Text: John 11
Nature of Miracles
- True miracles cannot be faked, attributed to coincidence, or be just an unlikely event
- True miracles are undeniable – Even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged the legitimacy of His miracle (v. 47-48)
- Miracles were performed to produce faith (v. 45; John 20:30-31)
God Allows Human Suffering
- Jesus knew Lazarus was sick (v. 3-4), allowed him to remain sick and die (v. 6,11-14) – Why does God allow this?
- So that He might be glorified (v. 4,40; cf. 1 Peter 2:12)
- To cause us to grow (James 1:2-4)
Resurrection & Life
- Jesus had the power to raise the dead and grant them eternal life (v. 25-26)
- This point has been made repeatedly in John’s gospel (John 3:14-15; 4:13-14; 6:47-51,54; 8:52; 10:28)
- Foreshadowing of Jesus’ own resurrection (John 10:17-18; Matthew 16:21)
Response of Jesus’ Enemies
- The chief priests and Pharisees knew what Jesus did, but conspired against Him anyway (v. 47) – Why?
- They were concerned about their own position of power (v. 48)
- Sadly, people willfully reject the truth if it does not personally benefit them in this life
