“God’s Glory Revealed So That You May Believe When You Wait For Him”

John 11:1-6

There is a church and it is a faithful church, full of faithful members and friends who are proud of the faithful pastors and staff at this faithful church.  In the town this church is in, there is no one to be found who is in need, so the Deacons have nothing to do.  The missions committee at the church is idle because everyone in the town already believes in Christ and comes to the church.  The session is bored because the building is in perfect shape, the programs run smoothly, opportunities for fellowship and education abound, and the staff is in perfect harmony with one another.  The pastors spend their days studying and preparing perfect sermons.  There are no interruptions because everyone gets along so well at this church and no one gets sick.  There is a church and it is a faithful church, full of faithful members and friends who are proud of the faithful pastors and staff at this faithful church.  It is a church with one and only one problem.  It doesn’t need Jesus, and this church never asks, “Where is Jesus?  We are waiting for him.”

During the next 6 Sundays we are going to be studying the 11^th chapter of John.  This chapter is commonly referred to as the “Raising Lazarus from the dead” chapter.  If you are Lazarus, certainly the most important part of this account is that you aren’t dead anymore, but as we read through this chapter, we will find that the center of the story is not Lazarus; it is Jesus.  Jesus is the main character in this account and all of the other people we find in this chapter are the supporting cast.  Throughout this chapter Jesus works in the lives of those with whom he interacts: Lazarus, Mary, Martha, the Disciples, and the crowds of Jews who witnessed Jesus’ work.  Jesus is the one working in all of these lives, and he is at the center of each of their stories.

We see this in the first six verses of Chapter 11 of John’s Gospel as they introduce the action in this chapter.  We find out who, what, why and where.  The rest of the chapter involves those who are mentioned here, and while we are tempted to think that the resolution of Lazarus’ sickness is the point of this account, we are plainly told in these first few verses that God’s glory in Jesus Christ lays at the center of what occurs here.

The people we are introduced to in these initial verses of chapter 11 are important people in Jesus’ life and ministry.  To know them is to know something of Jesus and the ways in which he interacted with those he loved.

Mary and Martha are sisters who live in a village called Bethany which is just a few miles east of Jerusalem.  These two women are familiar to us for Jesus has been at their house once before.  In Luke 10, we’re told that Jesus was teaching and Martha was busy with preparations for her guests while Mary sat and listened to Jesus.  Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her out.  Jesus tells Martha that the most important thing that is needed is he himself. 

Sometimes Martha gets a bad rap for thinking dinner was more significant than Jesus, but importantly, she took a risk by inviting Jesus into her home.  Luke 10 is clear that it was Martha’s home Jesus was teaching in, and we all know that when we have guests in our home we want to be hospitable and provide for their needs.  In Luke 10 Jesus responds to Martha with tenderness and an eye toward her feelings.  He doesn’t scold or rebuke her; he reminds her of what is of first importance.  Interestingly, Martha appears again in chapter 12 of John.  Guess what she is doing in that chapter?  She is serving a dinner in honor of Jesus.  There can be no question that Martha had a servant’s heart as she sought to provide for the needs of the Lord; and Jesus loved her.

Mary is Martha’s younger sister.  We should notice that her name is listed first in these initial verses of John 11.  Whenever names are placed out of birth order in scripture something important is being said.  We first find Mary in chapter 10 of Luke.  There, while her sister is busy entertaining guests, she takes a load off to sit at the feet of Jesus.  What a sweet picture that is as we envision this disciple taking in everything the Lord had to give.  Should we be surprised then that we also find Mary at the dinner party that is described in John 12 (and in Matthew 26 and Mark 14)?  We aren’t told why she does it, but at that party, Mary takes an expensive jar of perfume and pours it on Jesus and then dries his feet with her hair.  What kind of love is this?  It can only be a love that is responding to the love she has found in her savior, for Jesus did love Mary and said that she would always be remembered for her act of kindness to him.

In these first six verses we are told that Mary and Martha are Lazarus’ sisters and that they are concerned for his well being.  Out of their concern, they send a message to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  Notice that they don’t tell Jesus what to do with Lazarus; Jesus’ knowing is enough.  They have seen enough of Jesus to know that those who are loved by him can trust in him.  They have seen enough of Jesus to know that the teacher does not need to be told what to do.  They have seen enough of Jesus rest on him.

We don’t know as much about Lazarus as we do Mary and Martha.  One thing we do know about him is that his name is an abbreviation of Eliazar which means “he whom God helped.”  Lazarus’ name is fitting indeed, knowing that he is raised from the dead at the end of this story.  Lazarus is also mentioned many times in chapter 12 of John.  He’s present at the dinner banquet given in Jesus’ honor and we’re told that the leaders of the people wanted to kill Lazarus because he was a living example of Jesus’ power and glory.  We also know that Jesus had a special friendship with Lazarus, for in these first six verses we are told twice that Jesus loves Lazarus.

So it is that we are surprised when Jesus waits two days after learning of Lazarus’ sickness.  Our best guess is that it would have taken two or three days for a message to get to Jesus from the village of Bethany where Mary and Martha lived.  If Jesus waited two more days, and then took two or three to travel to Bethany, almost a whole week would have elapsed between the sending of the message and Jesus’ arrival in Bethany. 

How could Jesus wait so long when the one he loved was in need?  How could Jesus let him die?  It is tempting for those who know how this story ends to gloss over the suffering and death of Lazarus, but Jesus doesn’t do that and neither should we.  Lazarus was ill and he really died and Jesus did not act to stop this suffering; Jesus waited.  We might wonder what Lazarus was thinking while he waited for Jesus, but we aren’t told, for this is Jesus’ story.

Lazarus is not at the center and neither are we.  Jesus is at the center, and the purpose of Lazarus’ suffering and death is the glory of God that Jesus may be glorified through it.  The implications of this are frightening.  We don’t like it.  We want to be the center of the story.  We want Jesus to come to us in our need and since we want to be the center, we want him right now!  Yet, those who follow Jesus have given up their lives to him so that whether they live or die they do so to the Lord’s glory (Rom 14:7-8).

A man climbs into his car and motors off for another day at a job that is killing him.  He hates what he does and the commute is horrible.  There is no life in his work and he sees no way out.  There are bills to pay, and kids and a wife to take care of.  “Where is Jesus,” the man wonders, “I am waiting for him.”

Parents watch their son race out of the driveway on his way to his friend’s house.  They are worried sick for him.  His friends are no good.  School has become unimportant to him, and he is making all of the wrong decisions.  They are tired and anxious and there seems to be no end in sight.  “Where is Jesus,” they wonder, “we are waiting for him.”

A woman drops her mother off at the hospital for another round of tests.  Her mother doesn’t want to be a burden; and this woman just wants her mom to be okay.  No one knows what is wrong, and the waiting and testing and slow process of dying make for pained conversations.  “Where is Jesus,” they wonder, “we are waiting for him.”

In a quiet upstairs room a man’s family gathers around his bed.  Medical treatments have been stopped.  Goodbyes have been said and the man’s breathing has become short and faint.  The family holds hands and prays as they watch the one they love slip away from them on journey that, at the end, is made seemingly alone.  “Where is Jesus,” they wonder, “we are waiting for him.”

Where is Jesus?  We are waiting for him.

Sisters and brothers, Jesus has come and he will come again; and when we find ourselves in those difficult moments in life when we long for his coming, we, like Lazarus, must trust him enough to wait on him, knowing that our lives and deaths have become a part of his story, knowing that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This meal before us is a reminder of Christ’s presence.  Those who believe in him and receive this meal in faith are brought, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into Christ’s presence and nourished for their continued life of devotion to Christ.  This meal is a gift to those who find themselves waiting for Jesus.

Friends, don’t lose faith.  Call out to Jesus.  Tell him your needs and then wait on him in faith, knowing that he is at the center of your life.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.