It's not wrong to wait for God to do miracles. But if we refuse to grow while we are waiting, we are not using our time wisely. Quite often, God uses the time between our perceived need of a miracle and the actual time to teach us wonderful lessons. We should recognize these "in between times" as times for growth.
11:1-16 Lazarus becomes ill and dies. Jesus waits and goes to him.
11:17-36 Jesus comforts Mary and Martha
11:37-44 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
11:45-end Religious leaders plot to kill Jesus
Verses 1-6. It is no new thing for those whom Christ loves, to be sick; this tries the graces of God's people. He didn't come to preserve His people from these afflictions, but to save them from their sins, and from the wrath to come. All for the glory of God: sickness, loss, disappointment; and if God be glorified, we ought to be satisfied. Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. The families are greatly favored in which love and peace abound; but those are most happy whom Jesus loves, and by whom He is beloved. God has gracious intentions, even when He seems to delay. When the work of deliverance, temporal or spiritual, public or personal, is delayed, He is waiting for the right time.
The pastor of my home church in El Cajon, Dr. David Jeremiah, came down with cancer a few years ago. I remember my dad telling me about a letter he sent the pastor. My dad sent him a congratulations letter because he knew that Dr. Jeremiah's faith was strong enough to endure this trial.
1 Peter 1:6, 7 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
The matter of a Christian's joy, is the remembrance of the happiness laid up for him. It is incorruptible, it cannot come to nothing, it is an estate that cannot be spent. Worldly possessions are uncertain and soon pass away, like the flowers and plants of the field. That must be of the greatest worth, which is laid up in the highest and best place, in Heaven.
Happy are those whose hearts the Holy Spirit sets on this inheritance. God not only gives His people grace, but preserves them unto glory. Every believer has always something wherein he may greatly rejoice; it should show itself in the countenance and conduct. The Lord does not willingly afflict, yet His wise love often appoints sharp trials, to show His people their hearts, and to do them good at the latter end. Gold does not increase by trial in the fire, it becomes less; but faith is made firm, and multiplied, by troubles and afflictions. Gold must perish at last, and can only purchase perishing things, while the trial of faith will be found to praise, and honor, and glory to God.
Verse 3. As their brother grew very sick, Mary and Martha turned to Jesus for help. They believed in His ability to help because they had seen His miracles. We too know of His miracles, both from Scripture and through changed lives. When we need extraordinary help, Jesus offers extraordinary resources. We should not hesitate to ask Him for help.
Verse 4. Any difficult situation a believer faces can ultimately bring glory to God because God can bring good out of any bad situation. When trouble comes, do you whine, complain, and blame God, or do you see your problems as opportunities to honor Him?
Verses 5-7. Jesus loved this family and often stayed with them. He knew their pain but did not respond immediately. His dely had a specific purpose. God's timing, especially His delays, may make us think He is not answering or is not answering the way we want. But He will meet all our needs according to His perfect schedule and purpose. Patiently await His timing.
Verses 7-10. Christ never brings his people into any danger but he goes with them in it. We are apt to think ourselves zealous for the Lord, when really we are only zealous for our wealth, credit, ease, and safety; consequently, we have need to try our principles. But our day shall be lengthened out, till our work is done, and our testimony finished. A man has comfort and satisfaction while in the way of his duty, as set forth by the word of God, and determined by the providence of God. Christ, wherever He went, walked in the day; and so shall we, if we follow His steps. If a man walks in the way of his heart, and according to the course of this world, if he consults his own carnal knowledge more than the will and glory of God, he falls into temptations and snares. He stumbles, because there is no light in him; for light in us is to our own moral actions.
To find where your motivation and heart lies, next time you do a good deed, ask yourself, "Would I do this if nobody else knew what I was doing?"
Verses 11-16. Since we are sure to rise again, why shouldn't the believing hope of that resurrection to eternal life, make it as easy for us to put off the body and die, as it is to put off our clothes and go to sleep? A true Christian, when he dies, does but sleep; he rests from the labors of the past day. So, death is better than sleep. Sleep is only a short rest, but death is the end of earthly cares and toils. The disciples thought that it was now needless for Christ to go to Lazarus, and expose Himself and them. Thus we often hope that the good work we are called to do, will be done by some other hand, if there be peril in the doing of it. But when Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, many were brought to believe on Him; and there was much done to make perfect the faith of those that believed. Let us go to Him; death cannot separate from the love of Christ, nor put us out of the reach of His call. Like Thomas, in difficult times Christians should encourage one another. The dying of the Lord Jesus should make us willing to die whenever God calls us.
Verses 17-32. Here was a house where the fear of God was, and on which His blessing rested; yet it was made a house of mourning. Grace will keep sorrow from the heart, but not from the house. When God, by His grace and providence, is coming towards us in ways of mercy and comfort, we should, like Martha, go forth by faith, hope, and prayer, to meet Him. When Martha went to meet Jesus, Mary sat still in the house; this temper formerly had been an advantage to her, when it put her at Christ's feet to hear His Word; but in the day of affliction, the same temper disposed her to melancholy. It is our wisdom to watch against the temptations, and to make use of the advantages of our natural tempers. When we know not what in particular to ask or expect, let us refer ourselves to God; let him do as seems good. To enlarge Martha's expectations, our Lord declared Himself to be the Resurrection and the Life. In every sense He is the Resurrection; the source, the substance, the first-fruits, the cause of it. The redeemed soul lives after death in happiness; and after the resurrection, both body and soul are kept from all evil forever. The crosses and comforts of this present time would not make such a deep impression upon us as they do, if we believed the things of eternity as we ought. When Christ our Master comes, He calls for us. He comes in His Word and ordinances, and calls us to them, calls us by them, calls us to Himself. Those who, in a day of peace, set themselves at Christ's feet to be taught by Him, may with comfort, in a day of trouble, cast themselves at His feet, to find favor with Him.
Verses 33-38. John stresses that we have a God who cares. This contrasts with the Greek concept of God that was popular in his day--a God with no emotions and no messy involvement with humans. Here we see many of Jesus' emotions--compassion, indignation, sorrow, even frustration. He often expressed deep emotion, and we must never be afraid to reveal our true feelings to Him. He understands them, for He experienced them. Be honest, and don't try to hide anything from your Savior. He cares.
Verses 33-46. Christ's tender sympathy with these afflicted friends, appeared by the troubles of His spirit. In all the afflictions of believers He is afflicted. His concern for them was shown by His kind inquiry after the remains of His deceased friend. Being found in fashion as a man, He acts in the way and manner of the sons of men. It was shown by His tears. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Tears of compassion resemble those of Christ. But Christ never approved that sensibility of which many are proud, while they weep at mere tales of distress, but are hardened to real pain. He sets us an example to withdraw from scenes of giddy mirth, that we may comfort the afflicted. And we have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. It is a good step toward raising a soul to spiritual life, when the stone is taken away, when prejudices are removed, and got over, and way is made for the Word to enter the heart. If we take Christ's Word, and rely on His power and faithfulness, we shall see the glory of God, and be happy in the sight. Our Lord Jesus has taught us, by His own example, to call God Father, in prayer, and to draw nigh to Him as children to a father, with humble reverence, yet with holy boldness. He openly made this address to God, with uplifted eyes and loud voice, that they might be convinced the Father had sent Him as His beloved Son into the world. He could have raised Lazarus by the silent exertion of His power and will, and the unseen working of the Spirit of life; but He did it by a loud call. This was a figure of the gospel call, by which dead souls are brought out of the grave of sin: and of the sound of the archangel's trumpet at the last day, with which all that sleep in the dust shall be awakened, and summoned before the great tribunal. The grave of sin and this world, is no place for those whom Christ has vitalized; they must come forth. Lazarus was thoroughly revived, and returned not only to life, but to health. The sinner cannot vitalize his own soul, but he is to use the means of grace; the believer cannot sanctify himself, but he is to lay aside every weight and hindrance. We cannot convert our relatives and friends, but we should instruct, warn, and invite them.
Verses 45-53. Even when confronted point-blank with the power of Jesus' deity, some refused to believe. These eyewitnesses even rejected Him and plotted His murder. They were so hardened that they were ready to reject God's Son rather than admit they were wrong. Beware of pride. If we allow it to grow, it can lead us into enormous sin.
Proverb 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
Proverb 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction.
Verses 54-57. Before our gospel passover we must renew our repentance. By a voluntary purification, and by religious exercises, many, more devout than their neighbors, spent some time before the passover at Jerusalem. When we expect to meet God, we must solemnly prepare. No devices of man can alter the purposes of God: and while hypocrites amuse themselves with forms and disputes, and worldly men pursue their own plans, Jesus still orders all things for His own glory and the salvation of His people.
Last Thought: When Jesus arrived at the home of Mary and Martha, Lazarus was dead. Things seemed hopeless. But Jesus didn't let death have the last word in this situation. He raised Lazarus from the dead by simply calling his name. All Jesus had to do was speak on word and a miracle took place. Do you realize that you are always one spoken word away from an answer to your problem or the wisdom you need to deal with any situation? Jesus can perform a miracle in your life with one word. What word do you need from Jesus today?