He was so dead that when Jesus tells them to open the tomb, Martha says, “By now, he stinks.” (If Jarjar Binks had been there we might hear him say, “How rude!”) Tweet

Lazarus was not just mostly dead, he was completely dead. So dead that his body had started decomposing and stinking. He was so dead that when Jesus tells them to open the tomb, Martha says, “But, by now, he stinks.” (If Jarjar Binks were on the scene we might hear him say, “How rude!”) But I think God inspired John to include that particular interchange between Jesus and Martha so that everyone throughout time who reads the story of Lazarus will know that Lazarus was 100% completely dead. It reminds me of the movie, The Princess Bride, where Wesley is “dead” but the little old, odd couple says he’s just “mostly dead” which, of course, is different than “completely dead.”īy waiting a couple days before going, there would be no doubt that Lazarus was not just “mostly dead,” he was completely dead. The Jews had a belief that a person’s spirit left their body after three days, unable at that point to reunite with the body. But the fact that Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus arrived is significant and we shouldn’t miss the point of that. That means that Lazarus was probably already dead when they brought the news to him that he was sick. If we do the math, we know that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days by the time Jesus does arrive. Jesus was not being unintentionally hurtful by not going right away. But Jesus chose not to go and these were His friends. Lazarus, Mary and Martha needed their Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals. Unfortunately, in order to fulfill His will, it meant that Lazarus must die first (or maybe that’s not unfortunate for Lazarus because He got to spend a few days on vacation in Heaven!). Then He says to His disciples, “Let’s go to Judea.” So Jesus hangs out where He was for another two days.

He already knew what He was going to do, how He was going to do it and why. However, we don’t find Jesus dropping everything and heading on over to Bethany as quickly as he can. They had complete faith that Jesus could heal him. When Lazarus became sick, his sisters did the only thing they knew to do – they sent for Jesus. In fact, the Bible records that it was this Mary that anointed Jesus with oil and wiped His feet with her hair. The Backstoryįor a little backstory, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were friends of Jesus. As we look at the story of Mary, Martha, and Jesus when Jesus arrives after Lazarus’ death, there are three things we can learn that will help us in the moments that we long to see the glory of God show up in our own lives. Can you imagine their confusion as Lazarus gets close to death and Jesus hasn’t arrived yet? Can you imagine their heartache as their brother takes his last breath and Jesus didn’t come? Yet, they had enough faith to believe that, even at this point, Jesus could make a difference. They knew Jesus loved their family very much. They sent for Jesus, but he didn’t arrive in time, and Lazarus died. Mission, Core Values, & Statement of Faithĭo you long to see the glory of God? Do you long for God to do something big in your life? Is there a prayer that you have been praying for some time and God seems quiet? Imagine how Martha and Mary felt as their brother Lazarus was sick and they watched as he grew worse.What can we learn from Israel and Judah?.Renewing Church Leaders to Bring Revival to America.Redeeming Christian Marriage to bring Revival to America.Donations to Wellspring Christian Ministries.Contemporary Christian Music to get you through COVID-19.Bible Studies, Books & Gifts from Christianbook Distributors.

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