November 30 2025

Frankie

John 11

1. While preparing a sermon is always a challenge for me, seasonal messages—such as Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas—are particularly difficult. This is because the Church has already explored these themes extensively for thousands of years. During the Christmas season, and specifically Advent, we reflect on Christ's birth and His coming. We also examine how God promised to send a Savior to the world through the prophecies of the Old Testament. This season, I want to look at the purpose of Jesus' coming and how God fulfilled His promise through Jesus' birth. To understand this, we will look to John 11.

John 11:1–4 NASB 2020

Now a certain man was sick: Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 

2.1 Let’s briefly look at the situation. In John chapter 11, Mary and Martha sent an urgent request. Their brother was dying. Because they knew Jesus loved Lazarus, they expected an immediate response. We often assume that if God loves us, He will fix our problems right away. We expect a rescue mission. But verse 6 tells us something shocking. When Jesus heard the news, He stayed where He was for two more days. He delayed.

John 11:6 NLT

he stayed where he was for the next two days. 

2.2 Why did He wait? To the sisters, this delay must have felt like a refusal. It felt like indifference. And during that time of waiting, the worst happened. Lazarus died. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. According to Jewish tradition at that time, it was believed that the soul hovered near the body for three days. But by the fourth day, the soul was gone, and decay had begun. In other words, the situation was hopeless. It was over.

John 11:17–19 NKJV

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

John 11:20–22 NKJV

Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

2.3 From a human perspective, Jesus arrived too late. It seemed as though His mission had failed. But this is exactly where the mystery of Advent begins. Jesus did not come merely to heal a sick man; He had a different purpose—a greater plan that no one in Bethany could yet understand.

3.1 This brings us to the heart of the Advent season. The waiting that Martha and Mary experienced is just like the waiting of God's people throughout history. The sisters sent a message and waited for Jesus. In the same way, the people of Israel held onto the Covenant—the promises God made to Abraham and David—and waited for the Messiah.

3.2 But just like Jesus in this story, God’s timing was not immediate. Think about it. God promised Eve that her offspring would crush the serpent’s head. He promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his family. He promised David an eternal kingdom.

Genesis 3:15 NIV

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 

Genesis 12:3 ESV

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

2 Samuel 7:12–13 NASB 2020

When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 

2 Samuel 7:16 GNB

You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last for ever. Your dynasty will never end.’ ” 

3.3 Yet, century after century passed. Kingdoms rose and fell. The Israelites were sent into exile and then returned. And then, after the prophet Malachi, there was silence—400 years of silence. It seemed like God had forgotten His promise. Many must have cried out, just like Martha: 'Lord, if You had been here... if You had come sooner, our nation would not have suffered like this.' They wanted a political rescue. They wanted a quick fix for their pain. But God did not delay because He was indifferent. He was waiting for the 'fullness of time' Galatians 4:4

Galatians 4:4 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 

3.4 Jesus waited two days to show His power over death itself. In the same way, God waited through the centuries not just to fix a temporary political problem, but to solve the eternal problem of sin and death once and for all. The long wait was necessary for the great miracle that was coming.

4.1 I must admit, I am not very good at waiting. When I order something online, I check the status constantly, refreshing the page every single hour until the package arrives at my door. That is why I was so happy when I moved to Yorkton from Pelly. When I lived in Pelly, even though I had a premium membership, deliveries took at least ten days, even when they were promised to arrive in two. Now, when I order something here, I actually receive it in two days.

4.2 This personal struggle helps me realize how difficult it must have been for the people to wait for the Messiah. There was a silence of at least 400 years from the time of Malachi. Yet, even when He came, they did not accept Jesus as their Savior. In fact, many Jewish people have been waiting for the Messiah until this very day. However, when the fullness of time had come—God's timing—He sent His only Son to us. But it did not happen according to human expectations. Just as the situation with Lazarus unfolded in an unusual pattern, the birth of Jesus was far from ordinary. God's intentions were completely different from human ways.

5.1 This brings us to the second point of today’s passage: Jesus did not arrive according to human expectations. Mary and Martha desperately wanted Jesus to be there before Lazarus passed away. Instead, however, Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus had died. At first glance, we cannot find a clear reason why Jesus acted this way. Why did He wait? While it may seem confusing, we can discover His intention through the passage we are reading today.

John 11:3–4 ESV

So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 

John 11:21–24 ESV

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 

John 11:25–27 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” 

5.2 This passage clearly demonstrates that Jesus was focused entirely on God's work. He did not come to earth to satisfy human requests or meet human expectations. He came to fulfill God's promise and purpose. However, God's purpose could not be fulfilled by human methods, because the human way always focuses on outward appearances. According to worldly logic, having power means you can do whatever you want. That is why people desire to be rich and hold high status; they seek that kind of strong authority. And this is precisely why people misunderstood Jesus when He began His public ministry on earth.

Philippians 2:5–7 NKJV

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 

1 Corinthians 1:28–29 NIV

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 

6.1 If we are honest with ourselves, we do not naturally desire humility or lowly positions. I remember an incident from when I was a Bible college student. Several classmates approached me because they knew I attended one of the mega-churches in Korea. At that time, one of the elders from my church had actually become the President of South Korea. These classmates suggested that we form a group to help one another become pastors of large churches. They argued that if they led big churches, they would become famous and could exert a huge influence, supposedly 'for the sake of God's name.'

6.2 I was shocked by this proposal because the Bible does not support this perspective. Rather, Scripture teaches us to be humble and to follow the way of Jesus. Jesus was not born as a prince in a palace, nor did He come from a high-ranking family. Instead, He was born in a manger, the lowest of places. He truly embodied humility.

Conclusion

7.1 Today, we walked through the heartbreak of Bethany and the silence of history. We saw that for Mary and Martha, Jesus seemed to arrive four days too late. For the Israelites, God seemed silent for four hundred years. In both cases, from a human perspective, it looked like God had failed or had forgotten His people. We often feel the same way—just like my impatience with delivery times, we want immediate answers.

7.2 However, we learned that Jesus’ delay was not indifference; it was intentional. He did not rush to patch up a temporary sickness; He waited to conquer death itself. He did not send a political leader to provide a temporary rescue for Israel; instead, in the 'fullness of time,' He came as a baby in a manger to solve the eternal problem of sin. We saw that while the world—and even some of my former classmates—seeks influence, power, and high status, God’s glory is revealed in humility, in the manger, and in His perfect, often mysterious, timing. So, as we begin this Advent season, how do we apply this truth to our lives in Yorkton today?

7.3 First, trust God in the 'Four-Day' Silence.Some of us may be in a 'four-day' situation right now. We have prayed, we have waited, and it feels like the deadline has passed. It feels like decay has set in, and hope is gone. The application for us is to shift our focus from the clock to the Christ. Just because God has not answered yet does not mean He is absent. If you are in a season of waiting, do not interpret God's silence as a lack of love. He is preparing a 'resurrection moment' that is greater than the immediate relief we are asking for.

7.4 Second, embrace the Way of the Manger.We must check our own hearts regarding power and success. As I shared about my experience in Bible college, it is easy to think that bigger is better, or that we need high status to glorify God. But Advent teaches us the opposite. If you feel small, unnoticed, or 'lowly' this season, take heart. God does His greatest work not through the arrogance of the powerful, but through the humility of the faithful. We are called to serve in humility, knowing that God uses the 'lowly things of this world' to shame the wise.

7.5 Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the God who steps into our grief, into our waiting, and into our hopelessness. This Advent, let us stop looking for a 'quick fix' and start looking for the Savior. Let us trust that His timing is perfect. Even when we see a tomb, He sees the glory of God. As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, may we wait with the assurance that He has come, He is here, and He will make all things new.

Podcast: https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/bdae8e3f-aee5-4da9-8504-ccde2f7f35ed?artifactId=682e8da0-8820-4c0d-8365-c19f7b290267

Quiz: Short-Answer Questions

Instructions: Answer the following ten questions based on the provided source text. Each answer should be approximately two to three sentences long.

1. What is the central difficulty the author identifies when preparing seasonal sermons for Advent?

2. What was Jesus's immediate response upon hearing that Lazarus was sick, and why was this response surprising to Mary and Martha?

3. According to the Jewish tradition mentioned in the text, what was the significance of Lazarus being in the tomb for four days?

4. How does the sermon compare the waiting experienced by Mary and Martha to the historical experience of the people of Israel?

5. What biblical concept from Galatians 4:4 is used to explain the long period of waiting for the Messiah?

6. According to John 11:4, what was the stated purpose of Lazarus's illness?

7. How does the sermon contrast God’s methods with worldly logic regarding power and authority?

8. What personal anecdote does the author share to illustrate the human struggle with waiting?

9. What is the first practical application drawn in the sermon's conclusion for someone in a "four-day" situation?

10. What does the "Way of the Manger" teach about how believers should view success and status?

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Answer Key

1. The primary difficulty is that the Church has explored seasonal themes, like those of Advent, extensively for thousands of years. During Advent, the focus is on Christ's birth and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, which are well-established topics.

2. Upon hearing the news, Jesus delayed and stayed where He was for two more days. This was shocking because Mary and Martha, knowing Jesus loved Lazarus, expected an immediate rescue mission and interpreted the delay as indifference or refusal.

3. Jewish tradition at that time held that a person's soul hovered near the body for three days after death. By the fourth day, the soul was believed to be gone and bodily decay had begun, signifying that the situation was completely hopeless.

4. The waiting of Mary and Martha for Jesus is presented as a parallel to the waiting of Israel for the Messiah. Just as the sisters waited for a personal intervention, the people of Israel held onto God's Covenant promises to Abraham and David for centuries.

5. The concept of the "fullness of time" from Galatians 4:4 is used to explain the timing of the Messiah's arrival. It signifies that God was not indifferent during the centuries of waiting but was preparing for the perfect moment to send His Son to solve the eternal problem of sin and death.

6. Jesus stated that the illness was not meant for death but was for the glory of God. Its ultimate purpose was so that the Son of God could be glorified by it.

7. The sermon contrasts God's methods with worldly logic, which equates power with the ability to do whatever one wants and seeks wealth and high status. In contrast, God’s purpose is fulfilled through humility, as shown by choosing the "lowly things of this world" and Jesus being born in a manger.

8. The author shares a personal story about his impatience when waiting for online package deliveries. He describes constantly checking the tracking status and his relief at moving from Pelly, where deliveries took ten days, to Yorkton, where they arrive in two.

9. The first application is to "trust God in the 'Four-Day' Silence" by shifting focus "from the clock to the Christ." It encourages individuals in hopeless-seeming situations to not interpret God's silence as a lack of love, but to trust that He is preparing a "resurrection moment."

10. The "Way of the Manger" teaches that believers should embrace humility and not equate glorifying God with achieving high status or worldly success. God's greatest work is done not through the powerful, but through the humility of the faithful who serve in small or unnoticed ways.