Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.—
(John 11:1-4).
Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. Sickness goes round—it spares no family, rich or poor. Sometimes the young, sometimes the old, sometimes those in the strength of their days, are laid down on the bed of sickness. “Remember those that suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.”
The reasons why God sends sickness are very various:
1. In some it is sent for the conversion of the soul. Sometimes in health the word does not touch the heart. The world is all. Its gayeties, its pleasures, its admiration, captivate your mind. God sometimes draws you aside into a sick-bed, and shows you the sin of your heart, the vanity of worldly pleasures, and drives the soul to seek a sure resting-place for eternity in Christ. O happy sickness, that draws the soul to Jesus! (Job 33).; (Psa. 107).
2. Sometimes it is for the conversion of friends. When the Covenanters went out to battle, they kneeled down on the field and prayed; and this was one of their prayers: “Lord, take the ripe, and spare the green.” God sometimes does this in families. He cuts down the praying child, the child that was half ridiculed, half wondered at, that the rest may think, and turn, and pray.
3. Sometimes it is a frown of judgment. When worldly people go long on in a course of sin, against the light of the Bible and the warnings of ministers, God sometimes frowns upon them, and they wither suddenly. “He, that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” (Prov. 29:1). “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (1 Cor. 11:30).
4. Another case is now before us—that of a child of God sick, that Christ might be glorified in him.
I. The case—the person:
“A certain man was sick named Lazarus.” Lazarus was evidently a child of God, and yet Lazarus was sick. How he had come by his grace we are not told. His name is not mentioned before. If we may be allowed to guess, it seems probable that Mary was the first in the family who knew the Lord (Luke 10.) then perhaps Martha left her “much serving” to come also and sit at Jesus’ feet; and both prevailed on their brother Lazarus to come also. At all events he was a child of God. He was in a godly family. All the house were children of God—one in nature and one in grace. Happy family at Bethany, going hand in hand to glory! Yet here the hand of sickness entered in—Lazarus was sick. He was peculiarly loved by Christ: “He whom thou lovest.” “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.” Like John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, so Jesus had a peculiar love for Lazarus. I cannot tell you why. He was a sinner, like other men; but perhaps when Jesus washed and renewed him, he gave him more of his own likeness than other believers. One thing is certain—Jesus loved him, and yet Lazarus was sick.
1. Learn not to judge others because of affliction. Job’s three friends tried to show him that he must be a hypocrite and a bad man, because God afflicted him. They did not know that God afflicts his own dear children. Lazarus was sick; and the beggar Lazarus was full of sores; and Hezekiah was sick, even unto death; and yet all were peculiarly dear to Jesus.
2. God’s children should not doubt his love when he afflicts. Christ loved Lazarus peculiarly, and yet he afflicted him very sore. A surgeon never bends his eye so tenderly upon his patient, as when he is putting in the lancet, or probing the wound to the very bottom. And so with Christ; he bends his eye most tenderly over his own at the time he is afflicting them. Do not doubt the holy love of Jesus to your soul when he is laying a heavy hand upon you. Jesus did not love Lazarus less when he afflicted him, but rather more—“even as a father correcteth a son in whom he delighteth.” (Prov. 3:12). A goldsmith when he casts gold into the furnace looks after it.
II. The place:
“Of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” Bethany is a sweet retired village, about two miles from Jerusalem, in a ravine at the back of the Mount of Olives. It is at this day embosomed in fig-trees, and almond-trees, and pomegranates. But it had a greater loveliness still in the eyes of Christ—it was “the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” Probably the worldly people in Jerusalem knew Bethany by its being the town of some rich Pharisee who had his country villa there—or some luxurious noble, who called the lands after his own name; but Jesus knew it only as “the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” Probably they lived in a humble cottage, under the shade of a fig-tree; but that cottage was dear to Christ. Often, as he came over the Mount of Olives and drew near, the light in that cottage window gladdened his heart. Often he sat beneath their fig-tree telling them the things of the kingdom of God. His Father loved that dwelling; for these were justified ones. And angels knew it well; for night and day they ministered there to three heirs of salvation. No wonder he called the place “the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” That was its name in heaven.
So is it still. When worldly people think of our town, they call it the town of some rich merchant-some leading man in public matters—some great politician, who makes a dash as a friend of the people; not the town of our Martha’s and Mary’s. Perhaps some poor garret where an eminent child of God dwells, gives this town its name and interest in the presence of Jesus.
Dear believers, how great the love of Christ is to you! He knows the town where you live—the house where you dwell—the room where you pray. Often he stands at the door—often he puts in his hand at the hole of the door: “I have graven thee on the palms of my hands: thy walls are continually before me.” Like a bridegroom loving the place where his bride dwells, so Christ often says: There they dwell for whom I died. Learn to be like Christ in this. When a merchant looks at a map of the world, his eye turns to those places where his ships are sailing; when a soldier, he looks to the traces of ancient battle-fields and fortified towns; but a believer should be like Jesus—he should love the spots where believers dwell.
III. The message.
1. They “sent unto him.” This seems to have been their very first recourse when the sickness came on—“ his sisters sent unto Jesus.” They did not think a bodily trouble beneath his notice. True, he had taught them that “one thing was needful,” and Mary had chosen that good part which could not be taken from her; yet they knew well that Jesus did not despise the body. They knew that he had a heart to bleed for every kind of grief; and therefore they sent to tell Jesus. This is what you should do: “ Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” (Psa. 1:15). Remember there is no grief too great to carry to him, and none too small: “In every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanks-giving, make your requests known unto God.” “Cast thy burden on the Lord.”
Whatever it be, take it to Jesus. Some trust Christ with their soul, but not with their body—with their salvation, but not with their health. He loves to be sent for in our smallest troubles.
2. The argument: “He whom thou lovest is sick.” If a worldly person had been sending to Christ, he would have sent a very different argument. He would have said: He who loves thee is sick. Here is one who has believed on thy name. Here is one that has confessed thee before the world—suffered reproach and scorn for thy sake. Martha and Mary knew better how to plead with Jesus. The only argument was in Jesus’ breast: “ He whom thou lovest is sick.”
(1.) He loved him with an electing love. Freely from all eternity Jesus loved him.
(2.) With a drawing love. He drew him from under wrath—from serving sin.
(3.) With a pardoning love. He drew him to himself, and blotted out all his sin.
(4.) With an upholding love. “Who could bold me up but thou?” He for whom thou diedst—he whom thou hast chosen, washed, and kept till now— “he whom thou lovest is sick.”
Learn thus to plead with Christ, dear believers. Often you do not receive, because you do not ask aright: “Ye ask, and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Often you ask proudly, as if you were somebody; so that if Christ were to grant it, he would only be fattening your lusts. Learn to lie in the dust, and plead only his own free love. Thou hast loved me for no good thing in me:—
Do not deny thy love. “Have respect unto the work of thine own hands.”
3. A holy delicacy in prayer. They lay the object at his feet, and leave it there. They do not say: Come and heal him; come quickly, Lord. They know his love— they believe his wisdom. They leave the case in his hands: “Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick.” “They cast them down at Jesus’ feet, and he healed them.” (Matt. 25:30). They did not plead, but let their misery plead for them. “Let your request be made known unto God.” (Phil. 4:6).
Learn that urgency in prayer does not so much consist in vehement pleading, as in vehement believing. He that believes most the love and power of Jesus, will obtain most in prayer. Indeed the Bible does not forbid you using all arguments, and asking for express gifts, such as healing for sick friends. “My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.” (Mark 5:23). “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” (Matt. 8:8). Still there is a holy delicacy in prayer, which some believers know how to use. Like these two sisters, lay the object at his feet, saying: “Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick.”
IV. The answer.
1. A word of promise: “This sickness is not unto death.” This was an immediate answer to prayer. He did not come—he did not heal; but he sent them a word enough to make them happy: “This sickness is not unto death.” Away the messenger ran, crossed the Jordan, and before sunset perhaps he enters breathless the village of Bethany. With anxious faces the sisters run out to hear what news of Jesus. Good news! “This sickness is not unto death.” Sweet promise!—the hearts of the sisters are comforted, and no doubt they tell their joy to the dying man. But he gets weaker and weaker; and as they look through their tears at his pale cheek, they begin almost to waver in their faith. But Jesus said it, and Jesus cannot lie: if it were not so, he would have told us. “This sickness is not unto death.” At last Lazarus breathes his latest sigh beside his weeping sisters. His eye is dim—his cheek is cold—he is dead; and yet Jesus said: “Not unto death!” The friends assemble, to carry the body to the rocky sepulcher; and as the sisters turn away from the tomb, their faith dies—their hearts sink into utter gloom. What could he mean by saying, “not unto death ?”
Learn to trust to Christ’s word, whatever sight may say. We live in dark times. Every day the clouds are becoming heavier and more lowering. The enemies of the Sabbath are raging. The enemies of the Church are becoming more desperate. The cause of Christ is everywhere threatened. But we have a sweet word of promise: “This sickness is not unto death.” Darker times are coming yet. The clouds will break and deluge our country soon with a flood of infidelity, and many will be like Mary—heart-broken. Has the Lord’s word failed? No, never ! “This sickness is not unto death.” The dry bones of Israel shall live. Popery shall sink like a mill-stone— widowhood and loss of children shall come to her in one day. The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bow their knee to Jesus. Jesus shall reign till all his enemies are put under his feet, and the whole world shall soon enjoy a real Sabbath.
2. The explanation: “But for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” Some might ask, Why, then, was Lazarus sick? Ans. “For the glory of God.” Christ was thereby in an eminent manner made known.
(1.) His amazing love to his own was seen, when he wept at the grave.
(2.) His power to raise the dead.
He was shown to be the resurrection and the life when he cried, “Lazarus, come forth.” Christ was more glorified far than if Lazarus had not been sick and died.
(1.) So in all the sufferings of God’s people. Sometimes a child of God says: Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? I will teach—preach—do great things for thee. Sometimes the answer is: Thou shalt suffer for my sake.
(2.) It shows the power of Christ’s blood—when it gives peace in an hour of trouble—when it can make happy in sickness, poverty, persecution, and death. Do not be surprised if you suffer, but glorify God.
(3.) It brings out graces that cannot be seen in a time of health. It is the treading of the grapes that brings out the sweet juices of the vine; so it is affliction that draws forth submission, weanedness from the world, and complete rest in God. Use afflictions while you have them.