![the raising of lazarus the raising of lazarus](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/01/ed/56/01ed5636234c2b7e82a9d9f68b132598--raising-of-lazarus.jpg)
Every time Lazarus coughs it’s more congested and shallower.You can imagine the agony of just waiting.
![the raising of lazarus the raising of lazarus](https://www.methodist.org.uk/media/2477/pic22_the_raising_of_lazarus.jpg)
Communication literally happened at the speed of a mule. Now this is easy to forget, in our world of smart-phones, and texting. So off goes the messenger and what happens next for them is the torture of waiting. The only thing we can do is cry out to Jesus." That’s what we do in our suffering, right? We cry out to Jesus. And finally they say, "I’ve never seen him this sick. No matter what we try, it is just getting worse. We could imagine, Mary and Martha are incredibly worried about their sick brother. Let’s back up to right before Lazarus dies. We are told that when they got to the tomb, Lazarus had been dead four days. Now the chronological backbone of this narrative is preserved with exquisite detail because this is necessary to understand the nature of the miracle. But Jesus says plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake, I’m glad so that you might believe.”Īnd even though it’s dangerous, they trundle off to Jerusalem. He will wake up on his own when he’s kicked the bug. Jesus responds, “I need to wake Lazarus.” And of course, they think he’s referring to normal sleep, normal rest. That announcement halts everyone in their tracks because why? Judea is dangerous! *The disciples object, “Jesus, just a few weeks ago you almost got stoned to death.** Why would you go there Jesus?” Jesus announces his intent to return to Judea. They learn this is not true just a few verses later. The disciples simply think, “this is not a sickness that does not lead to death.” So, Lazarus must have been healed. Now at this point the disciples do not understand Jesus’ intentions. So, let me demonstrate my love for him in his most critical hour of need by just hanging out here a few more days” That’s what the text says! We’ll soon understand why. How do you like that for a demonstration of love? “Lazarus has got a 106 degree fever and he’s wasting away. Therefore he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. And everyone goes back to what they were doing.Īnd then the text says this most mysterious thing. Great! Presumably at this point the messenger returns back home to deliver this good news to Mary and Martha.
![the raising of lazarus the raising of lazarus](https://www.scross.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/raisinglaz1.jpg)
And he tells the disciples and the messenger, don’t worry guys this is not a sickness that leads to death rather it a sickness that leads to the glory of God. Now you will remember that while he was in Perea he gets word that Lazarus is sick. And they picked up stones to stone him and so he flees to the area of Perea. John chapter 10 closes with a showdown between Jesus and the relgious leaders of his day. Two weeks ago we read verses 1-16 to set the stage for today and so let’s just recall that. You are one of the characters living in the narrative itself.Īnd if we do that well, then you will believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and through that belief you will have life in his name. To just let the characters come to life, to feel the drama, to fill in the context so that there’s no longer pages of text. Well today we get to tell the story of the raising of Lazarus.