Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Perhaps you have heard someone say something like, ‘when a person dies he or she only lives on in other’s memories, or in their achievements’?

But is that all we can say?

Not according to Jesus, as we heard in today’s reading from John. Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Having made this great claim and wonderful promise, Jesus then proceeded to call a man back to life who had been dead for four days!

This miracle was a sign of the truth of Jesus’ claim and promise. This miracle is one of a number John writes about in his gospel.

Other great miracles include -

the changing of water into wine at a wedding,

the healing of a man born blind,

and the feeding of a multitude from a few loaves and fish.

This miracle of the raising of Lazarus is the 7th of 7 great miracles that John writes about. And there is a climax to them all - Jesus’ own resurrection, which John writes about in some detail at the end of his gospel.

John has a favourite word for these miracles, and it is “sign”. Indeed he says at the end of his gospel, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples (notice that - they were eye-witnesses. Eye-witness evidence is still valid in a court for determining whether or not something really happened), which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”

“Signs” - the miracles of Jesus have spiritual significance and point to Jesus - who he is and what he can do for us.

This miracle of the raising of Lazarus was a sign of Jesus’ claim and promise so let’s hear it again.

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Now there was a man whose name was “Lazarus”. Apparently “Lazarus” means “Lover of God”.

He had two sisters, Mary and Martha, and when he fell gravely ill, they sent to Jesus, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

It’s a good thing to tell Jesus when a loved one is ill. These sisters didn’t tell Jesus what to do, but they knew Jesus loved their brother, and they trusted Jesus to do what he thought best. We too can leave our worries with the Lord with trust in his love.

“he whom you love is ill.”

Christians, like anyone else, might fall ill, and it doesn’t mean God or Jesus has stopped loving them.

Jesus’ response was, “This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it.”

Death, for Lazarus was not going to be the final outcome of his illness; rather, the final outcome would be for the glory of God, “so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it.”

God can use even this illness and dying of Lazarus to bring glory to himself and to his Son God can still use circumstances in our lives, welcome or unwelcome, to glorify himself and his Son.

The Westminster Confession of faith states, ‘The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever’.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, strengthens us by teaching, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”

God is always at work for good in our lives. You may have seen one of those ‘men at work’ signs on the road, and sometimes as you pass, lo, they are having a cuppa! It’s not like that with God - he neither slumbers, nor sleeps - he is at work -

“in everything, for good.”

When Jesus heard about Lazarus, did he quickly catch a camel and get there as fast as he could? Strangely, no. He deliberately stayed where he was for 2 days. No doubt Jesus was listening to his Father’s directions. As a result Lazarus died - but also, as a result, Jesus made a great claim and wonderful promise - which we have heard - and then demonstrated the truth of that in a great miracle or sign.

Jesus knows when to act. Psalm 31 tells us “My times are in your hands “. Was the pain of the few - Lazarus and his sisters, - permitted, for the comfort of the many, including ourselves, who take great comfort in “I am the resurrection and the life” ?

Then Jesus told his disciples he was going to Lazarus. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep.”

“Fallen asleep”. - that’s not to evade the fact of death, but rather tells us that Jesus regards death as like someone falling asleep, and he will wake him up.

When Christians die they look like they are asleep - asleep in their body, yes, but “at home with the Lord”, “with Christ, which is far better”.

“Far better” Paul says, in one of his letters.

This tells me that we will be conscious of being with Jesus. If we were unconscious, I can’t see how that could be “far better”. Paul was hardly likely to “desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,” if it meant ceasing to be conscious of their relationship.

It has been said, the phrase “ fallen asleep” is a euphemism for the moment of death, based on the appearance of the body when the spirit has departed from it.

Do you recall Christ’s words to the dying but repentant, believing thief, on the cross next to him?

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Jesus’ words tell us that he and this man would be together later that same day - free from their painful and humiliating situation. Jesus’ promise to this man surely implies that they would both be fully conscious and able to communicate with each other.

What real comfort could there possibly be in a shared coma?

This repentant, believing, thief dying on a cross next to Jesus had begun a personal relationship of trust in the Lord Jesus, which would not be terminated by his death.

This too, is at the heart of our hope.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul encourages us by writing , “We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, plainly, “Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.”

How could it help the disciples that Jesus didn’t go immediately to Lazarus?

“so that you may believe”, he says.

Their faith is what is so important to Jesus. He wanted to grow it, stretch it. And he wants to grow ours too. He wants us to go on believing. That’s why John included these signs in his gospel; he says, “that you may go on believing.”

Believing what? “That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”

A man once said to me, ‘I don’t care if Jesus is the Son of God.’ How sad!

John, in his first letter tells us, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.”

Martha meets Jesus and says “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

That’s strong faith!

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Jesus meant he would raise her brother from the dead, but Martha thought Jesus meant Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Then Jesus makes his great claim -

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

“I am” - Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Jesus is “the resurrection”, and so “those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.”

And Jesus is “the life,” and so “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

And so, those who die believing in Jesus, will live again; and those who live believing in Jesus, will never die - never be separated from the love of God.

Then Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” “This” - not just a general belief, but a specific belief - in Jesus and his claim and promise.

“Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

That’s a Christian belief, that’s a belief in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

Then we read that Jesus was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” when he saw Mary and others weeping.

The prophet Isaiah had foretold that he would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. The letter to the Hebrews says, “We have not a high priest who is unable to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”

Then Jesus himself “wept”. “So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’. “Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb…..”

One day, God promises he will wipe away all tears from our eyes, and that “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore.”

“Take away the stone” Jesus says. But Martha says, “Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days.”

That sounds like a realistic statement. But the gospel we believe in doesn’t stop at realistic statements! Jesus is Lord, and although people might say ‘when your dead, your dead’,

they don’t reckon with the power of Jesus.

Now Martha had faith - we’ve seen that in her statement of belief about Jesus - but at this point her faith faltered somewhat. But Jesus doesn’t turn us away if our faith falters somewhat because of our distressing circumstances or situation.

He said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

He is encouraging her to go on believing in him and she would see the glory of God; believing will lead to her seeing the glory of God.

Jesus then speaks again, but this time firstly to his Father in heaven, and then to Lazarus.

“Father, I thank you that you have heard me….I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that you did send me.”

That’s what Jesus wanted - that people believe the Father had sent him.

John earlier in this gospel told us “God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned.”

Jesus then spoke to Lazarus, “Lazarus, come out!”

Jesus called Lazarus’ departed spirit back!

Earlier in John’s gospel Jesus had said about himself, “the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth….”

Such is the authority and power of the Son of God.

In the Old Testament, a man call Job asked, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” - that is, will he, as a person live again? We have heard the definitive answer to this in Jesus’ great claim and wonderful promise, endorsed by his raising of Lazarus; and then supremely by his own resurrection!

Series: John

Topics: #John