Believing and Seeing | John 11:1-55

Click here to read John 11:1-55

RAMP: READ / ANALYZE / MEDITATE / PRAY

R: Read the Passage

Read the passage from start to finish — twice! If you know this story, ask God to help you read it with fresh eyes and fresh perspectives. Don’t rush through because you’re familiar with the miracle, or you already know the end of the story. 

A: Analyze

Journal your response to these questions:

1. What does this say about God?

There are so many beautiful characteristics of our God and Savior in this passage! He is compassionate, He is a friend, He is a feeler, He is a miracle worker!

2. What does this say about you?

Where do you see yourself in this passage? And what is true about the people who experience the presence and miracles of Jesus?

3. Is there a command to follow?

Do you see a command — direct or implied — from God in this passage?

4. Is there a sin to repent of?

Let the Spirit bring conviction. Allow Him to work, even if you don’t like how it feels! And remember — it’s God’s kindness that leads to your repentance. God cares about your growth and is glorified in it as you take on more and more of His characteristics and likeness.

5. Is there a promise to claim?

YES! So many!

Nicole’s Notes:

Honestly, I could write about 10 different studies on this passage alone. We could spent a full semester just in John 11 and I would LOVE DOING IT. You can imagine the difficulty in me just choosing ONE direction for this. Let’s take a minute to hit one some of the incredible moments of this story:

• Jesus was a friend. He had a crew. He was loved by real people and He loved real people in the context of friendship and community. Community is VITAL to our spiritual growth and our reflection of Christ in this world. 

• The disciples were being taught. Jesus never expected them to know all He knew (although, He did sometimes wish they could catch on a little quicker!). He took them on the journey of working miracles. He showed them more of Himself with each one. 

• I LOVE THOMAS

• Jesus experienced the pain and sadness of loss. Because He loved deeply, He mourned deeply. The level of grief we see from Jesus shows us just how much He loved His people. Friendship is a gift and Jesus experienced it fully, to the point of deep grief when He lost His friend.

• Mary and Martha were normal girls. They were tending to the family, honoring God in the way they loved their tribe. They had hope in Jesus (we’re going to talk more about this) and they used their gifts unapologetically. They were just who they were. They didn’t try to be anyone other than Mary and Martha. Jesus loved them both and spoke to them both — uniquely and tenderly because they were different girls. And Jesus knew them as individuals and spoke to them according to how they were created. He does the same for you. He wired you purposefully and He speaks to you according to how He knows (and created) you can hear Him.

• Jesus prayed to God. He displayed the One-ness of His relationship with God the Father.

• Jesus raised Lazarus to life. I mean, let’s not forget the actual miracle. He raised a dead man to life. Called him by name and told him to get out of that grave. Unbound him from the burial cloths and set him free. 

• Nothing caught Jesus off guard, but He still lived in the moments. I could talk all day about this. Because each time I read this passage, I’m struck with the reality that Jesus KNEW how this would all play out. He could have done so many things differently ...

  • He could have kept Lazarus from being sick in the first place

  • He could have healed him before death

  • He could have been in just a bit of a hurry! This drives me nuts, honestly. Jesus — come on! Hurry it up!

  • Having known His plan all along, why did He cry? He knew what would happen, so He could have approached this with a completely different attitude.

  • He could have made everyone feel silly for grieving and flexed His sovereignty in a boastful way.

AND YET — He didn’t do any of this. He allowed Lazarus to get and stay sick. He allowed him to actually die — all the way. And be buried. The whole deal. He didn’t get in a hurry and didn’t seem flustered by the emergency. He wept. He grieved. And He allowed His friend group to do the same. He didn’t cut any of the emotions short. He didn’t avoid the pain. He didn’t protect everyone else from the pain. He didn’t boast about His power. 

Instead, He allowed the sickness, death and grief to play out fully. He allowed the mourning to last. He participated in the grief and the mourning. He felt everything and He allowed everyone else to feel everything, too. 

Why? Because He gets us. He knows. He feels. He is not immune to the brokenness of this world. He doesn’t ignore the hurt. He doesn’t shy away from the grief. He gets in it with us. Because He cares. He’s a friend. 

I love this about Jesus. I love this story of Jesus. I love that He did raise Lazarus from the dead and show His power. But more than that, I love that He let the entire process play out and He experienced the entire process Himself. He got in it, He felt all the feelings, He wept and He held His friends as they wept. 

Jesus cares about you. Jesus cares about what breaks your heart. Jesus cares about what makes you sad. Jesus loves you. A lot. 

Let’s shift our attention to Mary and Martha for a bit. Martha and Mary both exhibited something quite profound — HOPE. 

Martha knew Jesus could have done all sorts of things, including keeping her brother from dying. Martha knew Jesus COULD have saved Him. How did she know that? Because she had a solid foundation of faith with a heavy does of BELIEF. She BELIEVED Jesus could do all the things she HOPED He would do. Her hope wasn’t empty. Her hope was based on her belief. She BELIEVED Jesus could save her brother. And she HOPED he would. 

In verses 21-27, Martha told Him how much she believed based on her faith. She had seen Jesus move on behalf of God the Father and she knew with great confidence that whatever Jesus asked would be given because of His authority and relationship with God the Father. She KNEW. 

So when Jesus told her Lazarus would rise again, she already knew that. She KNEW Lazarus would rise at the resurrection. Why? Because she BELIEVED the truth of Jesus and His Kingdom. She BELIEVED what Jesus had promised about eternal life.

In Jesus’ statement “I am the resurrection and the life,” He fulfills that promise. He embodies the promise. He IS the promise of eternal life. 

The belief Mary had (and we have) is embodied IN Jesus. Jesus not only gives eternal life. He IS eternal life. How? Because He would defeat death Himself by raising to life. He doesn’t just promise a resurrected life for believers, He WOULD ACTUALLY BE THE RESURRECTION. And then He would actually BE THE LIFE — the eternal life.

Wow.

Now look at Mary. Martha sent her to Jesus and I am struck by her response. Mary rushed to Jesus. She dropped everything and went to Him. She didn’t wait for Him to come to her, she ran to find Him. She had a great expectation and anticipation of Jesus. She KNEW what His presence would mean. And together, they cried over the loss of Lazarus. 

Hear this — both Martha and Mary BELIEVED what Jesus had said all along. They BELIEVED His teachings. They had hope in His PROMISES.

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, their belief shifted.

Before the miracle, they had believed because of what Jesus had SAID. 

After the miracle, they believed because of what Jesus had DONE.

Right before He calls Lazarus out of the grave, He calls out this belief from the sisters. In verse 40 he reminded them of the promise “If you believed, you would see the glory of God.”

They believed. And then — they saw.

He made good on His promise to His friends.

And He makes good on His promise to you.

If you believe, you WILL SEE the goodness and faithfulness and glory of God in your life.

M: Meditate

• Think about the humanity of Jesus in this story. Be comforted in how real He is. Be comforted in how much He gets you.

• Does your belief look like Mary and Martha’s? If not, what are you having a hard time believing? Be honest with God about what is hard for you to believe. He will SHOW UP in those spaces to prove to you (yet again) that He is trustworthy and deserving of your belief. He is believable, and He wants to show you that.

• Is your hope misplaced? Are you hoping in something temporary or fleeting? Anchor your hope in the promises of Jesus.

P: Pray

• Thank God for caring for you. 

• Thank Him for being your friend.

• Thank Him for knowing what it feels like to hurt and grieve.

• Thank Him for being with you in that pain and grief, and for not rushing through it or disregarding it. Thank Him for placing value on the process of grieving.

• Praise Him for being able to raise the dead to life — both Lazarus and you. Thank Him for raising your dead heart to life through the RESURRECTION OF JESUS!