As you read through the Gospels you get the feeling that
Jesus didn't have a lot of really close friends. Yes, there were Peter, James
and John. But there don't seem to be many others. An exception to this was
Mary, Martha and Lazarus. As you read John's Gospel, you sense that these
people were special to Jesus. We're going to look at one particular situation
that involves Jesus and these close friends. (John 11.1-16.)
So, what happened? The basics are not complicated. Lazarus
is seriously sick. His sisters send a message to Jesus. 'Lord, he whom you love
is ill.' They want Jesus to come and heal him. Not an unreasonable request.
Lots of people, strangers even, asked the same of Jesus. So, what does Jesus do
in response to this request from these friends whom He loved? John is quite
clear. He did nothing. He stayed where He was. And this wasn't because He
didn't know how serious the sickness was. He knew. A couple of days later He is
ready to travel to His friends. But He knows what has happened. He knows that
Lazarus has died. Some of Lazarus' neighbors later ask a question that seems
right to ask.
Could not he who opened the eyes of
the blind man also have kept this man from dying?
We know that Jesus could have healed Lazarus. It would have
been easy. He didn't even have to leave where He was. A word from His lips
would have done the trick. He healed like that before. Why didn't He do it
here? Didn't He care about these people that he supposedly loved? Didn't He
know what it would feel like to watch someone you love die? Jesus gives some
insight when He explains why this was happening to Lazarus and his sisters.
It is for the glory of God, so that
the Son of God may be glorified through it.
So, Lazarus had to experience death, and Mary and Martha had
to endure the grief of mourning for their dead brother so that the Father and
the Son could be glorified? They had to suffer so that God could be made to
look good? Is that what this is about? Yes, that's exactly what this is
about. They suffered for God's sake.
This is another instance of a theme of the Bible that can be best put like
this: your happiness is not the priority of this universe. As important as your
happiness might seem, it is not most important. It is not at the top of God's
list of things to accomplish today. God being glorified is what's most
important. That's what is at the top of God's to-do list for today and for every
day.
We all agree with that. After all, we're in a church, and
this is a sermon. We're supposed to agree with it. But what about when we're
not in such a religious context? Do we still agree when it's just another day
on the job or at home, dealing with whatever? Ever get frustrated with
something, disappointed when what you were expecting doesn't turn out the way
you had hoped? What do you tell yourself in those situations? 'Well, the most
important thing is not my happiness. The most important thing is that the God
that I worship is honored. I hope that this disappointment results in that even
though it hurts.' Is that what you tell yourself in those situations? It's not
an easy thing to say. There are many ways that we can be frustrated and
disappointed. There are many ways that life can hurt. Does that mean that we
need to put aside our desire for happiness, accept the hurts of life in the
hope that they will advance the honor of our God? Yes, we do. That's why we
were created. And that's why we were redeemed. We exist to make God look good.
And sometimes that will mean that someone close will die, and you'll be
standing there overwhelmed by grief. How do you think Mary and Martha felt? And
while tears and heartbreak are not just allowed but a good response to that -
remember, Jesus wept at Lazarus' grave - still, the underlying attitude is that
if this leads to making God look good, then fine. It hurts, but it needs to
happen this way.
Paul agreed and so he wrote:
… it is my eager expectation and
hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as
always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Did you hear that? For Paul the highest priority was not for
him to be freed from the prison from which he wrote those words. His highest
priority was that, whether he was released to live a bit longer or he was put
to death by execution, Christ would be honored. He understood that the priority
of this universe was not his happiness but making Jesus look as good as He
really is. He provides a model for us to imitate.
Now, why would I want to talk about this? We live among a
people who completely reject this way of living. The common assumption today is
that the most important thing is being happy. And when that is not happening
there is anger, bitterness, despair and worse. They are convinced that life is
simply about becoming as happy as you can. And if you look at things from their
perspective of unbelief, does anything else make sense? Is it any wonder that
our culture is falling apart? It is a culture that has rebelled against God's
purpose for it. But what is so incredibly sad is that there are way too many
Christians who, whether because of ignorance or because of rebellion, pretty
much live according to the same assumption. They live and even pray pursuing
the same goal: to become as happy as they can. Does anyone think that God will
just stand by and watch as the honor of His name is put, at best, in second
place?
Jesus was quite clear about proper priorities when He called
people to be His disciples. 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny
himself…' Following Jesus starts with a person acknowledging that the priority
of this universe is not his happiness. The priority is that God be honored,
that His Name be hallowed. And it is when the Church recovers this way of
thinking and living that she will once again fulfill her calling to be light in
a very dark place - but not before.
We see in this incident with Lazarus, Mary and Martha how
Jesus lived according to this principle. The honor of God is the highest
priority. And if that means that happiness needs to be sacrificed so that He
would receive that honor, then so be it. This lies near the heart of real
discipleship. God's honor is the priority of this universe and of every person
who lives in it.
That's one side of the coin. It is, however, very important
that I remind you of the other side. The two must go together. So, while it is
just a basic fact of reality that the priority of this universe is the honor of
God, it is also a basic fact of reality that that God treasures your happiness.
While it is not the first thing on His list, it is clearly a very close second.
It is more important than whatever else might be on His list. He wants you
happy. And the proof of that is Jesus. He was sent by the Father so that you
could be happy. Bear in mind that, after Adam's rebellion, God could have very
easily said, 'Let them all go to hell.' Could anyone blame Him? And yet, that
is not what He did. He sent His Son so that you could be happy. And please
remember what 'He sent His Son' means. The Father crushed His Son, His only
Son, the Son whom He loved, on that Cross so that you could be happy. If that
does not make clear to you how important your happiness is, then nothing will.
And it is just a fact that you will become happy, happier than you can imagine.
The Father has promised that and Jesus guarantees it.
Now, let's put the two sides of the coin together. On the
one side is the notion that pursuing God's honor is the highest priority of
your life. It is more important than anything, including your happiness. On the
other side of that coin there is the simple but profound fact that your God is
committed to bringing you into total happiness. The two go together.
And we can see how they go together in what Jesus was doing
when He heard about Lazarus' sickness. Listen again.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days
longer in the place where he was.
The whole thing turns on that one word, 'So'. It's not what
you'd expect. You'd expect John to write about how Jesus loved these folk.
HOWEVER, to further the goal of God's honor, He put aside His love for them and
let them suffer. But it's not 'however'. Rather, it's 'so'. In fact, the word
John uses is usually translated 'therefore'. Jesus loved these folk, THEREFORE
He stayed put. THEREFORE, He let Lazarus die.
Jesus loved these friends of His. He wanted them happy. And
with that in mind He brought them into a very painful situation, the worst.
Lazarus must die. But He brought them into this experience because He loved
them, because there are important things to be learned in the midst of that
painful experience. And not merely learned in the mind, but learned in the
heart. The mind, the will and the affections all need to learn. One of the
things to learn when Jesus brings you into one of those painful situations is
that your happiness is not the priority of the universe. The honor of the God
who runs this universe is the priority. But as you learn that, and live that
way, you find that that is the route to happiness. The route to your happiness
is not by making it the most important goal of your life. The route to your
happiness is pursuing the honor of God as the priority it actually is.
Let me just touch on this additional thought. Your living
this way isn't just about the growth of your happiness. Jesus will bring you
into those painful situations for the growth of others in their happiness.
Listen again to what Jesus said to His Twelve.
Lazarus has died, and for your sake
I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.
The suffering of those three friends of Jesus was a great
benefit to the Twelve. Their suffering helped the Twelve to believe Jesus, to
entrust themselves to Him. And happiness is impossible without entrusting
oneself to Jesus. So, it's good to remember that your suffering is also for the
benefit of others. As you enter the dark valley and then as your faithful
Savior leads you out of it, others see what has happened, and they are
encouraged to believe Jesus. They are helped to a greater experience of
happiness by your pursuit of the honor of God at the cost of your happiness.
So, what do you do with this? One thing to do is to prepare
for those times when you will be called upon to sacrifice your current
happiness for the sake of the honor of God. And one way to do that looks back
to last week's sermon. Nurture a growing loyalty to Jesus. Loyalty rooted in
love will sacrifice anything for the sake of the one who is loved. So, teach
your heart about true priorities and nurture loyalty to Jesus.