Your brother will rise again.

John Farley
Pastor Teacher
Sunday,
July 31, 2022

“Your brother will rise again.”

JOH 11:14-24

Thomas gets a bad rap among most Christians.

Here in verse 16, he is loyal and courageous.

Thomas is a realist. He’s pragmatic, unsentimental, and yes, hardnosed.

Usually, the other disciples see it the same way that he does!

Rather, he points out what does not make sense to the “realistic” human mind.

But the death Jesus would die He would have to die alone.

JOH 14:1-6

Thomas is brave enough to risk looking stupid. He wanted to know the way!

Thomas is the perfect foil for Jesus.

JOH 20:24-29

As always, he was being “realistic” and “sober-minded”.

He speaks words that no one had dared to utter before now.

JOH 11:17-20

By the fourth day after death, a corpse would start to decompose.

Therefore, they made sure that the body was buried within 24 hours of death.

ACT 5:1-11

JOH 11:18-20

This underscores the danger that is closing in on Jesus.

“The Jews” here simply refers to people who lived in and around Jerusalem.

It’s no accident that there were “many” Jews at the home of Martha and Mary.

God the Father had arranged for them to be there so they would be witnesses !

Martha was the dutiful sister who expressed her devotion with active hospitality.

Martha needed to tell Jesus what had been welling up in her heart for the past four days.

JOH 11:21-22

Martha was not rebuking Jesus. She was only expressing her great sorrow.

She was confident that His prayer would be answered, whatever it was.

JOH 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

JOH 11:23-24

What He says next will be startling in its clarity.