Lazarus: Our Future Hope

Martha and Mary show incredible insight in this chapter of John, don't they?

Despite whatever doubt they may have shown (vss. 33, 40), they still understood that Jesus could save from death. When first speaking to Jesus, both sisters exclaim, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died" (vss. 21, 32), showing their understanding of who He was and what He could do.

As we continue to draw application from the story of Lazarus, I wanted to look at our future hope.

When people experience grief, sadness, or seasons of depression, it's helpful to go to Scripture.

Whether it's the Psalms or other passages, such as Philippians 4 (pretty much all of it), the Bible offers a lot of hope.

But one primary hope that we have as believers is the hope of the resurrection. And, interestingly, it seems the sisters in our story understood this hope.

"Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.'" - John 11:24

How they came to understand this isn't clear. Pharisees and Sadducees were divided on the issue. Many Jews believed in a resurrection, but others did not.

Did the women think Jesus could raise their brother from the dead? I'm not sure, but whatever it is they did know, they knew Jesus was more than just a man.

Ultimately, Jesus did raise Lazarus from death (vss. 43-44). But I think any who read this can understand that Lazarus would die again, this time for real, as it were.

Yet this text, I believe, still helps us look forward to the final resurrection from the dead. Some to eternal glory, others to eternal punishment.

However much grief the sisters had, Martha's comment showed that she knew that there was a day when death would be no more.

And that is a hope we can hold onto as well when we endure difficulty (Colossians 3:4, 1 Peter 1:13).

Jesus will one day finally and fully destroy death (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). And one day all sorrow and sin will be done away with (Revelation 21:4-5).

Does it make that pain go away in the moment? No. I'm sure Mary and Martha still grieved as they waited for Jesus to come. But we don't grieve as the world does (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

So, during the difficult times, while we will still experience the ache of sadness, we can still hope in Christ, who will one day fully and finally redeem every tear.