Tears for Lazarus(?)
Countdown to the Cross • Sermon • Submitted
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Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she 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. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “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.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Countdown to the Cross
Easter is just a few weeks away.
In order to really grasp the fullness of what Jesus did , I think we need to look at events leading to up to Christ’s resurrection.
Next week is Palm Sunday.
The following Thursday is the celebration of the first Lord’s Supper.
That leads to Good Friday.
Which takes us to Easter.
Today, I want us to look at an event that happened as Jesus was preparing to go to Jerusalem for Passover—and his death.
Lazarus is Sick
When we first hear of Lazarus in John 11, we learn that he is the brother of Mary and Martha.
We know that they were friends of Jesus, because he came to their house before.
But apparently the first time he met the family was when Mary came to a pharisee’s house to wash Jesus’s feet with her tears and anoint them with oil.
She was described as a sinful woman, and the pharisee was outraged that such a woman would think of touching a righteous man like Jesus.
But Jesus recognized that she was repenting of her sins, and he forgave her.
From that moment on, Mary and her siblings were devoted to Jesus.
Now, we find out that Mary’s brother Lazarus is very ill, and the sisters immediately send word to Jesus.
The scripture clearly states that Jesus loves this family; still he decides to wait a few more days before going to visit them in Bethany.
Then he finally starts his journey, already knowing that Lazarus has died.
Dangerous Territory
As Jesus is traveling to Bethany, it is significant that this town is basically a suburb or Jerusalem.
Jesus had already been in the area recently, and the religious leaders had tried to stone him to death.
His apostles could not understand why Jesus would go back to that area and risk his life just to visit a sick friend.
They had no idea that this visit was just a stop on the way to Jerusalem for Passover.
Arriving at the Tomb
As Jesus gets closer to Lazarus’ tomb, Mary and Martha get word.
Martha goes out first.
Then Mary comes.
Everyone who comes to Jesus at this point begin saying, “If only you had gotten here sooner, Lazarus wouldn’t have died.”
They were all hurt and confused as to why Jesus didn’t get there on time to heal Lazarus.
Jesus Weeps
It is at this moment, when everyone is crying around him, that Jesus goes the rest of the way to the tomb.
As he sees the tomb, with the stone sealing the front, Jesus begins to weep.
Everyone assumes it is because he is mourning the loss of Lazarus.
But I can’t help but feel that, looking at this tomb, Jesus was reminded of where he was going to be within just one week.
From the moment he was born on this earth, Jesus was aware of why he was sent.
He knew that his whole purpose for being here was to suffer and die a horrible death on the cross.
And there was a part of him that didn’t want to do it.
And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
But more than his apprehension of his suffering, Jesus was moved by the suffering of those around him.
He saw the misery of Mary, Martha, and all the mourners, and he was moved.
In the same way, Jesus saw how lost we all are, and that our only hope of salvation was through him.
So Jesus did what he always does; he reached out.
Jesus called out to Lazarus, and raised him from the dead.
This move created a stir that made the religious leaders even more determined to kill Jesus.
Then Jesus resumed his journey back into Jerusalem into the final days leading to the fulfillment of why he came to earth in the first place.
Keeping the Focus
As we look at this story, it’s important to note that Jesus never lost focus of why he was here.
Ultimately, he came to save us from our sins through his death on the cross.
But he also came to heal the hurting, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead.
Jesus was willing to go to the place where he was most hated to help those whom he loved.
He was willing to do something that would be controversial and make him even more hated because it was the right thing to do.
In this time when we are being asked to stay inside and maintain “social distance,” it is imperative that we don’t forget who we are and what we are called to do.
Yes, we need to use wisdom so that we don’t risk spreading a potentially fatal illness to others.
But at the same time, we must continue to show compassion to those who are being affected.
Some people are losing their jobs during this time.
Others are struggling in different ways.
Some are just overwhelmed with fear.
We have to put our trust in Jesus and find ways to serve those around us.
More than ever, this is the time for us to step up in this community as the body of Christ.
Let’s be his hands and feet, bringing help to the helpless.
Let’s be his eyes, seeking out the ones who would otherwise be overlooked.
Let’s be his heart, showing love and compassion to the ones who are overwhelmed by all of this craziness.
I can tell you this: I don’t want to get sick, and I will not do anything that will increase the risk of sickness for others, but I will not let my fear of getting sick or even dying prevent me from doing what the Holy Spirit calls me to do.
If through my life or through my death I can lead others to Christ, I embrace this call and look forward to finding myself in my Savior’s arms.
So I leave you with this
Be wise
Be cautious
But keep your focus on the Lord. Trust him that if he asks you do something, he will take care of you through it.