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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“Then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your [the disciples'] sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.' Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him.' So when Jesus came, He found that he [Lazarus] had already been in the tomb four days.” (John 11.14-17; emphasis mine, jb). This series of 4x4's will include: 1) Plain Talk, 2) Real but Not Final, 3) That You May Believe, and 4) Pessimistic Courage.
Plain Talk
“Then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your [the disciples'] sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.'” (John 11.14-15; emphasis mine, jb). Previous to this, Jesus had said, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” (John 11.11). However, the disciples misunderstood His meaning; “...they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.” (John 11.13). As the opening quote notes, however, He was speaking of death.
If Jesus had been speaking literally of sleep, does it make any sense that He should personally travel to Lazarus' house and wake him up? Could not one of his two sisters awaken him? Or, could not the myriad of friends and acquaintances of this well known family succeed in rousing him from his slumber? To ask the question is to answer it; Jesus was speaking figuratively when He spoke of sleep and the context of His statement should have revealed the same to His disciples. Nevertheless, His beloved disciples failed to catch His shift from the literal to the figurative.
This was not the only time this happened in His ministry. In fact, it seems this was a fairly frequent occurrence with them. Once He spoke to His disciples about “the leaven of the Pharisees” and they thought He was speaking of literal bread (see Matthew 16.5-12). On another occasion, Jesus taught a multitude saying, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” (John 6.54-56). John records, “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, 'This is a hard saying; who can understand it?'”(John it?'”(John it?'”(John it?'”(John 6.60). Soon thereafter, “....many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” (John 6.66).
The failure to understand figures of speech is not always the fault of the teacher; certainly this was not the case with Jesus, the Master Teacher. Yet, many failed to understand. The fault lay in the heart of the hearer and not in the tongue of the Teacher. In the later part of the earthly ministry of Christ, the following exchange took place: “'These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.' His disciples said to Him, 'See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.'” (John 16.25-30).
Understanding what the writer intended to convey is everything when it comes to the Bible. Other works may demand less attention, but one cannot overemphasize understanding what God wants us to know!
Questions:
1. What is a figure of speech? Do you use them? Can you spot them when others use them?
2. What “training” did Jesus give His disciples regarding figures of speech?
3. How important was it that His disciples distinguish between literal and figurative language?
4. What will result if we fail to make these distinctions properly?
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