Last Sunday, we gathered together and looked at the account of the death of Lazarus. We saw that Lazarus, along with his sisters, Mary and Martha, were friends of Jesus. The sisters had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was ill and would soon pass away. Instead of rushing to his side and to his rescue, Jesus and his disciples waited two days before going to him. If you recall, Jesus’ waiting was done for a couple of reasons. The first reason is so that the Son of God might be glorified through the work that was to come. The second reason is so that the disciples will believe and their faith will be strengthened. We saw last week that by the time Jesus arrives, that Lazarus has been dead for four days and that his body is already in the tomb. Remember that it was thought that once a person had been dead for four days, then they were beyond all hope of ever rising up again. With the stage set as it is and our understanding what the mindset would have been of those around Jesus, we can now begin to fully understand and comprehend the magnitude of what takes place in our text for today.
We ended last week with Martha telling Jesus that she still believed in him, she still believed him to be the Christ. After she had told Jesus these words, she went to get her sister, Mary, who was still in their home being comforted by those who had come to offer their condolences. Martha tells Mary, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” We’re told that Mary almost immediately gets up and runs out of her house in search of Jesus. Now, the people who have gathered around her are a little confused and figure that she is going to mourn at Lazarus’ tomb, so they follow her thinking that she will need even greater support once she looks upon the final resting place of her beloved brother.
As Mary arrives at Jesus we see that she falls down at his feet and says something very similar to what Martha, her sister, said to Jesus the first time she saw him follow Lazarus’ death. Mary tells Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Now, much like the words of Martha last week, I do not think that Mary’s words here are a rebuke of Jesus. I take them as a frustration and quite honestly, a statement of fact as far as Mary is concerned. She is completely convinced that had Jesus arrived sooner, then Lazarus would still be alive.
Jesus sees Mary weeping. He also sees that those who have followed her to Lazarus’ tomb are weeping as well. We’re told that this sight causes Jesus to be “deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” Some of your translations may even say that he became angry. I want to clarify something here about Jesus’ being troubled or angry. You see, there are some biblical scholars who have interpreted these words to mean that Jesus was angry with those around him weeping because it makes it seems as if they doubt that he has the power to “fix” the situation. I see it in a completely different manner. I see it as Jesus being angry at death itself, the ultimate enemy, one that he himself will come in direct conflict with only a few days later. My grandmother has been dealing with Alzheimer’s for nearly five years now. Each and every time I’m in Meridian and go and visit her I can see the effects of this horrible disease consuming her more and more. After almost every visit, I sit in my truck for just a moment and I think to myself, “I hate this disease. I hate what it does to people. It just makes me so angry that someone should have to go through this.” You see, I don’t hate my grandmother for having this disease, but I hate the effects of this enemy, just as Jesus became angry here with the effects of the ultimate enemy that is death and hated it so.
Jesus then has them show him where Lazarus is laid and we’re told that he wept upon seeing the tomb. Verse 39 is well-known for being the shortest verse in all of Scripture, but it is also possibly the most profound in terms of teaching us of Jesus’ humanity. Here is Jesus, knowing exactly what he is about to do in raising Lazarus from the dead, and yet he still weeps and mourns over the loss of a dear friend. As Romans 12:15 tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep,” and that is exactly what Jesus is doing. He wept alongside those who were unaware as to what was about to occur. That is one of the many great things about the Christian faith; we have a God who understands what it is like to be human with all of our frailties and emotions. Jesus, the Son, God Himself, wept alongside these people over the loss of Lazarus.
Jesus tells them to take away the stone. Martha, who mind you had just stated that she still believes in Jesus, speaks up to stop him and seems to be reminding him that it is too late and that there is nothing that he can do. What a far cry she has come from simply answering yes when asked if she still believed. Jesus says to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” In essence, he is reminding her of those very words that she had just spoken. The stone is moved and Jesus turns his face toward heaven and says to God, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” Jesus is seemingly saying to God, “Father, you and I have already had this conversation. I know that you have heard me already. I do not have to tell you what I want for you already know what is to be done. You have given me the power and authority to raise this man from the dead and I have assurance that you will listen to my request. I know this, but I say all of these things aloud so that those around me may hear and that they may glorify you and believe in you.”
Jesus shouts into the cave, “Lazarus, come out.” Notice, there’s no ceremony, no ritual, no traditional action being performed here. Jesus simply tells this lifeless body to rise up and come out of the tomb. Immediately, life is restored to this man. His heart begins to beat again, his neurons begin to fire once more, and his rotting flesh that in other accounts we are told “stinks” or “stinketh” is restored anew. We’re not talking about something that resembles a zombie from a Vincent Price movie here. We are talking about being completely restored to life. The man known as Lazarus is alive and well once more. He comes walking out of the tomb, “his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.” Can you imagine what must have been going through the minds of those in attendance? Imagine the disciples. Imagine the Jews who were just there to console Mary and Martha. Imagine Mary and Martha. I’m sure that many of those around this tomb stood paralyzed in disbelief over what they had just witnessed. I’m sure that there were folks wiping their eyes, slapping their faces, and pinching themselves to make sure that this was actually happening.
This may have been the greatest of all Jesus’ miracles during his earthly ministry. This was the climax to all the other signs that he had done thus far to point to who he really was. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is a glorious picture of what Jesus has done not only for Lazarus, but for us. You see, we were dead too. We were, as Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Ephesus, “dead in our trespasses and sins.” Jesus, the resurrection and the life, has raised us up from spiritual death. He has raised us up and made us alive together with Himself. We should stand in awe, just as we do this day, of such love and power. We should fall to our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is the life-giving Savior and worthy of all glory. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment