KID’S CORNER
The Difference A Death Can Make
Sunday September 6, 2020
John 11:11-16
John 11:11-16
(John 11:11) This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
Jesus called His followers “friends.” In John 15:14-15, Jesus said to His disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” Jesus called Lazarus His friend. Jesus never stopped loving Lazarus and always considered Lazarus His friend even though He did not heal Lazarus immediately or prevent him from dying. Jesus did not rush to Lazarus’ aid from a lack of friendship, or a lack of friendship with Mary and Martha. As Jesus’ sheep and friends, Jesus does not abandon us when we are in danger or sick, even if our danger or our sickness leads to our death. A believer’s circumstances or unchanging situation do not reveal a lack of friendship with Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul teaches that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. No one needed to tell Jesus that Lazarus had died, and even though Lazarus had died, Jesus still called him His friend and planned to go to him and help him: to raise him from the dead.
(John 11:12) The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
The disciples did not recognize that Jesus spoke of “death” in a figurative language as “sleep.” By calling death sleep, Jesus gave and gives comfort to all those who believe in Him, become His friends, and face death or the death of a loved one. When we go to sleep, we expect to wake up again rested and restored for a new day of new opportunities to serve the Lord and others as well as find happiness in the new day that the Lord has made. In Psalms 118:24, we read, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, at the very moment of our death we rise to a new day of eternal blessedness that the Lord has made; so, we can rejoice in it. In that sense, death is like going to sleep while expecting a better day. The Holy Spirit told John in Revelation 14:13, “‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.’” Those who “die in the Lord” will find rest for they are blessed. Our labors for the Lord Jesus and others are important to the Lord. At death, we will rest from our labors, but our works remain important to Jesus and others. Though a death may be lingering and painful, a follower of Jesus Christ can die with the expectation of seeing Jesus Christ face-to-face and spending eternity with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and all His friends.
(John 11:13) Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
John reveals that Jesus had to explain what He was talking about. Jesus was going to go help a man who had died. He could help him because Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (see John 11:25). They had seen Jesus heal others with a word and even bring back to life someone who had recently died. Now, they were going to travel to Bethany and see Jesus raise from the dead someone who had been dead four days and whose body had suffered decayed during his time in the tomb. Unlike Lazarus, though dead, Jesus’ body did not decay (see Acts 2:27, 31). Jesus’ disciples would learn that Jesus had the compassion and the power to help anyone in any situation and that Jesus would always do the right and wise thing; thus, Jesus would demonstrate the glory of Almighty God and His power to save.
(John 11:14) So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
At that time, the disciples did not know what Jesus planned. They did not know that He planned to raise Lazarus from the dead. He only told them Lazarus was dead, and they knew it would take a day or more to travel to Bethany. Perhaps they thought that Jesus would go and comfort Mary and Martha. They knew that Jesus could have healed Lazarus from a distance. They knew He knew what people were thinking and how some were grieving. They must have been puzzled and wondered why Jesus needed to endanger His life and their lives if Lazarus was already dead or why Jesus had not healed him earlier and saved them all from possible death. In the next verse, Jesus will partially answer their puzzlement without telling them in advance everything He planned to do. Jesus did not need to tell them all His plans or give them all His reasons for His decisions. He told them what He and they would do together one step at a time, for He was their Lord and Teacher who knew the best way to lead and teach them. He would tell them only what they needed to know when the time was best for them to receive new truths by word and example. Soon, He would show and tell them simultaneously more about himself and how they could perfectly trust Him to do what was best for them and all His followers. Jesus does the same today as He teaches and leads His followers. The sheep of His pasture follow Jesus, not because they always know His destination and plans, but because they know by experience and from the teachings in the Bible that He loves them and they can trust Him.
(John 11:15) and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
Jesus was not glad that Lazarus had died and that his death had brought grief to Mary and Martha, but Jesus was glad that the death of Lazarus would work for the good of Lazarus, Mary, Martha, His disciples, and so many others. Memorize and always remember these words of Paul in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Jesus was glad that by raising Lazarus from the dead, His disciples and others would see and believe that He was “the resurrection and the life.” By believing in Him, they would be forgiven their sins and receive the gift of eternal life. They would see Jesus do the impossible, but it was possible for Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead because Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of life. Later, Jesus would raise himself from the dead, which was an even greater miracle because Jesus, unlike Lazarus, would never die again.
(John 11:16) Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Thomas, who would initially doubt Jesus’ resurrection (and become known throughout the rest of history as “Doubting Thomas”) expressed the possible and most likely consequences of Jesus returning to Jerusalem (see John 20:24-29). Yet, Thomas encouraged the other disciples to accompany Jesus and him to Jerusalem at the risk of their lives. They might die with Jesus, but Jesus and His message are worth dying for. As we will learn, Jesus did not lose by capture or death any of His disciples except Judas who betrayed Jesus as the Scriptures foretold (John 18:7-9). After Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples courageously preached in the name of Jesus and later sacrificed their lives for the Good News of the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners who repented of their sins and placed their faith in Him. Only John, the writer of this gospel, died of old age, but he did suffer exile on the island of Patmos where he received and wrote the Book of Revelation.
The Difference A Death Can Make
Sunday September 6, 2020
John 11:11-16
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him (John 11:15—KJV).
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him” (John 11:15—NASB).
For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him (John 11:15—NRSV).
When Jesus learned that Lazarus was ill, He could have healed Lazarus or raised Lazarus from the dead before he was buried without speaking a word, for when Jesus was in Cana of Galilee without needing to travel to Capernaum He had healed an official’s sick son (John 4:46-54). Jesus knew that Lazarus would die, and He also knew that Lazarus’ illness would not lead to death; that is, to death as an eternal separation from God and all who love God. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He promised His disciples and all who will follow Him, “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:26). Jesus was not glad that Lazarus died, for Jesus knew the grief that Lazarus’ sisters (Mary and Martha) would suffer, though only for a brief time. Jesus was glad because He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead and return him to the family that loved him. Jesus loved Lazarus and his family, and He knew that when He raised Lazarus from the dead the Father and He would be glorified and honored by those who witnessed Lazarus coming forth from the tomb alive; then, many would be influenced to believe in Him as the resurrection and the life. Jesus was glad when He thought of all the good that He would bring to many people after He proved He could raise the dead. Jesus was glad that His disciples would be with Him when He raised Lazarus from the tomb, for He knew that most of them with faith in Him would die as martyrs.
Thinking Further
The Difference A Death Can Make
Sunday September 6, 2020
John 11:11-16
Name ______________________________
- Why do you think Jesus called Lazarus their friend? What does it mean to you to think of yourself as a friend of Jesus?
- How can someone become a friend of Jesus?
- Why do you think Jesus referred to or compared Lazarus’ death to being asleep? How does that comparison make you feel?
- Why was Jesus glad that He was not in Bethany to heal Lazarus?
- What did Thomas say to encourage the other disciples to go with Jesus? Would his words have encouraged you to go with Jesus?
Discussion and Thinking Further
- Why do you think Jesus called Lazarus their friend? What does it mean to you to think of yourself as a friend of Jesus? Because as a believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the Savior of the world, Lazarus loved and obeyed Jesus. Jesus loved him first and befriended him first and Lazarus responded to Jesus as a friend. Lazarus obeyed the commands of Jesus, the commands of God. He was a friend of all the disciples because he was learning more about Jesus and obeying Jesus (and would soon learn more about Jesus) just as they would. When I think of being a friend of Jesus, I know that no matter what happens, He will never fail in His friendship toward me, and I hope and pray that I will never fail Jesus as a friend of His and those who love Him, though I am not worthy to be His friend.
- How can someone become a friend of Jesus? By turning to Jesus, by repenting of their sins and asking Jesus to forgive them, and by receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior with the intention of loving Him and obeying all His commands, for He has told us what it means to be a friend of His. In John 15:14, Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
- Why do you think Jesus referred to or compared Lazarus’ death to being asleep? How does that comparison make you feel? When we go to sleep, we trust God that we will wake up in the morning and be able to serve Jesus here in the world for at least part of another day. When we die as followers of Jesus, we trust that He will wake us in eternity and give us the opportunity to live with Him and His friends forever. I like the comparison for when we die with Jesus, we have the assurance that we will awaken with Jesus. Death is not the end of our relationship with God but a new and better beginning with God the Father, with Jesus the Son of God, with the Holy Spirit, and with all Their friends.
- Why was Jesus glad that He was not in Bethany to heal Lazarus? He was glad because His disciples (and others) would learn more about Him and believe in Him and strengthen their faith in Him when He raised Lazarus from the dead.
- What did Thomas say to encourage the other disciples to go with Jesus? Would his words have encouraged you to go with Jesus? He said that they should go with Jesus even if it meant that they would die with Jesus. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah worth dying for and he had trust in Jesus.
Word Search
The Difference A Death Can Make
Sunday September 6, 2020
John 11:11-16
Name ______________________________
P E O K T E W K C G O G Z J Y
T H G I R H Z Y X L D W M K O
X O C J D W R J E S U S J G G
L B X K E S A M O H T H K N D
A V W C A I T F Q E W J I N G
U F M U T D N L G F N K E M S
A G B J H I U M R C A I S I U
Z S E I W D E A D E R E F G R
Y U L T M Y H I P F L Y L Q A
D G A E L O L S Z P J S J Y Z
C L W X E E V E I L E B W C A
N A A Q Y P O C Z L J N E K L
O D K I N V S G B I O M U V W
T P E Y U I R T Y L N R J N F
S Y N Z D G S N R U C Y D M T
Friend
Lazarus
Asleep
Awaken
Disciples
Lord
Right
Speaking
Death
Dead
Glad
Believe
Thomas
Twin
Go
True and False Test
The Difference A Death Can Make
Sunday September 6, 2020
John 11:11-16
Name ______________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
- Only the twelve disciples were friends of Jesus. True or False
- Jesus considered Lazarus His faithful servant, so He thought He should raise him from the dead. True or False
- When Jesus spoke of Lazarus death to His disciples, He said Lazarus had fallen asleep. True or False
- The disciples thought that if Lazarus had only fallen asleep that he would be all right. True or False
- The disciples always clearly understood everything Jesus said, so we should too. True or False
- Jesus said plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” True or False
- Jesus said He was glad that Lazarus had died. True or False
- For the sake of His disciples, so that they might believe, Jesus was glad that He was not there when Lazarus died. True or False
- Jesus asked the disciples to vote on whether they should go to see Lazarus or not, because it would be extremely dangerous. True or False
- Thomas, the Twin, looked forward to going to Judea with Jesus because He wanted to die there with Jesus. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- False
- False
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- False