Jesus, the Resurrection

Jesus Shows Us a Picture of Salvation

John 11:17-37

Jesus Displays Humility

John 11:17 Then when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about two miles away.

Voluntary humiliation brought Jesus to Bethany and a voluntary humiliation brought Him to earth.

John 10:10 The thief comes not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus could have responded with indifference or resistance in this situation. Just returning to Bethany, which was less than two miles from Jerusalem, was going place Him once again face to face with those seeking to kill Him. Jesus moved through life totally sensitive to the needs of others. He was humble and gave Himself to people’s needs. Jesus came into this world to deal with the problem of death. Life for the world began with the humble Savior, Jesus Christ, coming because He knew there was a need.

Jesus Brings Revelation

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; 26 and whosoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

When Jesus reaches Bethany, He unfolds the revelation that He came to bring. Ordinary, mortal life ebbs away; the life that Jesus gives never ends. It is in that sense that whoever lives and believes in Jesus will never die.

Even though you die physically, yet you will live. That’s our resurrection. And once you have that new, living spiritual life, you’ll never die spiritually.

Physical death is nothing, only the escape hatch into glory.

Jesus emphasized that the resurrection will take place, and that He is the center of both resurrection and eternal life.

Jesus Requires Faith

John 11:26 “And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, Who comes into the world.”

Jesus is not asking Martha if she believes that he is about to raise her brother from the dead. He is asking if her faith can go beyond quiet confidence that her brother will be resurrected at the last day to personal trust in Jesus as the resurrection and the life.

Martha’s “Yes, Lord” reveals a personal confidence in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
Her faith is a rich mixture of personal trust and confidence that certain things about Jesus are true.

The verb used for Martha’s answer is a perfect tense, a linear verb. In essence she said, ‘I am already believing that You are the Christ the Son of God that should come into the world.” She felt that Christ had the power to raise her brother Lazarus at the last day, but didn’t believe He could also raise him when he had been dead for only four days.

How much are we like Martha?
We believe Jesus can resurrect us at the end of time when life is over, but then we fret over something today and doubt if Jesus can take care of us and those we love this afternoon.

Jesus Displays Love in Providing for Our Salvation

John 11:33b Then Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and was outraged within Himself. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.

Jesus was angry, he was outraged, because of death itself, the ugly enemy.

Every time there is death it still hurts. It is still painful, it is still ugly, and it is still the result of sin.

When Jesus looks at this situation of death, He has both outrage and tears.

Tears without outrage quickly degenerates into mere sentimentality.

Outrage without tears hardens into arrogance, anger and unbelief.

Jesus displayed both. He showed us His divine sovereignty over sin and death through both tears and outrage.

Jesus loved Lazarus man to man. He wept because He loved him so much. Here, Jesus shows us that He is a sympathetic Savior.

Jesus came into the world to bring us resurrection life, because He loved us. That’s why He sat over Jerusalem and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I would have gathered you as a hen gathers her brood, but you would not. And He cried.”

Through the life story of Lazarus Jesus gives us a perfect picture of salvation. In humility, He comes to do for us what no one else can. He reveals who He is and that His demands are that we must trust and believe. All of this is done simply because He loves us. Our only chance for Salvation is placing our trust in Him.