“When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.””
‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In John 11 we read the familiar story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. However today I want to focus on the why of Lazarus’ sickness and first death.

The first thing I notice is Jesus’ emotional intelligence from the onset when he indicated that this sickness will not result in death. His words and actions appeared to contradict as Jesus stayed put for two more days and Lazarus died !!! So did Jesus lie? Was he playing with his disciples emotions? No!! Jesus was letting them know that he had power over life and death. Lazarus would not at this time be separated by the silent, cold door of death permanently. He would get a second life to live. It has been said you have two lives, the one before the life changing moment and the one afterwards. This first life of Lazarus was coming to an end and it was necessary for Lazarus to come face to face with his humanity. He needed to experience firsthand the life force exiting his body and being absolutely dead for four days. Why was this so? Wow. Lazarus was created to fulfill God’s purpose and this was part of the plan so that others can believe. Sometimes God appears to stay put and our lives spiral downwards to the point of no return or so we believe. Is God trying to kill something in our lives that we are trying to keep alive.? What purpose is God trying to achieve in our lives by his invisibility? Notice that both Martha and Mary said to Jesus the same statement: “If you had been here (big pause) my brother would not have died”(emphasis mine). They were not yet privy to the bigger picture that Jesus had in mind.

The second thing I notice is that Jesus was building the personal emotional competence of his disciples by pointing out that this event was for God’s glory so that the glorification of God’s son Jesus would be accomplished. Do you realize that the entire journey/process as outlined throughout the entire story Jesus was being glorified as he gave them the building blocks for being effective followers. One: Jesus tells them the importance of carrying out your assignment in the hours of daylight allotted to you in order to be productive and effective v.9. Two: Jesus spends the time to explain to the disciples about his deliberate delay as they knew he loved that family. He made it clear that he possessed the ability to wake Lazarus from death and this was to stimulate their belief in him. Three: Jesus was building the personal competence of each of them. Look at Thomas’ willingness to stand up for what he believed in to the point of death and to lead the rest of disciples. What is Jesus calling us to undertake, what leadership and followership roles he has for us and are we patient enough when faced with nerve wracking delays?

The third issue that caught my attention is that Jesus took the time to understand the different emotions of each sister and to help them work it through. Jesus first met with Martha and used the opportunity to firm up Martha’s faith by having an intellectual discussion with her. He listened to her but made it clear that she know him as the resurrection and life and the importance of believing in his life giving ability despite the appearance of death’s finality. Jesus not only connected on an IQ level but EQ level with Mary. He knew the emotional nature of Mary and tapped into Mary’s grief leading to his spirit becoming deeply moved and troubled to the point of tears. Part of Jesus’ glorification was that he had to experience and take up our pain and bear our sufferings (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus is calling us to take the time to understand the different ways persons grief and meet them at their points of need. Who do we need to reach out to and walk with them through their grief?

The final issue I will mention is that Jesus moved from building the personal competence of the disciples and the sisters to the social competence of everyone present. Jesus knew he had a mixed crowd with many different emotions at different stages. Jesus prays to the Father specifically in their hearing so that they would believe that God sent Jesus. He knew that some would not believe and were only there for a show but Jesus was focused on the bigger picture. His glorification came as he called Lazarus to come forth , grave clothes and all from his dead state to his brand new second life. Though Jesus was glorified in that moment it is interesting that although some believed, others did not, but instead they made the choice to report Jesus’ actions to the Pharisees who from that day plotted to take his life. This meant Jesus no longer moved publicly among the people of Judaea. What about you? Are you building the personal and social competences of those you are serving so that Jesus can be glorified in your life and theirs?

The only question that remains is will you be part of the team whose EQ is sharpened by your interaction with Jesus as he is glorified in your life or will be part of the unbelieving set who have made the choice to embrace everlasting death? Think and act on these things.

PRAY: Father we give your our IQ and EQ and ask you to use them for your glory. Forgive us when we fail you and hurt others, Come into our lives now and transform us. in Jesus’ name. Amen.