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By: Micael Tao
Human beings are born with a deep fear of death, seeing our body getting older, weaker, more and more disabling; and eventually none can escape from the most unknown - death. Death to men, is the end of everything, there will be no sound, no joy, no movement, no glory; but darkness, coldness, loneliness and decay. After death, the bodies will dissolve, and return to dust. Sooner or later, the dead will be forgotten, as if they have never existed.
What can men do about death? Very little, men are absolutely vulnerable in facing the threat of death. Men can invent different ways to deceive themselves or cover up their fear. First of all, some are trying hard to cover up their failing looks by cosmetics and plastic surgery - so that they do not look as old as they really are. Some build bigger barns and fetch as much as they can - with the delusion that money can buy health, care and comfort, however creates for themselves more stress in return. Some live a lavish life style since life is short, so they deserve to live in such a way.
The Bible teaches that death in a totally different manner. The Bible teaches that death can be a friend, and bring us to God, however it can be also an enemy that takes us to hell. The decision is ours.
Lazarus was one of the very few people that came back to life after death. By studying John 11 and other scriptures, we can have a better understanding of resurrection and eternity, and the Wisdom and the Grace of God comforts us greatly through his Words.
In this account, Jesus' most faithful friends Mary and Martha, sent a messenger from Bethany to tell Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick, and they urged Jesus to come and help him immediately. Although healing Lazarus was God's will, Jesus stayed in the same place for two more days to evangelize the people there. This does not mean that Lazarus did not deserve the attention, nor that Christ was unable to heal, nor that the request was not justified, but God has his own time frame.
Jesus' decision to visit Bethany aroused certain disagreement from His followers, because they could sense the hostility against Christ in Judea. Bethany was only two miles away from Jerusalem; the safety of Jesus and also, of them would be in serious question.
Jesus' answer did not seem to relate to their question, He said, "...If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world...". According to Jesus, going to Judea was in fact - walking in the light. Men also work in the light, so it is right to get going and serve God. Refusing to go is walking in darkness, and will result in stumbling.
In John 11:11 Jesus said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep". Here Jesus did not call death "death", he called it "sleep", perhaps we should adjust our perspective, and see death as temporary. As a matter of fact, He was using the same terminology from His Father. In Deuteronomy 31:16 "sleep" was used to indicate "death" for the first time, while God was speaking to Moses. Though the lifeless body returns to the ground, death is not fearful place for the believers, because our spirits never die, nor dissolve.
Here Jesus finally explained to His disciples that he knew that His beloved friend was dead, and his death would build up their faith. Men generally fall short of comprehending God's decrees, but everything God does is for the faith of his saints.
The so called "Doubting Thomas" said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him". We can see his frustration, and reluctance to go to Bethany; but he went anyway. We should not be too harsh about Thomas, many times we are no better than him. His action won him a worthy reward; he eye-witnessed the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Later Thomas became one of the forerunners to evangelize the lost world, and died a martyr's death willingly and joyfully.
When Martha knew Christ was coming to their house, she ran to Him immediately and said "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." In deep sorrow and disappointment, Martha blamed Christ for His late coming. Then she expressed her desire that Christ would resurrect Lazarus, and Christ granted her wish immediately (v23). Martha thought Christ was talking about the resurrection at the last day. She misunderstood Christ, but it is amazing to see Martha did have a very clear idea about the resurrection of the dead, and the second coming of Christ. These two sisters were in fact very well taught by Christ. However, she made the same kind of mistake that many of us make. We thought that God only cares about the spiritual things, such as the kingdom, righteousness, glory, holiness etc; and He has less interest in our physical needs.
Christ answered Martha, "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?" Christ told Martha that He is not only the resurrection at the last day, but more: He is the resurrection AT PRESENT, and is the life FOREVER. The spirit of a believer is resurrected by the Holy Spirit, right at the very moment of accepting Christ as his Saviour; and "IS passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). The eternal life does not start after our death, it starts right now. Martha declared that Jesus is Christ and the Son of God, again shocking knowledge of Jesus Christ's identity.
However, without a full comprehension of what Jesus said, Martha went to call Mary, a gifted and beloved student of Christ (Luke 10:42). Martha told Mary a half truth: "The Master ... calleth for thee", which Christ did not. Christians tend to put words in their Master's mouth, sometimes out of a sincere intention, like this one here. Nevertheless, Mary responded promptly, a fine thinker turned into a committed actor, triggered by the call of Christ.
When Mary met Jesus, she said the same thing her sister said, blaming Jesus (v32). Seeing sorrow of these two sisters and their relatives, Jesus groaned in the Spirit. His heart went out to these broken hearts. Death became the common destiny of men when Adam and Eve sinned. Their selfishness brought mankind into the curse of separation from God, which causes physical and spiritual death. During men's time on earth, they were blinded by the king of this world, deceived and devoured, paying the sin debt of theirs and of their foreparents. Life to mankind, is meaningless. Some might live a longer life, "yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10) - so sad.
Christ was troubled. Being moved by the love and obedience towards His Father, the helplessness of His faithful friends, and the death commission that was set before Him, Jesus wept. People around him knew about Jesus' miracle of returning the sight of a born blind man, and the resurrection of some dead people. However, they whispered in doubt. Men tend to doubt, even with the very best they have; they can still be very skeptical.
Christ again groaned in Himself (v38). Christ had great love for Lazarus. In His humanity, He wanted to come earlier to resurrect him; but in His divinity, He had to obey His father. He was in a dilemma, and these people's mumbling was not helping the situation. The grave Lazarus was in, was in a cave, for the burial of the common people. When Jesus instructed them to remove the stone (v39), Martha, even Martha, did not perceive the fact that Christ was about to work the miracle that she longed for, she discouraged Christ in doing so, because it was too late. Though they did not believe (v40); Christ kept his promise (v4, v23). It was the Jews' superstition that the ghost of the dead would stay around the body for three days. That is why Christ waited until the fourth day to show that he is indeed the Lord of life and death.
Many modern painters portrayed Christ as a weak, pale, long-haired wimp; but He is not. Christ was a carpenter by trade, He could be quite strong, He definitely did not have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14), and was a Jew, not a white man. After His praying to God to prove that He was from God, He "cried with a loud voice", with a good masculine voice, to command Lazarus to come out from the tomb.
If some think this resurrection was a precedence of Christ's resurrection, so Christ was not the first one that raised from the dead as Acts 26:23 quoted, then he is wrong.
There were great differences between these two. Lazarus came back to his physical life and he still had to face his bodily death in a later day. But when Christ rose, "He went to the right side of God the Father in Heaven, is now making intercessions for the sinners, and death has no more dominion over Him" (Roman 6:9, 8:34). We are not going to have the resurrection that Lazarus had, we will have the one that Christ had. First Corinthians 15:50 says, "...flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption...We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed...So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory...But thanks to God,which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"; when believers die, we are not going to see any corruption, our spirit will go right to Heaven and be with the father (Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23). Our bodies will return to dust.
With Christ's second coming (Matthew 25:31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16), the earth will give out its dead (John 5:28, 1 Corinthians 15:52) and our spirits will unit with the bodies that we used to have. Then we shall stand in front of the Judgment Seat of Christ for the justification as God's people and the receiving of rewards (Roman 14:10, 1 Corinthians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:12). Then we shall assist in judging the unbelievers who are already in hell (1 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 20:4), eyewitness them being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15) as their eternal punishment. Only the believers will enter into eternity with God (Revelation 21:3).
God in his eternal mercy, gives us a path, to bypass the spiritual death. This only rescue is through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:6 - 9 says, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him".
To those who believe in Christ; their sins are forgiven by God; Romans 6:14 says "sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace". Through repentance, which is a change of heart attitude, that leads to a change of behavior; grave has no more victory; and Death lost its stings ( 1 Corinthians 5:55). Death turns into a blessing. Our body can betray us, but with the weakness and the aches that come with aging; we become more eager to leave this earthly tabernacle behind (2 Corinthians 5:1,4). When death knocks on the door, it s also the time to exercise our greatest faith. We are going to see Christ one step beyond our life!
But before we come to that stage, as children of God, we should obey the Father (Galatians 3:26). As servants of God, we should offer our bodies as our reasonable service(Roman 12:1); and as soldiers of Christ, we should endure hardship to fight in the spiritual warfare (2 Timothy 2:3). When we see God, we hope that he will say, "Thou good servant...".
