Are you going through something really painful right now? Are you wondering, “Why, Jesus? Why didn’t you intervene?” There are two sisters named Mary and Martha, in our story today, who are asking that very question after the death of their brother, Lazarus. As we discuss the plot twists found in this True Story of Lazarus from John 11:38-44 and12:10-11, I think you’re going to notice that Jesus loved these sisters, and Jesus knew how their story was going to turn out. What if this was true about you, as well?
Guest: Mary Kassian
Bible Passage: John 11:38-44 and12:10-11
Freebie: Get your free Live Like It’s True Workbook
Mentioned Resources:
About: Live Like It’s True Podcast
About: Host Shannon Popkin
Music: Cade Popkin Music
Mary Kassian
Mary A. Kassian is an award-winning author and Bible teacher who speaks to women around the world about living out their faith and especially what it means to be a woman according to God’s design. She has published several books and Bible studies including The Right Kind of Confident, The Right Kind of Strong, Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild and Conversation Peace. Mary and her family reside in Canada.
Here’s what I wrote about Mary’s book, The Right Kind of Confident:
“With her trademark clarity and biblical wisdom, Mary brilliantly pulls back deceit’s curtain and reveals how fragile and self-destructive our self-confidence truly is, then she trains us to see our fears as God’s invitations to draw near and sink our roots more deeply into him.”
Our conversation has some strong ties to the content of this book, and if you enjoy this conversation with Mary (I know you will) you’re going to want to pick up a copy of this book, The Right Kind of Confidence.
The True Story of Lazarus:
In our conversation about the True Story of Lazarus, found in John 11-12, here are some of the things Mary and I talked about:
- What are the Jews (who have come to mourn with Mary) saying about Jesus?
- What is astonishing about Jesus in this story?
- What comfort can we find in Jesus’s response to Mary?
- Why did Jesus not come sooner, when Lazarus was sick?
- Why did Jesus ask them to move the stone? What was behind this request?
- Is there a correlation between believing and seeing God move?
- Why did Jesus offer this public prayer, before performing this miracle?
- What is the astonishing reaction to this miracle? How are the Jews divided?
- How is Lazarus seen as a threat?
- How does this event become a lightning rod for the political unrest which leads to Jesus’s crucifixion?
- What (according to church history) becomes of Lazarus?
- How can we live like this story is true?
Dominos to the Cross
Did you realize that the story of Lazarus rising from the dead is connected to the Easter story? When Jesus raises Lazarus, it’s the most amazing miracle he’s done yet. So of course, everyone is going to be talking about it. But this is exactly when the Jews are trying to get people to stop talking about Jesus—and dead people walking is not going to hush people up.
So, after Lazarus rises, the Jews (or religious leaders from Jerusalem) decide that their only option is to kill Jesus. And that’s when the dominos begin to fall toward the cross.
