Latest revision as of 14:08, 5 April 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus: Jesus is the resurrection!

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We need to recognize the significance of Jesus being the resurrection!

Introduction:

Image: I love finding solutions to big problems.

I suppose that is probably why I ended up studying math for so long. I really enjoyed the challenge of finding a problem that had gone unsolved for decades and then uncovering the solution to that problem.

Need: Today as we study Scripture we are going to see that the worlds biggest problem has already been solved.

Subject: The resurrection

Preview: We will see that we all have a big problem and mere optimism is the not the solution but God has provided the full solution in Jesus Christ.

Text: John 11:17-26

Setting the Stage:

Before we dig into our focus let's read John 11:1-44

The story of John 11 really sets the stage for us. Let's review that story

A friend of Jesus, Lazarus was sick to the point of death.

Lazarus's sisters sent to Jesus to get his help.

Jesus delayed going to help and Lazarus died.

When Jesus arrived the people were mourning the death of Lazarus.

Jesus arrived, comforted the sisters, and raised Lazarus from the dead.

Now that we have some context, we are prepared to dig into the focus of our passage, verses 17 through 26.

Body

Every single one of us has a big looming problem, one day we expect to die (11:17-22).

Before digging into the text, I want to take a moment in order to talk about the reality of death. If we move all the way back to Genesis we see the reality of death.

In Genesis 2:15-17 God warned Adam that disobedience would bring death.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.

Death entered the world because of sin and since each of us are sinners we each face death looming in our future.

Romans 5:12 tells us that "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned"

We hope that Christ comes to rapture his church before we personally face death but the odds are not in our favor, Christians have hoped for the Rapture for nearly 2000 years. Yes, the Rapture is coming but in reality, each of us needs to realize that the likely outcome for each of us is death.

Denial, a typical response, does not change the reality of death (17).

We set the stage for the death of Lazarus by reading a large section of Scripture. Now we are going to zoom way in. Look at verse 17. Upon arriving on the scene we learn that Lazarus has been dead for four days! Of all the things that John might have written about, why did he choose to tell us that it had been four days? Simple John wants us to know Lazarus really was dead. This is not a situation where Lazarus is just very sick, or near death. It is not the case that a bad doctor has miss-diagnosed Lazarus and he actually is alive but just has very faint life signs. No, Lazarus is dead, entombed, gone! In the ancient world there was a belief that someone might be revived within a couple of days of death

The general belief was that the spirit of the deceased hovered around the body for three days in anticipation of some possible means of reentry into the body. But on the third day it was believed that the body lost its color and the spirit was locked out. Therefore the spirit was obliged to enter the chambers of Sheol (the place of the dead). The passing of the third day, therefore, signaled the conclusion of the last modicum of hope for the mourners. ^[1]

Image: Denial and death

If you have ever had someone close to you die you know the feeling of denial. After my dad died I began running through my head all the situations where maybe he wasn't really dead. Maybe by chance God would bring him through the door. The night my dad died I spent time praying that God would bring him back. I knew the reality but I didn't want to accept it yet and so I prayed. Denial in death is real.

But let me take this a step further. It is not just denial that we all face when someone close to us dies. Most of us at some point or another, maybe right now, are in denial about the reality of our own looming death. You need to know, and you need to reflect on the simple fact that death is a reality. One day you will be face-to-face with the end of life on this earth.

As we move forward in the passage I want to point out to you that

Sorrow, because things are not the way they are supposed to be, is natural (18-19).

Jewish mourning was carefully prescribed, yet another testament to the reality of death. We all know our cultural traditions of mourning because we all experience death.

John again provides us with some simple details that help us really understand. Bethany was really close to the big city of Jerusalem. John paints a picture of traditional Jewish mourning. In first-century Judaism, rules stipulated that a deceased person be buried on the same day they died. After burial, there were 6 more days of mourning for a total of seven days. During this period of mourning the family would remain in their home while the community came by to offer sympathy, provide food, and care for those left behind.

Grieving over death is a sort of universal because death is universal.

One article argues

Studies of grieving brains – be it scans of the brain regions which process grief, or measures of the stress hormone cortisol that is released in grief – show no differences in relation to race, age or religion. People of all cultures grieve; we all feel sorrow, loss, and despair. We just do it – and show it – in different ways.^[2]

Sorrow is natural because death and sin are not!

In Genesis 1:31, upon completing creation, God saw all that he had made, and it was very good

In Genesis 3:17-19 we see that Adam's sin brought a significant change to creation.

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Death is just one aspect of things not being the way they were created to be. In the story of Lazarus we see sorrow over death and this sorrow is the right response. Death is not what God made us for, it is rather the result of sin.

At this point, there is one additional emotion that generally follows, regret.

Regret, over what could have been often accompanies realization (20-22).

Regret is something that we have all felt and I think we see regret happening here.

Martha's actions demonstrate regret over what has happened.

Martha, in an act of great respect leaves her house (where she was supposed to be mourning) and goes to meet Jesus (who was culturally obligated to come to meet her at the house).

We need to recognize how much Martha loved and respected Jesus. Martha knew Jesus and honored him greatly. Nobody would have blamed Martha if she stayed home and waited for Jesus to come to her, but Martha loved Jesus too much. Mary remained in the house, and there is nothing wrong with Mary's decision either. I think the point that John is making here is that Martha had a particular love for Jesus. Yet, despite her love, Martha was hurting and her words show that hurt.

Martha's words to Jesus reveal a level of regret and frustration. (the conditional statement and speech act theory suggest more than a statement of great faith but an implicit rebuke)

Some have viewed Martha's words as an act of great faith. I do think her words reveal a level of faith and a level of understanding that Jesus had access to the power of God. However, I think her words also reveal frustration and regret.

In fact, the feeling of frustration and regret is something that I propose is natural for each of us.

When we understand the seriousness of sin, we should feel regret!

Several reasons for regret stand out to me.

Sin brings death and separation from God. That is regrettable.

Sin brings life outside of what God intended. That is regrettable.

The problem is that in our expression of regret, I think we often make the object of our regret the wrong object. I will admit, in my own sin I have caught myself asking God "why didn't you stop me!" When we sin we should feel regret but we need to be careful that we do not make God the object of our regret!

The regret we feel over death should be regret at our lack of anticipation of our coming death.

MTR: Ask yourself, "have I properly acknowledged the reality of death?"

Optimism and even general hope hardly solve our looming problem (11:23-24).

Have you ever interacted with someone who does not believe in God, a higher power, or anything like that who tells you something like "it will all work out in the end?" Or what about someone who maybe is a practical atheist but tells you don't worry you will see them again. I want to tell you here and now, those words coming from someone who does not believe in the resurrection of the Bible is giving you a load of garbage. If this is all there is then all that matters is the right now! Thankfully, there is more to come.

There is more to life than this present age (23).

Jesus makes an incredibly profound statement in his words of comfort. Lazarus will rise.

The word again is absent in the Greek, our translator's are trying to clarify an ambiguous statement but sometimes it is best to leave some ambiguity.

Many have described the words of Jesus here as a rebuke but I don't think we should take it that way rather Jesus is setting up Martha for significant learning!

Jesus here seems to be making the point that there is much more that Martha has to look forward to. Of course Jesus knows what he will do shortly but right now his point is that death is not the end! As we will see Martha catches at least some of the point but based on her response, I think it is fair to say that a simple general hope was not a significant comfort for Martha.

We want more assurance than a mere general hope for the future provides (24).

Martha's response reveals a general understanding of the Jewish belief that there would be a resurrection at the end of human history.

This was a debate among Pharisees and Sadducees regarding whether an individual would be resurrected or cease to exist.

Essentially, they argued that the Pentateuch does not definitively prove a resurrection but rather you need later Judaic writings.

In the text there is a sort of underlying tone of dissatisfaction that Martha has and I can relate

I mean it, I want more than just a statement that it will all work out. A future where it all works out is the same future that everyone else can promise me. I will tell you, I want more than just a general hope.

MTR: Evaluate your future hope. Do you have something specific to which you can look forward?

The real solution is specific knowledge of the one who has defeated death (11:25-26).

I love how Jesus responds to Martha. "I am the resurrection and the life!" Wow, that is something else. Let's look at the claim.

The twofold claim of Jesus promises not just resurrection, but life (25a).

First we need to understand the significance of the ἐγώ εἰμι within the statement.

This is the fifth of seven ἐγώ εἰμι statements in John. Jesus does not merely provide resurrection, he is resurrection!

Also we see an important connection, resurrection is generally future, life is generally present. Jesus is both our future hope and our present reality.

But by connecting them together we learn something, the future resurrection is important in the present life, and the present life is important in the future resurrection.

What was a future hope (resurrection) is a present reality.

What is a present reality (life) is a future hope.

Why does this matter? Because our hope of resurrection is not a hope to just sit on a cloud and play the harp. Our hope is to enter into life the way it was meant to be lived. I used to worry that I would be bored in heaven. I don't worry about that now because I realize that what I enjoy now in what is called life is just a shadow of what awaits me in the end.

If you are dealing with loss, death, sorrow please understand that what Jesus has said is amazing. The one who knows Christ will never die spiritually and so death is simply moving from a shadow of life into the real thing!

So, how do we get this?

The conditions laid out by Jesus are measurable and specific (25b).

Image: I need it spelled out.

Have you ever had a discussion with your spouse and realized that you the problem was you didn't spell it out for them. Seriously, how many times does an argument come out of the simple fact that you can't read each other's mind.

Jesus gives a very specific and measurable condition: believe in me.

You might ask, what does it mean to believe in Jesus?

Well that is what John has been doing throughout the entire book and so we can answer that question.

Believe that Jesus is God (John 1:1)

Believe that Jesus was sent by God to save the world (John 3:16)

Believe that Jesus lived a perfect sinless life (John 19:4)

Believe that Jesus died on the cross so save mankind from sin (John 12:32)

Believe that Jesus rose from the dead (John 20)

Believe the Jesus is coming again (John 21:22-23)

The result laid out by Jesus is the solution to our problem (25c-26).

Jesus notes that even though people die, they will have life in him.

Jesus notes that those who believe in him will not taste spiritual death.

Spiritual death is separation from God.

So our faith does not grant us immortality, instead it grants us freedom from the power of death.

Think about this reality, everyone serves something. You either are a slave to death or you can be a slave to Christ!

Recall that Martha had argued that if only Jesus had been present Lazarus would not have died. She viewed Jesus as a divine steward. What Jesus is arguing here is that

Jesus is not mere divine Steward dispensing divine favor, Jesus is God himself master over life and death.

The physical presence of Jesus was not the issue, the position of Jesus was important.

Jesus concludes with a simple question, "do you believe in this?"

MTR: Place your complete hope and confidence in Jesus.

Conclusion: The end of the story

We already read the end of the story so you know what happens. Jesus actually raises Lazarus from the dead. Jesus proceeds to prove that he has complete authority over both life and death. At Easter we tend to celebrate Christ's resurrection but I don't want us to miss the significance of the resurrection.

The resurrection is proof that Christ is Lord of life and death.

1 Cor. 15:20 states "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep."

The resurrection means we are no longer slaves to death!

1. ↑ Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 354.
2. ↑ John Frederick Wilson Honorary Research Fellow. “Death and Dying: How Different Cultures Deal with Grief and Mourning.” The Conversation, February 8, 2023. https://theconversation.com/death-and-dying-how-different-cultures-deal-with-grief-and-mourning-197299.