Bible Discourse 60 I am the resurrection and the life Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

Discourse 60

I am the resurrection and the life

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)  Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”

When Jesus heard that, he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.  When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that he saith to his disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”

His disciples say unto him, “Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”

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.”

Then said to his disciples, “Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.”  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.”

Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already..

Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:  And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.  Then said Martha unto Jesus, “Lord. If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.”

Jesus saith unto her, “Thy brother shall rise again.”

Martha saith unto him, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?”

She saith unto him, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, “The Master is come, and calleth for thee.”  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.  Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, and followed her, saying, “She goeth unto the grave to weep there.”  Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”  When Jesus therefore saw her weeping,                and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

And said, “Where have ye laid him?”

They said unto him, “Lord, come and see.”  Jesus wept.  Then said the Jews, “Behold how he loved him!”

And some of them said, “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?”  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave,   and a stone lay upon it.

Jesus said, “Take ye away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, “Lord, by this time he stinketh: foe he hath been dead four days.”

Jesus saith unto her, “Said I not unto thee, that, thou wouldest believe , thou shouldest see the glory of God?”

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.

And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent me.”

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with aloud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.  Jesus saith unto them, “Loose him, and let him go.”                                                      

Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.  But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, “What do we? For this man doeth many miracles.  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.    

And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the highest priest that same year, said unto tem, “Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.  Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

And the Jews’ Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves,  Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, “What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?” Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.

                                                                              John 11:1—57

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)  Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”

When Jesus heard that, he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”      John  11:1—4

Here Jesus implying that the Lazarus’ death was prearranged. It is to glorify God.

“Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”    John 9:3

Jesus had seen through his prophetic eye omniscient intuition that his disciple’s karma had destined him to be victim of fatal illness. In fact this to manifest divine power of resurrection through the Son, the Christ Consciousness incarnate in Jesus.

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.  When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that he saith to his disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”

His disciples say unto him, “Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”        John 11:5—10

Jesus decided to go to Judea. His disciples dissuaded him as his life was in danger. Jesus wanted to follow the inner light of intuitive wisdom and hence wanted to go.

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.”

Then said to his disciples, “Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.”  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

                                                                John 11:11—13

Jesus perceived the death of Lazarus through Christ Consciousness. Bhagavan Krishna, Jesus Christ, and all souls imbued with Christ Consciousness, kutastha chaitanya, were having all pervading universal consciousness. Jesus said: Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. Jesus means Lazarus is sleeping the delusive sleep of death.  I am going to him so that the Christ Consciousness in me rouse him from his death-dream.

Sleep is a temporary or short death. Death is long sleep as per the karma of the individual. In sleep or nocturnal, a person may dream, walk, or sleep or die. Jesus said: Lazarus is dreaming the sleep of death, I will make his soul dream life instead of death.   

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.”

Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already..

Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:  And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.  Then said Martha unto Jesus, “Lord. If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.”

Jesus saith unto her, “Thy brother shall rise again.”

Martha saith unto him, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”                                             John 11:14—24

Jesus said: The soul of Lazarus left the physical body. It will strengthen your faith I was not there to prevent his death.  Then you would not witnwss the ultimate miracle.  By raising Lazarus through the will of God, then you will understand God.

The disciples also resolved to go to Bethany, about two miles from Jerusalem. “Let us go also, that we may die with him.”

Martha met his brother Jesus on the way. “Resurrection at the last day” is not a fixed day in time when all souls reappear in their dead bodies at the sound of Gabriel’s trumpet. Any soul judged after death is judged by the cosmic law of action (karma) and is resurrected to live in the astral regions or on earth in a new incarnation. Resurrection may revive the life in a dead body as Lazarus. Resurrection indicates the elevation of consciousness from lower to higher states.

Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?”

She saith unto him, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”                                               John 11:25—27

Jesus said: “I am the resurrection. He means Christ Consciousness. I am the life means my life is one with Cosmic Life in everything.  Living creatures are born and sleep in me.  Sri Krishna says:

Apareya mitastwanyaam prakritim viddhime paraam

Jeevabhootaam Mahaabaaho ya yedam Dhaaryate Jagat    Gita 7—5

Oh the mighty armed Arjuna, this worldly (AparaPrakriti) nature is very trivial. The one which is different from this, that sustains the whole Cosmos, that takes the form of living beings, is termd as the supreme and it is called Spiritual Nature (Para Prakriti), know this.

The ego of man works in conjunction with the nature of Parabrahman i.e., Apara prakriti works in conjunction with Para Prakriti.

The subtle and Idea egoisms also work in conjunction with Paraprakriti. With that both these bodies, Subtle and Kaarana bodies, become conscious. The pure soul is only the witness of the works done through the human body.  This pure soul is called Kootastha Chaitanyam or Krishna Consciousness.  This consciousness expresses itself as OM sound. This is connected on one side with Physical and impure worldly nature (Apara prakriti), and on the other side it is connected with pure Spiritual (Aparaprakriti) Nature. 

This is a bridge between Paraa prakriti and Aparaprakriti.

These three consciousnesses, Karana (Idea), Sookshma (Subtle), and sthoola (Physical) worlds, micro and macro both, are governed by this Om sound, Sabdabrahmam.

‘He that believeth in me’ Jesus implies that the devotee who began to  realize the expansion of his consciousness to the Christ Consciousness in everything.  If you are in tune with Christ Consciousness you can become immortal. That is what Jesus means by ‘though he were dead, ye shall he live.’

“verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.”

                                                                             John 8:51

Martha is an advanced is an advanced disciple in tune with Jesus. Mary understood Jesus when he said: I am the resurrection, and the life.

Martha then spoke with realization: Yes, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God manifest in this body named Jesus.  

              

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, “The Master is come, and calleth for thee.”  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.  Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, and followed her, saying, “She goeth unto the grave to weep there.”  Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”  When Jesus therefore saw her weeping,                and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

And said, “Where have ye laid him?”

They said unto him, “Lord, come and see.”  Jesus wept.  Then said the Jews, “Behold how he loved him!”

And some of them said, “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?”  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave,  and a stone lay upon it.

                                                                       John 11:28—38

Jesus said: Jesus is compassion personified. Hence Jesus’ heart felt overwhelming grief Mary, Martha, and their friends. 

Jesus said, “Take ye away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, “Lord, by this time he stinketh: foe he hath been dead four days.”

Jesus saith unto her, “Said I not unto thee, that, thou wouldest believe , thou shouldest see the glory of God?”                                John 11:39—40

God does not seek and there is no necessity for God to seek the recognition of man to be a testimony to his divine power. He grants this only to his privileged advanced devotees.

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.

And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent me.”

                                                                              John 11:41—42

Jesus addressed God as a warmly personal and supremely kind Father. Jesus said: Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.  Here Jesus wanted to tell the people that God is not only intangible but also tangible. When Jesus says, ‘I knew that thou hearest me always’ implies that  the Christ Consciousness is working the will of  Cosmic Consciousness throughout out eternity.  

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with aloud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.  Jesus saith unto them, “Loose him, and let him go.”                                                      John 11:43—44

Jesus commanded: O ye disembodied soul of Lazarus, reappear in the body made whole by the Cosmic Energy of God!”

Jesus allowed Lazarus’ karma to take its destined course.  Jesus abode two days still in the same place where he was in spite of knowing his disciple was severely sick. The body of Lazarus ‘for he hath been dead for four days’  began to decay in Bethany by the time Jesus reached Bethany.  Jesus contacted Lazarus in astral world and called him back. He resurrected Lazarus’ body from the state of inert body. He reinvested it with powers of knowledge and action, mind and energy into the body that had fled with the departure of astral and causal bodies.  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.  Jesus saith unto them, “Loose him, and let him go.”                                                     

Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.  But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, “What do we? For this man doeth many miracles.  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.    

And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the highest priest that same year, said unto tem, “Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.  Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

And the Jews’ Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves,  Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, “What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?” Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.                                     John 11:45--57