Lord of Life and Death

Jesus is a Friend of Believers

How did Jesus meet this family? How did he come to be such close friends with them? They were not what we would consider a typical family: a brother and two sisters. They lived in Bethany, nearby Jerusalem. Perhaps, Jesus met them on one of his early trips to Jerusalem and they invited Jesus and his disciples to stay with them. Such a display of generous and radical hospitality must have made an impression on Jesus.

I imagine that as Jesus made his trips to Jerusalem for religious feast days and observances that this home in Bethany became the place of their lodging. All those evenings together allowed Jesus to know and grow close to this family of three: Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

It was in Bethany that Jesus ate in the home of Simon (Matthew 26:1-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50). It was here that Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection (Luke 24:50-51). Bethany was separated from Jerusalem by the Mount of Olives which was the location of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Lazarus becomes a paradigm for all of us as believers in this chapter of John’s Gospel account of Christ’s ministry. When Jesus tells the Parable of the Rich Man who dies, the poor man is given the name of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Perhaps it is in recognition of his great friendship with Lazarus that he does this. After all, I do not believe he has provided a proper name for any other character of his parables. Certainly, that is significant.

Jesus announces that “our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep” (verse 11). I find it significant that Jesus refers to Lazarus as a friend. So are all believers friends of Christ.

The text uses a form of the word Φιλεω (phileo) as well as αγαπαω (agapao) to describe Jesus relationship with Lazarus. It is significant that Jesus not only had that selfless, giving love for Lazarus that he has for all people, but he also loves Lazarus as a friend. Both verbs are used to describe the relationship of God, the Father, to the Son. Yes, God is love. Yes, God has demonstrated his love for us in sending the Son. But, those who are believers are adopted as God's children. We become brothers and sisters of Christ who loves us a brothers and sisters. Just as Jesus love Lazarus, Martha, and Mary as brothers and sisters, so does he love all who trust in him and walk in the light.

Friends of Jesus Walk in the Light

As we have see in the account of Jesus and the Man Born Blind, when Jesus talks about light and darkness he has a deeper spiritual meaning in mind. In these verses, Jesus is building on a discussion of light and darkness that we have seen taking place in the Gospel of John since the opening prologue...

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.

⁹ The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. ¹² But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: ¹³ who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:1-5, 9-13 (WEB)

Commenting on this verse from this week’s lesson, Robertson says that we have the capacity for light, but are not the source of light (Robertson, note on John 11:10). Jesus calls himself the Light of the World. He also calls us the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We are like moons that reflect the sun‘s light onto the dark side of the earth. We are to place our light on a stand where it will give light to all (Matthew 5:15), so that other‘s may see our good works (Matthew 5:16), prepared beforehand for us (Galatians 2:10) that God may be glorified (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus is the Lord of Life and Death

Jesus refers to Lazarus’ death as sleep. It is not final. It is not spiritually fatal. Again, Jesus relies on a pun with both a physical and a spiritual meaning: asleep.

Death does not break the bond we have in Christ, as the Apostle Paul writes...

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39 (WEB)

Or as Paul wrote in this week‘s Epistle Lesson, “But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11, WEB).

Here Jesus demonstrates that he is the Lord of life and death. Lazarus’ death was for a purpose — to demonstrate the glory of God. We saw a similar statement when Jesus was talking about the man who had been born blind. Contrary to prevailing attitudes, the man‘s blindness had nothing to do with his sin or his parent‘s sin — it was to demonstrate the glory of God.

It is Martha who goes out to greet Jesus, and not Mary. I have always liked that about this story. Martha often gets a bad rap when compared to her sister who “chose the better portion” (Luke 10:42). Here it is Martha who demonstrates her faith by going out to Jesus and making the incredible affirmation: “Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you” (John 11:22-23, ESV). Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise. Martha responds that she believes in the resurrection and that her brother will rise on the day of resurrection. Jesus then tells her: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26, ESV). Martha responds: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (verse 26, ESV).

Jesus Raises Lazarus

Martha is direct and to the point. Mary is demonstrative and feeling. Both have faith, but they show it differently. When Martha told Mary that Jesus was waiting for her, she went to him, followed by many of the mourners who thought she was going to the tomb. Mary falls at his feet and says that Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been present. Interestingly she falls short of her sister’s affirmation in verse 22; “even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you” (ESV). Nevertheless, Mary’s emotional display moves Jesus: “he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (ESV).

Robertson on this verse...

He groaned in the spirit (ενεβριμησατο τω πνευματ). First aorist middle indicative of εμβριμαομα, old verb (from εν, and βριμη, strength) to snort with anger like a horse. It occurs in the LXX (Da 11:30) for violent displeasure. The notion of indignation is present in the other examples of the word in the N.T. (Mr 1:43; 14:5; Mt 9:30). So it seems best to see that sense here and in verse 38. The presence of these Jews, the grief of Mary, Christ’s own concern, the problem of the raising of Lazarus—all greatly agitated the spirit of Jesus (locative case τω πνευματ). He struggled for self-control.

Was troubled (εταραξεν εαυτον). First aorist active indicative of ταρασσω, old verb to disturb, to agitate, with the reflexive pronoun, “he agitated himself” (not passive voice, not middle). “His sympathy with the weeping sister and the wailing crowd caused this deep emotion” (Dods). Some indignation at the loud wailing would only add to the agitation of Jesus.

As a believer, Jesus is not only loved by Jesus as God loves us all, but he loves her as a dear friend — as a dear sister. He is disturbed and moved by the depths of her grief. He knows her pain and suffers with her. Asking to be taken to the grave he then experiences the grief of such loss for himself. Some translations simply state “Jesus wept” (vs. 35).

I have always found this to be one of the most moving narratives in the New Testament. Another is the realization Peter has when he has denied knowing Jesus for the third time when the cock crows. We are told that he runs and weeps bitterly.

⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” ⁶² And he went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:61-63, ESV

But where Peter’s weeping is from his realization of his own failure and part in Jesus’ eventual death, Jesus weeps from his identification with Martha and Mary at their loss. It is his loss as well. Even though he knows that the separation is but for a moment, he experiences the loss as part of his humanity. He is no God who cannot understand our own sense of loss, or disappointment, or even failure.

Nearby observers confuse this compassion and sympathy on the part of Jesus with an inability to act. Here is the man who gave sight to a man born blind (vs. 37). Could he not bring life back to his friend? Even the prophets of old were known to do that!

Moved again, Jesus orders the stone rolled away from the tomb (vs. 39). Ever the practical one, Martha warns that there must surely be a stench. Her concern is interesting. On the one hand she believes that Jesus can do something about her brother’s death — she has verbalized it (vs. 22), but she has yet to truly appropriate the belief by faith. How often do we fail to make the same distinctions in our lives? We believe something even to the point of being able to express it — and yet, we fail to truly appropriate it to the exclusions of all doubts.

Jesus reminds Martha of their conversation (vs. 40) and tells her she is about to witness God’s glory. Jesus commands his dear friend Lazarus to come out of the tomb (vs.43) and he does (vs. 44). Jesus restores Lazarus to life. It is a resuscitation, not a resurrection. Lazarus will again die. The point of the event was not that a grieving man bring his friend to life for his grieving sisters. No, the point was for Martha to see the glory of God. She did, and she believed. Not only that, but many of those present believed as well (vs 45).

The Glory of God

Martha and Mary knew the capabilities of Jesus, yet they never asked him to restore their brother to life. That Jesus did so was for a higher purpose: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory” (John 1:14, ESV). He turns water into wine, not simply to save a wedding, but that his disciples might see the glory of God, his glory, and believe in him (John 2:11). In what we call the High Priestly Prayer (chapter 17), Jesus prays, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5, ESV). Witnessing this glory is to provide unity among the faithful: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:22, ESV). Indeed, the author of the Gospel tells us these things have been written down so that we to may believe.

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, ESV)

The Power to Loose

One more thing before we leave Lazarus. Jesus commands that those nearby unbind Lazarus (vs. 44). Literally, to loose him (λυσατε αυτον). I find this verse to be evocative of those passages in Matthew where Jesus gives the authority to loose and bind. Here is Robertson’s note on Matthew 16:19.

The Keys of the kingdom (τας κλειδας της βασιλειας). Here again we have the figure of a building with keys to open from the outside. The question is raised at once if Jesus does not here mean the same thing by “kingdom” that he did by “church” in verse 18. In Re 1:18; 3:7 Christ the Risen Lord has “the keys of death and of Hades.” He has also “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” which he here hands over to Peter as “gatekeeper” or “steward” (οικονομος) provided we do not understand it as a special and peculiar prerogative belonging to Peter. The same power here given to Peter belongs to every disciple of Jesus in all the ages. Advocates of papal supremacy insist on the primacy of Peter here and the power of Peter to pass on this supposed sovereignty to others. But this is all quite beside the mark. We shall soon see the disciples actually disputing again (Mt 18:1) as to which of them is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven as they will again (20:21) and even on the night before Christ’s death. Clearly neither Peter nor the rest understood Jesus to say here that Peter was to have supreme authority. What is added shows that Peter held the keys precisely as every preacher and teacher does. To “bind” (δησηις) in rabbinical language is to forbid, to “loose” (λυσηις) is to permit. Peter would be like a rabbi who passes on many points. Rabbis of the school of Hillel “loosed” many things that the school of Schammai “bound.” The teaching of Jesus is the standard for Peter and for all preachers of Christ. Note the future perfect indicative (εστα δεδεμενον, εστα λελυμενον), a state of completion. All this assumes, of course, that Peter’s use of the keys will be in accord with the teaching and mind of Christ. The binding and loosing is repeated by Jesus to all the disciples (18:18). Later after the Resurrection Christ will use this same language to all the disciples (Joh 20:23), showing that it was not a special prerogative of Peter. He is simply first among equals, primus inter pares, because on this occasion he was spokesman for the faith of all. It is a violent leap in logic to claim power to forgive sins, to pronounce absolution, by reason of the technical rabbinical language that Jesus employed about binding and loosing. Every preacher uses the keys of the kingdom when he proclaims the terms of salvation in Christ. The proclamation of these terms when accepted by faith in Christ has the sanction and approval of God the Father. The more personal we make these great words the nearer we come to the mind of Christ. The more ecclesiastical we make them the further we drift away from him.

But, does Robertson go far enough? The keys belong to the whole Church of Jesus Christ — laity as well as clergy. We all have the great privilege (and tremendous responsibility) to announce the Gospel and to proclaim the forgiveness of sins. The authority to loose seems clear. It belongs to all of us, collectively as the Body of Christ. We use it, we implement it, not only collectively, but individually in our daily ministrations to our neighbor.

So, what about the authority to bind? Here is the difficulty. It certainly belongs only to the Body of Christ as does the authority to loose. But, what does it entail and how is it implemented? That, I believe, must be another topic for another day, but, your comments are welcome.

Resources

Robertson, A. T., Word Pictures in the New Testament, Electronic Files, The Bible Foundation, Public Domain.

Henry, Matthew. Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible, Electronic Files Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Public Domain.

Masterman, E. W. G. “Olives, Mount of”, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE), Public Domain. 1844-1913.

Masterman, E. W. G. “Bethany”, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE), Public Domain. 1844-1913.

Trever, G. H. “Lazarus”, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE), Public Domain. 1844-1913.