8/29/23 - John 11: 17-44

John 11: 17-44

Observation:

Jesus arrives to Bethany four days after Lazarus has been buried in the tomb. Martha overheard Jesus was coming and she sought out Jesus. When meeting Jesus, Martha expressed her sorrow and confessed her faith in Jesus. Mary also sought Jesus and when she saw Jesus, she expressed her sorrow. Jesus saw Mary and the crowd of Jews crying, which He became deeply moved by the sorrow of those mourning and went to the tomb. Jesus asked for the stone sealing to be rolled away. Then, Jesus prayed to God, thanking Him for always hearing Him. Jesus would then cry out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, emerged from the tomb, still wrapped in burial clothes. Jesus would instruct the people to "Unbind him, and let him go."

Interpretation:

There are several takeaways from this passage. First and obvious one to me is Jesus's Divine power where Jesus showcases his control over life and death. It's amazing to see how Jesus has the authority over life and death where He called out Lazarus, who already has been dead for four days and Lazarus would walk out alive. Along with other miracles, at this point, this would help further solidify Jesus being the Son of God as this miracle would showcase his connection to God's creative and destructive powers. This is where we see in verses 25-26, Jesus asks Martha if she believes in Jesus being the Messiah to which Martha confesses that she does believe in Him. It goes to show Jesus's prophesy on his death and resurrection and "everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die--ever" hence eternal life for those who believe in Jesus and His resurrection. During this time, while Jesus is talking about His resurrection to Martha, He's also foreshadowing His own resurrection. Lazarus's return from death previews the ultimate victory where Jesus conquers death by His resurrection after being crucified on the cross. This further confirms Jesus's teachings where He told His disciples about his impending death followed by His resurrection. To tie this to God's sovereignty, this miracle that Jesus displayed was all under Jesus's own timing. Take notice Jesus that He arrived in Bethany after some time has passed so that the people will fully acknowledge of Lazarus's passing. And once Jesus arrived, He did not immediately rush over to the tomb to ressurect; instead, he talked to Martha and Mary. Jesus was trying to show to everyone present including both Martha and Mary that He's in full control over the events. God did not have to resurrect Lazarus, but he was moved to see everyone's sorrow and mourning, which He showed compassion and responded with His own weeping follwed by prayer and resurrection of Lazarus.

Personal Reflection:

God is amazing. When I read this passage, I went back to see what Jesus was doing. He was teaching, He was preaching, He was traveling, He was discipling, He was feeding the masses, He was healing and He was calling out the Pharisees. So quite a bit of events took place before Jesus revealed His power and authority of life and death. Specifically for Matha, this is such an enormous reveal and further confirming her belief. I put myself in Martha's shoes, and there's been numerous occassions when God revealed Himself to me. My father taught me about "God's timing" and that everything happened in my life for a reason and everything that took place was under God's timing. God could have revealed Himself to me at an earlier age but knowing me, I would not have become the believer that I am today. Through His infinite, sovereign wisdom God spoke to me when I was eleven years old. God has provided me friends when I needed them. God has provided me the finance I needed it even though at the time I didn't think I needed it. And even though right now, I am at another cross road where the next decision I am going to make will have a profound affect on my family's lives, I must stay faithful. Admittingly there are times when I am having a hard time trusting that God will provide a new home or better yet an opportunity for us to purchase a home without having us to be in incredible amount of debt. 

Application:

Every week I am reminded on how majestic the Lord's power is and how He has full control over my life. I don't want to be just reminded though. I want to strive to believe and grow my faith so that I can help those around me grow theirs. While I know I am human where we go through numerous ups and downs, I must know that God is always constant. Never waving, never hesitating, and everything that takes place in my life along with my family is under God's sovereign time. Instead of concerning over my future (home, wife, children, finance, etc) I want to rest that all in God's hands and whatever happens happens. Next I want to help serve the church by becoming a CG leader. I want to be the vessle that God wants me to be and through His sovereignty, the fellowship will grow in Him.