A crescendo is when something starts small and then intensifies as it goes along. We often see this in music. The notes or stanzas are marked with a crescendo. The expectation is that the area will start softly and end loudly. The story of Lazarus is this type of passage. Let’s look.

Now Lazarus was ill. Lazarus had 2 sisters. One of them we will study in chapter 12. John refers to something that happened at a time later than this chapter. This was probably a well known story to the readers.

Martha and Mary knew that Jesus loved them. If you were wondering if this was just a figment of their imaginations, verse 5 makes it clear. Jesus loved this family. There was already an established relationship.

The circumstances that were about to unfold were for God’s glory. Look carefully. 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)

God receives glory when Jesus is glorified.

This was for God’s glory, because the Son of God was being glorified. This is a common theme throughout this book. You must understand this idea in order to be one who gives God glory correctly. Jesus must be glorified!

Look at the crescendo.

22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. (John 5:22-23)

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (8:48-56)

Jesus worships The Father and always does what pleases The Father.

41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” (John 11:41-42)

He is making a point to those standing around and probably the Jews most of all.

John 9:31
Jesus has healed a blind man and the Jews are questioning the man that can now see. Let’s look at part of the man’s answer.

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. (John 9:31-34)

To assume that Jesus will do anything that does not display the Glory of God is wrong doctrine.

The story moves on.

Jesus heard the news about Lazarus and stayed where He was for 2 more days. Have you ever said to yourself – “How insensitive was that?” He loved these people and He could have done something about it. They did not have to suffer like they did. Why didn’t He just get in the car and race over there?

Jesus was not the cause of Lazarus’ death. Lazarus would have died anyway. Jesus was probably in a town called Betenea which was about 150 kilometers away. Normal travel was about 40 – 45 kilometers a day. If Jesus would have left the same day that the servant reached Him with the news, Lazarus would have still been dead for 2 days when He arrived. Jesus was not going to be manipulated by the urgencies of men. He was walking in obedience to God. He was on God’s timetable.
Something we should note. Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick for a while after the servant talked with Him (:4). Several days later, He knew that Lazarus was dead because He spoke this to His disciples (:11). This must have been from direct communication from God.
But why did He wait? The Jews believed that one was not truly dead unless they were dead for 3 days. They believed that the spirit hovered over the body for 3 days and could possibly be resuscitated. Jesus made sure that all knew that Lazarus was truly dead. He wanted no confusion in what was about to take place. He was about to be exalted for the glory of God.

To glorify Jesus correctly - Know that He is Life and He has power over death at all times

There was a problem that Jesus was addressing in those that He loved. The problem was that eternal life was a future idea to them. Yes it is a correct idea, but it is an incomplete idea. Eternal life was going to happen in the future for those who followed God, but Jesus is life. Eternal life was standing right in front of them. Eternal life is found in Christ and Christ alone. Jesus wanted them to switch from just an idea about the future to the fullness of life in Him.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (John 5:25)

Jesus wanted to give them a foretaste now of what was to come in the future. He was that foretaste. He is salvation.

Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and the disciples:
- Knew Jesus as Son of God, but may not have really known what that meant. Almost a “Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief” situation.
- To not know Jesus correctly is to not have complete faith.
- To not have complete faith is to not glorify God completely because Christ is not exalted completely.
- To know Christ as a helper and not as one who has the power over death is a wrong knowledge of Christ.

Martha knew that Jesus was the Christ, but did not seem to understand what that meant on earth. The Kingdom of Heaven was standing right in front of her and she did not see Him. She simply was waiting on the Kingdom to come. I find some tension in the statement I just made because Mary and Martha both understood that if Jesus had been there before Lazarus had died, Jesus could have healed him. This was probably why there was such urgency in sending for Jesus in verse 3. They had probably seen Jesus heal before and were well aware of His power on earth for these things. They did not seem to understand that He had power over death and this is what was going to be demonstrated on that day, so that the Crucifixion and Resurrection would be plain later. Jesus was trying to help Martha in :25-26 and later those standing around the tomb in :41-42 to not simply think that the dead will rise in the future, but that the dead will rise because of Christ even now as men believe in Christ. He wanted them to know that He is the Life and that He has power over Death. He wanted it to be personal. That is why He asked Martha if she could believe what He had told her.

Watch the crescendo. Keep in mind that Jesus is Life and has the power over death.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-16)

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:39-40)

51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (8:51)

God hates sin – Jesus hates sin

Jesus hears what Mary has to say. He sees the mourning. He asks to see where Lazarus was buried.

he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. (:33b)

He weeps. He hears what the Jews said.

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. (:38)

What was Jesus moved about? Why did He weep?

There are several possible thoughts.
1) Jesus saw Mary weeping and was consequently angry with sin, sickness and death which devastates so much of the world.
2) Jesus was angry at the unbelief. Those around Him including those who He had just told to believe were weeping like those who had no faith at all – Like those who have no hope.
3) or both.

D. A. Carson says this, “The one who always does what pleases his Father is indignant when faced with the attitudes that are not governed by the truths the Father has revealed. If sin, illness and death, all devastating features of this fallen world, excite his wrath, it is hard to see how unbelief is excluded. But the world that is at enmity with God is also the object of God’s love, so it is not surprising that when he was shown the tomb where the body lay, Jesus wept. It is unreasonable to think that Jesus’ tears were shed for Lazarus, since he knew he was about to raise him from the dead. Rather, the same sin and death, the same unbelief, that prompted his outrage, also generated his grief. Those who follow Jesus as his disciples today do well to learn the same tension – that grief and compassion without outrage reduce to mere sentiment, while outrage without grief hardens into self-righteous arrogance and irascibility.” (marked by hot temper and easily provoked.)

Have faith in Jesus, not simply the things Jesus does

Another issue that must be dealt with from the text and in our day and time is the attitude of some of the Jews here. They were still looking at Jesus as the One who does miracles.

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” (:37)

D. A. Carson states, “At one level their reasoning is sound: Jesus did heal the blind man, and he could have prevented Lazarus from dying. There is no need to suppose that their attitude was sneering, that their confidence that Jesus had healed the blind man was dissembled. They were puzzled and confused. Nevertheless, even to ask the question in this way betrays massive unbelief. It is the unbelief of the person whose faith does not rest on who Jesus is and what he has revealed of the Father, but on displays of power. Such inchoate (formless) ”faith” is so weak it constantly demands new signs and miracles.”

There are many people and many religions today that are constantly seeking after the next big feeling, revival, movement, experience, etc. This is not the working of a satisfied heart. It is correct to think that if you are walking with Jesus, there will probably be miracles. It is even OK to pray for miracles if the answers to those prayers will exalt Christ and further the Kingdom of God. But if you are constantly seeking after these types of displays, then you are clearly stating that your faith is weak or formless and that you do not find satisfaction simply in Christ and the relationship that you have with Him. Signs point to Christ. They are displayed that one might believe.

Luke 11:29-30
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Who is the sign? Jesus! To chase after the signs only is to be a thrill seeker. One who is only pursuing signs will have an illegitimate faith, which of course is not faith at all. True faith rests in one’s hope in Christ, not just miracles.

John 5:23-25
23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
God is the Giver of life – Jesus has authority over life and death – therefore Jesus is God

Jesus is fully man, yet not the same as us. He is fully God as well.
What is important to see here is that the Lord was careful to keep Himself separated from everyone else when it came to what was going to take place, but included Himself when they were thinking of Lazarus as friend, traveling, etc.

11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:11-15)

The message from chapters before was still the message on that day.

23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (8:23-24)

He wasn’t simply being snobbish. He had to keep this distance in order for them to get the message that the death of Lazarus was designed to teach. He had changed water in wine, purged the temple, offered salvation to a Samaritan, healed a man’s son by simply speaking it into being, healed a lame man, fed the multitude, walked on water, irritated the “religious”, healed a blind man, and claimed to be the ultimate fulfillment of the Old Testament. HE EVEN CLAIMED TO BE GOD HIMSELF.

God speaks life and life comes into existence. Jesus speaks and commands life, therefore Jesus is God.

In Genesis 1, God speaks life into existence whether it was plant, animal, or man.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:21-29)
So Jesus once again places the crescendo on Himself by saying “Lazarus, come out.” and the dead man was alive and came out.

Application

1) Exalt Jesus for the glory of God.

2) Hate sin and the results of sin if you love God.

Are you outraged at sin and its results? Act like it. Mourn over the spiritually dead. Mourn over those who do not believe or even those that lead men and women astray with the traditions of men. Mourn over the roadblocks that our culture or even our pasts have placed before us. Mourn over the fact that sickness and death ravage our bodies. But then do something about it. Don’t just sit there and mourn. We are not a people without hope. Here are some things that you can do.

3) Live in Life now.

Are the crucifixion and resurrection plain to us today? Do we get the message? We must move from not only expecting the resurrection at the time of Christ’s return but also to living in a Christ that has already raised us from the dead There is an obvious comparison between Lazarus dying and rising again and the saved in Christ dying and rising again. We must live in the reality of “not yet, but already”. The same thing that happened to Lazarus happened to us in a greater way.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-7)

There should be an immediate change in our perspective when we are saved. We should begin laboring in the light. We are not those who are to be stumbling around spiritually. We are walking in Jesus and He is the light of the world.

4) Walk in faith with Jesus – the One who raised you from the dead.

At some point in time, Jesus doesn’t have to prove Himself to you anymore. You should be walking by faith. If the situation looks bleak, you should believe in Jesus. There should come a point in time where you do not doubt that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is indeed God in the flesh. You will be aware that He is your salvation. You will know that you were raised from the dead and that is a miracle. The odd thing is that you may recognize more miracles in your life after you get this straight than before.

How do we walk in this faith?

A correct knowledge of Jesus is the difference between walking in darkness and light.

Before accurate time pieces, the Romans and the Jews divided the entire day into 2 – 12 hour periods. The periods of time varied with the seasons depending on the sunshine that was available during that season. Most people did their work during the daylight portion of this entire day. When the darkness came, they stopped.

Verses 9-10 are not new subjects. This is again an old message.

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:1-5)

We will see how important this is in the next step.

5) Enjoy watching others come to life.

The same thing that happened to Martha, Mary, the disciples, and the Jews happens to you. We watch the spiritually dead come to life. It is a result of exalting Christ.

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:27-32)

Salvation is still a miracle! This should thrill your soul! Christ still speaks to the dead! He uses us.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (II Corinthians 5:11-21)
Jesus was lifted up on a cross, died, and rose again. It should be the pleasure of all who have been raised from the dead by His power – all those who know Christ personally – all those who walk in the light – the Church - to exalt Jesus so that all – every tongue, tribe, people, and nation will be drawn to Him.

Look at what happens when Christ is in us.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Jesus knew that He was walking in the light of His Father’s will and that His Father’s will was to glorify the Son. Therefore He proceeded into an apparent place of danger and uncertainty to everyone else, but He did so without fear, so must we walk in the light of Christ. We are to walk in this uncertain world that now belongs to the prince of darkness and speak life. This has its dangers as it did for Jesus in this story. Mark Dever says, “We need to know that in following God’s will, we are invincible - or as invincible as we need to be.” We are to speak the Gospel (the Words of Life), we are to speak Christ - that men might be raised from the dead – that men might be saved.

The Christ in you is still the light of the world. We are the Body of Christ. Exalt the Head of the Body and God gets the glory.

6) Loose those you watch come to Christ.

Loose them so that they can go and exalt Christ as well.

Help them shed the trappings of death. Unbind them from the past, the old habits, personality traits that are damaging, broken relationships, wrong thought, etc.

Live like a Christian in front of them, be vulnerable before them, invest in them. Give them the Word of God. Disciple one another.

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Thanks to the Lord for His Word, Carson and Dever for their insight, and thanks to Lee for his wisdom and help.

THE CRESCENDO IS CHRIST