SUFFERING CAN TEACH SOVEREIGNTY
By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min.
“On his arrival, Jesus found Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days” (John 11:17).
Jesus knew in the Spirit and prophesied before He left Bethabara on the east side of the Jordan that Lazarus had died. But the disciples missed it. The Lord was going to Bethany to bring Lazarus back to life.
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother (John 11:18).
This passage gives insight into the social status of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary in the community. Lazarus’ family obviously had some wealth and many friends. The Jewish comforters who came to console Mary and Martha also show an important aspect of Jewish funeral customs. Mourning typically lasted for thirty days with the first week as the most important time of mourning. The role of friends was to participate in the weeping and grieving. It was normal for a person not to wash his body during the early days of mourning or wear any perfumes or ointments. Men were also known not to trim their beards for the full thirty days.
Suffering Lets Us Look Inside God’s Sovereign Heart.
The term, sovereignty, embraces the idea God has independent and supreme authority over all He created, and acts according to His will (Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:35–37; Matthew 28:16–20; Romans 9:20). In doing this He manifests His sovereignty over people and the natural order. It is certain God has never performed a sovereign act that was not grounded in His sinless love, agape love. The Apostle John described the inner core of the Godhead with the statement, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).
Suffering can motivate people to ponder both God’s love and His sovereignty. It is in this context that pain encourages people to think about how God’s sovereignty and God’s love blend. These divine character traits certainly manifested in the story of Lazarus.
Jesus could have healed Lazarus’ terminal illness by speaking the Word only, but He had a far better plan (Matthew 8:5-13). This fact lets us glimpse into the thinking and the soul of the Son of God. The Lord saw a greater necessity than a decision to intercept Lazarus’ sickness. Amid the death threats on His own life Jesus intended instead to:
- Bless Lazarus and his sisters with the far greater miracle of resurrection. Lazarus’ resurrection would be glorious. In fact, it would redeem fully all of Lazarus’ pain and suffering, and all the grief of his sisters. In doing so, it would take their friendship with Jesus to the far higher level of agape
- Deepen the faith of His disciples.
- Give great glory to the Heavenly Father.
- Maintain control of the many elements of His life. For example, the same miracle that would give such honor to God, also pushed the Sanhedrin over the cliff to a decision to kill Jesus. But they did not realize they were making Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29-36). As for the Sanhedrin, the success of Jesus’ ministry was luring too many of their followers.
Only God could put a plan like this together and make it work.
The miracle at Lazarus’ tomb reaffirmed to Jesus that in just a few short weeks resurrection awaited Him on the other side of a brutal cross. Lazarus was the prototype.
Jesus’ death and resurrection would be immeasurably more wonderful than His great miracle restoring Lazarus to life. Jesus’ empty tomb would stand-out as the singular achievement of His incarnate life that brought such glory to God. Its afterglow has continued to light up every generation since then. Little wonder! Lazarus was raised in mortality, but Jesus came out of the grave immortal and incorruptible, never to die again. With His own crucifixion and resurrection Jesus conquered death itself, a monumental achievement.
THINK ABOUT IT: The Apostle Paul capsuled Jesus’ success at Golgotha with the phrase, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death should never be portrayed as a deliverer that releases people from their suffering. Instead, death must always be understood as an enemy, a killer, and a curse. The triumph at Calvary of Jesus’ resurrection power continues to defeat pain and death in every generation. In doing this, it anchors the soul of every believer with the hope of everlasting life.
Paul went on to explain the significance of the triumph. He said it meant the fulfillment of King David’s prophecy: the God who is both Adonai and Jehovah “has put everything under [the Son of Man’s] feet” (Psalm 8:6; see also Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:8; 6:19–20).
The conquest at Calvary was immediate and total. The Greek word says it all — “tetelestai, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The centuries to follow in salvation history have continued to demonstrate the eternal meaning of the glorious sacrifice the Son of God made on the Hill of the Skull.
The Lord’s personal triumph at Calvary means “the last enemy to be destroyed is death,” and that great day is coming soon, quite possibly sooner than we think (see 1 Corinthians 15:24–28).
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see.
When I look upon His face;
The one who saved me by His grace.
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me to the promised land.
What a day, glorious day that will be.
By: Jim Hill, 1955.
