We’ve heard the story over and over. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. But why? Previously, we saw that Jesus acts for the glory of God. But he also acts for the good of his friends. Jesus is clear about his love.
Mary and Martha introduce their brother as the one Jesus loves (John 11:3).
Look at verse 5, now. It’s so beautifully simple and concise. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
Jesus acts in love for his friends. He calls Lazarus his friend in verse 11. He tells his disciple that their friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep. He’s died.
Jesus will meet with Martha and Mary, not far from Lazarus’ tomb. He speaks with Martha, who will go get Mary from the little gathering of mourners. Let’s pick up the story in verse 32:
32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
John 11:32-37
Lord, if only you’d been here. If you just hadn’t waited. Maybe, just maybe, he’d be alive.
Jesus sees her weeping. He sees everyone else weeping.
And what does he do? He weeps.
Now, in Sunday School, this is every kid’s favorite verse. It’s the easiest to memorize and your easiest ticket to the prize. John 11:35 is two words: Jesus wept.
This verse may be the easiest to memorize in all of the Bible, but I don’t understand it any more today than I did when I was racing other fourth graders in Scripture memorization drills!
How could we?! Oh, the depth of love Jesus feels.
I mean, why is he crying? If you want to be pessimistic you could say he could have healed him. But no matter, he’s going to resurrect him in a matter of minutes. But here, with his friends, and in the middle of Lazarus’ funeral party, Jesus weeps.
Jesus, the eternal one, is present in our grief. Oh, the beauty and humanity of the moment. Jesus loves his friends.
Jesus loves his friends. Some of the Jews saw this: “Oh, look how he loved him.”
Do you think of yourself as the one Jesus loves? Is there a better title? Could you think of a better thing to put on a tombstone than simply ‘beloved.’
What’s stopping you from thinking of yourself in this way? What might change in your life if your first thought was that you’re a friend of Jesus, one he truly loves?
He’s a friend of Lazarus. He’s a friend of Mary and Martha. He’s a friend of sinners. Why can he not be your friend? Don’t lose the simple truth that Jesus loves his friends, and don’t miss out on being one of them.