"In His Time" - April 10, 2011 Sermon

Scripture: John 11:1-45

The Sermon:

Doctor’s offices are busier now than they have ever been. Sometimes it feels like an assembly line production. I heard a story about a man who walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had, and he replied “shingles”. She took down his name, address and medical ins. Information and told him to have a seat. 15 minutes later, a nurse’s aid came out and asked what he had, he said “shingles.” She measured his height, weight and had him fill out a medical history form, took him to the examining room and told him to wait. 15 minutes later a nurse came in and asked what he had, he said “shingles.” She took his blood pressure, listened to his heart, then asked him to take off his shirt and wait for the doctor. 15 minutes later, the doctor came in and asked what he had, he said shingles. The doctor asked “where” and he replied outside on the truck, where do you want them unloaded?

Seriously, though, most of us have great admiration for our doctors. However, the number one complaint, according to the AMA, is the amount of time spent in the waiting room, or waiting in general. It is very frustrating to be feeling sick…and then have to wait for treatment.

Jesus was teaching one day when word came that Lazarus was extremely ill. You remember that Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were close friends of Jesus. Jesus had spent time in their home, having a meal with them. Certainly, Jesus would go immediately to his sick friend. Since he had healed many other people, Martha and Mary were sure he would heal his sick friend. But what did he do? He did not leave at once, instead he waited two days… and he was not very far away. He could have been there in a short period of time, but he intentionally stayed where he was. It made no sense to Martha and Mary.

Try to put yourself, mentally and emotionally, in their place. How would you feel if you went to the emergency room and had to wait 48 hours for the doctor to arrive? You would most probably be outraged ! I want you all to read that passage again and look for clues that something amazing is about to happen. Jesus says that, “this sickness will not end in death. It is for God’s glory.” When Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus is already dead and in the tomb. This story from the Gospel of John is more than a story about a family in crisis. I believe it is really about the crisis of a world that lives in sin and death. The real purpose of this story is to reveal Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life !.

Some believe that Jesus delayed going to Lazarus because of the danger of going into Judea… on his previous visit the Jews tried to stone him. The disciples brought this to his attention in vs.8. I do not share that view. Time and again, Scriptures tell us that He faced grave perils and the threat of death with little or no concern. He was not worried about his death or the death of Lazarus… his only concern was doing the Father’s will!

The fact is, that in reality, he did not delay in helping his friends. He tells his disciples in vs. 14 that Lazarus is dead. Jesus knew that Lazarus was already dead when he received the message that he was “ill.” Remember now, he arrived two days after he got Martha and Mary’s message that Lazarus was very ill, but when he arrives he finds that Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days.

There has been a lot of speculation about what Jesus was doing for those two days. This is the Christ who said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do my Father’s will.” The first thing he wanted to do was be absolutely sure he was understanding God’s will rightly. I’m sure his first human instinct was to rush to his friend’s aid… but he also knew that he had more than Lazarus to save, he had a whole world to save. I have no doubts that during those two days, Jesus did what he always did…he was praying to the Father… just like in the garden of Gethsemane. Praying for God’s will to be revealed to him.

Once Jesus was sure that he was following God’s will, I believe that he began to fervently pray for Lazarus. A lot of prayer…sweating blood prayer…. The reason I think this is because Jesus offered no prayer at the tomb… he simply said, “roll the stone away.” In vs. 41, Jesus says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”

Jesus knew that God had heard him and he counted on it with absolute conviction.
THAT is what Christ means by Faith. Hopefully in this Lazarus story, we can see a symbol and a proof of the spiritual powers that Christ can use on our behalf.