Get Out of the Dark

So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him." (John 11:14-16)

These statements reveal some clues about the kind of stumbling that was occurring that Jesus referred to just previous to this. The disciples were walking without the light that would have given them the insights that Jesus had on circumstances. They were also making all sorts of assumptions about Jesus' motives for what He was doing and because of their false premises about His motives they were in darkness and unable to interpret their situations anywhere near correctly.

Jesus addresses some of their likely assumptions in this verse. First of all, He has to change the language He uses to speak in human vernacular instead of heaven's perspective. From heaven's viewpoint death is simply an unconscious sleep, not the despairing, terrifying loss that most people assume it is or even a release into some blissful state where a soul drifts off to another world. The Bible teaches that when a person dies they loss all consciousness of everything until the resurrection; any other belief regarding death is fraught with extreme danger and opens the floodgates to all sorts of deceptions that will blind us to the truth about reality and about God. (see Psalms 6:5; 88:5; Eccls. 9:5, 6, 10)

In Jesus' mind there was little difference between death and what we call sleep except that a person has no bodily life and there is no longer any possibility of dreams, emotions or anything else. Upon being raised back to life in the resurrection a person will instantly take up where they left off upon death and continue their life from there with no change in their character or personality. From God's perspective death is no different than going to sleep overnight and waking up the next morning to be the person you were yesterday. Jesus preferred to speak of death in this manner to avoid the confusion that Satan's lies starting in Genesis 3:4 have caused about this subject. But the disciples did not understand this perspective very well and had very different ideas and feelings about death.

They also had mistaken notions about just what motivated Jesus to stay away from Judea after hearing the desperate pleas of His friends to come heal Lazarus. During the two days that He remained where He was the disciples had time to formulate even more conclusions which were based on false ideas about what motivated Jesus. They still could not perceive the depth of unselfish love that filled the heart of Jesus even though evidence abounded in everything He did and said. They were so immersed in the survival thinking of humanity that it was nearly impossible to imagine someone living without seeking at least part of the time to look out for their own safety above caring for others.

Given these natural assumptions about how to live in relation to danger and threats, the disciples likely came to the conclusion (without checking with Jesus) that this time He had most likely chosen to place His own safety ahead of the needs of His friends in the situation of Lazarus. In their minds the disciples could easily see how a person might rationalize and weigh the desire to help His friends against the need to keep His own life preserved from the threats of the Jews and had decided it was better to remain away even if it caused pain and suffering to some of His best friends. With that scenario running in the background and their inernal assumptions about why Jesus refused to return to Judea, they were stumbling all over the place while oblivious to the fact they were doing so. They assumed that at least this time Jesus was acting more 'normal' like they would do if they were living under the threat of bodily harm as He was.

Jesus realized all of this was taking place in their minds and how they were maybe even feeling a little justified in their own habits of looking out for themselves at the expense of others. But despite all their false assumptions about Him, Jesus did not immediately clear up their ideas or conclusions but simply followed the daily prompting of the Spirit and continued to minister to people and attract them to a better view of God. In every situation no matter how exciting or threatening Jesus always acted like Himself and never allowed circumstances to dictate who He was or how He would respond. Even when it was time to return to Judea He still only gave His disciples enough information to get them to return with Him, but contained in His words were enough truth that if they had been more discerning they could have seen how dark their perceptions of God really were and how wrong they were about Jesus.

In His answer to them in this verse, Jesus exposes their assumption that He was looking out more for Himself and His own safety even more than theirs by stating clearly that it was for their sakes and not for His that He was doing things so strangely. It was not because He was motivated by fear of the Jews or self-preservation or any other selfish motives; it was for the good of His disciples, His friends back in Judea and indeed for all of us that He was doing everything the way He did. Rather than living in fear for His life, Jesus said that He was actually glad that He had not been there to heal Lazarus. Living in heaven's light Jesus had the perspective that allowed Him to get excited about what God was up to when everything looked bleak and hopeless and dangerous to nearly everyone else around Him. Jesus was walking in the light and so He had no reason to stumble into discouragement or fear.

But the disciples were stumbling over nearly everything Jesus was saying to them, misinterpreting His language and His motives at almost every step. This was because they were not embracing the light of truth about reality even though the ultimate Source of light was right in their midst in the flesh. Having light that gives us proper perspective on our situation does not depend on our proximity to others who have the light so much as our willingness to humble ourselves and allow the Spirit to lead and teach us the same way He led and taught Jesus. Only as we are willing to let go of our preconceived ideas about reality and especially about God and let the Spirit and the Word introduce us to a radical new vision of truth can we begin to avoid stumbling over nearly everything God says or does in our lives.

Negative thinking is a clear indication of living in the dark where a person is liable to stumble. Thomas exemplified this kind of thinking in his statement about marching off to their death with Jesus and very likely he reflected the disposition of all the disciples. After all, their fate as loyal followers and disciples of Jesus tied their reputations very closely with His, so if Jesus was in danger they would most likely come under threat as well. Because the disciples were operating with so many false premises their conclusions inevitably came out wrong. They assumed the worst and failed to perceive by the Spirit that even though there were very real dangers facing them back in Judea, God was far greater and had much more glorious things planned than they were willing to give Him credit for at this point in their lives.

The contrast between the disposition of the disciples and their assumptions about reality compared to that of Jesus is quite striking in this story. They were so filled with false ideas about what motivated Jesus and what God was like that they were filled with unbelief in the goodness and power of God. Jesus knew this, but rather than chiding them He was patient with them and looked forward with keen anticipation to what He knew would radically challenge their view of what was true, what was real and how God felt about all of them. Jesus knew that one of the most important signs of His divinity was about to break upon the world and He was keen to have that event impact their perceptions of who He really was and why He was not afraid to walk into danger.

These men like us needed to have a much greater appreciation and perspective of the selfless love and compassion of Jesus. They needed to see that Jesus did nothing to look out for His own needs at the expense of others but had come to pour out His life in loving service to bless everyone who would be willing to receive. Jesus came to demonstrate the true principles of heaven, the reality of another way of living and inter-relating reflective of the true principles of reality the way God originally created it.

Rather than living life motivated by fear and self-preservation at the expense of those around us, Jesus demonstrated that to have real life and to thrive in God's family one must come into harmony with the life-giving principles God created us to live under. We must receive to give, not to indulge and hoard. We must trust the heart of our heavenly Father who promises to provide for us in every situation which is the opposite of fear. We have not been given the spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind. (1 Tim. 1:7)

Anytime I find myself stumbling in situations or reacting to how people treat me or find myself living in fear, I am reminded that I need more light inside of me to illuminate true reality. Instead of focusing on what makes me afraid or angry or any other negative feeling, I need to turn away from those things that keep me in darkness and focus on the real truth about God as displayed in the example and words of Jesus. The more I focus on Him and absorb the lessons He came to teach like what I see in this story, the more I am able to see obstacles that trip me and cause me to stumble. Then, living in the light of the real truth about reality and God's leading in my life, I will have nothing to be afraid of for I know that Jesus has given His word to always be with me and never leave me alone. If He is with me and He cares deeply for me far more than anyone else could ever hope to do, then I can choose to trust His heart and His power to lead me for my best good and for His glory.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7)

Father, help me to learn better the lessons these disciples took so long to learn. Help me to more deeply appreciate Your Spirit's leading even when it apparently seems to lead directly into trouble. Help me to always remain aware that You are with me, that Your angels are ever-present to protect, to prompt me, to bless me and make me a channel of blessings even in the midst of chaos and strife. Fill my heart with hope and joy and love and a secure sense of identity so that others can see Your light shining more clearly in their darkness and want to experience that same light inside their own souls.