Friends of the Miracle Man
Think about it. Besides His own resurrection from the tomb, what is the greatest miracle that Jesus Christ performed while He was on this Earth? Maybe greatest isn’t the best word..how about the most impactful miracle?
While you’re thinking about it….
I recently watched the latest season of a very popular Christian TV show. If you’re living under a rock, ask someone what show I’m referring to. Now I always watch any Christian or Bible show with a lot of scrutiny. And I think we should. But that’s a topic for another day. I’ll just say I’ve been cautiously watching this show, and in the latest season, one episode featured the resurrection of Lazarus.
So now you know the answer to the question.
Of all the miracles that Jesus performed during His time on earth, raising Lazarus from the dead has to be the most awesome in my humble opinion.
And I must say that the popular TV show I’m referring to did a pretty good job portraying this miracle and the events leading up to it. I can still see the despair and disappointment on Martha’s face as she ran out to meet Jesus.
The scriptures in John 11 allude to the fact that Jesus had known Lazarus, Mary, and Martha prior to Lazarus’s death. We know that Jesus loved all three of them. And we know Martha and Mary knew that Jesus loved their brother. For they said so much when they wrote to him that Lazarus was sick. (John 11:3,5) And when Jesus finally decided to go to Bethany where Lazarus was laid to rest, He told his disciples that Lazarus, their friend, was sleeping.
So it’s clear that the siblings had a relationship with Jesus. And it’s clear that Mary and Martha believed Jesus was not just a man, but a miracle worker and the Messiah. For they knew the power He possessed to heal the sick. No doubt, they had been eye witnesses or had heard of the countless miracles that their friend from Nazareth had performed.
Lord, If You Had Been Here
And so it is no wonder that when she heard Jesus was coming, Martha ran out to meet him with the desperation and disappointment, which the actress who played Martha in the TV series portrayed so effectively.
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” - John 11:21
And given their closeness, it’s not a stretch to assume that Martha and Mary had discussed that very matter together. I imagine their conversation went something like this:
You know, if Jesus would have just been here, there’s no way He would have let our brother die. He would have healed him like He has healed so many others who believed in Him. After all, Lazarus was His friend. He was not just anybody. Why didn’t Jesus come when we sent for Him? I don’t understand. Jesus loved Lazarus, but yet let him die?
They both believed that Jesus could have prevented the worst from happening to their beloved brother Lazarus. And so not long after Martha, Mary came out to meet Jesus where he was and fell down at his feet in desperation. And she uttered the same words as her sister Martha.
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” - John 11:32
Clearly, these sisters had faith in Jesus. Even after her desperate declaration, Martha said to Jesus, “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” (John 11:22). And it’s almost as if Jesus was waiting for her to say those words before He told her that her brother would rise again. It’s as if He was waiting for an opening to do what He came to do. And even though she didn’t quite grasp what Jesus was saying in its entirety (we know this because she still hesitated later when Jesus asked those present to roll away the stone at Lazarus’ tomb), she believed in who Jesus was, and so whatever Jesus said would happen, she knew it was so.
“She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’” - John 11:27
The Shortest Verse
You can read the entire account in John 11, but I’m sure you are familiar with what transpired next. After Mary came to Jesus, weeping with the Jews who were mourning with her and her sister Martha, Jesus was grieved in spirit and asked them where they had laid Lazarus.
And Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
I am a part of a Bible study group, and we are learning some amazing techniques to enhance our bible study. One of these techniques is to ask the text you are reading questions. Well, I don’t remember the exact number, but we came up with tons of questions for the shortest verse in the Bible. So I’ll ask one question: Why did Jesus weep when He knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead?
Could it be because Mary and the other Jews were weeping, and Jesus wanted to empathize with them? Could it be that Jesus was genuinely feeling the pain and grief that comes with the death of someone you love deeply?
I believe the answer to both of those questions is yes. And we can take comfort in knowing that we have an Advocate with the Father who can empathize with our sin sick struggles and losses. This is a beautiful picture of our Savior and Great High Priest. (Hebrews 2:17 & 4:15)
The Jews that were comforting Martha and Mary saw Jesus weeping and said, “Behold, how He loved him.” (John 11:36). It’s clear they saw Jesus’ tears as tears of genuine grief for His friend Lazarus.
But I believe the scriptures reveal there’s possibly more to the story too.
If we pick up with what happened right after Jesus wept, in the very next verse, some of the same Jews said:
Even during Jesus’ time, his disciples asked him about the man born blind, “Did he sin or was it his parents’ sin that caused this?” (John 9:1)
“Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” - John 11:37
So we can see that the widow woman was indeed not alone in assuming that bad results always mean bad actions preceded it.
These mourners expressed the same sentiment that Mary and Martha expressed moments earlier. If Jesus had been there, He could have healed Lazarus from his sickness and kept him from dying.
Unmovable Doubt
Opening the eyes of the blind was a big deal. Two chapters earlier, in John 9, Jesus healed the blindness of man who was born blind. And several of the Jews present recognized this miracle as extraordinary and came to the right conclusion.
“Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.” - John 9:32-33
Yet some were blinded and could only see what their doubt allowed them to see. As a result, they came to a different conclusion: Jesus had to go and those preaching that He was the Messiah had to go too.
But back to the Jews at Lazarus’ tomb. They had obviously heard that Jesus healed the man born blind and had enough faith to believe that Jesus could heal the sick. But like Mary and Martha, they had come to the conclusion that the story ended with Lazarus’ death. And although Martha did agree that Jesus was the Resurrection and Life, did she really grasp what that meant for her, for Mary, and for Lazarus, right then and there at the tomb?
Jesus knew this of course, and I think we can see His frustration, not with the people for grieving Lazarus’s death, but with their limited faith in His miracle working power.
“Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. - John 11:38
He groaned within Himself because of their unbelief, but yet He knew the impact these next moments would have on Mary, Martha, Lazarus, the other Jews present, on His own life, and on the rest of the world. For what He would do next would not only give Lazarus life again, it would seal the faith of many Jewish believers, and it would seal His destiny in blood, for this miracle would set in motion the events that would bring Jesus to the cross at Calvary.
First, He instructed them to take away the stone.
And in that moment, with our faith in His hands and with the faith of those present in mind, Jesus prayed this prayer:
“...And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” - John 11:43-45
And Lazarus came out of that grave. Mic drop.
And the scripture says that many Jews there with Martha and Mary believed on Jesus (John 11:45).
But sadly, some did not. Again, there is a darkness in doubt that is so thick and blinding, not even the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead could cut through it.
But Jesus knew this would be the case for some. Earlier in His ministry, while addressing the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus had tried to reach them with the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. He even gave the man in the parable the name Lazarus so that they could see the connection He was making (Luke 15:1-3, 16:19-31). But Jesus knew that even if He raised Lazarus from the grave, a heart of stone will not believe in Him, no matter how much Moses and the Prophets preached about Him.
And so, I believe this is part of why Jesus wept: the unmovable stone of doubt in the hearts of His brethren, His beloved Jerusalem. And I believe He wept for many today, some who deny Him altogether and for those of us who claim to know HIm, but still doubt His resurrection power.
Is There Anything Too Hard?
I have another question to ask.
What would have happened had Martha and Mary believed that Jesus could resurrect Lazarus from the beginning? What if they had the benefit of hindsight? How would they have responded?
However, the key to maintaining hope in the middle of the season of drought is first acknowledging that in this life, we will have trials. The Christian walk has resistance.
I don’t doubt they still would have been disappointed that Jesus did not come when they had called for Him. God has a way of not coming when you want Him sometimes….but yet He’s always right on time! I think they still would have cried many tears for their beloved brother. But when they heard Jesus was on His way, the whole situation would have been different.
Whatever they thought was final and four days dead, would have become “unfinal” because the Resurrection and the Life was on His way to the grave site.
Perhaps they would have told the Jews comforting them, “You can stop your weeping because Jesus is coming. Our brother will rise again.”
They would have run out to meet Jesus together and said, “Lord, we don’t know why you have allowed our brother to die, seeing you have all power under heaven and earth. But we know this. Whatever you say right now, it will be so. Will you please raise our brother from the grave? We’ll show you where we have laid him.”
The Miracle We All Need
I believe there are many professed Christians who would acknowledge that the miracles of Jesus recorded in the gospels really happened. And I know many look around at the world we live in today and long for the time of miracles and great revival to return like in the days of Acts. Some may even call it the latter rain. Many Christians adhere to the miracles, signs, and wonders movement that emphasizes miracles above all else, and to the detriment of bible truth. Yet, on the other extreme, there are Christians who believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased and that the ministry of healing is no more.
While I do believe it’s important to get the doctrine right on miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, instead of tackling that issue, I am going to ask a few more questions. And perhaps you can ask yourself these questions as well.
Do I still believe that Jesus is who He says He is? Do I believe in His miracle working power in my life, today?
Do I believe He can resurrect what is dead in my life and cause it to bear fruit?
You see, I think many of us, myself included, believe the miracles of Jesus as fact in our heads, but that belief has not always trickled down into the deep knowledge of our hearts. So we can know intellectually that God has power, but by our daily dispositions, we put artificial limits on God’s ability to work miracles in our own lives. We acknowledge that Jesus did great things way back then, but somehow, subconsciously, we doubt He can do great things today. Maybe we feel like our needs are too small and insignificant to count as miracles.
The most important thing about Jesus’ miracles was that they bore witness to who He is: the Messiah, the One sent from the Father who has come into the world. God is a gentleman. He will not force anyone to worship Him. Worship by force is the method of His enemy. But God has given us ample evidence to believe in Him….not just for parting seas and walking on water, but for healing our wounds, removing the strongholds in our thought patterns, and creating new characters out of old habitual sins. For this is the miracle work that He specializes in.
I’ve been convinced that I must move from a surface level understanding of Christ’s miracles to one which believes that if Christ can do all that He did, He can surely remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. And for His sons and daughters, surely, He can restore our broken relationships with our families. Surely, He can deliver us from the fear and anxiety that has crippled us. Surely, He can reverse our depression and give us the fruitful joy of being in His presence.
They would have run out to meet Jesus together and said, “Lord, we don’t know why you have allowed our brother to die, seeing you have all power under heaven and earth. But we know this. Whatever you say right now, it will be so. Will you please raise our brother from the grave? We’ll show you where we have laid him.”
Surely, He can bring to life the things we thought were dead and gone. Surely, He can resurrect our dead dreams in due season.
Surely, He can.
As sure as Lazarus came out of his tomb and was cut out of his grave clothes,,,,,
As sure as Christ rose from the grave on the third day, ascended to heaven, and is now interceding for us as our Heavenly High Priest…
And this is the miracle of the Messiah: He crucifies that in us which must die. And He brings back to life that which sin and death had put to sleep, temporarily.
Lazarus isn’t resurrected everyday, but rest assured, miracles happen every day. Everyday that we wake and the Holy Spirit empowers us to take up our cross and die to ourselves is a miracle. Everyday we choose to believe and not doubt and ask the LORD to help our unbelief. These are the greatest miracles.
For the Messiah, raising Lazarus was easy.
Surrendering a bruised and doubtful heart to Miracle Worker, now that’s a miracle you and I need most of all.
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