Title: Responses to Resurrection
-or-
What if it were true?
Text: John 12: 1-5
FCF: By definition, the resurrection will produce a response. Pick a good one. – These responses might be service, totally committed gratitude, or disdain; the greatest of these is love.
Outline:
I. Intro
II. Martha responded w/Service
III. Mary responded w/Gratitude
IV. Judas responded w/Disdain
V. Conclusion – Foot-washing
Hymns:
Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Intro)
Up From the Grave He Arose (Offertory)
During the foot-washing:
- Just As I Am
- When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
- Blessed Redeemer
Final: Because He Lives
Intro
If you’ve had an email account for more than a year now, you’ve probably gotten this letter. It starts out with an introduction – the man sending you this letter has found $30 million dollars that were overpaid into a Nigerian government account. If you would be kind enough to let him launder the money through your bank account, he’ll give you 10% of it. Now, if you are like 99% of the population, you’re probably a bit skeptical of such an offer. If you are like the 1% of the population that falls for this scam – and it is a scam – then you should know you are at least in good company. In 1996, over $100 million dollars was lost in this scam. Either way, however, an outrageous claim like this will almost always elicit a response, whether it is simple laughter, righteous indignation at the mean-spirited exploitation, or simple gullibility.
We know the Nigerian scam is a scam because the moment you start to test it, it falls apart. If you send in the bank account details, for instance, you’ll probably get another letter saying they need a few hundred dollars for a bribe; repeat until money = 0. Your chances of ever seeing any actual money is as likely of seeing serious journalism in the Weekly World News. It’s amazing what a little bit of reality can do.
So, you can imagine what’s going in John 12, when another one of those stories that just can’t be true turns out to have some pretty startling evidence.
Now, let me warn you – this Easter morning, I’m pretty sure I’m just not good enough to tell you about Jesus’ resurrection. I’m reminded of the famous sportswriter Red Smith. The football game he was writing up had been played in such slippery mud that only one quarterback had the agility to hold on to it – but hold on he did, and the quarterback scored three touchdowns. After the game, the other sportswriters started furiously working their typewriters, but Red Smith couldn’t. He just started at the paper and began crying – “It’s too big! I can’t write this, it’s just too big!” I totally understand that sentiment. Jesus’ resurrection is simply too big a story to do any justice to it in a single sermon. So, that’s why I want to focus on a much smaller resurrection.
In John 11, you probably remember the story – Mary & Martha beg Jesus to come heal their brother Lazarus. Jesus purposely waits, and by the time he gets there, Lazarus is dead. Deader than a coffin nail, as Charles Dickens might say. Lazarus is already in the tomb and stinkin’ up the place. But Jesus has another plan. “Lazarus, Come Out!” he commands, and here’s the amazing part – he does. All that’s left is for people to unbind Lazarus’ linen cloths. He’s back.
Now, imagine you’re in the 1st Century Judean supermarket, and as you check out, you see this headline: Man Risen From the Dead Hosts A Party! You probably give a little chuckle until you and prepare to pass it by, when you see what’s next – Dinner tonight at 7:00, you’re invited. That second line makes a whole lot of difference, doesn’t it? Now, if you’re like 99% of the population, I think you go, even if only to check this out. A claim this outrageous deserves a little bit of investigation, don’t you think? But let me warn you – once you see the facts before you, you will be changed, and that’s what I want to look at this morning.
Now, since that dinner has already passed, let me read you an eyewitness account of that dinner, instead. John records it in John 12, and if you have your Bible this morning, why don’t you open it with me? Let me read what it says:
1Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”
Three Responses
I’d like to take a few minutes now and look at this passage in a little more detail. You see, all of the people here had witnessed something totally amazing – a man (Lazarus) had come back from the dead. There was no denying it, and in fact, if you were to keep reading, you’d even see that the people who wanted to kill Jesus also realized they’d have to kill Lazarus too, because it was that evident that Jesus had just raised this man from the dead.
What I want to look at specifically, however, is how the resurrection changed people in this story, and in particular, I want to look at three – Martha, Mary, and Judas. You see, each of them had a reaction that I think is very typical when dealing with a resurrection, and its worth looking at a resurrection through their eyes, if only to understand how we ought to deal with one ourselves.
I say that, of course, because while Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus is an easier story to tell, it many ways it is indicative of the resurrection Jesus wants to bring to each of us. When Jesus stepped out of that tomb two thousand years ago, he did so for one reason – to show us a glimpse of the resurrection he wants to bring to us. If you’ve ever heard the Gospel even once, you know that by yourself, you are dead in your in sin. But, here’s the unbelievable part – Jesus wants to resurrect you – to give you a new, resurrected, sinless spirit now, and resurrected body later in heaven. It really is that simple – it is a gift that he freely gives you. But, as with any gift, you need to respond in some fashion, and that brings me back to this party in John 12.
Martha responds with service.
First up, of course, is Martha. Of all the responses, this is the one I probably understand the best. Just a few days ago, Martha’s brother had died. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you know there are two things that have to happen right away in order to make it official. First, the coroner will sign a death certificate. That starts the process, but, in order to make it really official, all your friends have to come bring and food.
In all seriousness, something amazing has happened here. Martha thought she’d go through the motions of a funeral dinner, but instead, Jesus brings her brother back to life. I’m sure she is ecstatic. So, what does she do? Like any good Baptist, she throws a party to celebrate!
Now, I have to tell you, as a pastor, I love Martha’s reaction. Jesus has done something fabulous for her. And so, when Jesus pays her a visit, her first reaction is, ‘What can I do to help?’ That is a natural reaction, and one that marks a mature Christian.
As you grow and mature in Christ, one of the natural outflows of that will be love manifesting itself through service to others. I’ve told this church before, even though it is small in number, it is great in service. Just a few weeks ago, nearly a ¼ of this church spent the day selling hot dogs specifically to raise money for Seven Loaves, the food bank for this whole area. I say to this church’s credit – it understands that receiving Jesus will create a sense of obligation. We know that for Martha, service came very naturally. Luke tells us that another time when Jesus just came for a visit, she knew, she wanted to work for Jesus. The story, of course, is that she wanted to work hard, that Jesus had to remind her that the service wasn’t what he was after – it was her.
You see, here’s the good news – this debt we feel that owe Jesus is just in our minds. Jesus says this is a natural response, but we don’t have to feel like it’s a requirement. You’ll notice, Jesus never once commands service. He recommends it; he says when you are serving others, you’re really serving me. He even says that if you love me, you’ll feed my lambs – that’s kingdom work. But, in all of this, Jesus never once says, “Look, I died for you… You owe me!” Jesus, you see, was God. He proved it when he came back from the dead. And while that resurrection may prompt us towards action, that action is not an end unto itself. There is really an even better reaction, and that’s Mary’s.
Mary responds in gratitude.
You know, all four Gospels recount this story of the woman who anoints Jesus for burial, but John is the only one that tells us who it was. You see, a few days earlier, Mary had just bought some perfume so that her brother could be properly buried. Now, if you think that funerals are expensive today (and they are!) just think about what it was like in Jesus day. Mary had gone out and spent 300 denarii on this perfume. Now a denarius was what a day laborer would get for working a day in the field – so you can see, Mary had spent nearly a years’ wages on it. Talk about a big deal!
Now Jesus comes along and makes that whole purchase unnecessary. I don’t know about you, but it would have at least occurred to me to see if I could take it back and pocket the money. You know, I wouldn’t mind buying, oh say a new car? Um, paying off large portions of my mortgage! This was not just some cheap cologne she had lying around the house; this was something that had cost her a great deal of time, effort, and money to get.
But Mary shows us what I think is the best response to resurrection – the one that Jesus loves her for.
You see, Mary realized that Jesus had literally given her back a life. You can’t put a price tag on that. You can’t pay it back, no matter how high your credit limit is. The only think you could even possibly do is say thank you in the most natural way that wholeheartedly is you.
With Martha, she had received a beautiful gift from the Lord, and it was natural for her to feel a sense of obligation as a result. Deep within every good person, there’s a little switch that says, “if someone has done something nice for me, I ought to do something nice for them.” It’s really pretty basic, and I don’t even think there’s anything uniquely Christian about it. But, even deeper within me there is a little switch that is really saying, “I don’t like being debt. Maybe if I do something to even up the scales, I won’t be in debt.” But here’s the truth – you can’t even these scales up. What can you give for a life?
Mary knew that you could never escape the debt, so the only course left was to thank Jesus with everything she had. Did you notice in the story, Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair? That’s just another sign that Mary was totally giving her entire self over to Jesus. I’ve lived in countries that thought feet were like those in Jesus’ day. The feet are the unclean parts of the body, and trust me – you wouldn’t want to touch those feet even with your own. A woman’s hair, on the other hand, was something as private as, say, breasts are in our culture. You always kept it covered, and you certainly never let it down in public. In fact, probably most people, seeing Mary, would have thought she was being extremely loose with Jesus by letting her hair touch Jesus – but look at what she is saying. She is saying, “Lord, you brought my brother back from the dead. I am completely yours!” Thank You God!
Sitting in this congregation is man who put his entire body on the line for his country in WWII. On June 6, 1944, he stormed the beaches at Normandy. He’s missing a finger for it, too. But you know what amazes me most about him? Every Sunday he comes up to me and encourages me by telling me how much he loves Jesus. Every day, he takes out this hymnal; He just sings to the Lord to show God how much he loves him. That’s a man who knows he has been given his life from God. He says “Thank you, God” with his whole being.
If I had to put the entire Gospel in three words, that would be it – “Thank you, God!” That’s why we praise him, that’s why we love him, that’s why we are who are. We know that in fact, God has not just given us back the life of a loved one, he’s given us back our lives.
You see, I know that my spirit was dead until Christ raised me back from the dead. I know when I die, that spirit and that body will be raised in direct communion with Christ. My eyes didn’t witness Jesus coming out of a tomb. But I know that my life is owed to one man who died for me, and rose again. That’s why I love him.
Judas responded with disdain.
I wish I could end here, but I have to tell you, that not all responses to the resurrection are ones like Martha’s or Mary’s. You see, for every committed heart, for every thankful heart, there’s also one that simply cannot or will not believe. I know that as much as I may want to be Martha or Mary, I can just as easily been a Judas.
You see, the danger of having a life is that you may not necessarily want it in the way it’s been given you. Judas, we know was a thief. John tells us, he wanted the money that wasn’t his. Biblical scholarship also tells us Judas was a zealot – a bible-times terrorist who wanted Israel to be free from Rome, and probably thought Jesus was going to be the dynamic leader to give him that nation. Judas wanted a lot of things, but not necessarily the things Jesus wanted to give him. As such, it’s probably pretty natural to see Judas respond to a resurrection with cold, hard indifference. I mean, after all – what was this Lazarus guy to him?
Being a guy, I can tell you, I understand Judas. Jesus wanted to give Judas something wonderful, but guys don’t always do receive very well. You know, we guys will talk about “give and take,” but receiving doesn’t always come easy to us. We feel uncomfortable, we feel uneasy, and we don’t feel like we’re in control. Now, if Jesus would play by our rules and either give us what we tell him to, or order us around like he would be able to, we’d probably be a lot more open to it.
But as it stands, even good things can scare us.
Here was Judas, who had been with Jesus how long – and he’s still telling Jesus how Mary is supposed to respond to getting her brother back? That is so like a guy! I’ll tell you right now, I can’t tell you the exactly what procedures you should take to respond to the free gift that is offered you by Jesus’ resurrection, but I can tell you this – you need to pick a good one.
I told you at the outset that I couldn’t tell you the whole impact of what it means to respond to Jesus’ resurrection. I can tell you, however, that by choosing to come down from heaven to be like us was a big thing. Living a life that shows us what love really is, is amazing. Dying on a cross – a painful death – that is something I can never repay. But rising again and calling me to join him – that’s unbelievable! So, the question is, what are you going to do with that?
Personally, I would at least try to be grateful for what the resurrected Jesus is willing to give you. And that thankfulness would probably show up in some sense of service to him. Even if that just means being here with him on Sunday mornings to say, “Thank You,” it’s a start.
Would you pray with me…
Conclusion / Lead-in to the Foot-washing.
I told you easier that my Lord never demanded I do anything in particular, but he definitely said that if I loved him, I’d act like him. Just four days after this story took place, Jesus wanted to show his disciples what it looked like if you truly believed in the resurrected Christ. While one of his disciples was planning on betraying him and two of them were arguing who was greatest, Jesus decided to show them who he really was. He got out a basin and a towel and began to wash his disciples’ feet. When Mary washed Jesus’ feet, she didn’t know she was preparing him for burial. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he did know he was preparing them for resurrection.
You see, for Jesus, love was at his very core, and he knew love was something you did. That’s why this morning, I don’t want to just talk about the resurrection; I want to show what it means to me. It means that since my Lord loved me, I can love you. I want to do that by washing your feet. We are going to sing some Easter hymns, but we are also acting out the Easter message. Just as Jesus – the very God himself – would chose to love his disciples by washing their feet, so too I want to echo just a glimpse of that here.
You may feel very awkward in receiving such a service. You might think this is more appropriate on Maundy Thursday, and you might be right – but for me, this is a natural response, to echo the love of the Savior who saved me. You can respond to it any way you choose. You can feel a debt, but I assure you there is none. You can disdain it and refuse to be controlled by it. That is your right. Or, in love, you can simply, gratefully choose to participate in a small token of the love the father has for you. I’d encourage you to do so.
Logistically, I’d ask you just to come up as you feel led, and remove your socks and shoes. If you are wearing stockings, I can wash your feet without water – I’ll just use the towel. And while we do this, I’d like us all to sing….
