Preached in West Kirk Presbyterian Church, Belfast on Easter Sunday 2025.
Introduction
This is perhaps an unusual passage to study on Easter Sunday evening, because it’s not really about the Lord’s resurrection from the dead. And that’s what Easter Sunday is all about, isn’t it? On Good Friday we remember and give thanks that our Saviour gave up his life on the cross to pay for our sins and shortcomings. And on Easter Sunday we remember and give thanks that our Saviour was raised from the dead on the third day, triumphant over death and the grave. But this passage is not about that.
And although this passage tells the story of how the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead, it’s not really about Lazarus’s resurrection either. This story is not about Lazarus’s resurrection; it’s about his resuscitation or his revivification. The Lord resuscitated or he revived Lazarus’s dead body, so that Lazarus went on living for a time. And it’s a wonderful miracle and it displays God’s glory. But eventually, Lazarus died again and his body was buried and his remains are still in that grave, wherever it is. And that’s where his remains will remain under the last day, when Christ returns in glory and with power to raise the dead.
When that happens, Lazarus’s body will be raised to new life and he will live in body and soul with God and with all of God’s people for ever and for ever. And he will never die again. And that’s the difference between resuscitation and resurrection, because when Lazarus was resuscitated, he went on living for a time, and then he died. But when we’re raised from the dead at the resurrection, we will go on living for ever and for ever.
And so, this is an unusual passage to study on Easter Sunday, because it’s not about the Lord’s resurrection and it’s not about Lazarus’s resurrection. However, by bringing Lazarus back from the dead, the Lord Jesus was giving a foretaste of what he will do for his people when he comes again in glory and with power. Resuscitating Lazarus’s dead body, or reviving Lazarus’s dead body, is a preview of what the Lord will do for his people when he comes again. And the reason the Lord is able to raise the dead is because, as he says in verse 25, he is the resurrection and the life. He was the first to be raised from the dead to everlasting life and he is the source or he is the cause of our resurrection from the dead to everlasting life. What he’s saying to Martha in verse 25 is that he’s the reason we will rise from the dead to live for ever in the presence of God. Our resurrection from the dead is due to him. As we were thinking about last Sunday morning in Immanuel, sin and death came into the world through Adam, but righteousness and eternal life came into the world through the Lord Jesus Christ, who himself was raised from the dead on the third day. And now that he has been raised, he sends his Spirit to his people to enable us to believe the good news and to live for ever.
The Lord Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He’s the source or he’s the cause of our resurrection from the dead to everlasting life in the presence of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ is coming to us in the preaching of his word today to say to you that whoever believes in him will live, even though you die; and whoever lives and believes in him will never die. Whoever believes will live. Whoever believes will never die. He’s coming to you in the preaching of his word today to proclaim to you this good news and to reassure you that if you’re a believer — if you’re trusting in him as the only Saviour of the world — then you will live with him for ever in the new and better world to come, where you will see God and where you’ll be perfectly happy and holy for ever.
We can divide the passage into three main parts: verses 1 to 16; verses 17 to 37; and verses 38 to 44. In the first part, John tells us about the sickness and death of Lazarus. In the second part, he records for us the conversations that took place between Martha and the Lord Jesus and between Mary and the Lord Jesus. And in the third part, we read how the Lord brought Lazarus back from the dead.
Verses 1 to 16
And so, let’s turn to verses 1 to 16 where John tells us about the sickness and death of Lazarus.
He tells us that there was a man named Lazarus who was sick. And Lazarus was from the village of Bethany, which is where Mary and Martha lived. And then John notes for us that Mary was the one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Now, John records that story for us in the next chapter. And so, it hasn’t yet taken place at this stage, but he mentions it now because this is perhaps the best way to identify this Mary. There are several Marys in the gospels, but this Mary is the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and who wiped his feet with her hair. And her sister is Martha and her brother is Lazarus.
And John tells us that the two sisters sent word to the Lord Jesus, telling him that the one he loves is sick. And, of course, while the message is that Lazarus is sick, the implied message is: ‘Won’t you come and save him?’ My wife says to me that the dogs need to be walked, but she’s not really saying that the dogs need to be walked; she’s saying: You need to walk them. And that’s what the sisters are saying to the Lord Jesus: Lazarus is sick and won’t you come and heal him.
John tells us in verse 4 that when the Lord Jesus heard about Lazarus, he announced that this sickness will not end in death. Now, the sickness did lead to Lazarus’s death, because when the Lord arrived in Bethany, Lazarus was already dead and buried. But that’s not how the story ends, is it? And so, while the sickness led to his death, it did not end in death, because the Lord Jesus was able to bring him back to life. And in this way, the sickness would lead — as the Lord says in verse 4 — to glory to God and glory to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ would manifest his glory and the glory of his Father by bringing Lazarus back from the dead.
And so, instead of going up to Bethany straightaway, the Lord chose to stay where he was for two more days. And if that strikes us as odd, and if it makes us think that the Lord didn’t really love Lazarus or the two sisters, then John is careful to reassure us in verse 5 that Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. And so the reason the Lord delayed was not because he didn’t love them. He loved them very much. The reason he delayed was because he wanted to manifest to them his own glory and God’s glory by raising Lazarus from the dead.
And according to verse 7, after the two days, he said to his disciples that it was now time to go back to Judea, where Bethany was. And it seems the disciples are not too eager to return to the region of Judea, because the Jews there had tried to stone the Lord to death when he was last in Judea. And the Lord answers them by saying that there are twelve hours of daylight and a man who walks during those hours of daylight will not stumble, but he will stumble if he walks in the night-time. And what he means is that the time for his death has not yet come. There is a time when he will be enveloped by darkness and will be killed. But that time has not yet arrived and so, it’s safe for them to go to Judea. His Father in heaven will not let the Jews hurt him, because the time for his death has not yet arrived.
And after he said this, he told them that Lazarus has fallen asleep. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, has presumably communicated to him by some supernatural means that Lazarus has already died. But the disciples misunderstand. They think that Lazarus is still alive, but only fast asleep. And sure, the rest will do him good.
And so, the Lord told them plainly what he meant. And he adds that he was glad he was not there with Lazarus to heal him before he died, because Lazarus’s death will give him the opportunity to reveal his glory to them so that they will believe in him as the resurrection and the life.
And hearing this, Thomas said to the rest of this disciples that they should go with him. so that they may die with him. He doesn’t really know what he’s saying, but he’s willing to go with the Lord.
§
Before we move on to the next part, let’s spend a little time thinking about sickness and about the trials and troubles of life. First of all, notice again how the sisters refer to their brother when they were making their appeal to the Lord Jesus. They referred to him as ‘the one you love’. They said: ‘The one you love is sick’. And here’s something to help us when we pray to the Lord about our trials and troubles.
When we pray to the Lord our God, we’re not praying to someone who is indifferent to us. It’s not as if we’re going to a stranger for help. When we pray, we’re going to God our Father who loves us; and we’re going to God our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ who also loves us. How do we know they love us? We know that God the Father loves us because didn’t he send his Son to die for us? And we know that the Lord Jesus loves us, because didn’t he give up his life for us and for our salvation? And so, knowing that they love us means we can bring our prayers and petitions to God with confidence. We can say to him: ‘Because you love me, won’t you do this thing for me?’ Or we can say to him about a fellow believer: ‘Because you love him, because you love her, won’t you do this thing for them?’ When we pray, we’re not appealing to a stranger who is indifferent to us, but we’re appealing to our God who loves us with an everlasting love. And there’s no good thing that he will withhold from us, because he loves us.
But then, the sisters were no doubt hoping that the Lord Jesus would come immediately and heal their brother. But the Lord Jesus had something else in mind. He had in mind something that would reveal to them his glory and his Father’s glory in a far better way than if he had only healed their brother. If he had healed their brother, he would have revealed something of his glory. He would have revealed his power over sickness. But by raising their brother from the dead, he revealed his glory in a far better way, because he revealed to them that he is resurrection and the life and the cause of the resurrection of all his people to everlasting life in the presence of God. That’s what he wanted to reveal to them and to his disciples. And that’s why he waited for Lazarus to die before he went to Bethany.
And when we pray to the Lord about some sickness or about some other trial or trouble we’re suffering, we want him to act immediately and to remove the cause of our suffering right away. And perhaps he will. But on other occasions, he has something else in mind which we can’t even imagine. God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are far, far above our thoughts. We think we know what we need, but he really knows what we need and what is the best thing for us and what is the best way to reveal to us his glory. And so, we should seek his help to submit to his will for us in all our sufferings and trials; and to trust that he will work all things together for our good and for his glory.
Verses 17 to 37
But let’s move on now to verses 17 to 37 and to the two conversations between Martha and the Lord Jesus and between Mary and the Lord Jesus.
When the Lord arrived, Lazarus was already dead and buried. In fact, he’s been in the tomb for four days, which means he had been dead for four days, because they buried the dead immediately in those days. And since Lazarus had been buried for four days, then there’s no doubt that he really was dead.
And John tells us that many Jews had come from Jerusalem to comfort the sisters in their grief. It was normal in those days for bereaved families to remain at home for seven days of mourning. But when Martha heard that the Lord was coming, she left the house and went to meet him.
And when she saw him, she said to him that if he had been there, Lazarus would not have died. It’s almost a rebuke, isn’t it? She’s saying to him: ‘You should have got here sooner. If you’d come immediately, you would’ve had the chance to heal my brother.’ So, it’s almost a rebuke.
But then she adds that she knows that even now God will give the Lord Jesus whatever he asks. It’s hard to know what she had in mind, but the Lord responds by saying to her that her brother will rise again. And she answered him by saying, ‘I know.’ And it’s possible that she’s saying, ‘Sure, I know that. Everyone knows that. But so what? How will that help me now?’ It’s like when we say to someone who is bereaved that their loved one is in heaven. And we’re trying to comfort this person. However, knowing that their loved one is in heaven doesn’t really help with the grief they’re suffering now. Their loved one is in heaven, but we’re still missing them here on the earth. And our hearts are still broken. And so, Martha may be thinking: ‘Yes, I know that Lazarus will rise again on the last day when God will raise the dead. But my heart is still broken.’
And that’s when the Lord announced to her and to us that he is the resurrection and the life. He is the cause of our resurrection from the dead and he is the one who has all life in himself and enables his people to live for ever.
And so, he who believes in the Lord Jesus will live even though he dies. Even though we die, and our bodies are buried in the ground, the day will come when we will be raised from the dead to live with the Lord in body and soul for ever and for ever. And so, Lazarus will rise from the dead. And the reason he will rise from the dead, and the reason every believer will rise from the dead, is because of Christ, who gave up his life on the cross to pay for our sins and to take the blame for all that we have done wrong; and who was raised from the dead on the third day and who now gives us his Spirit to enable us to believe and to receive the forgiveness we need and the hope of everlasting life.
So, he who believes in the Lord Jesus will live even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will never die. When the Lord says we will never die, he perhaps means that when our life in this world ends, our souls will return immediately to God who made us to await the resurrection of our bodies on the last day. And so, because of Christ, the grave is not the end of our life, because it’s only the doorway into God’s presence. On the other hand, he perhaps means that believers who are alive when he comes again will not die, but will be changed immediately and they will be united with Christ’s resurrected people to live with him for ever.
So, he who believes in the Lord Jesus will live even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in the Lord Jesus will never die. And when the Lord asked Martha whether she believed this, she confessed that he’s the Christ and the Son of God. That is to say, he is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King sent into the world to save us from our sin and misery. And he saves us from our sin and misery by paying for our sins with his life and by giving us perfect peace and rest and happiness in the presence of God in the new and better world to come.
And after she made her confession, Martha went off to fetch her sister. And when Mary got up and left the house, all the mourners also got up and followed her. And when Mary met the Lord, she also said to him that if he’d only arrived sooner, her brother would not have died. Perhaps the two sisters had been saying the same thing to one another for the past four days. And now they repeat it to him.
And, of course, Mary is weeping. She’s weeping for her brother who has died. And John tells us that when the Lord saw her weeping and when he saw the mourners also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. However, the commentators all point out that the Greek word which John uses and which is translated as ‘deeply moved’ is much stronger than that. It’s a word that can be used for snorting. And it’s means that the Lord was angry. He was moved by indignation and anger. As one scholar (Warfield) puts it:
What John tells us … is that Jesus approached the grave of Lazarus in a state not of uncontrollable grief but of irrepressible anger… the emotion that tore his breast and clamoured for utterance was just rage.
And if that’s the case, why was he angry? Why was he in this state of irrepressible anger? I normally explain it in this way: We hear on the news that someone has broken into the home of an elderly couple. The burglar has beaten the man, and tied up his wife and has ransacked the home. And when we hear about it, our blood boils and we wonder who would dare do such a dreadful thing as that?
And the Lord is angry in the same sort of way. He’s angry because of all the pain and sorrow that death causes. Here’s Mary, weeping. There are lots of other mourners who have come as well and they’re weeping. And there would be many more days of weeping afterwards, because death had taken away someone they loved.
And that’s what death does to all of us. Death cares for no one. It enters our life like a thief and robs us of our loved ones. And it causes us heartache and pain and sorrow. And one day it will rob us of our life here on earth. And the Lord is angry about it. He’s angry about it. And that shows us that the Lord is on our side. He’s on our side against death.
And then, when they showed him where Lazarus’s body is buried, the Lord wept. Verse 35 is only two words in English or three words in the Greek, but it tells us so much about the Lord Jesus, because it tells us how he shares our sorrow and he sympathises with our pain.
Now, a while ago in Immanuel we did a series of sermons on the attributes of God. And we learned that God is impassible, which means he’s not affected by anything outside himself. And so, we can’t cause him to suffer and we can’t cause him to feel pain or sorrow. God is eternally happy. And so, as God, the Lord Jesus cannot feel sorrow. But since he came into the world as one of us, taking to himself our human nature, then, as a man, he’s able to feel sorrow and sadness. And so, he knows what it’s like for us to suffer loss and he weeps with those who weep. As the writer to the Hebrews says, he’s able to sympathise with us in our weakness. He knows what it’s like for us when we’re heart-broken and full of sorrow and when we feel like weeping.
And so, from his response to Mary’s weeping, we learn that he’s on our side against death; and that he sympathises with our weakness and sorrow. And the reason the Eternal Son of God came into the world as one of us was to destroy death and to take away our sorrow for ever. And as a preview of that, as a demonstration of what he will do for us when he comes again, he brought Lazarus back from the dead and gave him back to his sisters.
Verses 38 to 44
And so, we read in verses 38 to 44 that he went to the tomb. And John uses the same Greek word to describe the Lord’s state of mind and to tell us that he approached the tomb with irrepressible anger. And he gave orders for the stone over the entrance to be moved away. For a moment Martha objected that there would be a bad smell, because her brother had been entombed for four days. But the Lord reassured her that if she believes she will see the glory of God. And so, they took away the stone from over the entrance.
And the Lord looked up to heaven and thanked his Heavenly Father for hearing him. Back in verse 22 Martha said that God will do for the Lord Jesus whatever he asks. And it seems that the Lord has asked his Father to let Lazarus come back to life. And now he thanks his Father. And he’s hopeful that those who see what he’s about to do will believe.
And then, with a loud voice, the Lord Jesus shouted to Lazarus. And just as God once spoke and said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light, so God spoke once again and said, ‘Lazarus, come out’ and Lazarus came out.
And look how John referred to Lazarus. He says that ‘the dead man’ came out. The dead man came out, but he’s no longer dead. He was dead, but now he is alive. And in bringing Lazarus back to life, the Lord was revealing what he will do for all his people when he comes again in glory and with power on the last day. He will come to raise the dead. All who are in their graves will hear his voice. And they will rise. And we will rise. And we’ll live with him for ever.
And the reason we’ll rise from the dead is because the Lord Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. He is the cause of our resurrection, because he himself was raised from the dead to live for ever. And from his throne in heaven he sends his Spirit into the hearts of his people to enable us to believe the good news and to live for ever.
Conclusion
Before coming to Immanuel, I lived and worked in Co. Kildare. And one of the churches where I worked was across the road from a graveyard. And often I’d come out of the church after the Sunday morning service and I’d look across at the graveyard and see all those graves: one after another after another after another after another. Long lines of graves. And I’d think of the time when Christ the Saviour will return and his voice will be heard and the graves will be opened and the dead will rise.
Buried in the ground in that graveyard are believers who loved the Lord in this life. And perhaps their life in this world was hard and difficult and full of sorrow. And when they died, loved ones wept for them. And nearly every day the number of graves increases and more and more people are left, grieving for their loved ones who have been taken from them.
But what a glorious future awaits them — and what a glorious future awaits you if you’re a believer — when Christ comes to waken his people and to raise our bodies from the grave. He’ll wipe the tears from our eyes and there will be no more sorrow or suffering or disease or death, but only perfect peace and rest and joy for ever. We’ll be perfectly happy and we’ll be perfectly holy and we’ll spend all of eternity beholding the glory of our God, which is what we were made for. And since our God is infinite, then we’ll never get to the end of his glory, we’ll never reach the bottom of his perfections and there will always be something new for us to behold and to wonder at as we gaze on his glory. And the reason we have this great hope is because of Christ our Saviour who is indeed the resurrection and the life.
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