Funeral Sermon Series

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem … to die … when He received word that His friend, Lazarus, was sick. Jesus’ reaction was strange. He didn’t rush off to Bethany to heal His friend. “This illness does not lead to death,” says Jesus, “rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4) … a strange thing to say. John says that Jesus stayed in the wilderness … at the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus on the Jordan River and began His ministry … for two more days … to make sure that Lazarus was good and dead.

Needless to say, this was all very confusing for the Disciples because they knew that Jesus loved Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, very much. When Jesus tries to explain to them that Lazarus was merely asleep and that He was going to Bethany to wake Lazarus up … they were relieved. “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right” … but Jesus makes it clear that Lazarus isn’t just sleeping … he’s dead. “For your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him” (John 11:14-15) … and for our sakes today, I am also glad that Jesus wasn’t there.

Just before Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ house, He is met by Lazarus’ sister, Martha. They have already had the funeral service and placed Lazarus’ body in a tomb. “Lord, if You had been here my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 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. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to Him. … When Mary came where Jesus was and saw Him, she knelt at His feet and said to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Some of Lazarus’ family and friends agreed: “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:21-29, 32, 36).

I believe that that last line … “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” … shows us why Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead and explains what Jesus meant when He said: “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Jesus had, in fact, healed a man born blind just before He had heard about Lazarus’ illness. In fact, Jesus had healed many, many people. But Jesus needed to show them, He needed to show us, that His power was far, far, far greater than that.

“Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because 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 looked upward and said, ‘Father, I thank You for having heard me. I knew that You always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that You sent me.’ When He had said this, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go’” (John 11:38-44).

Before Lazarus went into that tomb, he was sick. We don’t know what he had. He could have had cancer or some kind of blood disorder … any of a great number of diseases … we don’t know. What we do know is that it was fatal. When Lazarus went into that tomb, he was dead. But when Lazarus came out of that tomb, Jesus didn’t just bring him back to life … He restored Him, amen? Lazarus didn’t stink of death … he wasn’t sick … he wasn’t incapacitated. He was restored. He was made whole again.