The Impossible Life - Part 1
Read: John 11
No wonder He lived…
John introduces us to this man named Jesus from chapter 1 verse 1 of his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John leaves us with no doubt of who he considers Jesus to be – God in the flesh. John goes on to say, “He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life…” (1:2-4a). If Jesus is God, then, yes, He would have not only been at the beginning of creation, He would have also been the source of all creation. Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning God created…” Our Creator God formed the heavens and earth, the seas and the land, the plants and animals, and finally, human life. Genesis 2:7 describes the creation of the first man, “Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” Man did not live until the breath of God entered his newly formed lungs. Humans, created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), invited sin into the world, breaking the communion we held with God. Our holy, just God will not tolerate sin, and we cannot have a relationship with Him while held in bondage to sin. The ultimate consequence of sin is death – separation from God. Romans tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23). Our God is not just holy and just, but He is also gracious and loving. Despite our rebellion, He would offer us life again when He would come as God the Son, in the flesh, and live a human life and die a human death.
No wonder He loved…
The book of Exodus is a remarkable book in the Old Testament. In it, we see the exodus of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, the defining moment in Israel’s history. God gives us His covenant name at Mt. Sinai and gives us a picture of Christ with Israel’s prophet and leader, Moses. Then he instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle and gave him the Law, that God might once more dwell with humans. Because of our sin, God does not dwell with us as He once did in the Garden of Eden. The impurity of sin cannot touch the holiness of God, so God made a way for us to have communion with Him again. In Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, He gives the Law – an imperfect shadow of the grace to come. Above all, God reveals His character to us. Exodus 34:6-7 contains the most referenced verses in the Old Testament, and every word tells us who God is:
“The LORD – the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin…”
Our Eternal, Creator God is gracious, loving, forgiving, holy…the list could truly go on endlessly. But notice, He is faithful and loving, and He will not deny Himself. God created humans in His image; we are a result of His love. He would not allow the height of His creation to stay separated from Him forever. He would provide a way for us to be in His presence once more.
One of our most beloved New Testament verses reads, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In one of John’s later epistles, he repeats this idea: “…God is love. God’s love was revealed among us this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:8b-10). God stops at nothing to breach the distance the sin created when we rebelled in the Garden of Eden. Yet, He allows us a choice. John 3:16 says, “…everyone who believes” and 1 John 4:9 says, “that we might live.” We might have new life with Christ, but only if we truly believe in the Son God sent to dwell with us.
No wonder He raged…
Christ was born like any other human to a human mother who carried him for months in her womb. He had a family – parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He had friends and disciples. He ate and worked and slept. As an adult, Jesus began His messianic ministry. John the Baptist baptized Him at the start of the ministry and loudly proclaimed, “‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ I didn’t know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel’” (John 1:29b-31). John recognized Jesus for who He is…others did not.
“Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus…” (John 5:16a).
“From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him” (John 6:66).
“So they picked up stones to throw at him…” (John 8:59a).
“We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man – we don’t know where he’s from” (John 9:29).
“Then they were trying again to seize him…” (John 10:39a).
“So from that day on they plotted to kill him” (John 11:53).
“Even though he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him” (John 12:37).
“Judas, who betrayed him…” (John 18:5).
“They shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’” (John 19:15a).
Jesus was a man who knew rejection, pain, and heartbreak. The Son of God who was the light of life in our darkness. The Incarnate God who came to save and not condemn. The Anointed Christ who knew that taking on this human life would mean suffering a human death for those who would reject Him.
Yet, not all rejected Him.
“The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus” (John 1:37).
“‘Come, see a man who told everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’” (John 4:29).
“Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him…” (John 4:39a).
“So he himself believed, along with his whole household” (John 4:53b).
“…when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (John 6:15).
“When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus” (John 6:24).
“As he was saying these things, many believed in him” (John 8:30).
“‘I believe, Lord!’ he said, and he worshiped him’” (John 9:38).
“Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair” (John 11:2a, cf. John 12:3).
While many rejected Jesus and others did not know what to make of Him, still others loved him. Peter tells Him after a number of disciples left, “‘Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life’” (John 6:68). Truer words. Jesus did have the words of life because He was life itself.
When Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick, the sisters Martha and Mary sent an urgent message to Jesus, telling Him, “‘Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:3). The sisters knew and loved Jesus. They knew of the miracles He had worked. They likely hoped He would heal Lazarus. After all, Lazarus was a friend, not a mere follower looking for more signs. They likely knew of the other miracles where Jesus healed all and sundry, sometimes with a touch, sometimes with a word, and even from a distance. Would He not do the same for Lazarus? But He doesn’t.
And Lazarus dies. To throw in an entirely too accurate quote from The Princess Bride, “There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead, there’s usually only one thing you can do…” The cultural practice was to wait three to four days after a person had died to make sure they were really dead. The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary says, “…most rabbis held theories about the impossibility of resuscitation after three or four days of death. Our story makes one point: Lazarus was fully dead by anyone’s standards” (1140).
Lazarus is all dead. Mary and Martha are devastated. Jesus didn’t come, and He didn’t stop Lazarus’s death. When Jesus finally shows up on day four, both women tell Him, “‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died’” (John 11:21, 32). They believed He is the Messiah, and they believed in the resurrection at the last day, so they have hope for one day seeing their brother again. Jesus tells Martha, “‘I am the resurrection and the life’” (John 11:25a), and this astounding statement is practically lost in the surrounding scene. They don’t understand. Not yet.
**To be continued…**
