Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:38-40)
In the prior lessons, we studied that when Jesus got word of Lazarus' sickness, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. (John 11:6; see THE GOSPEL: Jesus is The Resurrection and The Life - 1) When He finally arrived near Bethany, Martha came to meet Him and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:21; see THE GOSPEL: Jesus is The Resurrection and The Life - 2) Jesus asked her the same question He repeated here, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Obviously she still had doubts. But our doubts or unbelief won't stop God from being God, and they won't stop God from doing what He purposes to do! Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:38-44)
Jewish tradition was to anoint the corpse with some kind of fragrance or oil, like myrrh and to have bottles of perfume in the tomb with the dead body, in an attempt to mask the smell as the body decayed. Then they would wrap or mummy the body in a linen shroud or linen garment. (read "Sweet Spices in the Tomb") But no matter how dead we may be, we're never too dead nor are we dead for too long, that God can't bring us back to life! “Death is swallowed up in victory. [Isaiah 25:8]” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? [Hosea 13:14]” Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, just by speaking The Word, "...because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (John 10:2-3)
Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” (John 11:45-48) Many believed in Him, but some did not. Jesus just raised a man from the dead, who had been dead for four days! That's proof that no matter what God does or says, those who will believe, will believe, and those who won't, won't! Just like Jesus spoke in a previous parable, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ (Luke 16:31) That's why we are not to get upset or try to argue the point when someone rejects The Truth, The Word of God. It's not us they are rejecting, but God Himself. "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Luke 10:16) Some people can't think beyond this life, but are more concerned with keeping both our place and nation, all of which are temporary, but life through faith in Christ Jesus is eternal.
And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. (John 11:49-54) Caiaphas was one of the priest plotting against Jesus, but being high priest that year, God still used him to prophecy the purpose of Christ Jesus coming, Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. No matter what man does or the devil does through man, God's Will will still be done! ...even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:15-16)
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