107. Beginner Bible Course: The raising of Lazarus ('I am the resurrection and the life')

EPISODE 107   A simple Bible overview of…  I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE (THE RAISING OF LAZARUS)

Bethany was a little...

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...town just outside of Jerusalem, two miles up the road to the North of 40 minute walk in episode 85, growing up. Jesus. I suggested that Jesus' family. When they went up on annual visits to Jerusalem, stayed at cousin John's house. You get the idea as a ministering rabbi, Jesus ran into Lazarus, Mary and Martha early in his ministry and made their place in Bethany, his home base. We don't know that for sure, but clearly there's a deep bond between Jesus and these three siblings in Bethany. Luke tells us in chapter 10 on one of these visits, Martha was out making dinner in the kitchen and Mary was in at Jesus' feet.

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Listening to him, teach you'll read how Martha got into a bit of a tizzy over the whole deal. She breaks up Jesus teaching to say, Jesus, tell my sister to help me. If you haven't heard the story, I'd like you to guess what happens before you go read it. Is Jesus going aside with Martha doing chores in the kitchen to make dinner or with Mary lingering at his feet soaking up his teaching. We're also going to see in John chapter 12, the week before Jesus' death, Jesus is back at their house in Bethany having dinner. Once again, Martha's banging around, getting ready to serve. It will find Mary at Jesus' feet. One more time doing something else, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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In John chapter 11, he gets a message from Mary and Martha's house Lazarus. The one whom you love is sick. That tells us what we need to know about Jesus' relationship with Lazarus, Martha and Mary. When Jesus hears about Lazarus sick as a dog, he tells his disciples, this sickness won't end in death, but it will end in glorifying God. After the messengers leave, Jesus hangs out where they're hanging out for two additional days to the disciples. That made sense. It's a hornet's nest back in Jerusalem. They want Jesus' head. They're probably still holding rocks, but to Mary, Martha and Lazarus, that delay would have been a head-scratcher suddenly after two days, Jesus starts grabbing his stuff and says, come on, guys, pack up.

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Let's go. We're returning to Bethany. Lazarus has fallen asleep. The disciples say, Jesus, if he's sleeping, he'll sleep it off. He'll get better. Jesus. Then clarifies Lazarus is dead. And I'm glad for your sake that it happened because there's something about to happen. That's going to really help you believe. Now let's go to him. It's here. We get the first thing we've ever heard from the mouth of Thomas' disciple. Tommy says to the rest of the guys, come on, let's go with him. That we might also die with him. That shows you just how hostile the Jerusalem area was. And Jerusalem is only a 40 minute walk from Bethany.

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It takes Jesus and the disciples two days to get there. And when they get to the outskirts of Bethany Lazarus died about the time they got the message. Four days ago, though, several miles from Lazarus home, they can probably already hear the morning. The place was packed with mourners and Jews. Really know how to let their grief rip this. Isn't bringing a hot dish and sniffles into a Kleenex. This is shrieking in grief. Martha gets word that Jesus is on his way. So she hurries out to meet him outside the village. Mary stayed in the house either. She didn't know, or maybe she was really wounded. When Martha meets Jesus, there's an intense conversation.

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It may have been soft and teary, but Martha's the practical sister. I'm guessing it was a little icy Lord. If you'd only been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Then she softens a bit. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give it to you. What is Martha suggesting? Well, I certainly don't think it was that Jesus would raise her brother out of that grave because a few minutes later, she's going to freak out. When Jesus says he's going to do just that. She starts talking stench, cut the lady, some Slack. She's just lost her big brother, a big brother. Who's likely taking care of both her and Mary, a big brother who now dead has left them to potentially a life of poverty.

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It could have been. She was thinking generally about what God had done in the old Testament. Both Elijah and Elisha had raised someone from the dead and she had heard Jesus had raised gyrus, his daughter and the dead son of the widow of Nane. We should talk about that a minute. I said, I'd get back to that. We brushed by those two incidents in previous episodes, but let's go back there. The first was the widow of Nane. Luke tells us about this event in chapter seven. It happened right after the century and came to Jesus and asked him to heal his son from afar. After healing, that servant from afar, Jesus heads toward the village of Nane and runs into a funeral procession.

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He sees a widow coming out with a group of mourners and they're carrying a coffin of her only son. Jesus took great pity on her. Luke tells us Jesus went up to the funeral. Procession stopped the bearers of the coffin, touch the coffin and said young man, I say to you arise, the young man sat right up and Jesus gave him back to his mother. The mother who needed him to take care of her. The result was both the crowd and those who heard said a great prophet has risen among us and fear or, or gripped the people. Martha had to have heard about that one. The other incident, both Mark and Luke tell us about they put it right after Jesus casting the demons out of the shrieking maniac of the garrisons.

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Coming back into Capernum gyrus. A synagogue official meets Jesus, begging him to come heal his daughter while Jesus is having an interaction with a woman with a hemorrhage, gyrus servants come out and say, don't bother the teacher anymore. I'm sorry to tell you. Your little girl just died. Jesus looks at gyrus and says, don't be afraid. Just believe your little girl will be made. Well, then he Peter James and John go to gyrus his house. He's met there by a group of mourners, also shrieking over the death. This 12 year old little girl Jesus says to the mourners stop grieving. She hasn't died. She's just asleep.

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They laughed at Jesus. Let that one. Soak in. Jesus takes Peter James and John and gyrus and his wife into the little girl's room where she lies. Jesus speaks to the corpse. <inaudible> Aramaic for I say to you little girl, get up her spirit returned. And she got up. Martha undoubtedly had heard about that one too. Jesus replied to Martha on the road outside of Bethany is this. Your brother will rise again. Martha, his brain kicks into long-term Martha. Wasn't like the Sadducees who believed in no resurrection. She believed all of the old Testament that promised such things.

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She replies to Jesus. I know he will. One day in the resurrection. Her response is like the little girl who wants a pony for her birthday and her parents won't let her have it now. But they remind her that someday when she's older, she can get one for herself. This is, I know one day I'll be able to have that pony I long for, but not now, but that's not at all. What Jesus was saying. Jesus clarifies Martha. I am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me shall live. Even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Martha, do you believe this? Jesus is saying to this beloved little girl, I'm the one who can give you the pony you desire right now?

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Martha's reply. Yes, Lord. I have believed that you are the Christ. The son of God, even the one who comes into the world at this point, Martha goes away back to the house and tells Mary Jesus is here. And he's calling for you. John tells us, Mary got up quickly and goes to Jesus. The people in the house, seeing her leave quickly believe she's going to the tomb. So they all come behind her as an entourage, still moaning and crying out. I'm sure by this time, Jesus is near the house. She runs to him on the road and flings herself at Jesus' feet. She repeats Martha's words. Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

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Jesus feels her heaving sobs at his feet. And he pans the crowd sobbing around him. John tells us he was overcome deeply moved in his spirit. He's able to choke out a question where have you laid him? Then Jesus breaks down. It's John 1135, the shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus wept the noun form of the Greek word. John uses for wept means to shed tears. It's used a dozen times in the new Testament, but this is the only time the verb form is used almost as if this word needed to be reserved for such a time. As this I've heard in classical Greek, it's used of the snorting of a horse.

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00:09:21

I was at a funeral of a young man who had been my student killed suddenly in a motorcycle accident. Something poignant was said in a eulogy. There was this sound that came from deep inside of me, almost a gasp. That might've been what happened here. Jesus overcome with emotions, weeps and maybe gasps from deep inside. I asked my students, did Jesus know he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead they answer? Yes. The context clearly tells us that. So I asked them why is he crying outside of Lazarus tomb? The most likely answer is it's not about Lazarus. It's about that woman sobbing at his feet. The people in the crowd sobbing all around.

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00:10:02

I think Jesus was overcome with emotion, for what the world had come to the agony of death and separation. I have a hunch. Jesus was also looking down through time at the millions of mortars assembled in graveyards saying goodbye. We learn God is the God of the living death. Wasn't his idea. So imagine what the son of God felt at a moment like this. Jesus is able to get out the words, take me to him when they get to the tomb, Jesus said, move the stone away. It's here. Martha speaks up. It's been four days. There'll be a stench. Jesus replies. Did I not tell you? If you believe you will see the glory of God, Jesus then raises his hands and praise father.

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I know you always hear me show these people around me that you hear me so that they might believe in me. Then he cries out with a loud voice Lazarus come forth. I'm not sure even Hollywood could recreate this scene. A cadaver mummified in Claus comes lumbering out of the tomb, put yourself in his place. His last conscious thought laying in that bed fading. And the next thing he knows, he's walking out of a dank, smelly cave toward dumbfounded people. Jesus tells them, unwrap him and turn him loose. John quickly gives us the result. Many there believed in Jesus, but some run to the Pharisees who tell the ones in charge the Sadducees and they call a council.

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00:11:30

Is there ever a hubbub in this council? Two statements are made the first tips, the hand of the religious leaders concerning their problem with Jesus. It's not religion. It's politics. They're not protecting the people from a false teacher. They're maintaining their power. If we let him go like this, all men will believe in him. And the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation it's at this point, Caiaphas, the high priest at the time has an insight. He says, guys, do I have to do all the thinking around here? Don't you see what to do? One man needs to die here for the people that the whole nation should not perish.

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What Caiaphas meant was kill him. So we can keep on doing what we're doing as a nation. But John tells us there was a double meaning here, God put those words in his mouth. God turned the high priest into a prophet. God was repeating what Jesus said to Nicodemus. God is about to give his one son that no one might perish, but that the world might be saved. Caiaphas said his thing. And God said, you see what you did there Caiaphas there that day in the chamber, the decision was made and the plans worked out. Jesus was going down. He'd be killed. And soon just as an FYI, they plan to kill Lazarus too.

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00:12:51

For that four days, dead walking out of the stench. Raising of Lazarus was getting out all over. People were coming to Bethany to talk to the once dead man, Jesus said this would be a big deal. And was it ever at the sea of Galilee? He made the statement. I am the bread of life and he backed it up by creating food for 5,000 people in Jerusalem. He said, I'm the light of the world. And he backed it up by healing. A man born blind. Now here in Bethany, he tells Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. Any resurrects to life, a man dead for four days within a week, he'll fulfill another.

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00:13:33

I am. I am the good shepherd and a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John tells us Jesus slipped up to the village of Ephram 15 miles North of Jerusalem. He's not up there long at all. Soon he heads back towards Jerusalem. He takes the route through Jericho though. The fuse had been lit for his death. The gospel writers tell us Jesus still has time to bind up the broken ones and set free the captives and to find more scattered, lost sheep in Jericho, we meet some of those lost sheep. First. It was a beggar on the road who cries out, have mercy on me. Jesus son of David, that beggar knew who Jesus was.

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00:14:15

Jesus was moved with compassion. Your faith has saved. You receive your sight. The man could see and he follows Jesus. Next, we meet a little guy up in a tree. He was a tax collector of little stature. He hears the hubbub and climbs up the tree to get a peek of Jesus. But Jesus stops under the tree and asks him if he can come have dinner at his house. Now this annoyed, most of the crowd to no end, but Zacchaeus. He was thrilled and more than thrilled, he was changed on the spot. He tells Jesus, Lord, I'll give half my possessions. I have to the poor. And if I've cheated any people at all, I'll repay them four times.

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00:14:57

Jesus has a word for him. Salvation has come this day to the home of this child of Abraham. The son of man has just found one of the last I've been seeking to save. Then on the Jerusalem highway, outside town with a large crowd following behind him, Jesus runs into Bartimaeus another blind beggar. He two hears Jesus is coming and he cries out over and over Jesus son of David mercy. The crowd's really annoyed. Somebody goes, shut that guy up. But Jesus stops. The man is brought to Jesus. Jesus asks, what would you like me to do for you? Dear rabbi, my sight, please. Again, Jesus has moved.

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00:15:38

Your faith has healed you. He too could see. And he two tags along with Jesus toward Jerusalem. Jesus continues to head West to Jerusalem. It was uphill all the way. Jesus is a marked man and he knew exactly what was coming in reality. He was orchestrating it all. Jesus is going to make a quick stop to see Lazarus and his sisters in Bethany, and then move on to Jerusalem. We'll take a look at that time in Bethany and Jesus entering Jerusalem in our next wordpicture.