#18 – Knowing God Better – John 11 (continued)

Mary and Martha had the same conclusion. If Jesus had come, their brother wouldn’t have died. But Martha adds this comment of faith:

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha is a rock. Her faith in Jesus is steady even in the moment.

Q – Does Martha believe Jesus is going to raise Lazarus from the dead right then? (see below)
A –

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

Q – Is Martha’s faith focused on her needs, on Lazarus’ well-being, or on Jesus? (see below)
A –

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

Mary is not so calm.

32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.

The translation we’re reading is unusual in wording it as, “a deep anger welled up within him.” Other translations say Jesus was:

deeply moved in spirit and troubled
deeply moved within
his heart was troubled
very much he groaned

So I guess translators have a hard time putting into words Jesus’ emotions. They were extremely intense, however you word it.

Q – In light of Lazarus’ death, people wailing, his good friends suffering, how else did Jesus’ react? (see below)
A –

35 Then Jesus wept.

Again, in verse 38. I’ll bracket these words…

38 Jesus was [still angry, deeply moved] as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.
39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

Logical Martha protests:

“Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

Martha’s unwavering faith in Jesus just took a left-turn. Jesus had to remind her:

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

This comes next:

41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”
43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Q – What was the outcome of Jesus making Lazarus alive after being buried for 4 days? (see below)
A –

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.

Q – Based on this chapter, when the circumstances look dismal in your life, is Jesus aware of your circumstances and does he have a big picture in mind?
A –

Q – As you look at Jesus’ emotions here, do you think Jesus’ cares about you?
A –

Q – What does he want you to do? Find a verse above that summarizes what God wants you to do.
A –

If you want to know the heart of Jesus, this chapter tells you a lot. It’s in Scripture, so that we can know him and trust him.

Hope you’re enjoying these. If you ever have questions, or want to find out how connect with other Christians, email us: www.everystudent.com/contact.php

Sincerely,

Marilyn Adamson
director of EveryStudent.com
and StartingwithGod.com