Seeing Something New in a Familiar Story

I’ve been reading through the book of John lately, and today I came to the familiar story of Lazarus. Maybe because Easter is only a few days away or maybe because I’ve taken the time to mark the timeline as I’ve been reading, but it just hit me that this miracle happens not that long before Jesus’ crucifixion.

The other thing I never noticed was that this miracle – arguably the biggest miracle Jesus ever did during His ministry – was also the catalyst that convinced the Jewish leaders they had to get rid of Him.

The story of Lazarus is found in John 11 (and also in Luke 16). The story is a familiar one. Lazarus falls sick, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, send for Jesus. However, Jesus doesn’t hurry to heal Lazarus. Instead, He waits. He waits long enough for Lazarus to die and be buried for four days.

The sisters and the surrounding crowd don’t understand this. Jesus had proven He could heal people, so why didn’t He come sooner? This was especially confusing, as Jesus was less than a day’s journey away when He first got the news Lazarus was sick.

Worth the Wait

So why wait? By waiting, Jesus proved without a shadow of a doubt He had authority over life and death. By raising Lazarus from the dead after four days, Jesus didn’t simply reanimate a lifeless body. Jesus actually reversed the decaying process. When Jesus called Lazarus forth from the tomb, there was no question about what happened. Lazarus had been dead for four days. As Martha said, when that stone was rolled away, an awful stench of decay probably rolled on out of there, too.

Predictably, this miracle caused many of those there to believe that Jesus really was the Christ. Suddenly, all Jesus’ claims of being God’s Son didn’t seem so farfetched after all.

Not Everyone Responds to Miracles With Belief

But I found it really interesting that not everyone had this reaction. In John 11: 46 it says, “But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.” Instead of believing, they started broadcasting the news to the Pharisees. It was no secret they were Jesus’ greatest critics.

I have no idea why this group of people did this. Maybe they were confused and were seeking answers. Maybe they just wanted to add a little fuel to the current flame of conflict. Maybe they just wanted to see what would happen.

Whatever the reason, this news caused the Pharisees and chief priests to get really worried. I found it also interesting what these men were worried about.

Instead of Seeing Hope, the Pharisees Saw a Threat

In the Old Testament, there were a series of miracles or signs that the coming Messiah would do. Jesus had done many of them. Now, He had done one of the last remaining signs – raising a man from the dead.

You would think the most religious men around would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah and been overjoyed. Instead, they miss Jesus and only see what His presence could take from them: their place and their nation.

Instead of seeing Jesus as a Savior, they saw Him as a threat.

The very things that should have given the Pharisees reason to believe, caused them to turn on Jesus. John 11:53 says, “So, from that day on they together planned to kill Him.”

What’s Causing You to Miss Jesus?

Despite all their knowledge and training, the Pharisees totally missed the Messiah in their midst. It is so easy to be astonished that the Pharisees and chief priests, men who were supposed to be the most spiritual of anyone, didn’t recognize that the Messiah had come.

But, we often do the same thing. We get so hung up on our knowledge and training, our denominations and our politics, our desire to prove we are right, that we miss Jesus in our midst. We don’t recognize Him because we are looking for someone altogether different – a god of our own making, not the one we find in the Bible at all.

As Easter weekend approaches, we all need to ask ourselves the same question Jesus asked Peter. Who do you say that Jesus is? The answer will determine how you live your life.

I hope you have a blessed Easter and truly experience Jesus in your midst.

 

 

 

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