John 11:11-13 These things said he: and after that he said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.… I. We have A SWEET RELATIONSHIP DECLARED. 1. "Our friend." Behold here wondrous condescension. Our Lord does not turn to His disciples and say "Your friend sleepeth," but places Himself side by side with them in their affection and says "Our friend." It seems to me to teach so sweetly the blessed fact that Jesus is one with His people. It is equal to saying, "Do you love Him? so do I." Let us meditate upon the friendship Christ has to His children, and in doing so I would notice — 1. It is a real one. There is too much of superficial friendship abroad; plenty of the lip, but little of the heart. This is an age of shams; and among them, most hideous of the lot, is that of miscalled friendship. In the love of a saint to his Saviour there is a blessed reality. Whoever else he may not love with all his heart, his Saviour he must. 2. In this friendship there are no secrets kept on either side. The old saying runs "whisperers separate chief friends," but in close friendships nothing is hidden, so whispers have nothing to reveal. When Jesus says to anyone, "My friend," He declares a friendship that ignores all secret keeping, for "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." If there be a secret sin in the heart, if a fall in the life, O bear me witness, saints of God, that there is no peace for us until, like the woman of old, we have "told Him all." Heavy burdens roll off the soul, and sweet ease flows into it by telling Jesus everything. 3. Jesus shows His friendship by helping in time of need. 4. Moreover, if a person says to me, "my friend," I naturally expect he will show his friendship by calling in to see me; and sweet are the love visits that Jesus pays His friends. That disciple knows but little of the sweets of the religion of Jesus who knows but seldom what it is to hear his Lord's knock, and who but seldom sups with his beloved in closest fellowship. 5. Jesus is never ashamed of His friends. When once He has said "My friend," He never retracts the sentence. There are many butterfly friends fluttering round us all, to be seen in the summer of prosperity, but conspicuous by their absence in the winter of adversity. 6. That the friendship of Jesus lasts forever. The sweeter the friendship the more terrible the blow, that severs it. But severed it must be at last. II. A SOLEMN FACT SUGGESTED. Christ's friends die. 1. The friendship of Christ does not exempt from death. This dread reaper spares none. Death asks not whether the shock of corn is ripe for glory, or is as yet green, and unprepared for the sickle. He asks not whether his victim is a child of God or one of the world's devotees. 2. Christ permits His friends to die in order to make manifest how completely He has conquered death. Suppose that, instead of tasting death, all Christ's friends were, like Enoch, translated into glory; might not death boast and say, "Aha! they dare not meet me in the field! Their Lord is afraid to put His conquest to the test." 3. Another reason why the friends of Jesus die is that they may be brought into conformity with their Lord. It may seem strange to some of your ears; but I believe there are many here who would rather prefer to die than otherwise, in order that in everything they might be conformed to their Master. III. WE HAVE IN THIS TEXT A VERY CHEERING DESCRIPTION. "Our friend sleepeth." Not our friend is dead. 1. In sleep there is a rest from pain. There is rest from pain in death. 2. In sleep there is a rest from care. 3. Sleeping implies waking. (A. G. Brown.) Parallel Verses KJV: These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. |
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