Lesson #48 The Resurrection and the Life John 11:17-37 Presented Live on November 19, 2017 I. Introduction and review A. In the first part of this chapter, Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was deathly ill 1. When the messengers located Jesus in Perea, they gave Him the message 2. His immediate response is found in 11:4 3. That response was then relayed back to Martha and Mary a. When the messengers returned b. Lazarus was either dead or very close to death c. Shortly thereafter he would have died 4. Jesus intentionally delayed His arrival so that a. Lazarus would die b. So that the funeral would have occurred Page 1 of 8
c. And that Lazarus would have been in the grave for four days 5. Under that scenario, everyone would believe that Lazarus had passed the point of no return B. Consider for a moment the differences between Martha and Mary 1. Many come away from most sermons or studies believing Mary to be good and Martha no so much that over simplified take is wrong 2. Martha was: a. One who held hospitality in high regard b. She believed in effort and not slothfulness c. She was more about giving than getting 3. Mary was: a. Someone who held worship in high regard b. She was one who focused on receiving c. Responsibilities were not near as important as relationships 4. Neither is bad, they were just different II. And then Jesus arrives or at least draws near to Bethany [11:17-19] A. Upon His arrival Jesus is told that Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days B. It was Middle Eastern culture that on the day a person would die: 1. They would have cleaned the body, Page 2 of 8
2. And then wrapped it in spice soaked linens, and 3. Then placed the body in the grave, on the same day that he died 4. The Middle eastern climate would not permit any other procedure C. It was also Middle Eastern perception, especially Jewish belief, that the soul of the deceased would remain near the body hoping to reenter it 1. But once the decaying process becomes evident, around the third day, that the soul departs never to return 2. Therefore resurrection would become impossible after the third day 3. See Genesis Rabbah 100.7 and Leviticus Rabbah 18.1 for support for the Jewish tradition referenced above D. We also learn that Martha, Mary and Lazarus were well connected with some of the Jewish leadership 1. And since Jerusalem was only two miles away 2. Many of these Jewish leaders were participants in the funeral and bereavement activities III. Martha s response upon hearing of Jesus soon arrival [11:20-28] A. Martha did not wait for Jesus to arrive in Bethany B. She decided to meet Him before He ever got there C. Why do you think that is? D. The first words out of her mouth were: Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 1. How do you think this declaration was delivered? Page 3 of 8
2. It represented her expectations 3. Do our expectations of our Lord usually correspond with His plan? E. What is Martha s emotional state as she travels to this meeting with Jesus? 1. Greatly saddened, 2. Confrontational, 3. Distraught, 4. Regret, 5. Frustrated, and/or 6. Feeling betrayed or let down F. Then Martha expresses her expectations 1. Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 2. She had expected Him to arrive in the nick of time 3. Does she know that Jesus intentionally allowed Lazarus to die? 4. How would she have responded to that information? G. Then Martha rebounds 1. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You. a. What does she mean by even now? b. Is her statement correct? 2. Jesus response is a bit puzzling 3. Your brother will rise again. 4. How does Martha respond to that statement? Page 4 of 8
a. She refers to the final resurrection b. The word last is e;scatoj eschatos Meaning: last or extreme (1) Eschatology the study of the last days c. She is evidently familiar with Daniel 12:2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. d. She may also have remembered what Jesus has said John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. 5. But how does Jesus respond to her eschatological proclamation? a. I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? [Jn. 11:25-26] b. What does Jesus mean by that? c. I am is the special name for God that He gave to Moses d. In fact the one who gave that name to Moses was the Angel of the Lord Page 5 of 8
e. That name is also present tense, and by saying that Jesus directs the statement that He makes away from the end of days to Martha s present f. Jesus says that He has the power over life and death g. He makes that proclamation through His fifth I am statement h. Why does He say the resurrection and the life, isn t that redundant? (1) He is the resurrection to those who are physically dead (2) He is life to those who are physically alive 6. He then ties this gift of spiritual life to one condition a. Why is Jesus doing this? By demonstrating the power to grant physical life, He also demonstrates His power over spiritual life 7. So How does Martha respond to Jesus question: Do you believe this? a. John 11:27 Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God, even He who comes into the world. b. Her next response is to go and get her sister c. How accurate was her message to Mary? IV. Mary s reaction to Jesus arrival [11:29-32] A. Mary now makes haste to come to Jesus 1. Why do you think that is? Page 6 of 8
2. She certainly got the same message that Martha did earlier and yet chose to wait for His arrival B. Jesus remained where He was 1. The Jews followed Mary when she left the house 2. Why do you think that they followed Mary, when they didn t follow Martha? C. How do you think that the disciples reacted to the arrival of Mary and the Jews? D. How do you think Jesus reacted? E. Was there a difference between the way that Martha approached Jesus and how Mary did? 1. What did the difference in approach indicate? 2. Did Mary still carry with her some of the same emotional responses that Martha did 3. She said the same thing that Martha had 4. Did Jesus again take that into consideration V. Some final thoughts A. How did Jesus respond to these two women in this very trying time? 1. Like a shepherd who loves and cares for his sheep 2. The way pastors should care for their congregations today, when one or more of their congregants suffers a grievous loss B. Part of Jesus plan was to demonstrate to the Jews that He held the power over life and death, that is that He could defeat death? Page 7 of 8
1. Consider what He did from a personal perspective He allowed Lazarus to die 2. How loving is that? 3. Consider James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 4. God sees things differently then we do C. Do you ever get frustrated with God like Martha did? 1. How many of your prayer requests does He answer affirmatively 2. How should we respond to spiritual frustration? D. We must learn to recognize: 1. When events don t go as we think they should, God has a better time and a more godly way 2. God s perspective is eternal and not temporal E. What was the reason that Jesus did what He did to Lazarus, Martha and Mary? 1. Consider once again our spiritual edifice 2. What is Jesus trying to build? www.believersbibleclass.com and www.believersbibleclass.podbean.com 2017 - Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 8 of 8