Walking Through Darkness with the Light
We have more to learn. Thank you for being here. Today, we will read John chapters 11 and 12.
In this life, we will have trouble. This is a lesson we learn in John 16:33:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It’s plain to see: the world is a dark place. When we walk through this world without Jesus, it is easy to get caught up in the evil. We stumble and fall when we can’t see where we are going (John 11:9). These verses tell us that Jesus is the Light (John 8:12), and we can avoid these dangers.
Still, the world hated Jesus because all that light exposed their sins (John 3:19–20). Therefore, if that light shines from us—they will hate us, too (John 15:18–19). This will cause us to suffer many things.
From Victim to Vessel
Yesterday, we realized that when things are happening to us, they may have a higher purpose—something we can learn from those events. We can train our minds to stop being the victim and asking why God is letting it happen to us. Instead, we can see what God intends for us to gain from what is happening.
Pruning a tree may make it look destroyed, but it causes healthy growth (John 15:2). Today, however, we see this progress further.
Suffering Through Us
Jesus allowed His friend Lazarus to die (John 11:14–15). Logic says a dead person can’t learn anything from the event or benefit—they’re dead. This is sound thinking when we look at what happens as being to us—like a victim—or for us; to help us grow. A dead man will not grow.
We must realize there is a third reason for events. Here is an example of how things happen through us.
Lazarus dies. This causes sorrow and grief to his sisters and friends. They bury his body in a tomb and weep (John 11:17–19). Their faith in Jesus is present, but not complete. They believe if He had been there, He could have saved Lazarus (John 11:21, 32). He had healed many others—therefore, this makes sense.
God glorifies himself.
Jesus feels compassion for them, and sorrow at their lack of faith. So He weeps (John 11:35). Then, He calls Lazarus to come out of the grave (John 11:43–44).
Dressed like Boris Karloff in burial clothes—who portrayed the mummy in The Mummy (1932) (1)—this man walks out of the tomb. His death was not a punishment. I am sure he learned more faith through it. But the real purpose of the event was to glorify God (John 11:15).
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Our goal in all we do should be to bring glory to God. When we suffer for Him, we should hope that the way we respond to that suffering brings others to Him. When this happens, it validates our pain.
We grow as Christians when we progress from crying out to God asking why He allows suffering, to walking with God trying to understand what we are to gain from the suffering, to praising Him when our suffering brings others to Him.
From Death to Life
Many people never attend church or read the Bible until they hear a pastor present the Gospel at a funeral for someone they loved. In that brief, painful moment, God uses those events to bring another person from death to life—to walk with Him in glory.
I have no fear of death. It is the gateway to heaven. That is why Paul says:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
Jesus is the gateway to eternity (John 10:9). My fear is not that I will die, but that my life will not glorify God.
Does your life—and the way you deal with adversity—bring honor to your faith? We can’t always control how we respond to grief. There are phases we all must go through. For a Christian, we must always cling to the faith that our loved ones will rise (John 11:23-24).
Tomorrow, we will read John 13-15.
Footnotes (Chicago Style)
- The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund (Universal Pictures, 1932), stars Boris Karloff as Imhotep. — Karloff’s portrayal of the resurrected mummy has become a cultural icon, often referenced in visual depictions of burial wrappings and resurrection imagery.