What did Jesus say?   In Jn. 11:17-44 Jesus speaks to Martha and Mary, the people gathered round, to God the Father and to Lazarus. We should be able to learn something from what he says to some of them! 1. To Martha, a lesson on encouragement in life. Vs. 23.Your brother will rise again. Vs. 25.I am the resurrection and the life. If/when the believer dies he can be sure that he will rise again to eternal life. For the believer life here on earth is the beginning of eternal life, a life that will never end. Vs. 34.To Mary, not forgetting the practical things in life! ‘Where have you laid him?’ Vs. 40.(To Martha) Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? ‘Glory’ is an improving opinion of God! Surely when they see Lazarus alive their opinion of God will improve? 2. To the crowd: Vs. 39. ‘Take away the stone’. God always has something for us to do even though he knows that he is going to perform a miracle. § Fill the jars with water. § Make the people sit down. (5000) § Cast the net on the other side. They obeyed, rolled back the stone and saw a great miracle. We tend to want the miracle without the obedience. Vs. 44.Unbind him and let him go. Lazarus ‘appeared’ outside the tomb still bound in the burial ‘bandages’. As he was released from them the people would realise that they were dealing with a real person and not a spirit. Again, Jesus gives them something to do that will confirm to them that Lazarus was indeed alive. 3. To God. Vs. 41, 42. Father you heard me, you always hear me! We pray to the same Father, does He always hear? (You don’t pray, you ask selfishly, you continue in sin, you have bad relationships, you don’t care about others….these are the reasons why our prayers are not answered.) Jesus objective in praying was that people should believe, Vs. 42. What is our objective? Jesus now lives to intercede for us, Rom. 8:34 and when we pray the Spirit also intercedes for us, Rom. 8:26. Jesus prayed for Peter Lk. 22:32, and he prays for us! 4. To Lazarus. Vs.43. ‘Lazarus come out’. Only God has the authority over death. Only He can give new life. Does God have the authority in our lives to administer what we need? If forgiveness is what someone needs then we send them to the one who can forgive, not to someone who will help them to cope with the feeling of guilt. What is Jesus saying to us?