THE LORD IN RELATION TO DEATH IN A FAMILY
C. Elliott
This passage in John’s gospel is a very comforting one where the Lord Jesus entered into the circumstances of those whom He loved. He knows what we are going through, the circumstance of death in our midst, but He will come into the setting and bring in comfort. He knows how to satisfy the longings of every heart because of who He is, the Lord of glory; He loves you and He loves me. Have you had the experience of the Lord’s love? There were those in Bethany whom the Lord loved. It is a great thing, to know that you are loved by the Lord. The scripture says that He gave “his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10: 45). He laid down that precious life. Then it says elsewhere in the gospel, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son” (John 3: 16), that is God’s love coming out and it was expressed in Christ.
The Lord here entered into a situation where there was death in the family. Lazarus was in the grave. Martha said, “Lord, he stinks already, for he is four days there”. Jesus said, “Did I not say to thee ...?”, how tender the Lord is with all our misgivings. He is tender and He appeals to our hearts. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life”. What a precious life! No other person that walked this earth yielded so much fragrance to God the Father like the life of the Lord Jesus. Mary said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”, but they were to prove the power of the Lord Jesus, and so “Jesus lifted up his eyes on high and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me; but I knew that thou always hearest me; but on account of the crowd who stand around I have said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me”. The Lord in His love and His goodness, has taken our brother home to Himself. He had a powerful testimony here. He came to know the Lord at an early age and preached the gospel, winning souls for Christ. He was very steady; I have known him for over fifty years, he was very firm and steadfast.
The Lord Jesus came into this setting that was marked by sorrow, but He brought in life and He wants to bring us into life. As many as believe on Him, have life in His name. So make sure that you believe on Jesus! He is precious, and He calls us apart from our busy affairs today and says, ‘I just want to be in this setting in this little room and I want to speak to your hearts’. Our brother Thomas has been taken by the Lord, but for those who remain I want to appeal to your hearts. Do you love Him? Do you know Jesus? Is He your Lord and your Saviour? The Holy Spirit is available to fill our hearts with precious thoughts of Christ and His glory. Christ suffered and died, but He was raised and He is in the glory at the present time, taking account of hearts beating in relation to Himself. He says, ‘I want you to come into life’. The scripture says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved”, Acts 16: 31.
Thomas believed from an early age and he entered into life. For the rest of us who remain, let us see that our confidence is in Jesus, the Man who was lifted up, raised by the glory of the Father, seated at His right hand. He is coming again to take His own to be with Himself. He is coming again—“the Lord himself with an assembling shout, with archangel’s voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds”, 1 Thessalonians 4: 16, 17. I trust that every one of us here will be along those who will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. For His name’s sake.
Word at the Burial meeting of Thomas Noel, Ormond Beach
November 2010