Don't Let The Stink Stop You!

There are two guys by the name of Lazarus whom we read about in the New Testament. Both seemed to be hard luck characters. The one mentioned in Luke's Gospel was a poor, wretched, sore infested beggar who existed on eating from the dumpster of one of the richest guys in town. The other, who is prominently mentioned in the Gospel of John was apparently better off financially than the other Lazarus, but he had his problems too. This Lazarus lived with his sisters, Mary and Martha, in the town of Bethany, just a few miles outside of Jerusalem. They were personal friends of Jesus, and apparently enjoyed hosting the Master when he was in the area. While this Lazarus was not a poor beggar like the guy with the same name, he did have a major problem. He died!

No where is it mentioned how old Lazarus was, but one might guess, from his personal friendship with Jesus, that he and his sisters were young to middle aged adults. It was his sister, Mary, who anointed Jesus' feet with costly ointment and wiped them with her hair. Any way, John's narrative tells us that Lazarus fell sick to some unnamed disease. While we don't know the particular malady that Lazarus suffered from, we know it must have been serious. His sisters had sent messengers to Jesus asking him to come quickly saying "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." John 11:3 (NKJV)

Well, you know the story. After Jesus received the message, he stayed two full days in the place where He was ministering. His disciples seemed somewhat confused by Jesus' reaction to the news. Was Jesus indifferent to the situation? Did He underestimate the seriousness of Lazarus' illness? Of course not. He knew the situation. In fact, He already knew the outcome. He held the power of life and death, so there was no rush on His part. When He finally announced that they would go to Bethany, Thomas (one of the twelve) advised against going back so close to Jerusalem where the religious leaders might stone Jesus to death. When Thomas saw that Jesus was intent on going, he whined, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." John 11:16 (NKJV) That Thomas was just the eternal optimist, huh?

By the time Jesus and his traveling companions did reach Bethany, the scene was pretty sad. Mourners filled the house. Lazarus was already dead, and he had been in the grave for four days. Martha makes a couple of interesting observations. "Lord if you had been here my brother would still be alive." What a sad picture of what might have been. Yet in the next breath she adds, "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." John 11:22 (NKJV). What a profession of faith! Yet when Jesus tells her that Lazarus will live again, she slips back into the "paralysis of analysis" by saying, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus responded with with one of the most powerful statements He ever made, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? " John 11:25-26 (NKJV) She needed to be reminded by Jesus that HE is the life giver! So do we.

What happens next is big. Jesus asks to be taken to the burial site. As He stood before the tomb Jesus wept. Those who stood nearby mistook His weeping as mourning the loss of His friend. That's certainly not the case - He knew what He was about to do. Perhaps Jesus wept over the result of sin which brought death upon the human race. Perhaps He wept over the sorrow shown by the mourning friends and neighbors. Maybe it was over the general unbelief of the people - even after seeing Him and hearing His teachings for the past three years. At any rate, Jesus asked for the tomb to be opened.

This request brought great consternation from those who were assembled there. Martha tried to reason with Him, "Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days." John 11:39 (KJV) To which Jesus replied, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40 (NKJV) Jesus intended to do something very special - and He did. We see one of the great miracles of the Bible when Jesus calls the dead guy to come out of the grave - and he did!

Jesus did not let the stink stop Him!

Neither should we.

Look at the result of the miracle. "Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him." John 11:45 (NKJV) Had Jesus let the stink stop Him, this great miracle would not have taken place, and many of those who believed would not have been saved. Jesus is still in the miracle working business. He still is in the business of doing great things and amazingly He uses people like you and I to accomplish much of His work. We MUST NOT let the "stink" stop us from doing what we know we must do for Him - yet sometimes we do just that.

God has placed each of us in positions of varying responsibility. All of us are expected to "bloom where we are planted", accomplishing His purpose for our lives. The enemy will bring out his heavy artillery to create some kind of "stink" designed to derail the work of the Lord. If he can convince us that our work is unimportant, or that it's not worth "stirring up a stink" he wins, and the miracle working power of Christ is thwarted.

Sometimes it is the stink of simple unbelief on our part. We trust Christ with our souls, but often we fall under the "paralysis of analysis" by allowing temporary circumstances to cripple our faith. Remember what He said in verse 40? "Did not I say to you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" Don't let the stink of unbelief stop you! Nothing is impossible with God.

Sometimes it is the stink of what it might cost us. To be obedient to the Holy Spirit will cost us the sacrifice of self. It will cost us some of our time, some of our talent, and some of our treasure. Remember the four guys who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus? When they couldn't get into the house for the crowd, they didn't give up. They invested the effort of getting this guy up to the roof, when others might say, "It's not worth the trouble. Maybe you can catch Him some other day." When they did get him to the roof, they tore a hole in it, to lower the crippled man to Jesus. Somebody had to pay for the damages to the roof, but that didn't stop these fellows from doing what it took to get their friend to Jesus. Don't let the stink of fear of the cost stop you! It's worth it.

Sometimes it is the stink of pride that hinders our success for the Lord. We often fear the reproach that comes from being a follower of Christ. Self often gets between us and obedience and the cause of Christ suffers. Remember that Jesus said, "If anyone will come after me, let him DENY HIMSELF (emphasis mine) take up his cross daily and follow Me." Do you fear what others may think about you? Will they think you are a religious fanatic or some kind of "Bible thumper"? Are you willing to take the risk of the world thinking less of you for your devotion to the one who gave His life for you? Don't let the stink of pride stop you! He humbled Himself and was obedient to the will of the Father. We must do the same.

Sometimes it is the stink of fear that stops us. There is the fear of failure, as well as the fear of persecution. First of all remember that if you are obedient in the service of the Lord, you CANNOT fail. We do our part by doing what we are assigned, He does the rest. No pressure. What about the fear of persecution? Well that is a very real possiblity. Jesus reminded His disciples that the prophets were persecuted for their faith. He was despised and rejected by men so could they expect to be persecuted also. Paul the Apostle wrote to his protege' Timothy, "Yes, all who would live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." Now that's not exactly something you would put on the recruiting poster, but a truth none the less. Yet His promise to us is that He will never forsake us or leave us alone. He'll take you through the fire. He'll shut the mouths of the lions. He's done it before. He'll do it again. Don't let the stink of fear stop you! Over 70 times in the Bible we are reminded to "Fear not".

There may be other "stinks" not mentioned here, that threaten to stop you from doing what God has assigned to you. Just remember that He is with you, and He never changes. Jesus didn't let the potential of the stink stop Him from bringing Lazarus out of the grave.

Don't let the stink stop you.