their roles should be reversed. Jesus healed, taught, challenged, and helped everyone who would accept His help while He traveled throughout the region. Then Jesus ultimately stepped down and let Himself be arrested, beaten, abused, condemned as guilty, and hung on a cross to die.

Jesus let humanity lift Him up on a cross for their, specifically our, sins. Jesus let God lift Him up and out of the grave. Jesus let God give Him the honor and glory for His selfless service for humanity.

Jesus challenges us to help others who cannot return the favor because that is what God called Him to do, and when we love, bless, and help others knowing our reward is being stored up in heaven, we are freed to be a true blessing to the world around us!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As always, be sure to continue seeking God first in your life and choose to be a blessing to others because you know and trust God’s reward is worth it. Choose to be a blessing because Jesus has done more for us than we could ever imagine, and because we see Jesus as our example of what it means to live a life that is a blessing to others in the world today.

Also, keep praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each day. The closer we grow to God, the better we will be able to reflect His love to those around us, and the more we will be able to be a blessing to others who cannot repay us. As always, never let me or anyone else get between you and your relationship with God. Focus on making your relationship with God personal!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!