The Downside Of Miracles - The One Year Christian History
The Downside Of Miracles
He didn’t rush to help.
IN THE winter of A.D. 32–33 a man named Lazarus fell sick. He lived in Bethany on the far side of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem with his two sisters, Mary and Martha. They were among Jesus’ closest friends. When Lazarus became sick, his sisters sent a message to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is very sick” (John 11:1-3).
One would have thought that when Jesus received the message he would have rushed to the side of his sick friend, but instead he stayed where he was for two more days. Finally he said to his disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again. . . . Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
“The disciples said, ‘Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!’ They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night’s rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
“Then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let’s go see him’” (John 11:5-15).
When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had been in his grave for four days. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she ran out to meet him and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (11:17-21).
When Jesus told her that her brother would rise again, Martha responded, “Yes, when everyone else rises, on resurrection day.”
“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?’
“‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him. ‘I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God’” (11:27).
Jesus then went to the grave. It was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus said.
Martha objected and said, “The smell will be terrible.”
“Jesus responded, ‘Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?’ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me. . . . Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ To everyone’s astonishment Lazarus came out, bound in his graveclothes, and Jesus commanded, “Unwrap him and let him go!” (11:38-44).
Many people believed in Jesus when they witnessed this miracle. But some went to the Pharisees to report what Jesus had done. In response, the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin to discuss what they deemed a troubling situation. They feared everyone in their nation would become followers of Jesus, causing the Romans to send their army to kill them all. Then Caiaphas, the high priest said, “How can you be so stupid? Why should the whole nation be destroyed? Let this one man die for the people” (11:45-50).
Because the religious leaders were plotting to kill Jesus, he and his disciples left Jerusalem and went to a safer place. Shortly thereafter it was time for Passover, when every Jewish man was required to go to Jerusalem, so Jesus and his disciples went back to Bethany to stay at the home of Lazarus (11:53–12:1).
The second day he was there, March 29, A.D. 33, the people learned of Jesus’ arrival and flocked to see him and Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead (12:9).
The chief priests then decided that their only solution to the popularity of Jesus was to kill not only Jesus but Lazarus as well (12:9-11).
Reflection
Why do you think the religious leaders wanted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus? A mighty miracle had taken place, and they wanted to do away with the evidence.
This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire nation came from Caiaphas in his position as high priest. He didn’t think of it himself; he was inspired to say it. It was a prediction that Jesus’ death would be not for Israel only, but for the gathering together of all the children of God scattered around the world.
John 11:51-52
