Meditation John 11:31-40
1. The Jews who were in the house with Mary saw her hastily rising up and going out followed her saying that she is going to the grave to weep there. (V31)
2. Mary came to the place where Jesus was and fell at his feet saying if he was there his brother would not have died. (V32)
3. When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping too he groaned in his Spirit and was troubled. (V33)
4. Jesus asked them where they have laid Lazarus and they said to him to come and see. (V34)
5. Jesus wept and the Jews said to themselves how much he loved Lazarus. (V35,36)
6. Some people said if Christ can open the eyes of the blind He could have stopped Lazarus from dying too. (V37)
7. Jesus groaned again and he came to the grave. The grave was a cave and a stone was laid on it. (V38)
8. Jesus told them to remove the stone. Martha said to him that Lazarus will stink and he was dead four days ago. (V39)
9. Jesus said to her again that if she believes she will see the glory of God. (V40)
LIFE APPLICATION:
Moving the heart of Christ:
There is something very striking in this chapter about Mary that moved the very heart of God to do a miracle which was not there in Martha, that the spirit of God shed his light upon. Let us dig in a little deeper.
1. Be still:
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
John:11:20
I would like to compare this to the sower's parable. Some seeds sprout easily but faded fast, but some patiently gave fruits in its time.
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
Matthew:13:5
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Matthew:13:6
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke:8:15
Are we able to bring forth fruit with patience? Are we able to be still and wait for God like Mary did ? Let's examine ourselves.
2. Rising up and going out:
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.
John:11:31
Mary rose up and went out of the place of mourning. She refused to identify herself with the mourners but rose above that level to find the one who can make things whole.
Are we willing to shake the shackles to meet our creator? Are we still seeking comforter among the mourners or are we willing to look up to the hills from where our help comes from?
3. Mary's eyes were opened:
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.
John:11:32
There is something very interesting in this verse.
Mary came to the place where Jesus was. She did not meet him on the way as Martha did.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
John:11:20
So where was Jesus when Mary met him? Let me take you further into the deeper waters. The word of God says,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians:1:20
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Ephesians:1:21
Yes! Halleluyah! Mary rose up to meet Christ in the heavenly places as the king of kings and Lord of Lords seated on the throne and her eyes was opened to see him as the King.
The eyes of Martha was able to perceive Christ as a man. But the eyes of Mary was opened to see Christ as God in all his glory, that she could not but bow down and fall at his feet and beg for mercy.
Dear Child of God!
1. Are you willing to shake your shackles?
2. Are you willing to rise up to the heavenly places where Christ is seated through praise and prayer?
3. Are our eyes opened to see Christ as the King of kings and Lord of Lords and humble ourselves at his feet? Then our miracle is very close to us.
4. The attitude:
Both Mary and Martha asks the same question to Christ. But let us probe into the attitude difference.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
John:11:21
Then when Mary came 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.
John:11:32
Mary exhibits a high degree of humility as her eyes are opened to see Christ as God and falls at his feet.
Are we able to see Christ as the Lord of our situations? Let's examine ourselves.
5. Mary wept:
Nothing moves God's heart more than tears. He loves us so much that when Christ sees our tears he groans in his heart and he chooses to weep with us.
When Jesus, therefore, saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
John:11:33
Let us see some more examples from the scriptures as to how God's heart is moved with the tears of his people.
A. Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third-day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
2 Kings:20:5
God heals Hezekiah seeing his tears.
B. And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and beseeched him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Esther:8:3
Esther be sought the king for mercy with tears.
C. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Psalm:56:8
Our tears are collected in the bottle of God.
D. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah:25:8
God himself will wipe away our tears.
E. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
Exodus:3:7
God remembers our very tears. He loves us. He weeps with us in our sorrow. He is not a distant God. He loves us intimately and passionately.
So let us humble ourselves and with a steadfast faith, We will cry out to God. He will definitely reward us and grant us our hearts desires.
THE DEAD DREAMS :
All of us are born and grew up with lots of dreams. But in the meanwhile, most of our dreams and visions died because of various situations.
We get educated with dreams in our minds to do well. We get married with dreams of a beautiful home. We get children dreaming of someday they will be the best on Earth... We go to a job that someday we will be rich. ...
Our whole lives surround these dreams. But in reality when situations are not conducive our dreams slowly fall sick. They begin to fade and one day comes when they die.
We bury them thinking they can never be a part of us.
But then Christ comes to the cave where we buried our dreams as he went to meet Lazarus. He asks us,
And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
John:11:34
Can we today call Christ to see the grave where we buried our dreams? Or are we going to say like Martha that Lord it has been four days there and it stinks?
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.
John:11:39
Today is the day! Christ wants to interfere in the very dead and decomposed dreams and situations of ours. All it needs is a simple formula.
HUMILITY+FAITH= MIRACLES.
2. Mary came to the place where Jesus was and fell at his feet saying if he was there his brother would not have died. (V32)
3. When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping too he groaned in his Spirit and was troubled. (V33)
4. Jesus asked them where they have laid Lazarus and they said to him to come and see. (V34)
5. Jesus wept and the Jews said to themselves how much he loved Lazarus. (V35,36)
6. Some people said if Christ can open the eyes of the blind He could have stopped Lazarus from dying too. (V37)
7. Jesus groaned again and he came to the grave. The grave was a cave and a stone was laid on it. (V38)
8. Jesus told them to remove the stone. Martha said to him that Lazarus will stink and he was dead four days ago. (V39)
9. Jesus said to her again that if she believes she will see the glory of God. (V40)
LIFE APPLICATION:
Moving the heart of Christ:
There is something very striking in this chapter about Mary that moved the very heart of God to do a miracle which was not there in Martha, that the spirit of God shed his light upon. Let us dig in a little deeper.
1. Be still:
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
John:11:20
I would like to compare this to the sower's parable. Some seeds sprout easily but faded fast, but some patiently gave fruits in its time.
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
Matthew:13:5
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Matthew:13:6
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke:8:15
Are we able to bring forth fruit with patience? Are we able to be still and wait for God like Mary did ? Let's examine ourselves.
2. Rising up and going out:
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.
John:11:31
Mary rose up and went out of the place of mourning. She refused to identify herself with the mourners but rose above that level to find the one who can make things whole.
Are we willing to shake the shackles to meet our creator? Are we still seeking comforter among the mourners or are we willing to look up to the hills from where our help comes from?
3. Mary's eyes were opened:
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.
John:11:32
There is something very interesting in this verse.
Mary came to the place where Jesus was. She did not meet him on the way as Martha did.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
John:11:20
So where was Jesus when Mary met him? Let me take you further into the deeper waters. The word of God says,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians:1:20
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Ephesians:1:21
Yes! Halleluyah! Mary rose up to meet Christ in the heavenly places as the king of kings and Lord of Lords seated on the throne and her eyes was opened to see him as the King.
The eyes of Martha was able to perceive Christ as a man. But the eyes of Mary was opened to see Christ as God in all his glory, that she could not but bow down and fall at his feet and beg for mercy.
Dear Child of God!
1. Are you willing to shake your shackles?
2. Are you willing to rise up to the heavenly places where Christ is seated through praise and prayer?
3. Are our eyes opened to see Christ as the King of kings and Lord of Lords and humble ourselves at his feet? Then our miracle is very close to us.
4. The attitude:
Both Mary and Martha asks the same question to Christ. But let us probe into the attitude difference.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
John:11:21
Then when Mary came 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.
John:11:32
Mary exhibits a high degree of humility as her eyes are opened to see Christ as God and falls at his feet.
Are we able to see Christ as the Lord of our situations? Let's examine ourselves.
5. Mary wept:
Nothing moves God's heart more than tears. He loves us so much that when Christ sees our tears he groans in his heart and he chooses to weep with us.
When Jesus, therefore, saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
John:11:33
Let us see some more examples from the scriptures as to how God's heart is moved with the tears of his people.
A. Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third-day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
2 Kings:20:5
God heals Hezekiah seeing his tears.
B. And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and beseeched him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Esther:8:3
Esther be sought the king for mercy with tears.
C. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Psalm:56:8
Our tears are collected in the bottle of God.
D. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah:25:8
God himself will wipe away our tears.
E. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
Exodus:3:7
God remembers our very tears. He loves us. He weeps with us in our sorrow. He is not a distant God. He loves us intimately and passionately.
So let us humble ourselves and with a steadfast faith, We will cry out to God. He will definitely reward us and grant us our hearts desires.
THE DEAD DREAMS :
All of us are born and grew up with lots of dreams. But in the meanwhile, most of our dreams and visions died because of various situations.
We get educated with dreams in our minds to do well. We get married with dreams of a beautiful home. We get children dreaming of someday they will be the best on Earth... We go to a job that someday we will be rich. ...
Our whole lives surround these dreams. But in reality when situations are not conducive our dreams slowly fall sick. They begin to fade and one day comes when they die.
We bury them thinking they can never be a part of us.
But then Christ comes to the cave where we buried our dreams as he went to meet Lazarus. He asks us,
And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
John:11:34
Can we today call Christ to see the grave where we buried our dreams? Or are we going to say like Martha that Lord it has been four days there and it stinks?
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.
John:11:39
Today is the day! Christ wants to interfere in the very dead and decomposed dreams and situations of ours. All it needs is a simple formula.
HUMILITY+FAITH= MIRACLES.
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