April 10, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
There are well over three hundred verses in the Bible which speak of Jesus’ resurrection. Some of them tell us that Jesus resurrection was a sign for believers, others speak of it as an answer for believers doubts. Some speak of the resurrection as the central message of the Gospel itself, while others tell us how Jesus’ resurrection is a guarantee that all his teachings are true. Well, today, as we study the Word of God before us, we will be looking at a lesson that doesn’t exactly speak of Jesus resurrection from the dead, instead we will stand before Jesus our Savior as he tells us and assures us that he, himself, is the Resurrection and the life. In fact, I invite you to open your Bibles to John 11 so that we can take a look at these events together and listen as Jesus tells us that He is the Resurrection and the life.
Now, if you think about it, as Jesus speaks to us in John 11, he is giving us a great comfort. For the truth is, one of the hardest things that you and I have to cope with in this world is death. It is a difficult thing for us to deal with because it is such an unnatural event. Even though it has become a part of our lives, it was never intended to be a part of our lives when God created this world for us. But as it is, it is one of the many sorrows that we face in our lives as we journey through this vale of tears. It was also a sorrow with which Mary and Martha had to contend, as we hear in our text today: “On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.” (John 11:17-19). Though it isn’t part of our text today, if we were to read the verses shortly before where our text begins, we would find that Mary and Martha had sent a message to Jesus telling them that their brother Lazarus was seriously ill. Jesus, in turn and responded that “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4). However, unknown to Mary and Martha he stayed where he was for two more days so that by the time he arrived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days.
Now, upon first glance, this may seem like a cruel and heartless thing for Jesus to do. Yet what Jesus did would ultimately serve as a comfort for both Mary and Martha. As John tells us, “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.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’ ” (John 11:20-26).
When Martha met the Lord at the edge of town, it was Jesus who comforted her in the midst of her sorrow and misery with the words of sweetest Gospel. For when she expressed her anguish that Jesus had not been there to heal Lazarus when he was sick, Jesus assured her that her brother would rise again. That, in itself, was a comfort to her, for she knew he would rise again on the last day. But what Jesus said next was truly a comfort. For in telling her that he was the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus was assuring her that her brother who had come to faith in Jesus Christ was now living with the Lord in heaven.
This is the same comfort that you and I receive in our sorrows. For we know all too well the pain and anguish of death. Far too often we are forced to watch our friends and loved ones growing older and more feeble. Far too often we are forced to gather here to say our final farewells to those we love. Yet even in those times, we are assured of the Lord’s comfort when we hear Jesus speaking to us and saying: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:26). In those beautiful words, we are reminded that all of us who have come to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior will never die. Though we will face physical death when our bodies finally stop working, at that moment the Lord’s angels will carry us to his side where we will live forever. Though our bodies will decompose and fall apart in the ground, Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life will raise them up at the last day and give us new and glorious bodies, which we will have for all eternity. This is the comfort, which the Lord gives us in our sorrows--the knowledge that this world is not our home, the knowledge that we will live with him forever when he finally calls us to our eternal rest. This is the comfort we receive, and this is the comfort that strengthens our faith in Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life.
There’s an old Indian proverb that tells us, “Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” Though this phrase has become a cliché in our day and age, it still is a very true statement. For how often haven’t you found yourself quickly growing stronger, more confident, and even more determined in that face of adversities, but growing only moderately in the face of no conflicts? This is exactly what the Lord did for Martha in our text today. For even in the midst of her sorrow, Jesus gently led here to a deeper understanding of who he was, which in turn strengthened her faith in Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. John tells us, “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.’ ”(John 11:20-22).
Though every time we think of Mary and Martha, our thoughts naturally turn to the account of Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet and Martha rushing around trying to get everything ready for her guests; we cannot help but be struck by the strength of Martha’s faith. For even though Jesus had not been there to heal her brother and keep him from dying, she was confident that God would give Jesus whatever he asked for. This was the part of Martha’s faith that Jesus was looking to strengthen. He was looking to strengthen her faith by correcting her understanding of him as the Christ. For with these words she clearly stated that she believed Jesus could do anything, but she thought that he would first have to ask God for permission to do it. This was the misunderstanding that Jesus cleared up for her when he said, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’ ” (John 11:25-27).
By revealing himself to her as the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus was calling on her to look to him in faith. He was calling on her to place her trust in him as Lord and God. Jesus was calling on her to recognize that he and the Father were in perfect harmony. He did not have to ask permission to perform miracles. Rather, as Lord and God he was the power to raise Lazarus from the dead. This is what gave strength to Martha’s faith and caused her to confess: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” (John 11:27).
Our Savior is doing the same thing for us today. For by revealing himself to us as the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus is strengthening our faith in him as our Savior. He is calling on us to realize that he is more than just a human being who lived on the earth years ago. He is calling on us to realize that he is more than just the Son of God who had power to do a few miracles. Rather, he is calling on us to realize that he is the Almighty God, who holds the power of life and death in his hand. He is the Lord of the Universe, who keeps the planets in their orbits, the stars in their courses, and preserves life in this world. In fact, he is calling on us to confess with Martha, that he is the Christ, the Son of God who came into this world to save sinners! For that is why Jesus came. He came into this world to save us from our sins, by his victory over death.
In football, whenever the top two teams in their divisions meet, you will often hear the announcers exclaim, “This could easily be a preview of the Super Bowl!” Well, if there had been announcers broadcasting Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, one of those announcers could easily have said, “This could well be a preview of what we’re going to see in just a few short months!” He could easily have said this, because when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead he demonstrated his power over death, and when he demonstrated his power over death, he was assuring us that he would win the victory over death by his resurrection from the dead.
For when Jesus came to raise Lazarus from the dead, his whole purpose was to show all the people there that he, the Resurrection and the Life was the one who would always be victorious over the power of death. This is why Jesus waited for four days before he came to raise Lazarus. He waited so that even the mystics in the crowd who believed that the soul hung around the body for three days after death would have to admit that Lazarus was truly dead and that Jesus had truly raised him and won the victory over death in this showdown. John tells us, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘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.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 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.’ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. (John 11:38-45).
Here it was a showdown between life and death. In one corner was Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. In the other was the grave, which had held Lazarus for the past four days. And in the silence as the stone was being removed, one could almost hear the cry of, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” For there could be no question in anybody’s mind of the fact that Lazarus was truly dead. They knew that after four days in that Mediterranean climate his body had begun to seriously decay. And yet, Jesus commanded them to open the grave! Then, when the grave was opened Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” It wasn’t that he cried out to be sure that Lazarus would hear him back in the cave. It wasn’t that he yelled so loud because he had a better chance at raising him if he spoke that much more loudly. Rather, Jesus cried out in a loud voice so that everyone there would know that he was the one who had power over death. He cried out so loudly so that all the people standing there would hear his proclamation and be assured that he had won the victory over death.
Our Savior is assuring us of the same thing today. Through his raising of Lazarus from the dead, he is assuring us that he indeed has won the victory over death. But more importantly, he is giving us a preview of the events to come. For in just a short time from now, Jesus will be going to the cross, suffering, and dying for our sins. But from this display of his power, we can be assured that he will win the victory over death, because he is the Resurrection and the Life. This is the assurance our Savior is giving us today. The assurance that if he was able to raise Lazarus from the dead, if he was able to raise himself from the dead, then raising us from the dead will be no problem whatsoever! This is the victory of which our Lord assures us, and this is the comfort we have in him! Because Jesus has mastery over death, we know that he has saved us from death. Though we will all one day close our eyes in the sleep of death, we will wake at our Savior’s side in his heavenly kingdom. This is the assurance we have in knowing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life! He has won the victory over death.
What a wonderful comfort to know that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life! He is the one who comforts us in every sorrow. He is the one who continually strengthens our faith in him. He is the one who has won the victory over death! He is the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever believes in him will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in him will never die.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
