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Thread: Did Jesus delay coming to heal Lazarus so he could die?

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    Did Jesus delay coming to heal Lazarus so he could die?

    Here's the timeline:


    Start at the end of the previous chapter to see where Jesus was when He got the message that Lazarus was sick:

    John 10
    40And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

    He was at Bethany-across-the-Jordan.


    Where was Lazarus located? This verse tells us:

    John 11
    18Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off


    This map shows that the city of Bethany was located right next to Jerusalem.....Jesus was a day's journey away in Bethany-across-the-Jordan.

    http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/C...esus-Year1.gif


    The messenger comes to tell Jesus that Lazarus is sick...then this verse tell us that He stayed for two more days:

    6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.


    Let's do some math now.....it takes the messenger about a day to get the message to Jesus, Jesus lingers for 2 days then travels another day's journey to reach the family in Bethany. We are at the four day mark now.


    When Jesus arrives there they tell Him that Lazarus has been dead at least 4 days:

    17Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.


    We can now conclude that Lazarus was already dead by the time that the messenger got the news to Jesus and Jesus knew it, He even tells that to the Apostles:

    14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.


    So Jesus did not refuse, nor delay to come to heal him....Lazarus was already dead. The good news tho is that Jesus did come and raise him from the dead

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    But he did say he was glad Lazarus was dead.....And by prolonging his journey by 2 days he made the suffering of Martha and Mary much worse

    Even though the end result was an amazing resurrection....Jesus didn't mind allowing suffering for a greater good

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    But he did say he was glad Lazarus was dead.....And by prolonging his journey by 2 days he made the suffering of Martha and Mary much worse

    Even though the end result was an amazing resurrection....Jesus didn't mind allowing suffering for a greater good
    In general, Jesus wasn't able attend personally to every sick person or dead person in all of Israel anyway, he had to make some choices about where to be and when. Maybe he had other things to do in the meantime.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    In general, Jesus wasn't able attend personally to every sick person or dead person in all of Israel anyway, he had to make some choices about where to be and when. Maybe he had other things to do in the meantime.
    I agree with you but I wasn't addressing that. It is obvious by waiting 2 days it meant greater suffering for Martha, Mary and others who loved Lazarus.
    Yes Jesus had a purpose in it all but by delaying it caused anguish

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    I agree with you but I wasn't addressing that. It is obvious by waiting 2 days it meant greater suffering for Martha, Mary and others who loved Lazarus.
    Yes Jesus had a purpose in it all but by delaying it caused anguish
    We don't know for sure why Jesus remained two days before he travelled to Judea. The same passage says that his disciples warned against going there at all since the Jews were seeking to stone him, he may have been acting on divine revelation about when it would be safe to go.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    We don't know for sure why Jesus remained two days before he travelled to Judea. The same passage says that his disciples warned against going there at all since the Jews were seeking to stone him, he may have been acting on divine revelation about when it would be safe to go.
    All I am saying is by delaying 2 days the loved ones of Lazarus went through greater grief.....do you accept that

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    All I am saying is by delaying 2 days the loved ones of Lazarus went through greater grief.....do you accept that
    Of course. The question is if he had some purpose with that in and of itself or if there was a completely different reason why he delayed his travel.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    Of course. The question is if he had some purpose with that in and of itself or if there was a completely different reason why he delayed his travel.
    The only thing we can go by is that the scripture says when he found out Lazarus was dead he then stayed 2 more days.
    Anything apart from that is silence.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    The only thing we can go by is that the scripture says when he found out Lazarus was dead he then stayed 2 more days.
    Anything apart from that is silence.
    It doesn't state his reason explicitly but there may be a hint here :

    John 11:6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was
    7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
    8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

    Then Jesus gives his reason for daring to go :

    9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
    10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

    Which indicates that he knew, by divine revelation, that it would be okay for him to go. We don't know for sure if this has anything to do with his two day delay but it may be interpreted as a hint.

    An added byproduct of his delay was that Lazarus stayed in his grave sufficiently long that the resurrection miracle became undeniable, the chances of an apparently dead person reviving grow much slimmer as the days pass and the body starts to decompose.

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  19. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    But he did say he was glad Lazarus was dead.....And by prolonging his journey by 2 days he made the suffering of Martha and Mary much worse

    Even though the end result was an amazing resurrection....Jesus didn't mind allowing suffering for a greater good
    It may not have necessarily been the Lord's desire that Lazarus died but since he was now dead the death itself was an opportunity to teach a lesson to the disciples that would strengthen their faith:

    And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him (John 11:15)


    Also it seems that Jesus did mind and was troubled by their suffering to the point of weeping:

    John 11:33-36
    33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
    34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
    35 Jesus wept.
    36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

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