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Wednesday, March 17 2010
Lazarus, along with his sisters Martha and Mary, were close friends of the Messiah; He frequently visited their home at Bethany, a short distance from Jerusalem. When Lazarus became ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus to come and heal him.
"11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 11:2 It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 11:3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." (John 11:1-3 KJV)
But Jesus deliberately stayed away to allow Lazarus to die. Why?
"11:4 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. 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 11:6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." (John 11:4-6 KJV)
"For the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby"
After Lazarus had died and been placed in his tomb, the Messiah then went to heal him (see Resurrections to understand how Lazarus' resurrection was just back to physical life). Notice the similarities between how Lazarus was buried and how Jesus was Himself later buried - including the stone across the tomb entrance and the burial wrappings on the body.
"11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." (John 11:41-44 KJV)
As the Messiah said, the miracle done for Lazarus was "for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." But was it also an example, a prophecy, of something that was about to happen to Jesus? Amazingly, the man who was going to be responsible for the killing of Jesus answered the question.
"11:49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 11:50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.11:51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 11:53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death." (John 11:49-53 KJV)
And when did the example of Lazarus' resurrection happen? Near Passover.
"11:55 And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves." (John 11:55 KJV)"12:1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead." (John 12:1 KJV)
Even more amazingly, those who sought to kill the Christ recognized the prophetic meaning of Lazarus' raising, so they plotted to kill him too - a glaring paradox of logic.
"12:9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.12:10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 12:11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus." (John 12:9-11 KJV)
Fact Finder: As stated in the verses quoted above, Caiaphas, the high priest of that day, recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, while at the same time being so blind as to who He was that Caiaphas wanted to kill Him. How, and why, could such a paradox happen?
See Why Can't 'The Chosen People' See?
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This Day In History, March 17
45 BC: Julius Caesar defeated the Pompeians at the battle of Munda in Spain. The Pompeians, led by two sons of Pompey the Great, lost over 30,000 men.
180: Accession of Commodus, the 18th Roman emperor.
461: Traditional date of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
1337: Edward III created the Duchy of Cornwall for his eldest son, Edward, who was later made Prince of Wales.
1766: Britain repealed the Stamp Act.
1861: Victor Emmanuel was proclaimed the first king of Italy, uniting most of Italy under the House of Savoy.
1914: Russia increased the number of active duty military from 460,000 to 1,700,000.
1942: Nazis began deporting Jews to the Belsen concentration camp.
1948: The "Brussels Treaty" was signed by Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. They agreed to take whatever action necessary in the event of a renewal of German aggression, and to come to the defence of each other if attacked by any aggressor in Europe i.e. the Soviet Union. It was a shadow of NATO which came a year later.
1959: The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet to India.
1966: A U.S. submarine found an H-bomb that had been lost in the Mediterranean Sea.
