"And Jesus Cried With a Loud Voice "Lazarus Come Forth" John:11:43
The ancient Season of Lent,
which has come down through the ages and covers several weeks, teaches us
powerful lessons.
The Season of Lent began during
the Post Apostolic period of the Early Church. In the early years the Christian
Church generally held the Sacrament of Baptism once a year on Easter Sunday.
All those who had come to believe in Jesus would be instructed to take a 40 day
period of time and consider, through prayer , and the reading of the Scriptures
were , how their lives were to changes in light of who Jesus Christ is and all
that he had accomplished on their behalf. This 40 day period became what
we now call the Season of Lent.
Martha and Mary the sisters of the
Lazarus had appealed to their friend, teacher and Lord, Jesus to come to their
home in the village of Bethany near the holy city of Jerusalem, for their
bother, and friend of Jesus had become deathly sick and they feared near death.
For
God’s Glory
The two sisters send word to Jesus
regarding their brother’s condition asking him to come and help, the sisters
knew that Jesus could resolve the situation
St. John in his Gospel records.
“So
the sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick”
Jhn: 11:3.
But upon receiving the message from
the two sisters, rather than responding as they had hoped instead Jesus
seemingly does nothing and tells his Disciples that his friend Lazarus’
sickness has a divine purpose.
“But
when Jesus heard this he said “This sickness is not to end in death, but for
the glory of God, so that the Son of Man maybe glorified” (4)
Jesus paradoxically stays and
ministers where he was for two days longer even knowing that his friend Lazarus
was sick.
“So
when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus then stayed two more days longer
in the place where he was”(6)
Jesus then plans out their ministry
schedule and travel plans, and surprising his Disciples by telling them that
they would go into Judea in spite to the opposition of the religious
establishment and the plots which they had against him, yet Jesus is focused on
his mission of proclaiming the Word of God to the people of the towns and
villages of the area.
Lazarus
is Dead
As Jesus and his Disciples preach
throughout the region of Judea he makes a cryptic announcement to his Disciples
meaning of which is not at first clear to them.
“Our
friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I must go and awaken him out of sleep” (11)
The Disciples misunderstanding Jesus'
reply.
“Lord if he has fallen asleep, he
will recover” (12)
But Jesus seeing their
misunderstanding his statement regarding Lazarus gently but plainly explains
his meaning.
“Lazarus is dead” (14b)
Lazarus has already been entombed four
days when Jesus arrives in the area of Bethany. Many friends had come and were
trying to comfort the sisters, Martha and Mary, during their grief and mourning
over the loss of their brother.
It is then, that word reaches the
sisters that Jesus has come but has stopped just outside of Bethany, prompting
Martha to go to their friend and teacher Jesus and speaks to him about her
grief produced by the disappointment with him and that Jesus did come to their
assistance when he was first called to do so, yet even then, Martha affirms her
faith that even now, seemingly when it is too late that Jesus has the power to
act on her and her brother’s behalf.
“Lord
if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (21)
At first, there appears to be a hint
of anger springing from Martha’s profound grief at her loss. Even in the midst
of her loss, Martha expresses the assertion which speaks of her strained faith
in her Lord’s ability to, even now, enter the situation and aid her and her
sister Mary, even though from all human vantage points it appears to be too
late and beyond hope.
Even
Now
“Even
now, I know that whatsoever you ask God, God will give it” (22)
Martha may not grasp the full
understanding of who Jesus is, but she seems to understand that Jesus can act
and bring to bear God’s divine assistance, even when all hope seems lost and
there appears to be no answer, her brother is dead, but Jesus is there.
Even as it looks as if all hope is
lost, Jesus is there, even though he has tarried outside Bethany. Jesus understand the depth of his
friend’s grief and sorrow and perceives the anguish in her soul and speaks
words of assurance to her.
“Your
brother will rise again” (23)
Martha responds, but for the moment,
does not realizing the full meaning of his words. It is also evident that
Martha does not see that Jesus’ answer can be in her present, she sees his aid
only coming beyond this current life, and that some things cannot be answered
in the present, she sees the problem as unanswerable.
“I
know that he will arise in the resurrection on the last day” (24)
I Am
the Resurrection
Jesus then gives Martha, and all of
us the assurances of his ability to bring to bear God’s divine assistances
regardless of how hopeless the situation seems from our human vantage point.
“I am
the resurrection and the life” (25a)
Jesus makes this divine assertion to Marsha
and to we all, that he is the “the Resurrection” even before his own
glorious resurrection from the dead. This tells us, that “the resurrection” is
not an event, but rather is the person of Jesus Christ himself.
What Jesus is telling Martha, and
again, we all, is that he is the answer to any and all our lives hardship and
difficulties, even if things seems to beyond hope, that is dead and entomb
behind a great stone.
Martha, in spite Jesus’ delayed
response to their call for help, and as he proceeds into Judea with a ministry
schedule, and when his friend Lazarus has died,
then and only then only arrives
when it appears that all hope is lost, and then, when Jesus does arrive, he
stops again , and is outside of Bethany. Yet, regardless of Jesus’ apparent delay,
Martha still affirms that she knows that Jesus is one sent by Almighty God.
“you
are the Christ” (27a)
Martha is saying more than she might
understand. Whether she understand it or not what Martha is saying is “you are
the answer to any and all problems which I face, even when the situation seems
to beyond hope.
Calling
for Mary
Martha then departs and returns to
her home and tells her sister Mary that Jesus is calling for her. Mary goes to
meet Jesus who is still just outside of Bethany and there she finds him
awaiting for her.
“she
got up quickly” (31c)
Mary finds Jesus waiting for her in
the same location as did her sister Martha. Mary Jesus falls at his feet and
expresses her loss and disappointment with Jesus that he, rather answering
their cry for help, he went and ministered to others and delayed coming until
after it was too late, after Lazarus had died and was now entomb, and when
Jesus finally arrived in the area he did not even come to the tomb of her
brother but stopped just outside of the village of Bethany.
“When
Mary cane to where Jesus was, she saw him and fell at his feet, saying to him
“Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died”. (32)
Jesus
is Deeply Moved
Jesus is deeply moved to tears by
Mary and those who mourned with her, he truly feels their individual and
collective loss, asked Mary to show him the resting place of his friend.
“Jesus
was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled and asked “Where have you
laid him?” Jesus wept” (33b-35)
Mary and the other mourners see that
even Jesus is moved by the loss of her brother she takes Jesus to the tomb.
Some who were present with Mary wondered out loud, if Jesus who had displayed
such power could not have done something and prevented Lazarus’ death? They
believe that it is too late, there is nothing that can be done that Lazarus is
dead.
Lazarus
Come Forth
When Jesus, Mary and the mourners,
arrive at the tomb of Lazarus and sees that a stone was placed over the
entrance. At Jesus’ command the stone is removed, which causes Martha to
momentarily to protest that her bother has now been dead four days and the stench
will be considerable.
Jesus assures them that they, this
day would witness the “glory of God”. Jesus than offers a prayer to his Heavenly
Father expressing his perfect faith that God would hear and answer, so that all
gathered around would come to believe that Jesus was sent by God.
Jesus then demonstrates that it is
never too late for him to enter into this, or any situation, and bring an
answer which will cause his Heavenly Father to be glorified, as he calls out to
his dead friend to come forth out of the grip of death and grave and hopelessness.
“Lazarus
come forth” (41c)
To the astonishment of all who were gathered
to mourn Lazarus emerges from the tomb alive and whole still was dressed in
grave clothes.
“Then
Lazarus came forth, still bound up in his grave clothes, and Jesus said to
them, “unbind him and let him go”. And many of the Jews who had come with Mary
saw what Jesus had had done and believed in him” (44-45)
The
Lesson for Us
What is the lesson for us Christians?
Just as the two sisters sent word to
Jesus calling upon him to come and bring to bear the power of God and aid them
in their time of need and crisis. Jesus, rather than coming to help them seems
not to respond , but instead went and ministered to others, and it is only
after their brother Lazarus had died and the situation passed into hopelessness
that Jesus came, and then he does not enter Bethany, but lingers on the outside
of the village , and only after the grieving sisters each have a grief and disappointment
filled conversation with him that does
Jesus come to the tomb itself , when it seems there is nothing that even Jesus
can do and all is lost. It is then amidst their profound loss that Jesus calls
his dead friend forth out of death giving Lazarus life and restores him to the sisters.
There are times in our lives when we
all, like Mary and Martha, face challenges and situations which are very
difficult and grievous, which seem beyond
hope, which have reached the point of being dead, and like Lazarus now stink . In these times we call out to our Lord Jesus
for his divine assistance, but from our earthy vantage point Jesus seems not to
respond to our cry for help, but rather, he and ministers to others, and when
he does draw near he stops just outside the Bethany of our lives and lingers
for a time.
In Jesus’ apparent nonresponse to
our cry for help, the situation passes into death, that is, to the point where
nothing seems to be able to be done, to give life to the situation, no matter
what it maybe. All seems lost. It stinks and is bound in grave clothes and we
find ourselves disappointed with Jesus not answering our cries for help.
When we face such moments in our
lives we need to recall the words of Jesus as he tarried just outside of
Bethany.
“I
Am the Resurrection”, Jesus is telling us all that he is the answer to any
and all of problems. Even when he apparently delays in responding to us and allows our situation to pass into death and
beyond hope and is now dead and in the tomb, even while he ministers to others,
Jesus can when it is seems too late , come and bring life to any dead situation.
That there is nothing to which Jesus
cannot enter into and call to life, that is, he can resurrect any situation regardless
of how dead it might be. Jesus can call it forth out of death removing the
grave clothes in which it has been wrapped and giving life to it.
Jesus is “the Resurrection”, that is, he is the answer to any and all of our
lives challenges, even when they pass into to death and seems hopeless to us.
Jesus speaks to all of us telling us that he "the Resurrection".
Jesus speaks to all of us telling us that he "the Resurrection".
Jesus can call forth to life any situation which
has been placed in the tomb of death and bring life ones again, Jesus is “the
Resurrection”, this is a lesson of the Season of Lent.
Benediction: May we each and
all trust in Jesus that he will restore life to all of our dead situations, all
for his glory, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion 2101 Old National Pike. Washington, Pennsylvania, 15301
The Fountain of Life is heard on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com
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