"Beyond Saving"

(Part 2 of 3)

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:21

I know this will sound strange when I say it, but isn’t it true that the longer someone is “dead” the more difficult they are to reach. In our stories from last week the widow of Nain’s son had just recently died when Jesus stopped the procession heading out of town. No one questioned Him or tried to dissuade Him from praying for the man. However, when Jesus got to Lazarus the atmosphere was very different. Upon Jesus’ arrival, Mary and Martha, both, had already conceded to Lazarus’s death. They told Jesus, that it was too late. If only He had arrived a few days earlier, when there was still hope, maybe Lazarus would still be alive:

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:32

 Jesus, however, was not deterred. He asked to be taken to the tomb and even as He was commanding the stone be rolled away, they were still trying to convince Him that there was no use:

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:39

Notice that Martha is not described here as Lazarus’s sister, but rather she is described as the sister of the dead man! Why? Because that is how she saw him! Beyond saving! However, Martha and Mary were not alone in their unbelief.

The crowds that followed Mary, Martha and Jesus to the tomb also chimed in saying:

“Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind, have kept this man from dying?”

                                                                                                                                John 11:37

It makes you wonder at what point they determined that Lazarus was beyond saving. Was it when Jesus delayed His coming? Was it when Lazarus breathed his last breath? Was it when the stone was rolled in place? Was it four days later when, as they believed, the soul left the body?  The answer is probably…Yes! Yes! Yes! And Yes! Most likely all along the way people began giving up on Lazarus.

 Jesus, however, unmoved by any of these things, stepped upon the scene and declared:

“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

                                                                                                                                John 11:40

With a short command, Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb just as He did the widow’s son. It was no harder for Jesus to raise a man who had been dead four days as it was to raise a man who had been dead just a few hours!  However, the real test of His resurrection power was about to be displayed!

 Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/