The Death of Lazarus

Dear CrossPointe,

As we continue our series through the Gospel of John, we’ll spend the next two Sundays studying the ultimate miraculous sign from Jesus—the death and resurrection of Lazarus, his friend.

John 11 is a lengthy account of a very important story, one that points directly ahead to Jesus’ own death and resurrection, so rather than tackle this narrative all at once, we’ll just look at vv1–16 this week, which concludes with the revelation that Lazarus has died. It raises some really important questions, perhaps the most prominent of which is this: What does it mean for Jesus to love someone? John is very careful to orient his readers around the fact that Jesus loves Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. And yet, that love doesn’t hasten to keep Lazarus from dying. Why?

There are more implications for us to consider, so go ahead and prepare your heart for Sunday by reading all of John 11 in advance. I look forward to gathering with you all this Sunday!

In Christ,

Robert