Pastor Scott
Jonas
I am the
Resurrection
John 11
Grace, Mercy and Peace will be with
us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son.
In John
Chapter 10, Jesus claims “I and the Father are One.” Death puts that to the test in John Chapter
11. Death is the great and horrible
tester. Death tests our values. Death tests our power. Death tests our relationships. Death tests our Faith.
Jesus isn’t
the only one who is going to be tested by death. So is his friend, Martha. Her story shows us what real faith looks
like. It’s not shallow. It’s not fluffy. Death swallows shallow and fluffy. Martha questions her friend Jesus. She is honest about her pain and
disappointment. She wants answers that
only he can provide. They have deep
friendship which death is going to test.
Jesus was
friends with Martha’s whole family, her sister Mary and her brother
Lazarus. In fact, Jesus talks to the
disciples about “our friend Lazarus.”
Martha’s family may not have been part of the 12 but they were followers
of Jesus who had him over to their house, cooked for him, washed his feet when
he was a guest and learned face to face.
Lazarus is
ill. Death was so much more of a
presence everyday than it is now. A
woman just made the news because she was young, relatively healthy and died of
the flu. That was an everyday
occurrence. Imagine everyone you know
being one germ away from being gone. A
simple cold was a dark threat. The
sisters send word to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” One sentence.
There is no command. There is no
plea. It is like a little prayer.
Martha knows
that Jesus can heal. He’s healed the
blind, the paralyzed, those with decaying skin.
Surely he is able to heal whatever Lazarus’ has got. They gave him plenty of time to get there and
do his stuff. Martha’s note sounds like
us when we say, “Lord, Grandma’s sick again.”
There is an optimistic confidence that Jesus can heal our loved
one. If it is his will he will do
it. We don’t have to display our faith
with a show of words and emotions because God knows our heart. He’s listening not just our little prayer but
to our whole life. He hears us and we
are his family.
Jesus stays
two more days. Now Martha has to watch
her brother worsen and wonder why Jesus isn’t coming. Did he not get the message? Did he get arrested? Was there some other crises more important? If Jesus was dying and needed their help they
would have dropped everything and ran to his side. Why isn’t Jesus coming? It makes no sense. He loves Lazarus. Only Jesus can save him. Why isn’t Jesus coming?
I’m sure
that’s been you. I know that’s been
me. When I was six years old, my Father
got melanoma. I don’t remember being
scared. I remember sensing that God
would take care of it. I’m sure my
little prayer was something like “Lord, my dad is sick.” I wasn’t allowed to see him in the hospital
for a few months. Finally they let my
sister and I see him. My brain tried to
process this. It makes no sense. Jesus loves my dad. Only Jesus can save him. Why isn’t Jesus coming?
Jesus tells
his disciples plainly, “Lazarus has died and for you sake I am glad that I was
not there, so that you may believe.”
Jesus returns to Bethany, which means place of the poor. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four
days. Many of Jesus’ opponents traveled
the two miles from Jerusalem to see Jesus’ failure. They consoled Mary and Martha as was the
custom but they wanted to be there when the devastated sisters saw Jesus again. Martha sprinted out of the house, she
couldn’t take it anymore. No more simple
prayers. No more constraint. No more caring about a spectacle. Things are getting real.
“Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even know I know whatever you ask from
the Father. He will give you.” These aren’t words of unbelief. These are deep expressions of disappointment in
God. We’ve all had them, spoken or
unspoken. “Lord, if you had been here,
my ___________ would not have died.” My
wife, my husband, my parent, my child, my grandparent, my friend. Lord if you had only been here!
Jesus tells
her something she already knows. He
says, “Your brother will rise again.” “I
know that he will rise again on the last day.
She wanted the last day to be four days ago. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the
life. Whoever believes in me, though he
die, yet shall he live. Do you believe
this? Yes Lord, Martha says with tears
dripping off her chin.
Martha was
wrestling with letting this go. She
would just have to wait until the last day along with everyone else. Jesus must not do these type of favors for
his friends. His miracles are always on
strangers. People who aren’t
followers. How does that make
sense? She goes and gets Mary. Martha’s trying to keep it together but now
Mary’s falling apart. Mary falls at
Jesus’ feet and wails “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have
died.” The street is filled with
mourners who are now gawking at this scene.
Mourning is a public event for Jews.
Jesus’ followers are disillusioned.
Jesus’ opponents are hiding back smiles.
The ESV says
“Jesus was deeply moved in Spirit and greatly troubled.” I have a better translation. Some of you are not going to like it or be
able to handle it. Jesus was Positively
beside himself. People were using this
families’ grief as an opportunity to score political points. Thank God that doesn’t happen today. That still makes Jesus Positively beside
himself. She starts crying and he starts
crying.
It’s one of the most relatable faith
moments in the whole Bible. Jesus cries
with us at injustice. It’s not fair that
Lazarus died. It doesn’t make sense that
God didn’t answer the way they wanted.
It’s inhuman that people would use a funeral to trap Jesus. All of it is horrible.
He says, Where have you laid
him?” They said, Lord, Come and
See. They walk to cave where his body
lay. Back then you buried a body the day
of death because no matter what spices and ointments you use it would stink in
three days. Jesus says “Take away the
stone.” Imagine the fear. This is like opening a buried casket in front
of loved ones after the body has started to decay. Nobody wants that image, but for someone in
grief it would be devastatingly cruel.
Martha tries to stop Jesus. Jesus
says basically, “Trust me.” They roll
the stone away.
Jesus makes a little prayer. “Father I thank you that you have heard me.
“ The cave is dark. People have protected the nose and are realizing
that no smell of death is coming from the opening. Jesus speaks his friend’s name, “Lazarus,
come out of there.” Lazarus still had
the mummy linens around him. He was
alive. He was resurrected. It was not the last day.
You and I have to reconcile this story with our
experience. Sometimes Jesus resurrects
now and sometimes he resurrects later.
Martha is a great example for us.
She didn’t doubt Jesus’ power or his love. But she sure had issues with his choices
because her mind could not reconcile it all.
Share your pain with Jesus. Share
your grief with the church. We are all
standing at the graves of our loved ones, waiting for Jesus to say,