HEALING IS A KIND OF, A TYPE AND SHADOW OF, THE PROMISE OF,
RESURRECTION (COMING INTO THE GLORY OF GOD)
04-14-13
(John 11:1,2) Now a certain man was
sick [Gk: to be feeble (in any sense)], named
Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
(It was that Mary [who was converted, born-again, saved, “imputed”
for righteousness (Rom 4:11,22-24; 5:13; James 2:23)]which anointed the
Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus
was sick.)
1.
Mary = Heb: rebellious /// bitterness, i.e. (fig.) rebellion; concr.
bitter, or rebellious:--bitter, (most) rebel (-ion, -lious).
2.
(Luke 10:41,42) And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha,
Martha, thou art careful [full of cares] and troubled about many
things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good
part [of the whole], which shall not be taken away from her.
3.
(John 12:3) Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very
costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her
hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
(John 11:3-6) Therefore his sisters
sent [a messenger] unto him [Jesus], saying,
Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he
said, This sickness is not unto death [“will not end in death” NIV],
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had
heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same
place where he was.
1.
Commentary:
“his sisters sent (a messenger) unto him (Jesus)” = employing textual
foresight (John 11:17), we know that this is occurring the same day that
Lazarus died, perhaps right after the messenger hurriedly departed from the
sisters to Jesus.
2.
Commentary:
“that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” = The act of raising
Lazarus from the dead exceedingly dramatized and thereby
exceedingly magnified the miraculous power of the glory of God on
earth as it is manifested through His Son Jesus Christ much much more than
the relatively normal healing of a sick man would have impacted the people
(Jesus greatly condensed the “timing.”). Thus, Jesus waited for
undeniable irrefutable death to take its course, as witnessed to and
verified by Martha who said of her brother “Lord, by this time he
stinketh: for he hath been dead four days” (John 11:39). This was the
fourth day of bodily decomposition accompanied by the odor of certain death
smelled by all.
(John 11:7-10) Then after that saith he to
his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto
him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou
thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?
If any man walk in the day [with the way illuminated by the
guiding light of the knowledge of God’s will], he stumbleth not,
because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in
the night [in the absence of the guiding light of God’s will],
he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
1.
(John 8:12) Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the
light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but
shall have the light of life.
2.
Commentary:
a person who walks within or upon the path of God’s will (the light), a
person who keeps his focus on Jesus Christ (the light) as did Peter while
walking on the water, will not stumble for he will be enabled by the
light to see the chaotic disordered rocks of deadly sin strewn about him.
But if a man walks without the light of Jesus Christ which dwells within
him, making that man not only a lantern of light (for himself) but also
a beacon-lighthouse of light (for others), he will walk gropingly through
the darkness of this world, and stumble upon sin, and fall and die.
(John 11:11-16) These things said he: and after that
he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth [Gk:
slumbers] ; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his
disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus
spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of
rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may
believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas
[Chald: twin], which is called Didymus [Gk: twin], unto
his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him
[indicating loyalty but also unbelief].
1.
euphemism = Dict: the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague
expression for a harsh or blunt one.
(John 11:17) Then when Jesus came
[to Bethany], he found that he [Lazarus] had lain
in the grave four days already.
1.
Commentary:
the messenger traveled one day from Bethany to notify Jesus; Jesus
“abode two days still in the same place where he was;” Jesus and His
disciples left where they were and traveled one day to Bethany,
equaling “four days” altogether. Thus, Lazarus was already dead when the
messenger delivered his message to Jesus.
(John 11:18-20) Now Bethany was nigh unto
Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off [about 2 miles]: And
many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their
brother. Then Martha [a woman of action], as soon as she heard
that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary [a woman of
quiet reflection] sat still in the house.
(John 11:21-29) Then said Martha unto
Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I
know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto
him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son
of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went
her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master
is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose
quickly, and came unto him.
(John 11:30-32) Now Jesus was not yet come
into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then
which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they
saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her,
saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was
come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto
him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
(John 11:33-37) When Jesus therefore
saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her,
he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled [by their unbelief,
which caused them sorrow in this life and irrevocable death (eternal
separation from God) in the next], And said, Where have ye laid him?
They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said
the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could
not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this
man should not have died?
(John 11:38-42) Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a
stone [indicating hardness of heart] lay upon it.
Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that
was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he
hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee,
that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And
Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast
heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the
people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast
sent me.
LOOSE HIM, AND LET HIM GO
(John 11:43-46) And when he thus had
spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that
was dead came forth, bound hand [his “work” was confined by
the opposing beliefs of the world] and foot [his “walk”
was confined by the opposing beliefs of the world] with
graveclothes [bound, wrapped and tied up with the opposing
thoughts and conventions of this world; the opposing beliefs of this world
system that seek to kill us, to keep us still and silent for all eternity]:
and his face was bound about with a napkin [the world’s
napkin; Lazarus was prevented, prohibited, not permitted, to see nor speak
spiritual things]. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him
go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the
things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their
ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
1.
Commentary:
we have been “loosed” from the world by Jesus Christ; we just don’t know it,
but we are coming into the knowledge of that fact, i.e., we are
coming into the glory of God.
Amen
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