Sermon Tone Analysis

“When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.

Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’

Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’

Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Do you believe this?’”[1]

At first the sisters thought their brother had caught a cold, or maybe it was the beginning of a flu—the symptoms were rather nondescript.

None of them knew the reason for the sudden illness; they only knew that he did not feel well.

His forehead burned when one of his sisters checked; he was feverish.

He said he was feeling nauseous and doubted that he could eat anything.

Finally, he could no longer continue working; he was forced to lie down.

Every effort seemed only to drain him of energy.

And the brief rest until he felt a little better had turned into an evening of lying abed, and the evening of lying in bed had extended into the following day.

Since he grew progressively worse during the next several days, it was evident that this was something more serious than a simple cold or flu.

He was not improving, and that knowledge worried the two sisters.

Where could they turn for help?

They had consulted an area physician who was willing to come to the little village, but he had been unable to do anything to turn the ravages of whatever strange invader was even then raging through his body.

With a sigh of resignation and with hands turned palm upward in a gesture understood throughout the entire world the physician had uttered what has become timeless wisdom for man confronted with the inevitable, “We can only pray.”

But though the words are offered as a source of hope, they are universally recognised as a statement of hopelessness.

However, when the sisters heard those words, and when they realised the serious nature of his illness, they thought of Him who was their friend.

Motivated by a confusing array of emotions they felt compelled to act.

There was no question that they loved their brother, and it grieved them to see him suffering as he did.

There was also the gnawing fear of their own futures.

They were single women living in a culture that frowned upon women working.

And having been dependent upon their brother's income for such a long time, how would they now provide for their own needs?

They were also angry—angry at the spectre of death hovering over one who was only recently strong and vigorous.

How could they simply surrender without a struggle?

So they hurriedly sought out a young man, instructing him to go find their Friend to deliver a message, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

“It will be enough,” they thought.

“When He learns of our distress He will come, and He will know what to do.”

He would be easy to find, for He was so well known throughout the whole of the land.

His Name was known to everyone and His presence created a stir wherever He went.

So the messenger did not have any difficulty discovering that He was then in the region of Perea, east of the Jordan and south of the Decapolis region.

There, near where He had begun His ministry after He had been baptised by John, He was informed of the need in the little home in Bethany.

The message was delivered, but His reaction seemed strange and unnatural.

He had said, “This illness does not lead to death.

It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” [*John 11:4*].

And then, as though He was utterly unconcerned, He had continued doing what He had previously done for two more days.

The disciples did not think this strange since they were well aware of the threats to His safety from religious leaders in Judea.

It was not that many days earlier that they had attempted to stone Him.

I am always startled by John’s account of Jesus’ response to the concern of the sisters.

“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So, when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was” [*John 11:5, 6*].

The words sound so contradictory, so incongruous.

The Master was not in a hurry, though He surely knew that Mary and Martha were anxious because of Lazarus’ condition.

There is no question but that they reacted as any of us would have reacted—love and concern cloud our confidence.

Oh, that on every occasion I could say with the Psalmist:

“I say, ‘You are my God.’

My times are in Your hand.”

[*Psalm** 31:14b, 15a*]

The disciples were silent when they saw the seeming lack of concern, assuming that He was worried about His safety.

However, they failed to take into account that He is the Master of all.

According to John’s testimony about Him, “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” [*John 1:3, 4*].

Jesus had spoken of the fact that the illness Lazarus suffered provided occasion for the Son of God to be glorified; obviously, the disciples failed to understand the significance of what He said.

Abruptly, to the amazement of His disciples, the Master said, “Let us go to Judea again.”

They were convinced that Jesus was avoiding Judea out of fear of the Jewish leaders.

When He at last said He was going to Judea, they remonstrated with Him: “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again” [*John 11:8*]?

He was demolishing their assumptions by His actions.

They concluded that He was acting out of fear, when in fact He was boldly seeking what would glorify the Father.

Listen to the Master’s reply to their expression of concern for His safety.

“Are there not twelve hours in the day?

If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him” [*John 11:9, 10*].

The Master was focused on the light of God’s glory, and thus His actions appeared illogical and divergent.

They were walking in the light of this world, which is darkness; He was walking in the light of God’s glory, and thus had no fear of the Jews.

In fairness to the disciples, we should recall the account given that relates how the Jewish leaders had surrounded Jesus, probing in an effort to get Him openly to assert that He was the Messiah.

Jesus’ answer exposed their perfidy—they had no intention of believing Him, regardless of what He might say; they were looking for an occasion to accuse Him.

“I told you, and you do not believe.

The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

I and the Father are one” [*John 10:25-30*].

Earlier in that day, they had attempted to stone Him, and He slipped away from their presence [*John 8:59*].

Now, as result of His answer, these religious leaders again picked up stones to stone Him.

Jesus calmly questioned them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me” [*John 10:32*]?

His interlocutors made it clear that He was welcome to perform all the miracles He desired; it was the fact that He declared Himself to be God that generated such animosity.

His response, though truthful, served only to generate even greater hatred.

Jesus said, “If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father” [*John 10:37, 38*].

Did you catch the nuance words Jesus spoke?

The Jewish leaders imagined that if they saw miracles they would believe; Jesus said that if they believed they would see miracles.

They imagined that if He convinced them of His relationship to the Father, they would believe; Jesus said that if they believed they would know the reality of His relationship to the Father.

The issue is vital for solid evangelism and discipleship.

People are not convinced because they see miracles or because they are convinced by overwhelming proof of Jesus’ divinity; people witness God’s power and see the evidence of His divinity when they believe.

Jesus opened yet another avenue of discussion with His disciples when He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”

The disciples again misunderstood what Jesus was saying, and in what is essentially a verbal shrug, they said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

They thought that perhaps he had the flu, or some other transient illness, and that rest would cure the illness.

So it was necessary for Jesus to speak plainly, “Lazarus has died.’”

Jesus said a strange thing after He asserted that Lazarus was dead.

The Master said, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there.”

The reason for this strange assertion is that Jesus knew what He was about to do.

The disciples had witnessed Him healing the deaf, the blind and the lame, but they had not often seen the dead being raised to life.

There had been the time the Master had raised to life the daughter of a synagogue ruler named Jairus.

The professional mourners had already arrived and were keening, according to the custom of the day.

However, none of the disciples, except for Peter, James and John, had been in the room when the dead girl responded to the Master’s words and came to life [*Mark 5:22-43*].