Over the past year, it seems that many people have died; many good people. The questions always lurk at the back of my mind: Why does God allow this? Why is it that so many people have to die? Many of them were faithful believers and kind-hearted people. Why them? I know the typical answer: sin. Everyone says that. To be fair, it is true, but it is such an unsatisfying answer. Then I read about the death of Lazarus in John 11 and a bit of the smoke cleared. I suddenly had another answer.
“Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, look, the one you love is sick.’ When Jesus heard this, he said, ‘This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.)
So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days. Then after this, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples replied, ‘Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death! Are you going there again?’ Jesus replied, ‘Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks around at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.'” John 11:1-10; New English Translation
Just as many of the things that are allowed to happen today don’t make sense, so did many of the things Jesus chose to do when He was here. The disciples were scratching their heads. Sure, their friend was sick, but if Jesus went back to Judea, in their minds, He could die. To me, as the reader looking at this story over a thousand years later, I’m wondering: why would Jesus purposefully wait two more days! John even made sure to add in verse 5 that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Why would He leave them to face this sickness on their own? Like I said, many of the things Jesus did just don’t make sense. That’s why we don’t stop at the surface; let’s keep reading.
“After he said this, he added, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going there to awaken him.’ Then the disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ (Now Jesus had been talking about his death, but they thought he had been talking about real sleep.)
Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ So Thomas (called Didymus) said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us go too, so that we may die with him.'” John 11:11-16; NET
The disciples didn’t get it either. If Lazarus is just sleeping, then you would think he could wake up on his own, right? At least, that’s what they thought, but Jesus was speaking metaphorically. Many times in the Bible, death is referred to as sleep, which is something that a person can be woken from. However, when referring to death, there is only one method that will ever be able to wake a person from this slumber.
Recall what Jesus said to the disciples back in verse 4: “This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” A side note in my Bible, for this verse, states, “In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is consistently portrayed as his ‘glorification’ through which he accomplishes his return to the Father.” Yet another thing that seems backwards. Jesus viewed His death as His glorification. And, quite obviously, Lazarus died from his sickness. Or did he?
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16; NET
Those who die before Jesus’ return can be awakened. That is why Jesus refers to it as a sleep. Because He can, and will, wake up His friends. There is another death. It is referred to as the second death.
“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14; NET
Death itself is destroyed after Jesus’ return. That is a death no one will be reawakened from. That is not the death that Lazarus suffered. Lazarus merely suffered the death of sleep that only Jesus could awaken him from. Now that Lazarus had died, Jesus got up to go and wake him up. He waited two days before leaving. You’ll read in John 11:17 that, when Jesus got there, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. According to Google, it takes about 2-3 days before a dead body begins to smell from the point of death. That man was dead. His body decomposing within his tomb.
Imagine with me for a moment. During the days that Jesus delayed His journey, what may have been going through Martha and Mary’s thoughts? I imagine questions like, Why? Why isn’t Jesus here? We know He can heal our brother. (John 11:21) Why is He taking so long?
These questions sound so familiar! Why is Jesus taking so long to get here?! Why is He allowing so much evil to run rampant in the world today? Why is He allowing such good people to die? Why isn’t Jesus here? We know He can heal them. Why is He taking so long?
This is Jesus’ answer both to His disciples, and to us:
“Lazarus has died, and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” John 11:14; NET
Jesus delayed his return to His friends so that His disciples may believe. He allowed Martha and Mary to go through horrible grief so that, in the end, they might believe. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to watch someone you love die, especially knowing that the One whom you believe in could save them. Don’t lose faith. Jesus is delaying His return so that as many people as possible may come to believe in Him.
“Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8, 9; NET
No one comes back from the second death. It would seem that sometimes Jesus allows good, faithful people to die the first death of sleep for two reasons: for the sake of the one suffering right before death granting him rest, and for the sake of those of us who remain, so that we may come to believe in Jesus, and turn from our old ways.
Jesus is coming back. He hears our prayers and our pleas. He has promised that He is coming back soon. And so, soon He will awaken all of His friends who have fallen asleep. Hold on till then, for God is faithful and trustworthy keeping His promises, “showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:6; NET
“Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, ‘I will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD.’
And then you forgave my sins.
For this reason every one of your faithful
followers should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.
Certainly when the surging water rises,
it will not reach them.”
Psalm 32:5, 6; NET
Morning Glory Journal 