Dying – John 11: 1- 4

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ”Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, ”This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

This is the story of the man, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. John begins by giving us a proper introduction to Lazarus; where he lives, who his relations are, and that he is well known to Jesus. Then John tells us that Lazarus is sick.

You and I know what it is like to have a cold or stomach flu. People in Jesus’ day probably suffered from similar ailments. This sickness was different. Lazarus was ill enough that his sisters thought his life was in danger. Why else would they have taken the trouble to send a messenger to Jesus? In short, Lazarus was dying.

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Death

Three evil looking eggs look down on a broken shell.
For a while, it looked as if the bad eggs might win…

In my experience, excellence in anything is usually perceived as a threat by those who are mediocre. Perhaps you have experienced this yourself? Have you ever put out extra effort or done something exceptionally well only to have someone make a snarky comment intended to pop your bubble? If you have suffered mockery or insult for doing something well, you are in good company. Jesus did everything well and yet not everyone loved him or appreciated him.

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Peace

Zechariah’s prophecy about Jesus and his son, John, comes to a close with this amazing stanza:

    …By which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.

Luke 1: 78b-79

The imagery here is powerful. The “rising sun” coming to us from heaven is visual imagery for the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

The light from this sun shines on those here on earth living in darkness. The darkness is caused by the shadow of death. Anyone who has lost a loved one to death knows what that feels like.

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