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The Resurrection of Jesus

And, the Effect on His Followers

© 2023 C. O. Bishop

Matthew 27:57-28:10; Mark 15:42-16:12; Luke 23:50-24:37; John 20:1-18;

Introduction

We have already read about the crucifixion and the death of the Lord. As many of you know, I have a strong tendency to “take apart the machine, and label the parts” as opposed to showing the use of the machine…and what the machine can do.

Last week we talked about all the facts of the crucifixion. We deliberately avoided the tendency to sensationalize all the physical and emotional effects of the crucifixion. I was tempted to do the same with the Resurrection, but I realized two things:

1. It is much more difficult to lay out the exact chronological order of the historical facts of the Resurrection.
2. The Effects of the Resurrection, because of the Facts of the Resurrection are where we need to focus our attention, today.

The Facts of the Resurrection:

In brief, the facts are that:

• After Jesus died, two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, asked Pilate’s leave to take away and bury Jesus’s body. Pilate was amazed that Jesus was already dead. He asked the Centurion to verify, and the answer was “Yes,” that Jesus had died, before the soldiers broke the legs of the other crucified men. (They did so to make them die quickly: the Jews did not want the screams of the dying men to spoil their holiday services!)
• Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus in fine linen cloth, saturated with Myrrh and Aloe resins. These resins smelled good, and with the cloth, hardened into a shell. They were short on time, so did not complete the process. The Passover Sabbath was about to begin.
• Not all Sabbaths are on Saturday. This one was a Thursday, beginning at sundown Wednesday night. But there was another Sabbath on Saturday, as usual, so it was an “inconvenient” time to deal with a dead body.
• The Priests got permission from Pilate to seal the tomb. They set a guard of Roman Soldiers to keep anyone from stealing the body and claiming it had been “resurrected.”
• Three nights and three days later, (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday “nights;” Thursday, Friday and Saturday “days,”…a total of three days and three nights, fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus) Some women came to the tomb before daylight. (This was still during Saturday night) And, they found that the tomb was already empty!
• Angels involved themselves at several levels. It is difficult to sort out, because there were at least two angels involved, but each of the accounts speaks from a different perspective. John’s account focused only on Mary Magdalene’s experience, and only one angel: the other gospels spell out that there were other women involved, and at least two angels. The four Gospel accounts do not disagree, but they interweave to cover the whole account.

The Effects of the Resurrection:

The immediate effects of the Resurrection were as follows:

• The Roman Soldiers initially passed out at the sight of the Angel who rolled the stone away and sat on it. Then they apparently fled. (They did not see that the tomb was already empty…empty before the angel rolled the Stone away.)
• The women, including Mary, were astounded to find the body of Jesus had gone missing.
• Mary, apparently the youngest, ran back to where the apostles were hiding, and she told them that “someone has taken the Lord’s body away, and we don’t know where it is.”
• The other women were still there, though, and an angel appeared to them, saying that Jesus was alive, and that they should go tell His disciples to meet Him in Galilee.
• The women headed back to tell the story, but Jesus met them on the road, in person, and told them not to fear, but to tell His disciples to meet Him in Galilee.
• Meanwhile, two of Jesus’s disciples, Cleopas and another, had headed down to Emmaus, still not knowing that Jesus was alive.
• And, Peter and John had run to the tomb, and found that the tomb was truly empty, just as Mary said. John stood outside, looking in. Peter barged right in, and got a closer look at the facts: the linen cloth that had covered Jesus’s face was folded and set aside. The rest of the graveclothes were undisturbed, but empty. John believed the Lord was alive, but Peter was still in doubt.
• Mary had also gone back to the empty tomb, evidently arriving after the two men. But after they had left, she stayed there. She had been devastated by the loss of the Lord, and especially now, by the apparent desecration of His tomb. She was standing there crying when she heard a voice saying, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom sleekest thou?” She thought it was the groundskeeper, and she said, “Sir, if you have taken Him somewhere, tell me where you laid Him and I will take Him away.”
• Jesus then called her by name, “Mary!” and she spun around to see His face, saying “Rabboni!” It meant “My Master!” This was the closest relational title of endearment that a disciple could give to their teacher and master.
• Jesus warned her not to cling to Him, as He had not yet ascended to the Father. He instructed her to go and tell the others that He was ascending, and she did so.
• Jesus appeared to Peter, by himself, and dealt with him, restoring Peter’s peace.
• Jesus appeared to the disciples on the way to Emmaus, and He taught them, and they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples.
• While they were relating their experience to the others in the upper room, Jesus appeared (late Sunday evening) to the eleven disciples there.
• Jesus spent some time there, that evening, confirming their faith and establishing their security in the fact of the resurrection.
• Over the next forty days, He taught the disciples and prepared them for His final exit from this world.
• He ascended ten days before Pentecost and left them waiting for the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

The Effect on Us, as Believers, today:

Our faith cannot be in a personal experience of “seeing the resurrection.” No one but the Lord saw that happen. They all saw only the effects. We are called to place our faith in the fact of the Resurrection, and look to God to bring the full effect of the Resurrection to bear on our lives.

Paul says that if the Resurrection is not a fact, then “of all peoples, we are most to be pitied,” because it would mean that our faith was vain, and futile and that we are serving a dead man, who is powerless to save.

But the Resurrection is a fact, and we can see that fact in the transformed lives of the disciples. They went from being terrified, defeated men and women, hiding in fear that they would be crucified as well, to being fearless preachers of the Gospel, who rejoiced at the privilege of suffering for the sake of His Name. People don’t do that for something they know to be a lie! They did it because He had changed their lives as the Resurrected Lord, not just as a dead man whom they once loved and still desired to honor.

Down through History, millions have done the same, entrusting their eternal souls to the One who has the Power of Eternal Life. We who have believed His Promises have seen our own lives changed as well, to one degree or another. We hunger to know Him more closely and to see that change happening in increasing power, as He continues His work in us.

We can see in Romans 1:4 and in Ephesians 1:20 that the Resurrection was “God the Father’s final ‘Stamp of Approval,’” declaring that Jesus truly is the Savior He claimed to be. He truly is God in the Flesh: the One Chosen Sacrifice who takes away the Sin of the World.

The Effect on us, Personally

Because Jesus truly is Resurrected, we can look for and confidently expect His presence to be manifested in our daily lives. We engage with Him on a personal level, not just theoretically, or in our imaginations. He wants us to deal with Him as personally as Mary Magdalene did, there in the Garden of the Tomb. He wants us to be as thrilled by His presence as were the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who, when they finally recognized Him, ran the seven miles uphill, back to Jerusalem, to tell the other disciples.

(Did you get that? They were thrilled by the Resurrection, and “Ran to Tell!”)  You see, that is to be our response, as well. We need to seek His face until He becomes all that thrills our souls, and our strongest desire is to go tell that news to anyone who will listen!

Because He is Risen, we have Eternal Life guaranteed to us. He has declared us righteous on the basis of His completed work at the Cross, and our faith in Him. He has promised that we will be with Him and like Him throughout eternity.

In Ephesians 2:6, He says that we have already been resurrected with Jesus. He says that we are already seated in the throne with Him. (It is difficult to grasp, but there it is!) He says that He has already given to us Eternal Life and that we “Shall Never Perish!”

All of the “positional truths” in Ephesians 1:3-14 also became true of you, the day you placed your trust in Jesus’s Blood at the Cross. According to 1^st Corinthians 12:13, you were placed in Him by the Holy Spirit: that position “in Him” means that all the “positional truths” now apply to you!

So, What ARE those “Positional truths?”

(Reading from Ephesians 1:3-14, we see at least fifteen of them!)

1. God has already blessed you with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, in Christ.
2. You were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
3. You are holy and blameless before him, in His Love.
4. You are predestined to be recognized as a full heir of God.
5. You are predestined to fulfill the good pleasure of His will.
6. You are predestined to be to the praise of the Glory of His Grace.
7. You are already accepted in the beloved (Christ).
8. You already have been redeemed, through His blood.
9. You already have full forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace.
10. God has already abundantly blessed you in His wisdom and prudence.
11. He has made known unto you the mystery of His will…one piece at a time.
12. Your inheritance in Him is secure.
13. You will eternally be to His glory and praise.
14. Your position in Him is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
15. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the “down payment” (earnest) of the rest of the glorious inheritance promised to you. You are absolutely secure in Christ because He says so, and because the Holy Spirit is your guide, your guard, and your seal until the redemption of the purchased possession.

All of these truths apply to you as a believer, whether or not you are consciously aware of them at any given time, and whether or not you are even presently walking with Him! These truths are all applied to you because of your position in Christ.

And all of them are true, only because …He is Risen!

Lord Jesus, transform our lives by Your presence, by Your Holy Spirit, and by Your Written Word, applied to our lives. Make us the Men and Women of God you have called us to be. Fill us with the Joy of Your Resurrection, and lead us to walk with you in the newness of Life.

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Remember the Simplicity of the Gospel         

Acts 17:15-18:11; 1^st Corinthians 2:1, 2; 1:17

Introduction:

Sometimes we seek to add grace to our words through dramatic wording and affected intonation. We philosophize and reason, persuading men of the logical necessity of God’s existence…when God makes no such plea himself. We think of slick presentations, sneaky ways to “slip the gospel in there, sideways”, and clever answers to give to common remarks.

We conjure up dramatic stories, or we recite real accounts from the news, re-cast into spiritual terms. We forward tear-jerker items from the internet. We pray for “opportunity” to come and knock down our door, while we are fearful to tap at the door of those in need.

I think it is important that we remember the simplicity of the gospel, and preach it that way—simply. The results may not be dramatic, but they will be honest—no one will be convinced by the cleverness of our words, but rather by the truth of God’s Word, and the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit.

Two examples in scripture—one negative and one positive:

Paul had arrived in Athens after a VERY rough time in Philippi, and thereafter, in Thessalonica and Berea. He was undoubtedly still in a good deal of pain from the beatings he had received a few weeks earlier, in Philippi, as well as perhaps distressed at being run out of several towns in a row, and now being separated from his traveling companions.

But Paul did not hesitate, or “take a sabbatical”—he went about his standard practice of meeting with those in the local synagogue and telling them about Jesus. (I am quite sure I would have “taken a break”.)

Preaching in Athens

He also would share with folks in the “Agora”—the marketplace, since that was a normal place to discuss things of interest and importance. Here in Athens, the local philosophers (specifically two groups: one group given to seeking pleasure, another in the other “ditch”, denying self, but claiming self-sufficiency) overheard the various conversations and asked him to make a public address. They hustled him up to Mars Hill, the Areopagus, and put him on the spot, so to speak.

Sermon on Mars’ Hill:

Paul responded as one perhaps ought to, in speaking to those given to philosophy—he gave them a message based on philosophic thought. It was true, but it “arrived” at the truth, rather than simply stating it. He approached them from the point of view that there were things in their world that they could not understand, and that he was the messenger of “the God of creation,” whose ways are past understanding.

That was well and good, and this short sermon has been long regarded by teachers of homiletics as a brilliant example of extemporaneous preaching. (Perhaps it really is.) But let’s look at Paul’s sermon, the results thereof, and Paul’s response to those results. That will be “example one.” Then let us look at the message he preached in the next town, (“example two”) and see what differences there were.

Read Acts17:15-18:11

 Notice that it was not Paul’s idea to “take the floor”, so to speak, at the Areopagus. He was taken there by those who said they wanted to hear…but their interest waned when it turned out he was speaking of spiritual reality. Both groups of philosophers avoided such reality…one group, called the “Epicureans” denied the possibility of “finding truth by reason” (they are partly right), and they devoted themselves to having fun; enjoying pleasure. The others; the “Stoics”, were very works-centered, self-centered, and proud of their self-repression, yet they claimed the self-sufficiency of Man. (Seems we still have a lot of both of these sort of folk today.)

When Paul began speaking he spoke in philosophic terms—they were probably quite pleased to hear his first few paragraphs. But then (as the saying goes,) he “quit preachin’ and went to meddlin’”. When he touched on the subject of the resurrection, they immediately lost interest. Some just got a good laugh, mocking him, while others, a little more polite, said they would “hear him again” sometime.

Key transition:

Notice that the next verse does not say, “but Paul departed…” as if he left despite their interest. It says “So Paul departed from among them”. Perhaps he only said, “Skip it!” and went back to the synagogue. We aren’t told. But we are told, in the next verse, “after these things Paul departed from Athens.”

Paul saw that the spiritual climate there was very cold…so he left. A few did believe, but not enough to begin a church, evidently—there is never a mention of his having founded a church in Athens. One way or another, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

Starting Over In Corinth

In Corinth (“example two”), he gamely began again, teaching and preaching in the synagogues, to both Jews and believing Greeks. He did so every week, up until Silas and Timothy had caught up and joined him there. Then he really “pressed home” the central point of his message, that Jesus is the Messiah: the Christ.

At this confrontation, most of the Jews became stirred up, and they turned against him. Paul immediately stated that he had done his duty by them, and would waste no more time on them, but rather, would concentrate on reaching the Gentiles. He moved next door, literally, to the house of a man named Justus, and, amazingly, the head Rabbi from the synagogue followed him, as well as his whole household. They believed the message!

So…What was the message? Philosophy? “Good times coming?” The Resurrection?

I don’t know all the details, but the central message was the person of Christ, and Him Crucified. How do I know? Read 1^st Corinthians 2:1, 2 … Paul underscores the difference—he says “I came not to you with excellency of speech or with wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and Him Crucified.”

What a change! Why would he drop all the philosophy of Athens, and center on the simplicity of the Gospel in Corinth? I believe he looked at the apathetic results in Athens, and he didn’t want it to ever happen again. He specifically states (Read 1^st Corinthians 1:17) that he was sent to preach the Gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be made of none effect.” Is that a possible result of preaching? Can I make the Cross of none effect? (Evidently so!)

We need to re-think our ideas about sharing the Gospel. Perhaps we need to think of the simplest ways we can tell someone about Jesus, instead of the “slickest.” (This is not “salesmanship.”)

What is the Gospel?

Paul states the Gospel in simplest form in 1^st Corinthians 15:3, 4; “…how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ as full payment for our sins, and the fact that all of it was the fulfillment of specific prophecies is as simple a message as we can make it.

But we tend to look for ways to “dress up” the message, draw pretty “word pictures,” and find slick sales techniques by which to “slip the Gospel to someone surreptitiously”…not to confront. Paul set a pretty clear example here; he confronted. So did Jesus, in John 3:3—he minced no words, speaking to Nicodemus: “You must be born again!” Again in John 14:6; “No man cometh unto the Father but by me…”

Can’t we take those examples to heart? Can’t we deliberately look for the simplest ways to lead people to the Savior? It would make our lives much easier, and purify our message as well. We are not to leave out any of the central points of the Gospel, but we are not to embroider it, either. We are to be direct, and kind, but firm in the truth.

Pat James, was stopped on the street, once, by the unbelieving son of an (apparently) unbelieving man who had recently died. He asked whether Pat believed his dad had “gone to a better place.”

Pat shocked him by replying very bluntly, “It doesn’t make a bit of difference what I think… what matters is the truth. And I only know one place to find that kind of truth—it’s God’s Word, the Bible! And the Word of God makes it very clear that there are only two possibilities once we leave this world. And the determining factor as to where we go is “What did we do with Jesus?” I can’t tell you for sure where your Dad is…but I can tell you for sure what God says about the issue.” The young man was taken aback, and said “Whoa!…That’s really heavy!” He stared off into the distance and finally said, “I’m going to want to talk with you some more about this sometime…”

Now—did he ever come back for more? I don’t know. But Pat did not give him false hopes—he very bluntly told him the truth, without condemnation. And he offered hope. That’s all we can do, too. Look for opportunities to tell people about Jesus, His sacrificial death for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection. If you want to include the second coming, that’s fine…but believing the message of the Cross is what saves—not having a “hope for heaven.”

Preach the Cross. Preach Christ and Him Crucified. Preach Salvation. Preach Truth.

Don’t worry about the results. Just make sure that what you preach is the real Gospel!

What else can we learn from Paul’s example?

1. He knew that his primary reason for existence was being an ambassador for Christ. If I have something else that I consider to be more important than my service to Christ, then my priorities are wrong. It’s just that simple!
2. He let nothing deter him from being that ambassador. Not personal rejection, political pressure, or physical discomfort. If I am willing to “fall down on the job” because it isn’t easy, then I am unfaithful and unreliable. Period. (And I have failed many times!)
3. He was teachable—he learned from experience. Even though Paul was taught personally, by Revelation from Jesus, he was not blind to learning opportunities. I need to be alert to those learning opportunities as well.
4. He knew when to quit preaching and move on. You can’t feed people who aren’t hungry. When you can see that a person is not interested, share with someone else. That sounds cold, but it follows the example of both Paul and Jesus.

If we can each learn at least these four lessons from Paul, it should transform our experience as Christians. Please consider what might occur if you truly saw your “assigned task” in life to be an ambassador for Christ twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. (You are, by the way: 2^nd Corinthians 5:20 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ…”)

What might change, if you made that your primary concern in life, and let nothing turn you from that single task?

If you aren’t receptive to those first two lessons, the other two simply don’t matter. Whether you are “teachable,” and whether you “know when to move on,” are irrelevant questions, if you are not first committed to the tasks of evangelism and discipleship.

I pray that God will use His Word to change each of our hearts.

Lord Jesus, teach our hearts to have the right priorities: strengthen our desire to serve You faithfully as Your Ambassadors.

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Lazarus and the Resurrection

© 2022 C. O. Bishop

John 11:1-46

Introduction:

This is a rather long chapter, and it has an important central narrative. There are, perhaps, dozens of sermons which could be derived from this passage, but our first priority is to hear and understand the whole story. So: to begin with, this is the story of Jesus’s friend, Lazarus of Bethany: not the “Lazarus” who was the beggar from Luke 16:20. (Same name; different men.)

This Lazarus was a homeowner in Bethany, almost two miles outside Jerusalem. He lived there with his two sisters, Mary and Martha. He was sick, and the sisters sent word to Jesus. Jesus was told, as they hoped, but apparently a little too late to get there in time. (How do we know? Jesus waited two days before responding, but when He arrived, Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days. We can see that even had Jesus left immediately, Lazarus still would have died.)

This is a key testimony to Jesus’s authority over life and death: He restored life to one who had been dead long enough that their corpse was beginning to decay. (That is why He waited.)

So, let’s read through the entire account, in John 11:1-46, and see exactly what happened. Then we will come back and touch on some of the key points we don’t want to miss, in just reading through it. In future messages we will come back again, and dig a little deeper.

Context: Where was Jesus?

Remember the context: In John 10:40, we saw that Jesus had left Jerusalem and had returned to the area where John the Baptist had begun his ministry (About 20 miles or more, east of Jerusalem, by the Jordan River, closer to Jericho.) So, he was probably at least 20 miles away… a long day’s walk, but certainly achievable. With that in mind, let’s read through the story.

John 11:1-46

¹ Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ³ Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. ⁶ When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. ⁷ Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

⁸ His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? ⁹ Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

¹¹ These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. ¹² Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. ¹³ Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

¹⁴ Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. ¹⁶ Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

 ¹⁷ Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: ¹⁹ And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

²⁰ Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. ²¹ Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. ²² But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. ²³ Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. ²⁴ Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

²⁵ Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ²⁶ And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? ²⁷ She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

²⁸ And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. ²⁹ As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. ³⁰ Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. ³¹ The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.

³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. ³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.³⁴ And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

³⁷ And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? ³⁸ Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.⁴⁰ Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. ⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. ⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

⁴⁵ Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

Several Points to Consider:

The Time Factor

One, we already noted, was that when Jesus heard the news that Lazarus was sick, it was already too late to just “run over there and heal him.” Jesus was only about 20-30 miles away, and he waited only two days, but when He arrived, Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days.

Perhaps the messengers had searched for Him for some time before they found him. Or… perhaps the terrain is steep enough that such a journey actually took longer than a day. Either way, Jesus delayed only two days, and Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, when Jesus and the disciples arrived. Evidently, had they left immediately, Lazarus still would have died.

The Purpose of Healing

Another important point, is to see that Jesus was not “acting callous” toward the needs of His friends: in the first place, as we already saw, by the time Jesus got the news, it was already too late to physically “get there and heal him.” Could Jesus have healed Lazarus from a distance? Certainly, He could; and in other situations, He did just that, healing one young man from miles away, without ever seeing him. So: why did Jesus wait?

Jesus said He was glad “for the sake of His disciples,” that He was not there to prevent Lazarus’ death. When someone “suddenly gets well,” there are two ways to see it: We can recognize the authority of God, and (at least) recognize that He allowed them to suddenly get well, and we see it as an answer to prayer. The other is to say, “Well, that was serendipitous!” and thus ascribe the healing to blind chance, not giving honor to the Great Physician.

Sometimes such healings are so stupendous that even the surgeons attending a case are amazed and have no explanation for the healing. One of the missionaries we support (Abby Williams) was the recipient of just such a healing, and the surgeons could only say, “This sort of thing just doesn’t happen!”  (Well… yes, but it DID!)

So, which way would build a “firmer faith” in the hearts of His disciples? Healing Lazarus from a distance (the only available choice, since he died before they could have arrived anyway, and which could have been seen as “just lucky”) or to let him die, and begin to decay, and then raise him back to full health and a normal life? Jesus chose the way that would have the most effect!

The Objective of Jesus

Jesus did not lose sight of His objective: He came to die, as the propitiation for our sins, yes: but before He died, He had to lay a foundation for faith that would last through the rest of time. He was building disciples who could go on and complete His work.

In case you hadn’t noticed, that is still the job of Jesus’s disciples. In 2^nd Timothy 2:2, we see the command, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.” Jesus never lost sight of His objective, which was to reach the World with the Gospel of God’s Grace; so, the point of this whole “exercise” was to build an unshakeable faith in the lives of the disciples. That is still our objective, here in our church!

It is also interesting to remember that Judas Iscariot was still among Jesus’s disciples at this time, and this obvious miracle did not bring him to faith. Other enemies were there, as well, and the miracle did not change their hearts. But many who witnessed the revival of Lazarus did believe in Jesus as the Messiah because of what they saw. The purpose of the miracle was to build faith.

What is the Difference between Revival and Resurrection?

We tend to lump together all “back from the dead” experiences as “resurrections;” but they are not. Medical staff “reestablishing a pulse” is not “bringing someone back from the dead.” That is a minor revival, at best. Jesus raised those who truly were dead, who had begun to decay. And it was still only a “revival,” not the “Resurrection!” So, what’s the difference?

Revival is Temporary

All the people who Jesus raised from the dead (or who the apostles raised from the dead) subsequently died again, anyway. It was just a temporary reprieve. Now, let’s suppose, for example, that Lazarus managed to stay alive after this event, until after Jesus’s death, burial, resurrection, and His ascension. If Lazarus “re-entered the tomb,” so to speak, sometime after Jesus’s ascension (in Acts 1:9) then his second experience was far different. The first time, he had spent four days in Sheol, the place of the dead, but specifically, in Paradise, “Abraham’s Bosom,” the place of the righteous dead, along with Abraham, and all the other Old Testament Saints.

But the second time (because Jesus literally had “moved Paradise,” he would find himself in the actual presence of God. Jesus had opened the way into the Holy of Holies, through His death at the Cross! That is a huge difference! And …Lazarus will get his resurrected body at the same time we get our resurrected bodies!

Resurrection is Eternal

The coming resurrections of the righteous and unrighteous dead both result in the formerly dead individuals receiving their resurrected, immortal bodies which can no longer die.

The righteous dead will enjoy eternal life with their Savior, in that immortal state…forever.

The unrighteous dead will suffer eternal torment in that never-dying body, eternally separated from God, in the Lake of Fire…forever. I don’t like this fact, and neither does Jesus!

But the Righteousness of God (and His Holiness) will be satisfied, one way or another. In Romans 3:25, we saw that Jesus satisfied the righteousness of God at the Cross, as our propitiation, by God’s Grace, through faith in His blood. But, regarding those who reject His Grace, and do not place their faith in His sacrifice at the Cross? He says “they are already condemned,” because they “have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18) While they live, they can change their thinking, and place their faith in Him. If they wait too long, they will miss their chance.

It is Appointed unto Man Once to Die, and after this the Judgment

Hebrews 9:27 makes it clear that we get “one shot at life”—no “do-overs,” no reincarnations, etc. As one modern musical performer put it, “Life is not a rehearsal: Life is the Gig!”

Lazarus was already a believer: he was not “getting a second chance.” His death and burial and revival brought many to faith…but he still died again. He got one actual life, and one actual (permanent) transition out of this life. The Eternal life that Jesus promises begins at the moment of faith, but the resurrected body is yet to come. In general, everyone dies once. There have been very few exceptions and God has had a purpose for each of them.

The Rapture provides a huge “single-event exception,” as 1^st Corinthians 15:51, 52 says… “We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed.” But apart from that hope, every one of us faces physical death. And as believers, every one of us looks forward to the Resurrection.

The Only Hope for the Resurrection

Jesus spoke the simple truth, when He said, “I am the resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ²⁶ And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

He is the Only Source of life, in every sense of the word. He created physical life…all of it, and He provides spiritual life. And He is the only source. Since our mortal bodies are each destined to die (unless the Rapture comes first) we look forward to the eternal resurrection of these mortal bodies, as immortal bodies. And Jesus is our only hope, either way.

We will expect to come back and dig out other, more specific truths from this chapter in the coming weeks.

Lord Jesus, ignite a fire in the hearts of Your servants, that we might shine in the darkness of this world, and that we might desire above all things to honor You, and to reach others with the Good news of eternal life in Christ.

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For Judgment I am come into this World

© 2022 C. O. Bishop

John 9:39-41

Introduction:

Remember, as we read this passage, that Jesus had just healed a blind man, who had been born blind. He had miraculously given the man his sight. The man had suffered persecution, not because he was healed, but because he credited Jesus with the miracle. And they cast him out of the synagogue….essentially, he was excommunicated for confessing that Jesus had healed him, and for refusing to recant.

When Jesus found him again and introduced Himself as the Son of God, the man spontaneously worshipped Him. We still have people today who resent those who worship Jesus…or anyone who prays to Him. They reveal their hearts by that attitude. They reveal what they think of Jesus. And the next verse is what Jesus said in response:

³⁹ And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

What a strange thing to say! And: who was He talking to? His disciples were there with him…the healed man was there…and some Pharisees were there. Those are the only ones we know of, for certain.

Consider the overall context: Jesus has been under attack all day and the previous day as well. He dispersed the men who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. He introduced Himself as the Light of the World. He nearly was stoned by the Jews when He announced His own eternality, and the fact that He preexisted Abraham. Then, immediately after miraculously escaping the mob in the temple, he went out of His way to heal a man who had been born physically blind.

This Blindness was not Judgment

The disciples asked Jesus whether that man or his parents had sinned, to bring this “judgment” of congenital blindness upon the man. Jesus said that neither had sinned…God had prepared this man for the purpose of showing His own mighty works. (Unlike Bartimaeus, this man had not even asked to be healed. He knew nothing about Jesus before this day.)

But this man, once he understood who Jesus really was, fell down and worshipped him! He was not only healed of his physical blindness, but also the spiritual blindness of his soul was taken away. He saw Jesus for who He was!

Jesus is remarking the irony that: His presence gave sight to the blind, but also revealed the blindness of those who rejected His light. Remember John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation; that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”  The people had an issue with light, there, too.

Blindness Can be Judgment for having Disregarded light

Samson and others ignored the light of God’s direction and His Word, and, in Samson’s case, he was physically blinded by his enemies and enslaved by them.

Romans 11:25 also records that “…blindness in part has happened to Israel.” The majority of the Jews at that time, and ever since that time, have rejected the Gospel of Christ. The few who believed at that time (along with the Jewish proselytes saved at the day of Pentecost,) became the foundation of the church. And they taught the gentile believers who were saved a short time later.

Biblical historians say that the Roman centurion Cornelius (in Acts 10) received the Lord about seven or eight years after the events in Acts 2. I have no scriptural proof of that time passage. All we know is that the church was well established before the Gentiles (as Gentiles, not proselytes), were entering the Body of Christ in any significant numbers. (In Acts 13, we saw the first “mostly Gentile” assembly, and it caused a great deal of controversy, dealt with in Acts 15.)

Blindness happened to Saul

When Saul of Tarsus was confronted by Jesus on the Road to Damascus, two things happened: He was struck to the ground, along with the others in his group, and he was struck blind. Three days later, Jesus sent another disciple, Ananias, to restore his sight… and Saul changed his name to Paul. His physical and spiritual blindness had been healed, and He saw Jesus for who He was.

The rest of Israel remains partially blinded, to this day, and Paul grieved their loss, in Romans 9:1-3. But God promises to restore their sight, as a nation, and they will see Him, physically, and, for the first time recognizing Him for who He is. Zechariah 12:10 says “…They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and be in bitterness for Him as one is that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

For Judgment I am Come

Jesus had earlier said that He had come to save the lost.  But, in the same verses (John 3:18, 19) He had said that condemnation was already there in the World. He said,  “He that believeth not is condemned already…and this is the condemnation… that light is come into the World, and Men loved darkness rather than light.”

Many people have taught, for years, that “if you don’t stop sinning, you’re going to be condemned!” But the truth is, you can’t stop sinning, and you are already condemned! The whole human race was in this same trap of sin…every single one of us was guilty and lost.

How did we get there?

Romans 1:21, 22, tells us how that happens. “When they (the human race) knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

By choosing darkness, we were filled with darkness, and we perpetuated our role as children of darkness. All we were really doing is confirming what God had said from the beginning. He said “In the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die!” Adam ate, and all his progeny (including Eve) were instantly plunged into the darkness of sin: spiritual separation from the Light of God.

Jesus is the Light of the World

His presence revealed the hearts of everyone who came in contact with Him. Those who rejected light, rejected Him. Those who yearned toward the light, turned to Him in faith. Even today, the same truth applies. The Light of Christ appears in the World, through his servants, the believers, and the people will either turn toward that light, in faith, or they will reject that light, and even attempt to extinguish it.

The Blindness of “Religion”

Romans 2:19 tells us that the Jews saw themselves as being “…a light of them which are in darkness.” But Judgment was about to fall on them, because in truth, they were the opposite of a “light to those in darkness:” They shrouded the light with their corruption, and their hypocrisy, to the extent that no one could see the Light of God in them at all. And they tried to extinguish the Light of Christ when He was there among them. They revealed who they were!

⁴⁰ And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? ⁴¹ Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

They were not the Only Ones

It would be easy for us to just sneer at the Pharisees and say, “Yeah, those bad old Pharisees!” But the fact is, we are always in danger of doing something similar! We can become so self-satisfied and smug in our “good doctrine,” or our “healthy church,” that we completely close ourselves off from the unsaved world to whom we are sent as witnesses.

At that point, we are no longer allowing the Holy Spirit to reach out through us to the world around us. At that point we are “just a bunch of religious folk.” That is what had happened to the Pharisees, and to a certain extent, to the entire nation of Israel. They were a “very religious” people, but they denied the reality of the Love and the Power of the God they claimed to serve.

A Modern Example:

I visited a church, a few years ago, that had become so ingrown and exclusive, that, when a shabby-looking stranger arrived at their door, they literally didn’t know what to do. (I was the “stranger,” driving a beat-up old Toyota, and wearing clean, but older, inexpensive clothing.)

The “greeters” looked like “deer in the headlights,” clutching their church bulletins against their suit-clad chests. They stood and stared at me, but they did not greet me at all. They never offered a handshake, or asked my name. Never offered me a bulletin, or asked whether I knew the Lord: they said nothing. As ambassadors, they had become irrelevant. They were probably “nice, God-fearing people,” but they were having zero positive effect on the people around them. No one would come back for another visit, after that sort of reception!

Judicial Blindness

The Pharisees had become blind to the light of God. That was Jesus’s judgment of them: He revealed their true blindness. The church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:19) as a group, had become blind, as well, and Jesus shut them down! On an individual one-on-one basis, He still invited them to fellowship with Him, but as a church, they were completely shut down.

Because the Pharisees still claimed to “see,” and even claimed that they saw better than others, they were under the Judgment of God. In John 5:22, we see that Jesus, as God the Son, is the Judge of all the Earth, and He is the One they were rejecting and slandering!

Coming Judgment

They didn’t know it, but, less than 40 years later, the entire temple and everything they held precious would be destroyed. Through a series of bloody revolts, over a period of 70 years, during which hundreds of thousands were killed, the nation of Israel eventually ceased to be a nation, and was renamed “Palestine” by the Romans, in an effort to exterminate the memory of Judaism. It stayed that way until 74 years ago, when it was reborn as “Israel,” on May 14^th, 1948. But the blindness still remains, today.

The Job of the Church is to Represent Jesus

We are called to be Ambassadors of Christ…we are to represent Him before the World. But, how we apply God’s Word in our daily lives and how we respond to others because of His presence in our lives will determine the result of our service.

We are told to testify to His love and His Grace, and to demonstrate His Love and His Mercy. We are told to become His hands and feet, and to be His voice, speaking His Righteousness and Love into the ears of the lost World.

Communion

When we partake in communion, we testify before one another that His blood was shed for us, and that we are trusting in His Grace, and looking forward to His return. But the result of that Sacred Relationship should be that we willingly, voluntarily reach out to the people around us, too. This isn’t all about us! Jesus’s agenda reaches out to the whole world.

Changed Lives

The result should be that we desire His righteousness and His wisdom. That we want to see our lives transformed, to be like Him. We should be concerned that the light of His presence is not dimmed because of the “grime” of our lives. The sin in our lives should grieve us as deeply as it does Him. We should want what He wants.

As ministers of the light…servants of the light, we need to make certain that the light we shine is clean and clear. We mentioned some time ago that the headlamps of a vehicle can become so encrusted with road-grime that the light burning within seems very dim as seen from the outside.

Clean Lives

We want our lives to be clean enough and clear enough that anyone looking our way will see the light of Jesus. We are supposed to “Glow in the dark.” We are told to “shine as lights in a corrupt nation.” No nation in history has been completely free of corruption, but God’s people are to shine in the midst of that darkness. We are commanded to draw people to Jesus: (not “to church:” to Jesus!)

We are called to “smell like Jesus.” The Fragrance of Christ is to be emanating from our lives at all times. The only way that is going to happen is if we allow Him to live through us, and allow His presence to permeate our lives.

As we celebrate communion together, please be thinking about what that may mean, to allow Jesus to live through you.

Lord Jesus, we know that we are blind to so much of the truth of God. We yearn to experience Your light in such a way that it transforms us into Your likeness. Let us be true children of the light, and not limit Your light in any way.

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