John 11:32-44 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 11:32-44. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 11:32 (NIV)
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
On verse 32: In the Gospels you will find Mary often at Jesus’ feet. In Luke 10, we see Mary, in an act of spiritual hunger and teachability, listening at Jesus’ feet. In John 12:3, we see Mary, in an act of worship and gratitude, anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume. Here in verse 32 of John 11, we see Mary, in an act of mourning and grief, weeping at Jesus’ feet.
What can we learn from this? Whether you’re longing to learn, wanting to worship, or hungry for hope, humble yourself at the feet of Jesus. You’ll find what you need at Jesus’ feet.
John 11:33-36 (NIV)
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
On verses 33-36: Growing up I was a huge Bruce Lee fan. My least favourite Bruce Lee movie is The Game of Death, which is where, for much of the movie, a stuntman stands in for Bruce Lee because Bruce Lee had died in the middle of filming this movie. I’ve always disliked the stuntman’s performance because, more than being an inferior martial artist compared to Bruce Lee, the stuntman never came close to capturing the raw emotion, passion and charisma of Bruce Lee. Instead the stuntman came across as this stoic, emotionless character, devoid of passion or life.
Why do I mention this? The fact that Jesus was deeply moved in spirit (v33), the fact that he was troubled (v33), the fact that he wept (v35) all show that Jesus was a real human being with real human emotions. Jesus was not some stoic shell of a man. Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions that we experience.
Because Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions that we experience, Jesus is able to sympathize with us when we go through pain and be our great high priest (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Also, if Jesus knew that he was about to raise Lazarus back to life, why would Jesus still weep and feel grief at all? It’s because despite knowing that he would raise Lazarus back to life shortly (v11), it broke Jesus’ heart to see the ones he loves experiencing suffering and death. It was for this reason that Jesus came: to put a final end to suffering and death.
John 11:37 (NIV)
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
On verse 37: Did Jesus have the power to keep Lazarus from dying? Yes. But the reason he did not keep him from dying was because Jesus was writing an even greater story: instead of just healing a sick man, he chose to do the greater and harder thing, which is to raise a dead person back to life.
What can we learn from this? When God doesn’t do things your way, that doesn’t prove that there is no God. That simply proves that you’re not God. For when God doesn’t do things your way, take it as a clue that God wants to do something different and greater than you could have imagined.
John 11:38-43 (NIV)
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
On verses 38-43: This would not be the only time Jesus would be connected with rolling away the stone in front of a tomb. The stone in front of Jesus’ own tomb would be rolled away as well (Luke 24:2).
In this case, the rolling away of the stone was an act of faith for Martha and the people with her. Doing something unconventional and risky like rolling away the stone showed that Martha and her people were at least open to what Jesus had said about him being the resurrection and the life. Rolling away the stone showed that they were willing to make room for Jesus to do what only he could do.
Likewise, if you want to see Jesus work powerfully in your life, you need to roll away the stone, that is, make more room for Jesus to do what only he can do. Is there a stone in your life that you need to roll away so as to make room for Jesus to work?
John 11:44 (NIV)
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
On verse 44: To show that Jesus had a special relationship with the Father, to prove that he had authority to give life and to conquer death, and to foreshadow Jesus’ own resurrection later on, Jesus calls for Lazarus and Lazarus walks out of his tomb, even with his graveclothes still on.
Jesus Christ, You are the conqueror of death. Thank You for Your Word which shows us that You lived on earth as a real human being with real emotions. If there is a stone that is blocking me from witnessing Your power at work in my life, please roll the stone away, that You would have all the room You need to work Your wonders in my life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
