Introduction
Scripture
Turn in your Bibles to John 11.
Today we continue our focus on this amazing chapter of Scripture.
What do you think was the greatest and most astonishing miracle Jesus did?
Guesses
Walking on water...
Healing the sick...
Restoring sight to the blind...
Maybe you know the story of John 11 and the resurrection of Lazarus and you would point to that miracle...
Good guesses and Reasonable suggestions but In my humble estimation, I think all of those answers are incorrect...
This morning, I want to show you the greatest miracle...
Our John 11 passage that we have been studying in recent weeks points to this greatest of miracles...
And it is not the raising of four-day-dead Lazarus...
What is the greatest miracle?
God becomes man... without ceasing to be God!
I believe this is the greatest miracle ever, and I believe it is the most important miracle to us...
And I will show you why...
Let me show this miracle to you this morning...
Scripture
John 11.28 | Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” (CSB)
The story so far...
The message delivered to Jesus...
Jesus says, "This illness will not end in death..."
The delay...
The death...
The return...
The encounter with Martha...
And now the encounter with Mary...
John 11.29 | As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. (CSB)
John 11.30 | Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him.(CSB)
Just outside the village of Bethany...
John 11.31 | The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. (CSB)
John 11.32 | As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!” (CSB)
Mary says the same thing Martha said to Jesus earlier in the story...
Scripture
John 11.21 | Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. (CSB)
That tells us that likely Mary and Martha had talked at length about this.
But the most important thing to notice is that Jesus will respond to their similar statements in very different ways.
With Martha, Jesus gives some theological teaching.
John 11.23 | “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. (CSB)
John 11.25 | Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (CSB)
John 11.26 | Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (CSB)
With Mary, Jesus's response is going to focus more on the emotional component...
Let us see...
John 11.33 | When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. (CSB)
Deeply moved... Troubled...
Those are very important words.
And they do not mean quite what you might assume they mean.
We will come back to them next Sunday.
The important thing to notice today is that Jesus's grief seemed to be triggered by witnessing the grief of the others.
John 11.34 | “Where have you put him?” he asked. “Lord,” they told him, “come and see.” (CSB)
John 11.35 | Jesus wept. (CSB)
This, my friends, is a very strange verse!
First, it is a BRIEF verse.
Famously known as the shortest verse in the Bible...
It is not the shortest verse but it is close.
Shortest verse:
Job 3.2 | He said: (CSB)
Just two words (nine letters) but it is amazing how much these two words communicate.
In fact, we are going to take three weeks to explain them.
Second, it is a BREATHTAKING verse.
That GOD would cry...
Look at the CREATOR!!!
The one who created the universe is standing outside a tomb with tears running down his face!
The one who gives life to everything is weeping over death!
Third, it is a BAFFLING verse.
Because fifteen minutes later, Lazarus will walk out of the tomb.
Why would Jesus weep when he knows he is about to raise Lazarus from the dead?
Let that question sit with you for a moment...
At first glance, this does not make good sense...
Think about watching a replay of a football game when you already know your team won decisively with a shutout.
You are not going to cry over an early turnover because you know your defense will rise to the occasion.
And Jesus knows exactly how this story is going to end.
So, why are there tears running down his face?
John 11.36 | So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (CSB)
Jesus's genuine love for Lazarus was apparent to those who were present that day.
John 11.37 | But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?” (CSB)
Notice that some of the people who saw Jesus weep were surprised and puzzled.
They recognize his affection, but they struggle to understand his actions.
Everyone could see Jesus weeping.
But what did those tears mean?
What do they reveal about him?
And what should they teach us about following him?
These tears reveal at least three profound truths about Jesus and what it means to follow him.
Truths...
1. The astonishing humanity of Jesus...
What do these tears teach us about Jesus himself?
2. The nature of Christian compassion...
What do these tears teach us about showing compassion without compromising truth?
3. The Christian response to grief...
What do these tears teach us about grieving and helping others grieve?
We will take one of these today and the other two in the next couple of weeks.
The Astonishing Humanity of Jesus
I. Who Jesus Is: The Eternal Son of God
Knowing Christ starts with knowing about Christ...
To have a personal relationship with Jesus, we must know who he is.
We must understand the doctrine of Christ.
Confusion about the identity of Christ is the first basis of many false religions...
Examples...
Mormonism
Jehovah's Witnesses
Islam
Christian Science
Many cults...
Branch Dividians (David Koresh)
Peoples Temple (Jim Jones)
Heaven's Gate (Marshall Applewhite)
It is a dangerous thing to fail to understand what the Bible teaches us about the identity of Jesus Christ.
Who are we?
We...
Call ourselves CHRISTIANS.
The disciples were first called Christians at antioch...
Acts 11.26 | and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. (CSB)
Distinguish ourselves as FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST...
Confess JESUS IS LORD...
So, we should be subject matter experts on what the Bible teaches us about Christ.
Of all the things Christians ought to know, surely we ought to know who Christ is!
Few things are more important than that.
Who is Jesus...
Nicene Creed on Jesus...
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The only Son of God,
Begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God, light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made;
Of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven;
He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
And was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
To judge the living and the dead.
His Kingdom will never end.
My One Sentence description of Jesus...
Jesus is the Christ, the eternal Son of God, fully human and fully God, sinless yet having died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day.
Every part of that sentence is important.
Christ...
Jesus is the promised Messiah.
He is God's anointed King and Savior of the world...
Eternal...
Jesus has always existed, and he has no beginning and no end...
John 1.1 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (CSB)
The word "word" refers to Jesus.
Son of God...
Jesus is eternally the Son of the Father.
And he shares the same divine nature...
John 11.25 | Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (CSB)
John 11.27 | “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.” (CSB)
Fully human...
Jesus became a real human being.
John 1.14 | The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (CSB)
He possesses everything that is a critical part of being human except sin...
Fully God...
Jesus possesses all the attributes and nature of God.
Equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit is a part of who he is.
Sinless life...
Jesus lived in perfect obedience to God.
Jesus never committed sin...
Died for our sins...
Jesus willingly died on the cross as our substitute.
He bore the punishment our sins deserved...
Rose from the dead...
Jesus physically rose from the grave on the third day.
He gloriously conquered sin and death...
In our John 11 narrative...
We see Jesus's DIVINITY on display...
Jesus will resurrect four-day-dead Lazarus from the grave...
We see Jesus's HUMANITY on display...
The one who is "the resurrection and the life" (John 11.25) is also the one who "wept" (John 11.35).
John 11.25 | Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (CSB)
John 11.35 | Jesus wept. (CSB)
INSTRUCTION NUMBER ONE...
(The purpose of this sermon is primarily to teach us about Jesus not to motivate us to go and do something. But when we learn about Christ, it does change our lives. So, with each Jesus-truth, I will show you one instruction.)
I want you to know Jesus more by first knowing about Jesus more...
We do not study the doctrine of Christ simply to become better students or theologians.
Rather, we study the doctrine of Christ because we want to...
Know him more...
Love him more...
Trust him more...
Worship him better...
Imitate him more fully...
Paul wrote...
Philippians 3.10 | My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, (CSB)
Philippians 3.11 | assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. (CSB)
So, I call you to commit to learning about Jesus so you may better know Jesus...
How?
Read the Gospels...
May I lead us all in a prayer to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, minds, and hearts to know and love Jesus more?
PRAYER...
II. What Jesus Became: Fully Human While Remaining Fully God
(This is the greatest miracle!)
Let us go back to John 11...
Why was Jesus "deeply moved," "troubled," and weeping over the death of Lazarus and the grief of the people?
Why when Jesus knew that within just a few minutes, he was going to raise Lazarus from the grave?
At least part of the answer is that Jesus is not only fully God, but he is also fully human.
Jesus never surrendered his power, authority, and knowledge...
But Jesus was moved by human emotions...
And the experience of being around broken hearted people BROKE HIS HEART TOO...
And he wept...
A deep-ish dive into the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus...
(Go to my website at pastornoeldear.com to find the full sermon with way more detail and many more Scripture references in this sermon.)
Five things you should know about the humanity of Jesus...
A. The Incarnation: God the Son Became Human.
Incarnation means to become flesh...
This is what we celebrate at Christmas.
Jesus coming in the flesh...
The incarnation was not the beginning of Jesus's existence.
It was the beginning of his existence as a human being.
(And we are talking about his conception not his birth.)
Scripture...
John 1.1 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (CSB)
John 1.14 | The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (CSB)
Philippians 2.6 | who, existing in the form of God, [he] did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. (CSB)
Philippians 2.7 | Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, (CSB)
How did Jesus empty himself?
Not by surrendering his deity...
Or by giving up his divine attributes...
He emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant.
Emptied not by subtraction but addition.
More on this in the next verse...
Philippians 2.8 | he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. (CSB)
The incarnation...
The incarnation was an addition... It was not a subtraction.
This was not an exchange of deity for humanity.
Jesus did not cease to be God.
He did not become a lesser God.
Jesus remained everything he had ALWAYS BEEN, while becoming something he had NEVER BEEN.
He became human.
B. The Full Humanity of Jesus: He Was (is) One of Us
Jesus did not just appear to the people to be human.
He possessed a complete human nature:
A real human body...
Jesus possessed a real physical body, just as you and I do.
A real human mind...
Jesus thought, reasoned, learned, and developed intellectually.
A real human soul...
Jesus possessed a true human inner life, including human affections and emotions.
Matthew 26.38 | He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.” (CSB)
A real human will...
Jesus possessed a human capacity to will and choose...
His human will was always in complete conformity with the divine will.
He developed as a human being.
Scripture
Luke 2.52 | And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people. (CSB)
Jesus did not emerge from Mary's womb possessing the intellectual development of an adult.
He learned and matured as a child.
Though the details of this are somewhat of a mystery.
He grew physically and intellectually.
And this development was real, not an act.
With the exception of sin, EVERYTHING THAT WAS TRUE OF A HUMAN, WAS TRUE OF JESUS.
Hebrews 4.15 | For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. (CSB)
Heresies
Docetism
The heresy of Docetism taught...
Jesus only appeared to be human.
His physical humanity was an illusion.
Apollinarianism
The heresy of Apollinarianism taught...
Jesus had a human body...
But he did not have a complete human rational mind or soul...
Jesus was not God PRETENDING to be a man.
He was not God INHABITING a human body.
That would be heresy.
He was God the Son who had truly become human...
He really was a man.
C. The Hypostatic Union: Two Natures, One Person
Big theology word...
This is a big idea and theologians needed a word to frame the discussion.
This is actually a really big biblical concept that you could spend many years studying and would never fully plumb the debts of the wonder of this truth.
This comes from the Greek word, ὑπόστασις, which essentially refers to an individual person.
So a hypostatic union refers to the union of two natures in the one person.
**Jesus is one PERSON with two complete NATURES...
Divine nature...
Human nature...
Scripture
In addition to John 1.1, 14 and Philippians 2.6–8...
Paul said it this way...
Colossians 2.9 | For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, (CSB)
The writer of Hebrews said...
Hebrews 2.14 | Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— (CSB)
Hebrews 2.15 | and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. (CSB)
Hebrews 2.16 | For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. (CSB)
Hebrews 2.17 | Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. (CSB)
Jesus is NOT...
Half God and half man...
A mixture of deity and humanity...
Two persons sharing one body...
A human being who was subsequently adopted into deity...
Jesus IS...
TRULY God and TRULY man...
FULLY God and FULLY man...
Two natures without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.
This language is from the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451).
Again, we see this in our John 11 focus...
John 11.25 | Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (CSB)
John 11.35 | Jesus wept. (CSB)
D. The Mystery: His Humanity Did Not Diminish His Deity
Jesus was always fully God and fully human.
His divine attributes were never surrendered or diminished...
Yet he experienced real human limitations...
Consider the mystery...
How could the one who knows everything grow in wisdom?
Physical exhaustion; How could the creator of the universe ever get tired?
How could the life giver experience death?
The answer is found in his two natures.
According to his DIVINE NATURE, he possessed all the attributes of God.
But with his HUMAN NATURE, he experienced human limitations.
Jesus was not sometimes God and sometimes man.
He was ALWAYS BOTH!
The details and mechanics of this are a mystery to us, but the truth is clear in Scripture.
E. The Permanence of the Incarnation: Jesus Is Still Human
The incarnation was not a temporary situation or arrangement.
Jesus did not discard his humanity at the resurrection or at the ascension.
He rose bodily (Luke 24.39).
Luke 24.39 | Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”(CSB)
He ascended bodily (Acts 1.9–11).
He remains the God-man (1 Timothy 2.5).
1 Timothy 2.5 | For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. (CSB)
Right now, at this very moment, there is a man in heaven who is also the eternal Son of God.
The incarnation was not something Jesus temporarily endured for thirty-three years before returning to an existence that only included the divine.
He remains the God-man.
He will return as the same Jesus (Acts 1.11).
Acts 1.11 | They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.” (CSB)
For all eternity, the divine Jesus will REMAIN HUMAN and divine.
INSTRUCTION NUMBER TWO...
Review
Not only are we to know Jesus more by first knowing about Jesus more...
We should also marvel at the love of God in the incarnation...
There are two ways to look at this...
From the Father's loving perspective...
John 3.16 | For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (CSB)
From Jesus's loving perspective...
Scripture
Philippians 2.5 | Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, (CSB)
Philippians 2.6 | who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. (CSB)
Philippians 2.7 | Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, (CSB)
Philippians 2.8 | he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. (CSB)
Jesus permanently CONDESCENDED to become a man...
Not because he needed something from us...
But because we needed something from him...
Can we just marvel for a moment...
John 11.35 | Jesus wept. (CSB)
Those are real tears of a real man...
And that man is the eternal Son of God!
PRAYER
David wrote...
Psalm 8.3 | When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, (CSB)
Psalm 8.4 | what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? (CSB)
III. What Jesus Experienced: The Weaknesses and Sufferings of Human Life
Let me give you three key truths...
A. Jesus Experienced Real Human Relationships.
Scripture
John 11.5 | Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. (CSB)
John 11.36 | So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (CSB)
Jesus was not observing human relationships from a distance.
He...
Entered into true human relationships...
Developed friendships...
Loved particular people personally...
Lazarus was Jesus's friend...
Scripture says...
John 11.11 | He said this, and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.” (CSB)
His death was personally significant to Jesus.
Jesus knew the joys of human relationships and the pain that can be associated with them.
B. Jesus Experienced Human Suffering.
Scripture
John 11.33 | When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. (CSB)
John 11.35 | Jesus wept. (CSB)
Those were real tears expressing profound human emotion.
Jesus was not pretending to mourn and to grieve.
His divine knowledge did not make his human sorrow unreal.
Remember what Jesus knew...
Lazarus's death would serve God's glory (John 11.4).
Lazarus would soon be raised from the dead (John 11.11).
Jesus himself was the resurrection and the life (John 11.25).
Yet Jesus wept.
Knowing the outcome did not eliminate the reality of his human sorrow.
This was not an isolated experience.
Hunger...
Matthew 4.2 | After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (CSB)
Exhaustion...
John 4.6 | Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon. (CSB)
Rejection...
John 1.11 | He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (CSB)
Anguish...
Mark 14.33 | He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. (CSB)
Mark 14.34 | He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” (CSB)
Luke 22.44 | Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. (CSB)
Physical pain and death..
Matthew 27.26 | Then he released Barabbas to them and, after having Jesus flogged, handed him over to be crucified. (CSB)
Mark 15.24 | Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, casting lots for them to decide what each would get. (CSB)
Mark 15.37 | Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. (CSB)
The eternal Son of God experienced the hardships of human life.
He knew ABOUT human suffering but he also EXPERIENCED human suffering!
He experienced human suffering firsthand.
C. Jesus Understands Our Weaknesses and Is Able to Help.
Hebrews 4.15 | For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. (CSB)
Jesus understands our weaknesses through his own human experience.
He knows what physical exhaustion feels like.
Knows what sorrow feels like...
Facing difficult temptation was a part of his experience...
He knew what costly obedience required.
YET JESUS NEVER SINNED.
He experienced true temptation without surrendering to it.
He understood (understands) the pressure of temptation better than we do because he never yielded.
Hebrews 4.16 | Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (CSB)
Jesus not only understands our weaknesses...
He is able to help us.
He is a sympathetic fellow sufferer.
He is our risen and exalted High Priest.
He possesses the power to provide the grace we need.
INSTRUCTION NUMBER THREE
Run to Jesus when you are tempted, weak, or when you struggle to obey.
When...
When you are exhausted, run to Jesus.
When overwhelmed, run to Jesus.
When you are tempted, run to Jesus.
When obedience is difficult, run to Jesus.
Return to John 11...
The one who stood outside Lazarus's tomb with tears running down his face is the same one who would soon call Lazarus out of that tomb.
He understands our weaknesses because he is clearly fully human.
He is able to help us because he is also fully God, our risen and exalted High Priest.
The God who has the power to raise the dead knows firsthand what it is to weep.
Bitterly...
IV. Why Jesus Became Human: To Accomplish Our Salvation
Three significant points to make quickly...
A. Jesus Became Human So He Could Die for Us.
Scripture
Hebrews 2.14 | Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— (CSB)
God the Son became human to accomplish something we could never achieve for ourselves.
As God, Jesus could not die according to his divine nature.
Impossible...
But by becoming human, he could suffer and die.
Jesus came to save humanity not just because he desired to be human (fleshy).
He became one of us so he could die in our place.
B. Jesus Lived Without Sin To Be Our Perfect Substitute.
Scripture
2 Corinthians 5.21 | He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (CSB)
Jesus was fully human, but unlike every other human being, he was without sin.
He perfectly obeyed where we have disobeyed.
On the cross, he bore the punishment our sins deserve.
Our salvation depends on who Jesus is and what Jesus accomplished.
Jesus as human...
He could represent us.
Jesus as sinless...
He could offer himself as the perfect sacrifice.
Jesus as God...
He is the divine Savior whose sacrifice is sufficient to save us.
C. Jesus Conquered Death So He Could Give Us Eternal Life.
Scripture
John 11.25 | Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (CSB)
Return to John 11...
Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead.
And that miracle will help set in motion the events leading to Jesus's own death.
John 11.45–53
Jesus would die on the cross and rise again.
His resurrection demonstrates his victory over sin and death.
And he promises resurrection and eternal life to everyone who believes in him.
He came to give us eternal life.
INSTRUCTION NUMBER FOUR
Rest your salvation on the person and work of Christ.
Our salvation does not depend on...
Our goodness...
Our religious efforts...
Or our ability to obey...
It depends entirely on Jesus Christ.
Who he is...
Fully God and fully human.
What he did...
Lived without sin, died for our sins, and rose again.
Trust in Christ, not yourself, for your salvation.
GOSPEL
Conclusion
Think again about those two incredibly meaningful and valuable words...
John 11.35 | Jesus wept. (CSB)
The one who wept at Lazarus's tomb is the one who would soon give his own life to save sinners.
He became what we are so that he could accomplish what we never could.
And because of who he is and what he has done, everyone who believes in him has eternal life.