Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Mar 3

3 March 2020

Text: John 11:17-37

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

In the lead-up to the resurrection of Lazarus, the actions conversations are interesting.  Everyone in Bethany is unknowingly on the verge of not just an inexplicable miracle, but also the return of their friend and relative Lazarus, whom they put in the tomb four days ago.  Of course, they are happy to see Jesus, but they would rather that He had come while Lazarus was still alive.  Maybe they even heard from the disciples how Jesus had deliberately delayed coming when Lazarus was critically ill.

We can only imagine the confusion swirling about their minds.

Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha, react differently when they heard that Jesus was coming.  Martha “went and met Him, but Mary remained seated in the house.”  Martha said to Jesus: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”  There may be a bit of bitterness, or at least regret, in her voice, as she ponders what could have been.  And yet, she still has faith: “But even now,” she says, “But even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give You.” 

She then confesses her faith in the resurrection “on the last day.”  Of course, Jesus is the resurrection, and He is the “Last Day” in the sense that He is the fullness of time, the fulfillment of all prophecy, the Alpha and the Omega.  And she confesses Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of God.” 

Upon prompting from Martha, Mary also comes to see Jesus.

Of course, everyone is still mourning.  The weeping even overcomes Jesus, and He joins them in their sorrow.  Even though He has come to conquer death, even though He is on the verge of raising Lazarus from the dead – death is still horrific and sorrowful, the pinnacle of the destruction of sin and the devastation wrought by our fall into temptation.

And finally, there is mockery: “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” someone blurts out.

These are all real, raw, and honest reactions to death: a mixture of sadness, anger, disbelief, and faith that hangs in there even if by a thread.  We too react this way when confronted by death.  Our faith may be shaken.  Our sorrow may seem overwhelming.  But over it all stands Jesus, who weeps with us, but who calls the believers out by name on the last day, reuniting all of us in a glorious life that will have no end.  Let us all see ourselves not only in Mary and Martha and in the mourners, but also in Lazarus, for whom death was but a temporary annoyance.  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.