When reading a passage like John chapter 11, we are confronted with both the reality of death, its pain,
but also the hope of being raised from the dead again.
It can be a very difficult narrative to process for us.
For most of us, we're used to the narrative of the world.
We engage with the world each and every single day,
and we hear that there is no hope in the face of death when looking at the world and how the world views death.
Because the world finds this kind of narrative in John 11 quite foreign, quite different.
Death is something that can't be stopped.
It can't be explained.
It brings the wonderful gift of life to an end.
And this is a narrative that our world is so used to seeing and hearing each and every day.
But for them, for our world, it's too much to grasp.
It's too much to handle.
For a narrative without hope, a narrative that just ends, is not one we want to pay any attention to at all.
Instead of acknowledging death as something we should talk about, we redirect our focus.
We focus on something else.
We focus on any other narrative that gives life or exemplifies life.
And every product we buy, every service we use, every policy that we might have,
plays on its underlying theme of life in its narrative.
Everything from beauty products that use every single life-giving adjective in the book to sell its product,
to superannuation policies that guarantee you a secure retirement so you can go and live your life the way they want.
They, all at the heart of it, are trying to sell you life, trying to get you to focus in on life.
And we're in a world where now eating healthy, going to the gym, in our active wear is considered cool
because of the benefits to your health and to the quality of your life.
We're always hearing about the new power foods such as the cyborgs and the almighty kale,
foods that are supposed to give us all we need to live a vibrant and healthy life now in the present.
The narrative we are constantly engaged with each and every day,
a version of life and life abundantly with no end at all in sight.
We never hear about death in our world.
No one ever talks about death in the services, the products or the policies that we take.
No one wants to talk about the reality of death in our life.
Our world would rather live in a fantasy world where death is not even a thing.
But whilst we might be able to put off death for some time,
death has a way of catching up to us and confronting us when we least expect it.
You could be healthy for a very long time in your life.
And then one morning you wake up with sharp pains in your chest.
Your blood pressure is through the roof.
And you need to call an ambulance to come pick you up, unaware of what's going to happen next.
You could wake up one morning with a headache to find out a week later you've developed a brain tumour.
You could be driving up the coast on your way to the holiday you've been looking forward to for a very long time.
And one moment you're driving, everything is fine.
And the next moment you're waking up in hospital, you can't fit your legs,
the doctor tells you you have damaged your spine, and you won't be able to walk again.
The signs of death painfully pull us back into reality, out of our fantasy world,
and places us in this reality where we have to deal with death in front of us.
Recapturing our focus.
Uninvitingly putting death on the table again is something we have to deal with.
Something we have to talk about.
And so what then?
What do you do when you are confronted with death?
Our world is so ill-equipped to deal with the real narrative of life,
that we live and that we die.
That death is real and something that we must face.
But in John chapter 11, the narrative is a bit different.
Here we see Jesus and his disciples confronted with death.
News has come to them that their friend Lazarus has fallen ill.
And before they even arrive in Bethany, Jesus pronounces to them in verse 16 that they are dead, that he is dead.
However, he ends his sentence by saying to them, let us go to him.
Which begs the question, what is going to happen when Jesus arrives on the scene?
When he is confronted with death, what will he do?
If Jesus is the one who has come to bring life and life to the full, as we see back in chapter 10,
what can we expect will happen when the one who has come to bring life is confronted with death?
The story of Lazarus is written for a world that is confounded by death.
When we struggle to know how to respond to death, we must look to Jesus who shows us how.
So looking at Jesus' example here in John chapter 11, there are a few things we can see.
Firstly, we see that we must acknowledge that death is a destructive and painful and unnatural force in our world.
Death not only takes away our opportunity to enjoy life in this world, but it also takes away life in community.
Death will always come in between and end all of our relationships, even our deepest and most closest ones.
In excess was wrong.
Nothing will tear us apart.
Wrong.
No.
Death will tear us apart, and death has been tearing us apart for a very long time now.
Again, a song like that appeals to us, doesn't it?
A world in which we will always live together forever.
Jesus' own response says it all.
Verse 35, the shortest verse in all the Bible captures the grief that Jesus was in when he was face-to-face confronted with death.
It says,
At a distance, back up north, Jesus was able to keep his emotions in check, simply to say that Lazarus is dead.
But when he is face-to-face with the grief and the pain, the sadness of death, he can't help but feel the sharp pain that it brings.
One of the reasons why it's so often easy for us to ignore death in our life is because we rarely are confronted with it.
And I'll admit, as someone who is pretty young, I've rarely confronted death in my own life.
We see it only far away in the news, in statistics, articles, in TV shows and movies, in places where it doesn't seem quite real to us,
where we don't feel the gravity of what's going on.
But rarely do we see it face-to-face.
And so when we do see it face-to-face, the grief, the pain of death can be overwhelming.
We have been so used to the narrative of life and life abundantly that our world projects on us
that when the reality of death strikes us, it confounds us.
How do we respond?
What do we do?
But Jesus' response here is quite interesting.
In verse 33,
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,
he was deeply moved and troubled.
The phrase deeply moved there, I think, is a bit of a soft translation.
The word used here is often used elsewhere in the Bible to describe the angry snorting of war horses.
So if you can imagine a war horse as they anticipate battle, the anger they feel,
as they feel the battle coming, this is Jesus' response.
It's not simply that he is moved, but he is angry.
Angry as he stares down at his enemy, death.
And for what it's doing to the people around him that he loves.
Now the word troubled here intensifies this emotion as well.
The same word for trouble is used back in John chapter 5 with a beggar by the pool of Siloam.
The beggar who wants to be healed in verse 7, he says this,
I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred or troubled.
If you imagine a lake that's entirely still, you're on holiday, you're enjoying the pristine, crystal clear lake.
And all of a sudden, annoying little rat bag kids come up and start skimming rocks across the lake.
And you are annoyed because you're trying to enjoy this lake and the beautiful, pristine nature of it.
But now you are troubled, just as this lake is also just being troubled and disturbed.
That's how Jesus feels right now.
This picture of what is going on for him right now, the death of Lazarus has made him deeply angry within,
to the point that his anger is bubbling up inside of him.
He is not at peace, he is stirred.
The best translation I found was in the message, actually.
And it says this, the anger welled up in him, like a wave coming up.
Why this intense anger?
Because death is not a natural part of life, but an unnatural phenomenon that rules our present age.
He is angry because death stands opposed to God's good order,
and robs the glory of God found in creation, blinding humanity to the goodness and love of God.
We have been blinded if we think death is a natural part of life.
But the thing is, many people do feel it's natural.
Many people think that if eventually all things die,
if we can observe that everything dies in this world,
then it must be natural, it must be normal.
It is repeatable, and I can test it.
It's the way our world functions.
But even those who might believe death is natural
struggle to accept the loss of relationship that we talked about in death.
And you see this all the time at funerals,
when you hear people say,
he hasn't really died,
but he lives on in our hearts and our memories.
She's with the angels now looking down on us.
His spirit will always be with me.
If you remember when Philip Hughes passed away after being struck by a cricket ball,
Michael Clarke gave a very emotional, moving eulogy.
And you could see in his face that he really, really struggled to deal with death,
death of one of his closest friends.
And he said that Philip Hughes' spirit will always be with him when he went out to bat,
trying to somehow make him live on beyond death.
People refuse to accept that the ones they love are gone forever.
Even though our scientific world would say otherwise,
our grief and our pain says something is very wrong and very unnatural about death.
And Jesus' own grief, he testifies to this.
You might be sitting here waiting for me to get to the good bit,
and we will get there, I promise.
But it's so important, you don't miss the reality that we are all under.
If we caricature the reality and power of death,
we will end up caricaturing the power and reality and the hope of the gospel.
If we caricature the reality and power of death,
we will end up caricaturing the power and the hope of the gospel.
As Christians, we do have an answer to suffering and death,
for the one that's facing terminal illness,
when tragedy strikes and goes south for us in our health.
But the worst thing we can do for a brother and a sister,
for a friend who is grieved by the passing of a loved one,
is to not acknowledge the pain of death,
the separation, the loss that is there,
and therefore just jump straight to the good news.
Remember, even though Jesus knew what he was about to do in waking up Lazarus,
he wept.
He felt the pain that death brings.
He mourned.
And so a correct response to death,
indeed, the first response is to grieve.
Indeed, weep.
It's to acknowledge the loss and the separation that happens,
and to mourn that loss.
It's to be angry,
and to acknowledge that this isn't right,
this isn't good,
this isn't natural,
this isn't the way things are supposed to be.
We can't beautify death.
It's not part of the circle of life,
as the Lion King might tell us.
Death is a real and destructive force
in our broken and corrupt world.
But we are not those who grieve and who mourn without hope.
And so secondly,
this passage teaches us to respond to death
by looking forwards to the hope of a future resurrection.
When confronted with death,
the Christian has a profoundly different narrative.
When, whilst there is grief and anger,
there is also hope.
And the basis for this hope
is in the one who is able to call us back to life again.
And so Jesus, stirring with anger,
will not let death have the final word.
With Lazarus,
he asks in verse 34,
Where have you laid him?
When they take him to his body,
he weeps.
Those around him are amazed at his love for him.
But some are confused.
In verse 37,
But some of them said,
Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man
have kept this man from dying?
The power of sin and death
has so influenced
and corrupted the minds of men
that people question the power of God
to bring life,
to bring someone back to life.
This leaves Jesus in verse 38
to again be deeply moved,
to be stirred with anger,
to be warded with anger.
Why?
Because the power of death
has threatened
to rob his authority,
his power,
and his glory.
The power of sin and death
has dictated for far too long
the hearts of men,
causing them to fear,
robbing the worship of man
that belongs to God alone.
And so Jesus no longer allowed us to go on.
He who calls himself the resurrection
and the life,
in verse 25,
will do only what God can do.
And that is raise the dead,
promising that he would do,
as he said in verse 5,
give glory to God.
Verse 41,
Then Jesus looked up and said,
Father, I thank you
that you have heard me.
I knew that you always hear me,
but I said this for the benefit
of the people standing here,
that they may believe that you sent me.
When he said this,
Jesus called in a loud voice,
Lazarus, come out.
The dead man came out,
his hands and feet
wrapped with strips of linen
and a cloth around his face.
Through the power of his word,
Jesus gives life to a man who was dead.
He doesn't invoke some foreign spirit
or a power to raise him,
nor does he mutter an incantation
or a spell to bring him back.
He orders Lazarus to come out,
and the dead man responds.
He hears the call to new life
and responds and comes out.
It's through the command of his word
that he overturns the power of death
that had so taken Lazarus.
And such is the basis for our hope as well.
When confronted with death,
we will be grieved,
we'll be angry.
But facing death well,
it's not trying to explain it away,
it's a natural part of life,
it's not trying to soften its impact
by saying our loved ones
live on in our hearts and minds.
Facing death well
is acknowledging the grief
and the pain that is there,
but knowing full well
that sin and death
have been put unnoticed.
Celebrating the day
when Jesus will call us
out of the grave
to new life.
As he spoke of in John 5,
he says this,
Very truly I tell you,
a time is coming
and has now come
when the dead
will hear the voice
of the Son of God
and those who will hear
will live.
And verse 28,
he says,
Do not be amazed at this,
for a time is coming
when all who are in their graves
will hear his voice
and come out.
Those who have done
what is good
will rise to live
and those who have done
what is evil
will rise to be condemned.
As verse 42 reminds us,
Jesus raised Lazarus
in order that we might believe
that he was sent by God,
that he is the Christ.
It was for this purpose also
that Jesus healed the man
who was born blind
back in chapter 9,
which we looked at two weeks ago.
That he would believe
and respond in worship,
that we too,
as we read,
might also believe
and respond in worship
in the one
who can and will
raise us from the dead.
Although,
we look forward
to a much better
resurrection
than Lazarus.
He was raised mortal,
but will be raised immortal.
He was raised still
under the power
and the reign of sin
and death,
but will be raised
under the reign of Christ
in the kingdom of God.
His resurrected body
still subject to decay,
but our resurrected bodies
will be heavenly
and perfect
and never will decay.
A funeral is different
for a Christian.
No less painful,
it's no less sad.
The loss of a loved one
is very real
and it grieves us.
But we are not
without direction
and hope.
We don't need
to try and explain
death
to make it fit
somehow in our life
and make it make sense.
We can accept
the painful reality
of death.
We can accept
its unnatural
destructive force
because we know
the one who has overcome
the power of death
and we look forward to
and he will not only
call out our loved ones
from the grave,
but us also
to new life.
We anticipate
the day in which
sin and death
will be no more.
It will be rendered
powerless.
It's that hope
we hold to
when confronted
with death
in the present.
A glorious future
for all who trust
and believe in Jesus
that he can raise
them from the dead.
It's a wonderful hope
to hold on to
in a world
that is so afraid
and so scared
of dying.
But this,
it's a hope
that's already begun.
It's a hope
that's already begun
to be realized
in the present.
Because this passage
is not only
what we anticipate
in the future,
but it's also
paradigmatic
of what we experience
as a Christian
in the present.
Which brings me
to my last point
I want to
take out of this passage.
The resurrection
of Lazarus
teaches us
to hope
in the resurrection
of our bodies
to come,
but to also
celebrate
the new life
we have received
in the present
by the Spirit.
As we've mentioned
before,
we exist in a world
that cannot accept
the narrative
of death.
Their hope
is in remaining
in a state
of ignorance,
living out lives
in a fantasy world
where death
doesn't exist,
turning a blind eye
to the decay
of their own bodies.
But the irony
of their pursuit
is that they're
already dead.
The Bible
not only talks
about death
physically,
but also spiritually.
Dead in sin
and without any hope.
Ephesians 2.1
makes it very clear
stating that
we were all dead
in our sins
at one stage.
So it doesn't make sense
that dead people
can't see,
can't smell,
can't hear.
They can't be persuaded
of anything.
They can't be
persuaded to follow God.
They're dead.
That was once us.
although we had
the image of life,
we were spiritually dead.
So how do those
who are dead
hear the life-giving
word of the gospel?
The resurrection
of Lazarus
not only points
to what we can
anticipate
in the future,
but testifies
to the incredible
life-giving
work of the Spirit
in the present.
it testifies
to the magnificent
creative work
of the gospel.
When we heard
the gospel
and believed
for the first time,
we were receiving
the call of God
to be made alive again.
Just as Jesus
called Lazarus
out of the tomb
to be made alive,
we who were dead
in our sins
were called
through the gospel
to be made alive
once more
by His Spirit.
The resurrection
of Lazarus
shows us
that the gospel
is not merely
a message
by which we try
and persuade people of.
It's a creative word
that gives life
to those who are dead.
Lazarus
had no power
to raise himself
up from the dead,
let alone
the mind
to persuade it.
It wasn't like
Jesus went there
and said,
Lazarus,
come on, mate,
you want to come out?
I know you do.
I know you don't
want to stay dead.
Jesus didn't coerce
Lazarus
and say,
come on,
you have to come out.
No,
Jesus said,
Lazarus,
come out
and by that powerful
life-giving word,
a man who was dead
was given life.
It was a creative event.
It was not a persuasive event.
It was a word
of creation,
a creation event
similar to what we see
in Genesis chapter 1
where God says,
let there be light
and there was light.
God speaks
and the world
comes into existence
in the same way
through the incredible
power of the gospel
God declares
he speaks to us
be alive
in Christ
by the power
of spirit
to which we respond
in repentance
and faith
which is why
Paul can say
in 2 Corinthians 5
17
therefore
if anyone
is in Christ
he is a
new
creation.
New creation.
The old is gone,
the new has come.
the only chance
for life
for immortal life
is hearing
the life-creating
word
of the gospel
which gives
life now
and in the future
with the resurrection
of our bodies.
Our confidence then
in a future
bodily resurrection
can be based
upon our experience
of a spiritual
resurrection
in the present.
we do not need
to fear death
when we are those
who have been
made alive
in Christ
by his spirit.
We will face
death
in this life.
It will grieve us
as we experience
the unnatural loss
of relationship
and the joys of life
but we can remain
confident
that Jesus
will call us
out of our graves
because he has
already called us
out of our
spiritual graves.
the story
of Lazarus'
resurrection
gives us
the means
to face
death well
in a world
that is confounded
by death
and how to respond.
This miracle
reminds us
that death
is still
a painful
reality
that we must
face
but one
we don't face
without hope.
The only question
we must ask
of ourselves
is the one
Jesus asked
of Martha.
Do you believe
that Jesus
is the resurrection
and the life?
Can you face
death well
in this world
knowing that your
future is secured
and you have new
life in the present?
Because death
and suffering
will come
when we least
expect it
and when the
signs of death
come
or indeed
death itself
comes
will you resign
yourself to
despair
and hopelessness?
Will you choose
to ignore it
and just jump
into the fantasy
world
and pretend
and ignore
that death
is not a thing?
Or
will you
through your grief
look forward
to the redemption
of your broken
body?
That in the present
you have new life
by the Spirit
and because of
God's gracious
and effective
life-giving word
you are able
to walk with
him
and show
all those
around you
the great joy
you have
in Christ
in the face
of death.
If you do not
believe in Jesus
if you are
hearing the good
news that
he has come
to bring life
for the first
time
do not turn
away
do not retreat
into the fantasy
world
hear and receive
the call
to life
both spiritual
life now
and eternal
life to come
the Bible's
narrative is not
only far more
satisfying than
the world
when it comes
to how we
should respond
it's far more
logical
it recognizes
that it's
unnatural
to which our
grief also
testifies to
but it also
provides the
solution
that Jesus
has come
as the
resurrection
and the
life
to overturn
the power
of sin
and death
that he
might give
us
as he said
in John 10
life
and life
of the
fool
let me
leave you
with Jesus
words to
Martha
from verse
25
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