So Much More: Moving Beyond Kingdom Principles to Kingdom Power by Todd Hudson

reign on the earth is the presence of physical death. God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree they would surely die (Gen. 2:17). When they ate and sinned against God, both physical and spiritual death entered the world. If Jesus came to reintroduce the kingdom of God to earth, then one of the clear indications of that would be His demonstration of power and authority over death.
    There are several stories recorded for us the Gospels where Jesus demonstrates authority over death. One of the most familiar is the story of Lazarus.
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Which Mary was this? (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
—J OHN 11:1–3
    Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. They lived in Bethany, not far from Jerusalem; and it seems as though when Jesus would go to visit the city, He would stop by regularly to hang out with His close friends. They had the gift of hospitality, and Jesus loved to spend time in their home. There are some people who just have that special gift of making people feel welcomed in their home. From the very moment you walk through the door, they welcome you warmly and you feel as though they are genuinely glad you are there. They invite you help yourself the refrigerator, and there is always something good cooking on the stove. You feel at home in a place like that.
    Then there are homes where you don’t feel very welcome at all. You walk in and are immediately told to take off your shoes because the carpet is new, don’t touch that, and don’t eat that. You wouldn’t feel very welcomed in a home like that. But Mary and Martha’s home was an inviting home. We know Martha loved to cook, so whenever Jesus came by, she probably went in the kitchen and whipped up a feast for the Lord.
    Mary would sit at the feet of Jesus and just hang on His words. Jesus loved these people and they were His close friends. (See Luke 10:38–41.) So when Lazarus became ill, Mary and Martha immediately sent a message to Jesus to let Him know that Lazarus was sick. They had seen Jesus perform miracles before, and they knew He had demonstrated authority over disease. They knew their brother was desperately ill, so they sent word to Jesus saying, “Your friend whom You love, our brother Lazarus, is very sick. In fact, if something doesn’t happen soon, if You don’t show up and do a miracle, he will be dead.” That’s what they wanted Jesus to do for them. They wanted Him to come heal their brother.
    Notice the basis for their appeal. They didn’t say, “Lord, because You have stayed at our house so often and have eaten so many meals at our table, You owe us this miracle. Come heal our brother.” They didn’t say, “Jesus, because we love You so much You should do this for us.” They simply said, “Lazarus, whom You love, is sick.” What a great reminder for us when we need a miracle. We should not demand that God do it for us because of what we have done for Him or say He should do it because we love Him. What we really need to remember is that God loves us more than we will ever love Him and He responds to us based on His love for us—not our love for Him.
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
—J OHN 11:4–6
    It’s almost as though Jesus is saying, “Alright, I know things don’t look good from your perspective and according to your timetable. You believe if I don’t show up and do this miracle today, it’s going to be too late; but I’ve got a different perspective. I’ve got a different