. When the youthful consciousness falls asleep, the whole man suffers. 1. of Bethany--at the east side of Mount Olivet. When God, by his grace and providence, is coming towards us in ways of mercy and comfort, we should, like Martha, go forth by faith, hope, and prayer, to meet him. "It is remarkable that on each of the three occasions on which our Lord raised the dead, a large number of persons was assembled. Why did Jesus groan and weep at the tomb of Lazarus? In this statement Jesus makes a denial of the thought that material conditions can confine life. The “I” is the “Word” that was made flesh, the eternal truth of life. What is represented by Mary’s falling down at the feet of Jesus? 24. Being found in fashion as a man, he acts in the way and manner of the sons of men. What is the meaning of verse 43: “And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth”? The perfect regenerated body, but to build the perfect body we must learn to combine the qualities of love and understanding. How do we gain the capacity to see and live ideally? He prayed (says LUTHARDT well) not for what He wanted, but for the manifestation of what He had; and having the bright consciousness of the answer in the felt liberty to ask it, and the assurance that it was at hand, He gives thanks for this with a grand simplicity before performing the act. Let this reconcile us to the darkest dealings of Providence, that they are all for the glory of God: sickness, loss, disappointment, are so; and if God be glorified, we ought to be satisfied. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go--Jesus will no more do this Himself than roll away the stone. Martha ministered to His physical needs. It is a good step toward raising a soul to spiritual life, when the stone is taken away, when prejudices are removed, and got over, and way is made for the word to enter the heart. The “still small voice” is the inner realization of Truth, and the “loud voice” is the outer manifestation. He came not to preserve his people from these afflictions, but to save them from their sins, and from the wrath to come; however, it behoves us to apply to Him in behalf of our friends and relatives when sick and afflicted. . When Jesus was told that Lazarus had been dead four days and was decaying, his reply was: “Said I not unto thee, that if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”. By praying aloud. But the change which his two days' delay had produced is here tenderly alluded to. this grand saying can be conceived? (7-10) The death of Lazarus. Jesus, who represents the I AM in each individual, is always glad of the opportunity to develop a greater faith in the disciples, or the twelve faculties of man. It is first of all an inner awakening. . 11:48If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. The cave represents the darkness of materiality, and the stone that “lay against it” represents that which seals the thought that the end of youth has come. . 8. . . Does time have power to limit life action in the flesh? 41. Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died--As Mary afterwards said the same thing ( John 11:32 ), it is plain they had made this very natural remark to each other, perhaps many times during these four sad days, and not without having their confidence in His love at times overclouded. A necessary step in this process of body restoration is the quickening of Lazarus, who represents the vitalizing energies in the subconsciousness that feed the body and give it the life force that renews its youth. It means that the glory of GOD manifested in the resurrection of dead Lazarus would be shown to be the glory, personally and immediately, of THE SON. 51. Time is not a factor in bodily conditions. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. To all intents, he is dead to the truth of his own being. "Those whom Christ loves are no more exempt than others from their share of earthly trouble and anguish: rather are they bound over to it more surely" [TRENCH]. 11:3The sisters therefore sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. There can hardly be a more clear discovery of the madness that is in man's heart, and of its desperate enmity against God, than what is here recorded. What a seal of His perfect oneness with us in the most redeeming feature of our stricken humanity! As Elijah himself repaired the altar on Carmel, arranged the wood, cut the victim, and placed the pieces on the fuel, but made the by-standers fill the surrounding trench with water, that no suspicion might arise of fire having been secretly applied to the pile ( 1 Kings 18:30-35 ); so our Lord would let the most skeptical see that, without laying a hand on the stone that covered His friend, He could recall him to life. When Jesus was told that Lazarus had been dead four days and that the body was decaying, his reply was: “Said I not unto thee, that if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”. 52. and not for that nation only, &c.--These are the Evangelist's words, not Caiaphas'. Salem Media Group. Intuitive understanding, for it connects us with the Infinite and brings us true satisfaction. Knowing the truth is not the same as submitting to the truth. The soul cannot effectually exercise faith under such conditions, even though it affirms, “I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, even he that cometh into the world.”. . . 3-5. his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick--a most womanly appeal, yet how reverential, to the known affection of her Lord for the patient. His physical presence was not essential to her. but Mary sat . The lifting up of the whole man, spirit, soul, and body, into the Christ consciousness of power. Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four It is wrong to suppose from this (as LAMPE and others do) that, like the by-standers, she had not thought of his restoration to life. The human love, Mary, and the natural life, Martha, are sisters to this intellect, and although they, like all women, have faith in the Spirit, they allow themselves to fall under the mortal law thought, and believe in the reality of death. (47-53) The Jews seek for him. a city called Ephraim--between Jerusalem and Jericho. When He drew near she “still sat in the house.”. 16. It is no new thing for those whom Christ loves, to be sick; bodily distempers correct the corruption, and try the graces of God's people. By developing love in ourselves. Christ, wherever he went, walked in the day; and so shall we, if we follow his steps. . "Our friend Lazarus." believed . This lesson accentuates the idea of life as associated with the thought of youth. Potentially we have. Doubtless, His spirit was all the while with His dying, and now dead "friend." The bringing to outer consciousness this sleeping life is no easy task. Jesus prayed; then spoke the word of authority: “Lazarus, come forth.” He could speak thus with authority because He had already realized the truth of the words “I and the Father are one”; “I am the resurrection, and the life”: “As the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.” No one can do good work unless he understands what he is doing. 1. How shall we fully manifest eternal youth in our bodies? I know that he shall rise again . The calamity we seek to escape by sin, we take the most effectual course to bring upon our own heads; as those do who think by opposing Christ's kingdom, to advance their own worldly interest. . . When His people are sick, in body or spirit; when their case is waxing more and more desperate every day; when all hope of recovery is about to expire--just then and therefore it is that "He abides two days still in the same place where He is." What is the “brother” of the soul? 11:16Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. went . Man cannot lose his identity as a son of God. By dying he purchased them to himself, and the gift of the Holy Ghost for them: his love in dying for believers should unite them closely together. he that believeth in me, though . At its centre it is good; we could not draw to ourselves the potentialities of Being without this accumulative faculty, but its fault is in piling up thoughts and things on the material plane. Because sin, the missing of the mark of perfection, paralyzes the will to perfection and makes the realization of perfect health and strength impossible, so long as it continues. Jesus was praying in spirit, and in his own consciousness he felt the quickening life before it made its external appearance. Let us also go, that we may die with him--lovely spirit, though tinged with some sadness, such as reappears at John 14:5 , showing the tendency of this disciple to take the dark view of things. I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, &c.--that is, And having such faith in Thee, I can believe all which that comprehends. Besides other dangers, they were apprehensive of legal impurity by contact with the dead. Observe here what our Lord did Himself, and what He made others do. Freedom from all trammels is necessary before the imprisoned life can find its natural channels in the constitution. weeping . Where have ye laid him? The man who wants the inner life to spring forth must believe in the reality of spiritual powers and exercise his faith by invoking in prayer the presence of the invisible, yet omnipresent God. Lazarus represents the consciousness of youth, which is spiritually born in man and should ever remain part of his consciousness.