John 11:17-27, 38-45 Sermon

Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

“I Am… the Resurrection and the Life”

John 11:17-27, 38-45

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. (NIV)

                 

Lucy hadn’t kept track of how many hours she had spent on her work of art.  After all, she was only 9, and 9 year-olds don’t usually think about such things.  She was going to be entering her sculpture in an art fair at school.  While she was involved in a number of extracurricular activities, her parents had never seen her so committed to one thing with such intensity.  It was clear she had some talent, and that she was also very meticulous, often spending significant chunks of time on the tiniest portions of her sculpture, only to return later and refashion them yet again.  When Lucy had finished, her parents and friends saw it and told her what a great job she did.  She was very proud of it.  She would spend time just sitting and staring at it.  Her little masterpiece was her pride and joy. 

But suddenly it was unrecognizable.  It had smashed into a million pieces – big chunks, small chunks, and a powdery dust were all that remained.  An accident had caused it to slide off the shelf and plummet to the floor.  Needless to say, Lucy was devastated.  Her heart sank lower than ever before.  She felt sad and sick.  She was crushed to see with her own eyes how utterly obliterated her work was.  It was now a far cry from her original creation, and all that was left were broken remnants.  She was angry and frustrated that this had happened to her special masterpiece.

Jesus knew the feeling.  When John described the scene of Lazarus’ death, he described Jesus as being “deeply moved.”  The word translated this way has also taken the meaning “furious” and “angry” elsewhere.  Why would that describe Jesus on this occasion?  We could understand that he would be sad or in mourning, but why angry?  Because as Jesus considered the death of Lazarus and the devastating blow death deals to those still living, he was reminded that the world had become in many ways unrecognizable from the world he had created.  His work of art had been smashed into a million pieces with the fall into sin, and death and its effects served as a clear reminder of that stomach-churning reality.  The world was broken, his masterpiece was destroyed, and precious little illustrated that to the degree that death did.

Lazarus was not, after all, some unknown stranger; he was a dear friend.  Jesus had made it regular practice to visit with the family, having been welcomed in the home of Mary and Martha in the past.  Now Jesus was dealing with not only the loss of a friend, but also the pain of seeing how death affected those who were close to him.  It was an undeniable reminder of how his creation had been ruined, and the profound impact death had on the crown of his creation, mankind. 

But Jesus is not one to stand around and sulk, lamenting while suffering goes on all around him.  He is always one to take action, and we see him do just that in the case of Lazarus.  Yes, the Fall brought with it death and tears of sadness, but Jesus longed to bring life and tears of joy.  For that is what he was proclaiming when he said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v.25).  Jesus had in mind to put an end to the darkness of death and all the misery that surrounded it.  He would do this not only for Lazarus and his family and friends, but for all people, including you and me.  May we find supreme comfort this morning in the “I am” statement of our Savior: “I am the resurrection and the life.”

While those words of Jesus stand out this morning, they aren’t the only ones that catch our attention. Martha’s words to Jesus in the face of the death of her brother also stand out, don’t they?  Not only do her words stand as a nice example of her confession of faith in her Savior God, but they also seem to reflect a change from the last time she was in the spotlight, which was not for a good reason.  On that occasion, her sister sat at the Savior’s feet and listened, while she worked feverishly to prepare things for Jesus.  Jesus gently called on her to reconsider her priorities and focus on what was most important: hearing his words (cf. Lk. 10:38ff.).  Based on her dialogue with Jesus, her confession of faith seems to indicate that she had rearranged her priorities.

“When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask’” (v.20-22).  See what confidence Martha expressed!  She was connecting the dots.  She was acknowledging that Jesus had a special relationship with God the Father, and because of it was able to do miraculous things.  But Jesus wished to advance her faith by leading her to see that he was more than just the middle man; he was the Son of Man.  Jesus was God in the flesh.  Martha was focused on all that God could do sometime down the road.  Jesus wanted her to focus on the things that God could do right now.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day’” (v.23,24).  She wasn’t quite getting it just yet.  While she expressed a wonderful confidence in the resurrection at some point in the future, Jesus wanted her to come to a clearer understanding that he himself was able to help her in her time of need at that very moment.  For that reason, Jesus didn’t respond to Mary by saying, “I have connections with the one who makes resurrection and life possible.”  He didn’t say, “I know the one who can do something about your brother Lazarus, and I’m happy to call in a favor if you’d like.”  No, Jesus plainly stated, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v.25).  He revealed that the “I am”-God who Martha had come to know and the one speaking with her were the same divine being.  Jesus had the power to raise from the dead and give life, because he was true God.

As true God, Jesus was able to address the emotional turmoil that Martha, Mary, and others were dealing with right then, not just at some point in the future.  “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said, not “I could be” or “I will be.”  Jesus was conveying that as God, he was able to make a difference right then and there.  There was no getting put on hold until the next representative was available.  There was no grabbing a number and waiting in line.  Jesus had the ability to utilize his unlimited power to turn an occasion marred by death into an unforgettable display of divine grace at that very moment.

It’s easy for us to forget that Jesus has that power at his disposal in our lives right now.  As a culture that is so centered on what’s happening right now or in the next five minutes, we struggle to give much thought to anything down the road or consider how things today will affect things in the future.  The problem with that mindset, with the “here and now” heart, is that God and his work in our lives gets pushed out of the present and we can have a tendency to limit his role in our lives to the stuff that happens later: death, heaven, eternity, and all of that.  We mistakenly put limitations on his role in our lives, figuring that the stuff we’re dealing with here and now is on us to handle, while Jesus doesn’t really step into the picture until later, with end of life matters.  But that was Jesus’ point to Martha – he not only had the desire, but the power to heal her hurt right then and there.  The addiction, the pet sin, the guilt, the doubt, the worry – all those things that weigh on us – Jesus is able to do something about all of that right now.  Where did we ever get this ridiculous notion that Jesus only steps in once we show we can handle our problems?  That bit about God helping those who help themselves is complete bologna – who do you know that is able to help himself?  No one!  Our sin cements us to failure and frustration and despair and disappointment.  We have no way whatsoever of changing that harsh reality on our own.  Jesus must step in and save.  He must intervene and deliver.  And he stands ready to do just that, right now.

You need proof?  Follow Jesus to the tomb of his friend Lazarus.  Listen along with the others as he commands “Lazarus, come out!” (v.43).  Witness the power of Jesus’ words as they deal death a mighty blow and beckon a dead body to life.  In that instant – not at some point in the future, or down the road, or, even as Martha had come to accept, on the last day when judgment occurs – but in that instant, Jesus proved his power over death.  He backed up his claim, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v.25).

And what he demonstrated then and there for Martha and others, he made clear to all people three days after his own death.  All sin had been paid for – yes, even our sinful presumption that Jesus can’t or won’t do much for us right now, but only at some point in the future.  Jesus’ death paid the price for when we short change him and think we must “go it alone.”  The proof that payment for sin had been received in full came when Jesus showed in unmistakable fashion that he truly was the resurrection.  He trampled over death as he exited the tomb, and he promises the same resurrection to all who believe in him.

Lest we permit that promise of future resurrection to allow us to fall right back into thinking Jesus only plays a role in our futures and not now, we note the final word of Jesus’ statement: “I am the resurrection and the life” (v.25).  See, along with the promise of resurrection and eternity with him, Jesus also promises life – eternal life – yes, and for that we rejoice and give thanks daily; but his promise also applies to this life here on earth.  Because of our surety of life eternal, life temporal has every reason to be filled to the brim with joy and rejoicing.

Do you believe that you will rise because he rose?  Then let that peace guard your heart.  Let your life reflect that joy.  Let your mouth speak and sing that praise.  What place do bitterness or complaining or nitpicking or nagging have in the life of the Christian?  Let those die along with death itself, which has been destroyed by the one who assures each of us this morning, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v.25).  Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)