LET US ALSO GO

10 19 12 Let Us Also Go 

John 11:1-8; 11-16 (NIV) ¹ Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." ⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." ⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. ⁷ Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." ⁸ "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"  ¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." ¹² His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. ¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." ¹⁶ Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Note: How committed are you? I think the “one disciple” that got bad press in his day would have been Thomas. In fact he is remembered as “the doubter,” the one who did not believe Jesus had risen from the dead or was resurrected. If you were to ask a student of the Bible to tell you what they know about Thomas, their answer would be short. He is hardly mentioned in the first three Gospels and not a lot in John’s Gospel even though John does give him recognition for his unwavering commitment and love for Christ.

Prior to Thomas’ statement in our Bible text today, Jesus had told the disciples their friend Lazarus had fallen asleep and he was going to go to Jerusalem to wake him up (v.11). The disciples didn't understand that Jesus was speaking of Lazarus’ death. They thought he meant Lazarus was asleep. Later Jesus revealed to them Lazarus had died (v.13-14). The one thing they did understand was the danger for Jesus to go to Jerusalem. It was a danger that was real and they tried to talk him out of going (v.8). Then Jesus made an unusual statement, “and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe (v.15).” Believe what? The question had to have come to their minds but unless Jesus said more it would go unanswered. Then Jesus said, “But let us go to him (v.15)."

It’s at this point Thomas speaks words that have been a source of encouragement to millions of followers of Christ for over two centuries… "Let us also go, that we may die with him (v.16)." The dangers that lay before them were real. They may not have fully understood why Jesus would be killed but what they did know was the deep love and commitment they had for their Master and Lord. If their going resulted in their deaths, so be it.

Friends, this is a hard place to get to in our journey of faith. I pray if I am ever put in a similar situation I would make the same declaration Thomas made. Thomas becomes an example of those who are committed to faithfully following Christ regardless of the cost or consequences. He made his decision while the others hesitated. He was going to go even if he went alone.

When faced with difficult challenges none of us know how we will respond. We hope and pray it would be a response that would be pleasing to our Lord, but we really don’t know. I encourage you to ask God to help you have the boldness of Thomas as you face the challenges of life.  

Eleanor did a cross-stitch for me that read: “My goal is God Himself, at any cost, by any road.” I continue to pray I will live up to those words.

Did the Lord speak to you today?  Why not write it down and claim it for His Glory.

Prayer:  What do you need to pray to the Lord today? Listen to your heart. He loves you!