Listen to some of these crazy Easter traditions from different places around the world. In Australia, it’s become very popular to replace chocolate bunnies with chocolate marsupials called Biblys (I guess nothing says Happy Easter like chewing on a chocolate hamster ear). In the town of Haux, France, they celebrate Easter by making the world’s largest omelette with 4500 eggs and feeding over 1000 people. In Papua New Guinea, chocolate doesn’t fare well in the heat and humidity so instead churches are known to hand out tobacco and cigarettes to guests after the Easter service. In Norway, they celebrate Easter by showing crime shows on television and commissioning detective novels to be written. And in New Zealand, instead of EATING chocolate bunnies, they grab their guns for the annual “Great Easter Bunny Hunt” with the intention of ridding their farmlands of these “invasive pets.” And so on Easter Sunday, in the small little town of Otago, over 10,000 rabbits will meet their maker as part of a weird Easter tradition.
My guess is that all of us have some really weird holiday traditions…but of ALL the weird traditions…here’s a tradition that I hope is NEVER weird – celebrating the empty tomb year after year every Easter. And so today, we want to focus on Jesus by focusing on another resurrection that we don’t typically celebrate with its own special holiday. But I think it’s special nonetheless, because it shows us some incredible truths about Jesus, while pointing us to THE resurrection that will later take place on Easter morning. So take your Bible or phone this morning and find your way to John 11. And in this gospel narrative this morning, not only are we going to encounter a resurrection before THE resurrection, we’re also going to encounter a Jesus who sees not only the brokenness of the world, but does something about it. Since we are dropping into the middle of the book of John, and in the middle of chapter 11, let me set the stage of what’s going on:
Scene #1 (1-4) - Lazarus is Sick | There are these two sisters, Mary and Martha, and they have a brother named Lazarus…in fact, the three of them are best friends with Jesus. They live in a city called Bethany, which is about two miles away from where Jesus is in Jerusalem. Lazarus becomes very ill and so the sisters send word to Jesus about their brother’s condition. When Jesus heard this he sent word back to them essentially saying that Lazarus would be okay and that what is about to happen “is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified through it.” I’m sure this struck them as odd because their brother was lying there on his deathbed.
Scene #2 (5-16) - Lazarus Dies | After hearing about Lazarus’ illness, Jesus doesn’t make immediate plans to go see him. In fact, a few more days pass and Jesus tells his disciples that their friend Lazarus has “fallen asleep” and that he needs to go wake him up. His friends are confused so Jesus explains that Lazarus has actually died but that he’s happy because something so incredible is going to happen when he gets to Bethany, that it will cause some of Jesus’ friends to finally believe. Again, a puzzling statement I’m sure, but it was a hint that Jesus was about to do something incredible.
Scene #3 (17-27) - Jesus Shows Up | Jesus arrives on the scene four days after Lazarus’ death. And if you’ve ever had a loved one die, you can imagine the scene. Everyone was so sad…especially because it looked like Jesus was nonchalant about getting there on time. And Mary and Martha both make this statement: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” I’m not sure if that statement was an indictment or a statement of faith…maybe it was both.
So Jesus is on the scene with his disciples, with Mary and Martha, with a deceased friend, and with some onlookers…and that’s where we’ll pick up in verse 32.
John 11:32-44
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.” 33 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. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 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.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 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.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 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.”
This is an incredible account of Jesus literally raising a person from the grave. And in fact, this narrative should give us confidence that he can do this for EVERY person who believes. And so for our next few minutes together, I want to take a look at both the HEART of Jesus and also the ACTIVITY of Jesus who has the power over sin, death, and hell.
1. JESUS IS NOT INDIFFERENT TO OUR BROKENNESS – vs 37
Over the past two years, we have had a front row seat to the suffering that comes with living in a world that has been cursed by sin. We have seen some pretty incredible displays of suffering, division, and even hatred. A rock-solid case has been made that not only do we live in a fallen world, we are fallen people in need of redemption. In fact, one of the things we’ve learned in recent sermons is that the Bible teaches us that hardship and suffering exposes what’s on the inside. And I’ve learned some ugly things about MYSELF…maybe you have too. And to use the eloquent words of a great theologian, “It ain’t pretty.” And in the midst of all of this brokenness, it’s fair to ask, “Does Jesus even care?”
Is God up there saying, “You made your bed, now lie in it”? Or when he sees us hurting, does he look down and hurt too? When your own kids are hurting, what do you think comforts them more? “Serves you right”? Or reaching down and crying with them. Of course, it’s the latter. But if we’re honest, sometimes it sure does feel like maybe he IS saying, “It serves you right.” But here’s the good news…God can handle it if you ever doubt that he cares. And the reason that I think he recorded this exchange here in John chapter 11, is so we don’t have to wonder about the heart of Jesus towards people with broken hearts.
Look back at verse 32: 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. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept."
John 11:35 is both the shortest memory verse in the Bible and also the favorite verse of every kid in AWANA who just wants to get a prize from the AWANA store. But more than the answer to a trivia question about the shortest verse in the Bible, it is an incredible picture into the heart of Jesus.
This week, in discussing this text together, all of our pastors discussed something that we had never thought about before when it comes to this verse. As a Christian, we believe that Jesus is both God and man. As a man, he experienced temptation, pain, hunger, and all the other things that humans experience. As God, one thing we know is that Jesus was all-knowing. So here’s the tension. If Jesus knows that he’s about to raise Lazarus from the dead, why is he so deeply moved? We know that Jesus already told his disciples (albeit cryptically) what he was going to do. So if Jesus is sovereign (in control) and knows there’s about to be a happy ending, why is he moved to real tears?
The answer is simple: Jesus cares deeply for people. Jesus is not indifferent to our pain. He weeps when we weep. He understands the hardships of humanity. He is compassionate and gentle. He sees Mary and Martha and the all of Lazarus’ friends that are grieving…and what does he do? He weeps right alongside them. It doesn’t just say that his eyes were watery…it says that he wept. It was a sobbing, snot-flying, ugly cry. And look at the response of the Jews who were watching…verse 36 say, “See how he loved him!”
Jesus is so unlike me. There are times when I hear of other people’s struggles or I watch a war going on in Ukraine and while I care, I’m not necessarily moved to tears. In fact, my heart can be indifferent at times. But not Jesus. Jesus always identifies with our pain and brokenness and cares deeply about what we are going through. But I also think that what’s going on here is about more than just his friends pain. Jesus, as part of the Trinity, was the Master Creator of the world…and death was not part of his original design. Our text says that “Jesus was deeply moved in his Spirit and greatly troubled.” Basically what that means is that Jesus was mad at death.
Sadly, sin entered the world through our first parents, Adam and Eve, when they sinned in the Garden…and ever since then, sin has been part of our world. Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. As Jesus is standing before Lazarus’ tomb, there’s a lot more going on than JUST weeping for Lazarus. He is upset at the mess that sin has made of his creation…and he’s reminded how much he detests death.
So Jesus weeps over the brokenness of his friend…and at the same time over our brokenness too. But here’s the best part of the story…Jesus doesn’t JUST weep, he takes action. He does something about the brokenness in front of him. Jesus is not content to give the old, “I’m sorry for your loss” speech. Jesus put legs under his love and proves to us that….
2. HE (JESUS) IS ABLE TO OVERCOME – vs 38-44
Let me ask you a question…on a very basic level, what was Lazarus’ real problem. Here’s the answer: It’s the same thing that many of US fear – it’s death. Think of all the things we do to try to prolong our lives. We try to eat or not eat certain foods. We wear seatbelts. Some of us exercise like idiots…I know a guy currently running 50 miles every day for 50 days, every day in a different state…all in the name of good health. Some of us rely on medication to keep us alive…and generally speaking, we all try to care of our bodies so we’ll live longer. But death has a 100% success rate. There’s nothing WE can do to solve this problem...to escape death. One day, we will ALL be in Lazarus’ shoes.
It’s been said that death and taxes are the only sure things in life…in fact, tomorrow is Tax Day when we will be reminded that there is no escape from taxes. But here’s what I want you to believe with every fiber of your being. There IS a way of escape when it comes to death. Look at verses 38-39: Jesus…came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Now here’s a pro tip – if you want to make sure your kids understand the real meaning of Easter, trap them in a cave for a few days, Amen?
But in all seriousness, can you imagine standing there at that moment? Can you imagine being Martha or Mary? You know your brother was buried in that tomb four days earlier. You’ve never seen a single person who was dead come back to life. So, you doubt. Martha replies to Jesus’ request to take away the stone by saying “by this time there will be an odor.” My favorite translation says: “he stinketh.” Probably an understatement. Now, as a little sidebar, many people over the years have argued that Lazarus was simply in a coma…but people in comas don’t stink. This was a dead man whose body was already decomposing.
Earlier, when Jesus had first arrived in town, Martha went out to meet him on the outskirts of town while Mary stayed out home and grieved. And Martha’s first words were, “Jesus, if you had come earlier, you could have healed him.” And Jesus responded by telling her that her brother would rise again. But let’s be honest, Jesus liked to talk in riddles sometimes…and Martha assumed Jesus meant that Lazarus would rise again in the end times. She doubted Jesus. And for those of you thinking Christians never have any doubts, we see it again right here in front of the tomb as Martha AGAIN gives words to her doubt when she cautions Jesus that Lazarus “stinketh.” But listen to Jesus’s response…he says: “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” I love how Jesus addresses her doubts…but he doesn’t condemn her for them. You see, the opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s unbelief. If there wasn’t doubt, faith would not be required. In fact, that’s part of what I love about this passage – doubters are welcome to approach Jesus with their doubts.
And look where her doubt comes from – it comes from the same place where WE start to doubt…when life starts to fall apart. Martha’s worst fear had come true – her brother, who was still so young, was dead…and Jesus has let them down by getting there so late. I would contend that there’s hardly anything scarier than thinking that Jesus showed up too late. In fact, in verse 37, some of the Jewish mourners asked, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” But Jesus’ delay was not attributed to his indifference…in fact, the text says for a second time in verse 38 that Jesus was again deeply moved. So if he was so deeply moved, why the delay? The answer is in Jesus’ prayer that he prays as he stands in front of the tomb.
41 Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 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.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” [And] the man who had died came out…
Jesus wanted the bystanders on that day to BELIEVE that he was sent by God to come into the world to save people…to make people who were dead, become alive. And the same is true for every person in this room today. He wants people to believe that he has the power to overcome sin, death, and hell. That was the purpose of raising Lazarus from the dead…and that was God’s purpose in raising Jesus from the dead on that first Easter morning. Jesus is able to overcome…THAT’S the message of Easter. That’s exactly what’s illustrated here in John 11. Easter is the answer to the three greatest problems you have this morning. The problem of sin that you cannot fix. The problem of death that you cannot escape. And the problem of hell that you do not want to encounter.
And so hear me this morning: What Jesus did for Lazarus physically, is what he wants to do for you spiritually. There are no limits to his amazing grace. There is no situation he cannot overcome…and no one is too far gone to experience his grace. And in this story, Jesus does for Lazarus what Lazarus could not do for himself. And that is what he is still doing today for everyone that believes. He died on the cross to pay a debt he did not owe, because you and I had a sin debt that we could not pay. Sin not only rendered us HOPELESS, it rendered us HELPLESS. The world says, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” But Jesus said, “You made your bed and I am willing to rescue you from it.” How great is Jesus? “He who knew no sin, became sin so that we might be made right with God through Christ.” And the resurrection of Lazarus, which points us to the resurrection of Jesus, proves undeniably that HE is able.
And if we believe this to be true, the words of 1 Corinthians 15 can be the testimony of our heart: "55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
As we wind down our time this morning, let me make a shocking statement: You can agree with everything I just said and still go to hell. Here’s why….
3. JESUS DEMANDS A RESPONSE – vs 25-26
John 11 is not primarily about Lazarus…it’s not primarily about death…it’s not primarily about sorrow. John 11 is about Jesus! It’s about Jesus who is not indifferent to you and your brokenness and your pain. It’s about Jesus who wants to involve himself in your life. And it’s about Jesus, the only one who can solve your greatest problem of sin, death, and hell. What Jesus is doing here in John 11 is revealing a future reality. Lazarus’ death and resurrection was a precursor of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was a “preview of coming attractions.” A day WAS coming when Jesus would once again show power over sin, death, and hell by walking out of the tomb that held him.
And so listen to Jesus’ words to Martha in verse 25: 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?” And so I want to ask you the very same question Jesus asked Martha on that day. “Do you believe?” Not, “Do you AGREE,” but, “Do you BELIEVE…even to the point of surrender?”
One of the saddest things as pastors is to encounter people that agree intellectually that Jesus is able, but aren’t willing to believe to the point that they reorient their lives around that truth. You see, many of us live as Jesus fans…but he’s not interested in a fan club. He’s looking for completely committed followers. Jesus is inviting us to believe to the point of surrender. He’s not a “get out of hell free” card – heaven is not a place for people who don’t want to go to hell…it’s a place for people who love Jesus as evidenced by the their obedience to him. THAT’S what it means to believe.
This morning, maybe you’re here and can identify with Mary and Martha – you’re struggling because someone you love is struggling…or maybe you feel like God’s not showing up on time. If that’s you, be encouraged that while Jesus rarely shows up early, he never shows up late. And better yet, he’s not indifferent to the pain of those who seek refuge and comfort in him. Be encouraged, that when you’re hurting, HE hurts…when you’re weeping, HE weeps.
But maybe this morning, you’re like Lazarus…and your problem is that you’re dead. Dead in your trespasses and sins. But here’s the good news of Easter – Jesus is able. No question about that. The only question is this – Do YOU believe this?
