John 11:1-45
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,a “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarusb was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin,c said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarusd had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two milese away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.f Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,g the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
A few things have always bothered me about this story… I wonder if the same things have bothered anyone else.
Jesus delays
Lazarus dies even though Jesus says that his sickness won’t lead to his death
Sermon: “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died!”
Sylvia and I have 5 wonderful grandchildren. Three of them are older and 
have full vocabularies and are able understand instructions very well. As an observing grandparent…I watch how each child reacts to their parent’s commands… Of course when we visit their homes…the excitement of having us… causes changes in their usual routines… When their mothers tell them that it is bed time…they all know what the desired response ought to be. All three children respond to this information quite differently… One will immediately begin negotiating for more time… Another will immediately become angry and makes a face… stamps a foot… and refuses to budge. But a most interesting response comes from the third one… On hearing any instructions such as: “Its bed time… Or Time to eat.” This one who is normally very talkative and responsive… suddenly becomes very quiet. This one immediately begins concentrating very quietly but diligently on playing with toys… It is as if this one has become suddenly deaf and is unable to hear.
Today Jesus reminds me of each grandchild… in one way or another. On hearing about Lazarus’ illness Jesus reacts similarly to them. I see him not wanting to do what he is expected…and giving a list of reasons…or renegotiating a different time. I see Jesus stubbornly refusing to go to Bethany…only going when he is ready…and on his own terms… I see Jesus suddenly become very quiet almost like he is not hearing or not accepting what he has heard.
At best Jesus’ reaction to the news of Lazarus’ illness is confusing… both to us and to his disciples… At first he makes light of it… saying that his illness won’t lead to his death. But two days later he says that Lazarus is sleeping…However when the disciples suggest he will wake… Jesus bluntly says; “Lazarus is dead.” During the time until he arrives at Bethany…Jesus seems unconcern and shows little or no emotion over the illness of Lazarus… However, once he is on the scene… and is drawn into the grief of Mary and Martha… Jesus becomes disturbed and is deeply moved. He is moved to weeping for his friend. And we wonder; “If he knew what he was going to do…why is he weeping?”
We could go on wondering about many more questions that this story raises. However, this is not the purpose of the story… Worrying about why Jesus did or didn’t do this or worrying why he said that… is not the purpose of this story. When we worry and wonder…we become like the skeptical crowd which always seems to appear…the crowd which asks; “Could not he who opens the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Pushing the question farther one could ask; “Could Jesus not also keep any one of us from dying… or what about people who are good Christians…why do they die?” Taken right to its very limit we wonder whether it is possible to avoid death all together. And we asks; “What about Lazarus…did Jesus raise him…only to die again at a later date?”
The stark facts are that we cannot avoid death…we cannot avoid it…just because we are good Christian people. We cannot avoid it because we are friends of Jesus… Death comes to everyone…the moment we are conceived we begin our journey toward it. If we preoccupy ourselves with it… the journey can be a dark and gloomy…where we stumble around in the darkness…from one catastrophe to another…always afraid of a dark future.
But today Jesus offers a different alternative for us… a joyful journey to an ultimate destination… which full of light. Jesus…who is God in the flesh…comes to live among us. Jesus loves us before we know who he is. He loves us with such a deep love that we will never understand…even to the point of weeping for us. Today risking his own death…he comes to Bethany…to the home of Mary and Martha. Knowing that the religious authorities… are watching his every move… hoping to pin something on him…Jesus still comes. Knowing…that invoking God’s power… will likely lead to his death…Jesus still comes. Jesus offers and risks his own life for Lazarus. And we know the rest of the story… Ultimately Jesus the Son of God dies…of his own free will… But his death is for more than just the friends of his day… His death is for the world…for all people from all time… He dies even for each of us… giving us life eternal… into a future of joy and contentment.
As Jesus tells Martha with the words; “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.” …we are also challenged to believe in God’s loving desire to give us life. We are challenged to see our lives closely connected to our God…and where our future is bright and full of light.
For much of history…many people have always assumed that Jesus was only talking about physical life and death…thinking Jesus was referring of our physical life and death. According to them…we must suffer miserable existence on earth…but after death we will be rewarded with a place in heaven…where things will be better…where there will finally be joy and contentment. Sometimes because we really believe this to be true…we refuse help…to those who need it. People living comfortable lives have preached this salvation message to the poor and the suffering… telling that they will be going to a better place after they die. On occasion we may toss a little charity their way… hoping our generosity will be noticed by God.
Today for Jesus the salvation story is much greater… then what happens after we die. Jesus assures us that salvation begins while we are alive… It begins with love. This is no ordinary love… It is God’s sacrificing love for the world. It is God’s love for every part of God’s creation down to the smallest detail. God shows us this love by sending Jesus the only Son of God into the world… With considerable risk to his own personal safety…Jesus goes to Bethany. There he restores Lazarus’ life. In the verses which follow today’s reading the sacrificing love of Jesus becomes even more evident. Those who oppose Jesus gather to discuss ways to eliminate him.
The purpose of Jesus risking his own personal safety …was not nearly so much about what Jesus does for Lazarus. Rather it is about the people who are gathered in that place. Jesus does this amazing thing so that people may come to believe… He desires them to believe in God’s great love…for the world. And as the story goes… some certainly do believe. Believing though is not for some future time after we die… it is immediate. It is God’s desire that salvation be our experience each and every day. Salvation is living well trusting and believing in God…. Salvation is also dying well…trusting and believing in God’s love for us.
So let us trust and believe in God’s salvation for us and let it begin today…and let us put our future is in God’s hands…living and dying well…as God desires for us. Thanks be to God. Amen
Out of the Wilderness 