Resurrection and Life

Read John 11

Introduction:

When I was 17 years old, I made a decision to put my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. That cost me a relationship with my Muslim father. My mother was supportive, still, my mom and I had several issues to work out. I was cut off from my family. The church took me in. Gave me a job. My first job at the church was a maintenance job. I served in the youth ministry as a volunteer and worked maintenance till 1:00am-2:00am. I’d drive home about an hour every night. One night I feel asleep at the wheel. I lost control of my car and went into the opposite side of the freeway and passed between two semi-trucks. I hit a chain link fence, and it launched my car over 100 feet into a dirt field where it tumbled end over end, and then rolled two times. While the car was rolling, my hand got caught in the door. I yanked it in ripping a chunk of skin off. When the car stopped rolling, I got out, ran over to the fence, jumped the fence, ran across both lanes of the freeway, and used one of the phones on the side of the freeway to call the police and an ambulance. They gave me a band aid and drove me home. I came face to face with death and struggled to understand why God would allow me to live while so many others would have died.

Point Transition:

No matter how you want to think about this, death is a difficult concept to wrap your head around because it represents the darkness of life on earth…

Death is a dark reality.  (vv. 9-16)

John 11 highlights this theme, we see it in verses 9-16, see with me…

John 11:9-16 ESV

⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” ¹¹ After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus begins his explanation here by talking about 12 hours in a day. This illustration Jesus gives, is based on the measurement of time in the first century, before daylight savings, which I know you all love. The idea was the day, and the night were equally 12 hours long, you did your work during the day, and when the darkness came, it was time to stop working.

The deeper meaning here is a reference to Jesus’ work on earth, and that work being governed by the time he had to walk on the earth, and the work he did, governed by the will of the Father. He had work to do, that work meant addressing the dark reality of death, namely with Lazarus’s death.

The disciples are confused. They are trying to understand what Jesus means by talking about Lazarus being asleep, so Jesus makes it clear…

¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

Jesus is not taking his disciples to heal Lazarus from an illness, but to raise him from the dead. And it is for their sake! So, they may see the power of God on display and who has power over life and death.

Jesus had work to do. If Jesus’ had work to do, that meant his disciples had work to do as well. They were to go with him, regardless of what they may face. 

Which is why Thomas says:

¹⁶ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Have you ever heard Thomas called Doubting Thomas? Well here, Doubting Thomas understood the assignment. Thomas shows raw courage and devotion to Jesus because he knows if Jesus goes and brings Lazarus back from the dead, it will get hostile with Pharisees.

Illustrate:

Death is a dark reality.  (vv. 9-16)

Gospel Relevance:

What does this mean for us? Part of Jesus’ mission was to raise the dead to life. For us today, we understand part of our mission on this earth is to seek out people who are spiritually dead and invite them to find life in Jesus. In that way, we see people transformed and changed. The power of the Gospel is real and for us today. People who are spiritually dead, can be made alive by the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Apply:

If death is a dark reality, that means for us, it is imperative, so important, that we use our time on earth to share the truth of the Gospel, the power of the Gospel, the life of the Gospel with people who will listen. Share the gospel this week. Share with people how Jesus has changed your life and invite them to follow Him.

Bible Transition:

This is what Jesus is doing with the disciples. He is inviting them yet again, to go on mission with him. So they go to Bethany, the home of Lazarus. You know I went there with my family as part of my training. It is a Palestinian territory, and I drove and drove and drove, and could not find it. Normally we contract a trusted Palestinian driver to take us to the tomb of Lazarus, but I wanted to push the envelope and learn how to get in and out of there on my own. And… I got lost. Great…. My wife is looking at me like “you are going to get us killed!” ….

I kept pulling over and asking people, “where is Bethany?” and you know what they said? “What Bethany? You mean Al Lazaria?” To this day, Bethany is known as Al Lazaria, the place of Lazarus.

This is where Jesus takes the disciples, and when he gets there, he is met by Mary and Martha. They are troubled because their brother had died, and it had been in their mind too long for Jesus to heal him, he was really dead, and Jesus says this…

John 11:24-27 ESV

²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Point Transition:

More literally, Jesus says in the Greek “Ego Eimi”, which is “I am”. When he says this, it’s like our story here takes a massive turn, doesn’t it? That is because when the night is the darkest, Jesus is still the light. And…

Jesus leads us out of darkness. (vv. 24-27)

Explain:

Martha is feeling incredible sadness and trying to hold onto the hope Jesus promised. She believed Jesus would raise Lazarus on the last day. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life”.

This is an interesting exchange because it helps us understand the reality of Jesus followers. We will face difficult times. We will come to a place where we don’t know what to do or how to find answers.

Illustrate:

Just like me getting lost on my way to Bethany… Not knowing what was going to happen. This is just a small example of the tragedy of life that you and me, we all will face, just like Martha. Death is real, and it is dark, and without Jesus, there is no hope.

And then we see the answer. Jesus. 

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

This phrase helps us understand a few things:

1. Jesus is the resurrection.
2. Jesus is the life.
3. Those who believe shall never die.

Martha believed Jesus was going to do even greater things than she heard about. She just didn’t think he was going to do it then. Martha was putting the resurrection on the life together. She was limiting Jesus in some way, and therefore her faith was limited as well. Jesus shatters her thinking and invites her to greater faith.

This leads to another challenging thought we all face. We say we believe in Jesus. But do we really believe that God is actually going to change our lives. Like, today, change your life. Are you like Martha here? Do you believe that Jesus might do some good things for other people, but maybe he is not going to do something for you?

Do you believe it? Do you believe him?

Put your faith in Jesus and let him radically change your life. Don’t limit God. Quit it with the unbelief. Break into that greater faith and trust that your God is the God of the universe, and he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants!

Gospel Relevance:

The gospel shines brightly in the darkness because Jesus is the light. How many times have you felt despair? How many times have you felt like, “Oh God, I can’t do this anymore.” How many times have you cried out to God and said, “Why did you let this happen God?”. The gospel, the good news, is that in your darkest moment, Jesus is there with you.

Jesus leads us out of darkness. (vv. 24-27)

Apply:

Right in the middle of your moment, this is where you have to believe Jesus leads us out of darkness. Right in your notes. Memorize it. Tattoo it on your forehead if you have to. Never forget that Jesus leads you out of darkness.

Bible Transition:

I love this about our God, Jesus. Death is a dark reality, and Jesus leads us out of the darkness, into the light. Martha had a powerful moment, and her sister, Mary, shows up in verses 32, see with me…

John 11:32-37 ESV

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.” 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?”

Point Transition:

Things get lost in translation here. What is clear, is that Mary was upset, Jesus showed up, and Jesus wanted to know where Lazarus was. To that end, we learn that…

Jesus is not distracted by the darkness. (vv. 28-37) 

Explain:

And you need to hold on to this when things get tough in your life. When you think things are impossible, or you are experiencing things like watching the news and wondering if WW3 is on the way… Remember this, Jesus is not distracted by the darkness of this world, even if sometimes, it might distract us, it won’t distract him. That part is clear.

What can be confusing is the interpretation on Jesus being troubled. 

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. 

Jesus loved this family. So, he went to the funeral. Jewish family customs dictated that even the poorest families had a couple of flute players and a professional wailing woman. 

Now there is an interesting interpretation of this passage that could be taken. Hard to see actually unless you look at the Greek. 

The Greek word translated as “deeply moved” is:

• Embrimaomai

And in biblical Greek it means snorting of horses, or when applied to human beings, it means extremely angry. The thought here is that when Jesus saw all of the professional grieving, he would have been bothered by this. There are two thoughts about what Jesus was angry with.

The first thought is that Jesus was angry with sin, sickness and death.

The second thought is that Jesus was angry with the unbelief regarding his statement about being the resurrection and the life.

Jesus was deeply moved in his spirit, and greatly troubled. He knows why he is there.

What you need to remember today is….

Jesus is not distracted by the darkness. (vv. 28-37) 

Gospel Relevance:

Jesus is both agitated and compassionate. He is loving and loves this family. And the Bible tells us that Jesus wept. Yet, even in his weeping, he is not distracted. He knows it is time to break through the unbelief, and reveal the power of God in a new way. He is the resurrection and the life.

Apply:

How are you distracted by the darkness today? Are you living in fear? Are you challenged by the reality of death in this life? There are some great lessons to learn if I had two hours to share, I could explain them in more detail, but let me share.

Quick lessons from verses 28-37:

1. Grieving is good.
2. Experiencing emotions is human.
3. Process your emotions with a professional.
4. You can have questions.
5. Confront your unbelief.
6. Remember God has a plan.
7. Put your trust in Jesus.

Bible Transition:

Ultimately, we have to put our trust in Jesus. This is what it means to be Christian, or a Christ follower. We put our faith in Jesus. He is God. He is the resurrection and the life. He is the light in the darkness. All of that becomes even more clear here in verse 38…

John 11:38-44 ESV

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.”

Point Transition:

Jesus makes dead people alive. (vv. 38-44)

The dead, Lazarus, hears the voice of God… and responds.

Jesus makes it clear that he interacts with the God of creation on a level that goes beyond any possible tricks. He calls to the dead and the dead respond. He is a powerful God.

Remember Lazarus was dead dead. How dead? How dead? Dead dead.

So dead that Martha says what?

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.

The ESV says it politely… the King James says….

John 11:39

³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

This is a miracle within a miracle. Pretty amazing to consider. Lazarus was bound by the feet at the ankles. His arms were tied to the body with linen strips. The face was bound with another cloth.

Jesus calls to the dead and the dead responds… so much so that he wiggles his way out and everyone is there standing in disbelief. Jesus makes dead people alive. There is no way around it.

Gospel Relevance:

The imagery of Jesus having them remove the stone is interesting. Martha objects, and mentions how bad it may smell, but Jesus, in this moment, was confronting the ugly reality of death and shame. Martha didn’t want to Jesus to fail. She believed, but put yourself in this moment. Your friend has done some amazing things, and now he wants you to open up your brother’s stinky grave. You would risk shame. You would risk your family name. For what? A hope and a prayer?

Yes. Yes, because Jesus is God, and has the power to raise the dead to life.

Apply:

If Jesus is this powerful. Trust him. Talk to him. Ask him to intervene in your life. But most of all, worship Him. Make Jesus the object of your worship. Keep him first. 

Bible Transition:

You would think everyone would have been excited about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In fact, many people were very excited. Some were not excited, see with me in verse 45…

John 11:45-53 ESV

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

Point Transition:

We know the end of the story, we know that Caiaphas is not coming at this from a loving perspective, but from one that is selfishly motivated. What is interesting, is the logic. If we apply modern day logic to this, not knowing Jesus was truly God, the Christ. We may agree that sacrificing one person in order to preserve a nation would be a good idea. There is a system of ethics being applied here. It is called the Greater Good. Meaning, you should do what is the greatest good. Most of us have adopted this as a means of explaining why we have to do hard things for the greater good.

The problem with that, is that it is worldly. The world will try and make sense of something that seems impossible and come up with ways to solve it. Without faith, without God, without Jesus. For this reason, it is important that we understand this text from the lens that…

The darkness hates the light. (vv. 45-53)

Explain:

Caiaphas makes it clear that Jesus needs to die in order for the Jewish leaders to maintain whatever control they had over the Jewish nation.

What is amazing is that Caiaphas’ statement in verse 50, see with me..

⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 

Caiaphas understood Jewish politics, he was the High Priest until AD 36, three years after Jesus went to heaven. He served for 18 years. He knew how the response of the Jews to Jesus could disrupt the power dynamic Rome had with Israel. Caiaphas lost the plot. He became a political player and in that way, became worldly, and unable to see the things of God. Namely, the son of God manifest in Jesus Christ.

Here is the thing, regardless of Caiaphas, or any other Jewish leaders or Pharisees, or people that could not see Jesus for who he was, he was still Jesus, and Jesus is the light of the world, and…

The light shines in the darkness.

Gospel Relevance:

The double meaning in Caiaphas words presented by the Apostle, John, are amazing. Caiaphas argues from a worldly perspective, that it is better that one man most die to preserve a nation. That is one meaning. Not bad, Caiaphas. Here is what Jesus says in John three, about himself dying….

John 3:14-16 ESV

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 

God’s plan is better. It supersedes the greater good, and give us the ultimate moral ethic. It also reminds us that though the night is dark, though we will face the reality of death. Jesus is the light, and…

John 1:5 ESV

⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I told you about my car accident, and rolling my car. I told you my family had abandoned me. What I didn’t tell you was the car was crushed. I didn’t tell you that, that very night, the Lord told me to put my seatbelt on. I never used to drive with a seatbelt. I didn’t tell you that the church took me in. Friends opened their home because I no longer had a car. I had nothing. My friends took me to school, took me to work, let me sleep in their houses, and then gave me a car. When I had no family to turn to, the people of God became my family. When I thought all there was in this life was darkness, God shined his light.

I’m here to tell you, no matter how dark it gets, trust in the light, because the light shines in the darkness.

Pray