I AM series #5 Castle Hills Christian Ch. 07-18-04
I AM the Resurrection and the Life
John 11
Scripture Reading: John 11:17-27
INTRODUCTION:
Chapter 11 is pivotal in John’s gospel. It contains the final action on Jesus’ part to set the stage for his arrest and crucifixion. It begins when Jesus receives word from Martha that Lazarus, her brother is very sick and could die if Jesus doesn’t come quickly. Jesus is touched by her request, but delays his return by a couple of days.
His men are already skittish about going back to the Jerusalem area because of the intensity of the opposition by Jewish leaders. They are confident that Jesus faces arrest if he returns to anywhere near Jerusalem and Bethany, where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus live, is only about 2 miles from Jerusalem.
The “I am” statement we will study today, “I am the resurrection and the life” (vs. 25) is made in the context of the event of raising Lazarus back to life after he had been in the tomb 4 days. This story connected with Jesus’ latest “I am” statement teaches us three important details about Jesus’ personality and his actions while he was living on earth.
1. His response to us is Purposeful John 11:1-16
Chapter 11 of John begins with a death-bed situation. Jesus’ friend Lazarus was very ill and near to death. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus about his condition and called for him to come quickly. As this story unfolded we discover that it is likely that If Jesus had come at once he would still have arrived in Bethany near or after the point of Lazarus’ death.
This reminds me of two elderly sisters who lived in Arcadia during my youth ministry days. One named Alpha, was always sick with some sort of ailment or another, the other, named Virginia, still worked in a county office even though she was in her late 70’s and never seemed to suffer from any kind of sickness. But the healthy sister would call me often to go to the hospital and visit her sick and dying sister. She would say, “Alpha is in bad shape. She could go any time now. Get over there as soon as you can.”
So I would drop what ever I was doing and drive 30 minutes away to a hospital in Clear Lake City to see Alpha, thinking that she surely was hooked up to machinery and on her last leg like her sister said. But when I arrived at the hospital and got into the room, Alpha would be sitting up in bed talking on the phone and watching TV. Now I’ll admit that there were many times I rushed over only to see that Alpha was no where near death, and in the end I finally learned that it wasn’t necessary to “rush” over to see Alpha. In fact, poor sickly dying Alpha lived for another 12 years after I left Arcadia. She outlived many other people supposedly more healthy than her.
This account of Jesus being called by Mary and Martha to come at once for Lazarus’ sake kind of calls to mind sickly old Alpha in Arcadia. And I noticed, that as I eventually learned to do, Jesus also felt no need to rush over there the moment he was called, although His delay was for a different reason.
In fact Jesus waited two days after he heard the news and then announced to his men his intention to return to Judea. They were shocked by Jesus declaration. After all, he had almost been stoned the last time he was in Jerusalem, and Bethany was a mere two miles from there. They questioned the wisdom of his travel to such a hot-spot, so he explained the purpose of his journey. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” (vs.11)
Their response revealed their lack of understanding of what Jesus had told them. They mistakenly interpreted his words about Lazarus’ sleeping condition and assumed that with plenty of sleep he would surely get well and said so to Jesus. In response we notice in verse 14-15.
14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Jesus repeatedly backed up his I AM statements with miracles; he was about to do it once again.
Application:
We observe the delay in this story and wonder why Jesus chose to wait two days before returning to Bethany. Was it procrastination? Or did Jesus have a method to his seeming madness? This also makes us wonder why God sometimes delays response to our prayers. Have you ever noticed answers seem to come at the last minute … sometimes when we think it is too late?)
If Jesus had gone to Bethany when Martha first called, it is possible Jesus might have done a healing rather than raising the dead, and that is what Martha had wished for and chided Jesus about.
From what Jesus said to his men before the trip and to Martha after his arrival we may infer that Jesus was planning to bring Lazarus back to life all along. We can also see that Jesus waited two extra days specifically so that it would be clear that this was a resurrection and not a resuscitation of a “nearly dead man.” When Jesus called for the stone to be rolled away, Martha’s statement, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor for he has been there 4 days.” Removed all doubt of Lazarus’ death and all possibility of a “swoon theory” coming from the crowd after the fact.
We see Jesus willingness to back up his “I am” statements with miracles that prove the validity of his statements (which is also true of previous statements that included accompanying miracles like “I am the light of the world” and healing a blind man) In this case, what better way to prove that Jesus is the resurrection and the life than resurrecting a dead men. This is greater than any physical healing from sickness could be. It also reveals the purposeful nature of Jesus’ actions. Jesus didn’t do what he did or say what he said or go where he went just because the mood hit him. Every action was part of his over-all plan to show the world that he was in fact the Messiah. Even this dangerous journey to Bethany in Lazarus’ behalf was fraught with purpose.
2. His connection to us is Personal John 11:17-37
We know that Jesus came to reveal God to us; that God is not impersonal and aloof; He genuinely cares; He feels for us. And this story demonstrates that truth in a beautiful way.
When Jesus and his men arrived in Bethany, Martha went out to meet them and chided Jesus by saying, “Lord, If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.
Jesus’ immediate response was, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha’s response to Jesus words revealed her understanding of Resurrection as a doctrine shared by the Pharisees and shunned by the Saducees. She said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
In response to her words Jesus gave today’s “I am” statement. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
Notice what she said, “Yes lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world.
This conversation between Jesus and Martha was designed move her from faith in dogma to faith in HIM. It wasn’t designed to be a theological debate about the principle of resurrection, but to introduce her to the fact that Jesus himself is the resurrection and the life. Jesus could not only heal disease, he has the power to restore life itself. He can reverse the processes of decay and decomposition that start the moment blood stops flowing in the human body.
I find it interesting that Jesus was able to remain calm and business like with Martha, but when she sent out Mary to talk with Jesus everything changed. Mary came to him along with some others who were trying to comfort her in her grief. She cried and fell at Jesus feet and said almost the same thing her sister had said, but this time Jesus was visibly moved. Here is where we find the shortest verse in the Bible. Vs. 45 says “Jesus wept.”
Jesus’ compassion was revealed in weeping along with Mary (with Martha he had remained calm) even though he knew that he would soon bring Lazarus back to life. He was touched by her grief. John used strong language to show the extent of Jesus emotion (vs. 32-38)
• “deeply moved” (vs.33) (enebrimesato means literally to snort like a horse and generally connotes anger) but on this occasion it could indicate Jesus resentment against the ravages of death that had entered the human world because of sin. We know he was not angry at Mary or Martha.
• “troubled” (vs.33) (etaraxen) expresses agitation or confusion and in this case shows that Jesus is not apathetic or unnerved by the prevailing mood of sorrow.
• “wept” (vs.35) the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus burst into tears. His grief was spontaneous. This picture of Jesus weeping along with Mary lets us know that God is moved by our grief. Jesus displays for us in person the compassion of God for his suffering saints. God in the flesh is able to demonstrate for us what God in heaven feels when we cry out to him in moments of grief or sorrow.
There are certain theological systems of belief that hold to the idea that God is unmoved emotionally by the human condition. That God has already fore-ordained and set things in motion from eternity and is therefore not swayed by whatever humans may do in time and space. But Jesus came to earth to reveal God to us, and this story reveals the heart of a loving and compassionate God who is fully capable of grieving along with his creation. When Mary fell at Jesus feet, even knowing what he was about to do, Jesus was visibly moved. He burst into tears and wept along with Mary and the other mourners. So much so that vs. 36 records the Jews saying, “See how he loved him!” I am glad to know that our God is compassionate and moved to grieve along with his creation. Jesus is the one who revealed that aspect of God’s nature during his time on earth.
3. His effect on us is Powerful John 11:38-44
When Jesus saw Mary’s tears, he could delay no more, but had the mourners take him to the tomb where Lazarus lay. He had them take away the stone at the entrance. And at that moment Martha, good old practical Martha said, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Jesus reminded her of their previous conversation where she confessed her faith in him as the Son of God. He said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
When they took away the stone Jesus prayed a simple prayer. “Father, I think 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.”
Then in a loud voice he called out, “Lazarus, come out!” Taken literally, his words could have been paraphrased this way, “Lazarus, This way out!” as if to direct someone lost in a gloomy dungeon Jesus directed Lazarus toward the door of the tomb.
And Lazarus appeared at the entrance of the tomb still covered up in grave clothes and with his face covered. Jesus ordered them to remove the grave clothes and let him go.
More than any other miracle, this event is the greatest demonstration of the power and authority of Jesus. Raising Lazarus from the dead was Jesus most powerful way of demonstrating that he is Messiah, the Lord’s anointed, just as he has said all along. Healings can be disputed, and often are, and feeding the 5,000, as great as it was, can be explained away by liberals who decide that people just pulled out hidden food and shared it with each other after Jesus gave the example of the little boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. But how do you explain away a resurrection … after 4 days in the tomb? This was certainly no “near-death” experience. The odor of decay is proof positive that a death has occurred. The Jewish leaders could not explain away this miracle, and they didn’t even try to as the last half of this chapter shows.
Jesus embodied the vital power to bring the dead to life. This “I am” statement is powerful indeed. Only the Christ himself could possibly have the power to resurrect and give eternal life. Bill Gaither summed it up beautifully in his Easter song. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
CONCLUSION:
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He has power over life and death itself and will prove it again soon when his own life is snuffed out on the cross. They will not be able to keep Jesus in the grave any more than death kept Lazarus in the grave. When Jesus spoke, “Lazarus, come forth!” one commentator said that it is good Jesus spoke directly to Lazarus or else all the graves in that area would have given up their dead. The same one who raised Lazarus, and then resurrected himself, has the power to raise us up to eternal life as well. Because he is the resurrection and the life, He is also our resurrection and life.
He has called out your name. He offers you the chance to throw off the grave clothes and enter a new and eternal life. Have you answered his call or are you staying in the tomb?
