THE RESURRECTION OF A MAN … based on John 21:1-19

 

THE RESURRECTION OF A MAN

… based on John 21:1-19

Mark Twain was an avid fisherman, & an even more avid teller of fish stories.  Once, while spending a few weeks at a lakeside lodge in northern Maine, Twain was relaxing by a crackling fire, when a rugged stranger in a plaid flannel shirt & denim overalls came into the lodge, ambled over, 

& slumped into a nearby chair.

“You look like a fisherman to me,” remarked Twain, 

eager as always to strike up a conversation.

“Yeah,” said the other man.  “I fish some.  Ain’t fishin’ season now, though.”

“Fishing season!” laughed Twain.  “Fish’ll bite in season & out.  

If fish don’t care what season it is … neither do I!”

“Oh?” said the other man, perking up & leaning forward.  

“You take a catch out of the lake today?”

“A catch?” said Twain proudly.  “More like a haul!  I’ve got ‘em on ice back in the larder!”  And he proceeded to launch into an embellished recounting 

of all the fish he had caught that afternoon. 

The more Twain exaggerated, the more interested the other man became.

“So,” said the man at last,“you certainly did have yerself a good day 

at the lake.  Seems an awful shame I have to spoil it.”

“Spoil it?” said Twain.  “What do you mean?  I just … say, 

who are you, anyway?”

The man grinned, turned over the lapel of his flannel shirt, & revealed a gleaming badge.  “I’m the state game warden, sir.  Now, who might you be?”

“Me?” Twain said sheepishly.  “Why, I’m the biggest liar in the whole U.S.”

The Apostle John has chosen to close his Gospel with a fish story …

an even bigger & more amazing fish story than the one that landed Mark Twain in trouble with the game warden.  But John’s fish story is true.  And it has a powerful spiritual lesson for anyone who’s failed at some point in their relationship with the Lord.  

So, listen now to Good News, as recorded by John, to us, who have gathered here for worship.  Within our hearing now comes the Word of the Lord …

After this, Jesus appeared once more to his disciples at the Sea of Galilee.  This is how it happened.  Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus were all together.  Simon Peter said to the others, “I am going fishing.”

“We will come with you,” they told him.  So they went out in a boat, but all that night they did not catch a thing.  As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the water’s edge, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Then he asked them, “Young men, haven’t you caught anything?”

“Not a thing,” they answered.

He said to them, “Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some.”  So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had caught so many fish.  

The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken his clothes off) and jumped into the water.  The other disciples came to the shore in the boat, pulling the net full of fish.  

They were not very far from land, about a hundred yards away.  When they stepped ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it and some bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore full of big fish, a hundred and fifty-three in all; even though there were so many, still the net did not tear.  Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.”  None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.  So Jesus went over, took the bread, and gave it to them; he did the same with the fish.

This, then, was the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from death.

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.”  A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.”  A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.  I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don’t want to go.”  (In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.)  Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:1-19)

Jesus said, “Heaven & earth will pass away, 

but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen 

The scene is the Sea of Galilee.  The disciples had gone there in obedience to Jesus’ command to Mary Magdalene following His resurrection.  

“Go & tell my brothers to go to Galilee, & there they will see me.” (Matthew 25:10)

I’m sure they thought that it would be a comforting thing to return to their old haunts.  

At this point they were completely confused, their world had fallen apart …

so, what could be better than doing something familiar … fishing back home.

Much of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night.  Fishermen used torches to attract the fish to the boat, & then netted them.  But even though these disciples were expert fishermen, they spent the whole night on the water & caught nothing … certainly an unusual & disappointing experience for them.  Yet, as the account makes clear, it was the Lord’s intention that they wouldn’t catch anything on this occasion.  He had something to teach them, a lesson involving a symbol that was familiar to them … fish.

Failure is a demoralizing experience …

& these men had just failed miserably at the one thing they did best.

But bad as that night might have been, it’s nothing compared to the pain that comes when we face the fact that we’ve let ourselves down.  

And that brings us to Peter, & the days that followed Jesus’ crucifixion.  Talk about letting someone down. … Can you imagine how he must have felt?  

Peter was a man who had, for all practical purposes, a dead spirit.  Peter was a man who was in desperate need of a kind of “resurrection” himself.

When I speak of “resurrection,” I’m thinking of his commitment to Christ.  This was lost in the midst of his famous denial the night of Jesus’ arrest.  

Remember? … 3 different people had come up to him asking if he simply knew Jesus.  And Peter replied … “I swear that I am telling the truth!  

May God punish me if I am not!  I do not know the man!” (Matthew 26:74)

Wow!  Can Peter ever be restored again? (Matthew 18:22)

Imagine what an updated version of Peter’s resume might look like.

2½ years with Jesus; various preaching assignments; some healings;

food distribution experience in large crowds; occasional appointment secretary.  Basic strength … spokesman.  Essential weakness … no courage.

Can this kind of person be resurrected?  Is it even worth it?

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture.  It’s so encouraging.  

I’ve gone back to it a # of times.  It’s a beautiful picture of Jesus meeting His disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  By now most of the disciples had seen the resurrected Jesus at least twice. (John 20:19,26) 

But their reactions indicated confusion, &

 an inability to fully comprehend what was going on. (Matthew 28:17)

It’s also important to note who the “they” were in this passage.  

“Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, & 2 other disciples” … there were 7 in all. 

Peter, Thomas, & Nathanael are the only ones specifically named.  

Thomas was the lone “unbeliever” when the news 1st arrived about Jesus’ resurrection. “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands & put my finger on those scars & my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) 

Nathanael had been the 1st to acknowledge Jesus’ true identity. (John 1:49) 

And we’ve already talked about Peter.

(Don’t miss the point that the 1st Church was made up of doubters, deniers, 

& a wide variety of sinners who had been brought to faith by Christ.)

Anyway, baffled & confused, it’s Peter who finally suggests something positive … “I am going fishing.”  That’s something that he knew & understood & felt reasonably comfortable doing … & the rest of the disciples immediately joined him.  (Jon, George … I suspect you would have happily tagged along as well.  In fact, Duane’s off fishing right now.)

When we fail at a “vocation” like the one that Jesus had called Peter to … 

what’s left but to return to what we did before?  By going back to fishing Peter is saying … “I’m a failure as a follower of Christ.  

I let Him down when I should have performed.

So, I’m going back to what I know I can do, & do well … fishing.”

Now, if a person is a leader in spiritual matters, that same leadership will exist in moments of despair or rebellion.  

So, when Peter suggests a night of fishing … everyone follows.

John, who was there, writes that it was a bad night.

The “experts”, with experience & equipment, fail again.  It’s almost an exact duplication of the story in Luke when they 1st met Jesus. (Luke 5:4-6) 

There must have been the feeling … “Déjà vu, I’ve been here before.”

And suddenly, Jesus appears on the shore & calls to them, 

“Young men, haven’t you caught anything?”

“Not a thing.”

“Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, & you will catch some.”

It’s John who says to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”  And it’s Peter who leaps into the water & frantically swims toward Jesus.  He’s so excited!  He can’t wait to get to Him!  And we have this beautiful scene on the shore with the fire burning, cooking the fish & bread.  The cold, shivering, tired men gather around.  What’s going on in Peter’s mind? … When was the last time that he stood around the charcoal fire? … (Remember, it was outside of Caiaphas’ house the night of his denial.) (John 18:18)

Everywhere Peter goes there are reminders.

The early morning air is chilly.  Fog rises off the lake.  There’s silence as the men stare into the fire, wondering what’s going to happen next?  And then … Jesus serves breakfast.  It’s an act of caring, of hospitality, of saying … “gentlemen, I’m glad to be with you.”  It’s completely different from those final hours in Jerusalem when everything was out of control.  

I try to put myself in the disciple’s place.  Jesus is back with them!

This is a beautiful, calming picture of Jesus’ invitation to all who have failed & are defeated, to come & join Him at the fire, away from the cold & emptiness. (Matthew 11:28) Join Him for breakfast.  He’s still ready to serve. 

(Mark 10:45)

The conversation begins with Peter, & it involves a series of questions & answers.  3 times Jesus asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  

3 times Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

And 3 times Jesus responds, “Take care of my sheep.”

It seems like a strange conversation, until we understand the meaning of the terms that were used in the exchange.  

There are several words in Greek that are loosely translated as “love.”  

2 of them are found here: “agape” (ἀγαπᾷς) & “phileo” (φιλῶ).

“Agape” is the highest form of love.  It’s a love that performs, that gives.  “For God loved the world so much that he gave ….” (John 3:16)

“Phileo” is the 2nd word for love used in our Scripture passage.  

It focuses on feelings of affection & intentions.

So, “agape” is performance, while “phileo” deals with feelings & intentions.  There’s obviously quite a difference between the 2.

And once we understand that, this passage comes alive.

Jesus is asking Peter … “Do you love (agape/performance) me?”

Peter answers … “Yes, Lord, 

you know that I love (phileo/I have intentions & feelings for) you.”

In addition to that question Jesus adds … “more than these others do?”  “Peter, do you still think that you love me more than all the other disciples?”

You see, more than once Peter inferred that he did.  He had stood there with good “intentions,” thinking that he was Jesus’ #1 supporter.  

He had publicly vowed … “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!” 
(Mark 14:29) “I’ve got your back.  You can depend on me.”

Since then, Peter’s had a chance to perform … but didn’t.  

In fact, his failure was more spectacular than everyone else’s (1 Corinthians 10:12) 

… the greater the intention, the more colossal the failure.  Jesus wants Peter to honestly examine his heart, & recognize where he really stands.  

And for the 1st time, Peter’s willing to come clean.  

“Lord, you know that I … I … I … I have ‘intentions’ for you.”

Thank you, Peter, for describing all of us.  The best that can be said for each of us, most of the time, is that we have feelings/intentions for the Lord.  But there’s a huge difference between that & performance.  

“Hell is full of good intentions or desires.” (Bernard of Clairvaux)

“Resurrection” begins when a person stops kidding around about the true state of their love for Jesus.  We’d like to claim “agape” … 

but we’re more often prone toward “phileo” love.

Then Jesus says, “take care of my lambs.”

Notice that He doesn’t say … “lead, dominate, manage, govern, rule over, command, supervise, or intimidate.” (1 Peter 5:3)

Have you ever seen someone feed a lamb?  Years ago, I had a friend who was kind of a “gentleman farmer.”  He had a bunch of sheep & even went to Scotland & got some sheep dogs.  He knew I was teaching a S.S. class, & he invited the kids to come & see the newborn lambs.  He even let them feed them.  They used baby bottles, & with the utmost gentleness, fed the lambs.

The “lambs” of Jesus Christ have to grow. (Hebrews 6:1) 

Jesus starts at the beginning with Peter.

“I want you to be a feeder of the tiniest, of the most vulnerable.”

The 2nd question varies little from the 1st.

Jesus again uses “agape” & Peter answers with “phileo.”  

“Lord, I have affection for you & intentions to serve you.”

Now Peter says that, but he’s in an embarrassing situation.

He’s standing there with a fishing net … which is admitting that he’s gone back to fishing for fish rather than fishing for people. (Luke 5:10)

Jesus varies His command a little this time.

He says, “Take care of my sheep.”  The word He uses (Ποίμαινε) is a more general term, which describes the overall work of the shepherd for the entire flock, rather than just the lambs.

Now in the 3rd question Jesus changes verbs.  He uses Peter’s word … 

“Do you phileo me?”  Jesus is now dealing at Peter’s level of commitment.

“Peter, I accept where you are right now spiritually.  I understand your intention.  And as time goes on, I will help you with your performance,  

because that’s what I’m ultimately interested in.”

You see … Jesus doesn’t want simply promises. (James 2:14)

And that’s all Peter had given Him up to this point.  The original vow to follow Jesus, & even die for Him, had been unrealistic. (Mark 14:31) 

Peter’s 3 denials were exaggerated also, filled with profanity. (Matthew 26:74)

Neither were really Peter.  They showed him in moments of extreme stress.  In this conversation we view Peter as he really is.

He’s anxious to know Jesus, & wants to please Him.  

This is all that the Lord wants from him … & us.

Jesus had given Peter the privilege of being the 1st leader of the Church. 

(The Acts 2:14) And there were times when Peter allowed it to go to his head & made him think bigger thoughts about himself than he should have. (Romans12:3) 

But Jesus is patient with him.

Peter would look back on this moment as his own “spiritual resurrection.”  Later, he would write …

“But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, 

who calls you to share his eternal glory with Christ, will himself perfect you & give you firmness, strength, & a sure foundation.” (1 Peter 5:10)

The 3rd century Bible scholar, John Chrysostom, wrote … 

“The danger is not that we should fall while fighting, 

but rather that, once fallen, we should remain on the ground.” 

 Peter’s been on the ground, but now he’s up, “resurrected” by Jesus.

Some of us have fallen, but thank you Jesus … we have gotten up again. 

(The Proverbs 2:16)

The conversation ends with a frightening challenge about the future.  

Jesus now tells Peter something that he couldn’t have understood before with just simply his good “intentions.”  Let me paraphrase.

“Peter, while you’re young, you’ll have freedom; but there’s coming a time, when you’re old, that you’ll also suffer on a cross.”  

John verifies that Jesus’ words were a prophecy about Peter’s martyrdom.

And then Jesus concludes with, “Follow me!”  What makes that interesting is that several weeks earlier Jesus had told Peter … 

“You cannot follow me now where I am going, but later you will follow me.”

“‘Lord, why can’t I follow you now?’ asked Peter.  ‘I’m ready to die for you!’

“Jesus answered, ‘Are you really ready to die for me?  

I am telling you the truth: before the rooster crows you will say 3 times that you do not know me.’” (John 13:36-38)

As long as Peter operated on an intention level, he couldn’t follow Jesus.

That could happen only after the cross, 

when Peter became honestly committed.

Now this prophecy was historically fulfilled.  Church historian, Eusebius, 

is the 1st to acknowledge it.  He writes about Peter traveling to Rome near the end of his life.  There he was imprisoned by Nero, 

his hands were bound, & he was led out to the place of execution.  

Tradition adds that at Peter’s request, he was crucified upside-down because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way that his Lord did.

Peter once promised that he would lay down his life for Jesus. (Matthew 26:35) 

And here, Jesus prophetically says in effect, “Yes Peter, you will one day keep your promise & give your life for me.  But you will not die as you thought you would, with a sword in your hand, defending me against the Temple guards & Roman soldiers. (John 18:10) You will be bound & led out to die just as I was.  You will lay down your life, not in battle, but in martyrdom.”

This is a hope-filled story for every follower of Jesus, who, like me, 

has felt defeat.  And it’s at those times that Jesus is often able to speak more clearly than ever before.  

And through that experience there is “resurrection!”

A lot of people naïvely say, “Oh, I love Jesus so much!”  

But how do we really know if we truly love Jesus?  Is it just a tender emotion that we feel inside … or is there more to love than that?

If we really love God, it’ll be shown in our life.  “Do you love me?” 

Jesus asked Peter.  And today He’s asking us that same question.

What kind of love does Jesus want us to have? … 

What kind of love do you have for Jesus? …

MARANA THA

I AM - Resurrection and Life

 

I AM – 6

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

… based on John 11:17-44

On 27 November 1969 … Thanksgiving night … 

as I was saying good-bye to my Dad, he hugged me, & cried.  

(6:00 the next morning I was inducted into the Army.)

2 things have ingrained that scene into my mind.  

1st, my Dad never hugged me; my Mom was the physically affectionate one.

And 2ndly, I had never seen my Dad cry before.

I then drove the 50 miles to Pittsburgh where I spent the night at my cousin’s, (who would take me to the Federal Building early Friday morning).  But by the time I arrived at her house my Dad had already called to apologize for crying.  

He said, “men aren’t supposed to cry … at least not in front of other people.”

Obviously, Jesus never heard that “rule” because, 

as we will see in our Gospel lesson today, He openly wept in front of a crowd.  I’m specifically talking about John 11:35 … the shortest verse in the Bible.

So, listen now to Good News, as recorded by John, 

to we who have gathered here this Easter morning for worship.

Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before.  Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother’s death.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house.  Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died!  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.”

“Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her.

“I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and those who live and believe in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord!” she answered.  “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

After Martha said this, she went back and called her sister Mary privately.  “The Teacher is here,” she told her, “and is asking for you.”  When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him.  (Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.)  The people who were in the house with Mary comforting her followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out.  They thought that she was going to the grave to weep there.  

Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet.  “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died!”

Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved.  “Where have you buried him?” he asked them.

“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.

Jesus wept.  “See how much he loved him!” the people said. 

But some of them said, “He gave sight to the blind man, didn’t he?  

“Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?”

Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.  “Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered.  

Martha, the dead man’s sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord.  He has been buried four days!”

Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?”  They took the stone away.  Jesus looked up and said, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.  I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.”  After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face.  “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go.”  (John 11:17-44)                                                                                                    

This is the Good News of the Gospel; thanks be to God.

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

I remember when I was in S.S., especially 4th, 5th, & 6th grades.  

We had to memorize a Bible verse every week.

Now the girls would always come with these great passages that probably had lots of theological significance … but we boys … spent way too much time searching the Scriptures for brevity.

So, our favorite verses to memorize became:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16 … “Be joyful always.”

• Or, Luke 17:32 … “Remember Lot’s wife!”

• And the most popular of all, John 11:35 … “Jesus wept.”

Well, there are a couple of reasons why Jesus wasn’t embarrassed for weeping in front of a crowd.  For one thing, crying was expected of men in 

crying was expected of men in Jesus’ day under certain conditions.

The Jews had elevated mourning & grieving to an art form.

The rabbis wrote a religious rule book for everyday living called “The Talmud.”  One of the “rules” was that men were required to mourn for 30 days.  In fact, the 1st 3 days they were to weep uncontrollably.  

For the rest of the week, they were to lament out loud, & then,

for the remainder of the 30 days, they were to go without shaving & bathing … (which, I’m sure, brought tears to everybody else’s eyes).

So, it wasn’t an unusual thing in Jesus’ day for men to cry.

A 2nd reason why the crowd certainly wouldn’t make “fun” of Jesus at this moment was that Lazarus was one of His best friends (John 11:3) … & now he had passed.  In fact, the words “Jesus wept” are followed with the people commenting … “See how much he loved him!”

And that’s the great irony … because Jesus wasn’t crying over the loss of Lazarus.  He knew from the moment that He got word about Lazarus’ sickness that He was going to raise him from the dead. (John 11:14) He even “teased” His disciples about this.  He said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go & wake him up.” (John 11:11) (That was a thinly veiled reference about His intention to raise Lazarus from the dead.)

So, knowing that His friend would be alive & well within a few moments,

we can assume that Jesus wasn’t crying over Lazarus’ passing.

So, why was He weeping?

Let’s look at the passage.  

“Jesus saw Mary weeping, & he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, & he was deeply moved.”

Now John is going to use that exact same expression again a few sentences later … “Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, 

which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.”

Actually, “deeply moved,” (ἐμβριμάομαι), is a very interesting phrase.

It really means “intensely angry”!  It means “outrage”!  In Greek literature it’s the expression used of a snorting horse that’s pawing the ground.  

So, what was Jesus so angry about as He approached the grave of Lazarus? 

John explains at the beginning of his Gospel that Jesus is the author of life.  He writes … 

“Through him God made all things; 

not 1 thing in all creation was made without him.  

Jesus was the source of life, & this life brought light to people.” (John 1:3-4)

Jesus is the life-giver.  Jesus hates death.  

Jesus knows that death is not the way it’s supposed to be. (Genesis 3:20)

The Apostle Paul wrote … 

“Sin came into the world through 1 man, & his sin brought death with it.

As a result, death has spread to the whole human race

because everyone has sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

So, as Jesus stood at the graveside of Lazarus, He wasn’t grieving over the loss of His friend, He was trembling with rage because He realized … “This isn’t the way I intended it to be.  This life I created wasn’t supposed to be destroyed this way.”  And at that point, 

Jesus raises His friend Lazarus from the dead.

This is the final recorded miracle of Jesus’ earthly ministry … & it’s the biggest.  More than any other, it demonstrates Jesus’ omnipotence … 

His unlimited power.  And this morning we’ll see 5 aspects of that power.

Here’s the 1st one … it’s invited power.  

“Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.   ‘Take the stone away!’ Jesus ordered.” 

Why did Jesus order the stone to be removed? … Certainly, the Son of God, who was about to raise a man from the dead, could have supernaturally eliminated that stone as well.  He could have called for a thunderbolt from Heaven & demolished it into 5,280 pieces … which would have been a great prelude to the raising of Lazarus, by the way.  “Now that I’ve got your attention … here’s the miracle!”  Instead, Jesus requests human participation before He demonstrates His awesome power.  Isn’t that interesting? …

Do you remember the one time in the Gospels where Jesus was unable to do many miracles? … It was in His hometown, Nazareth.  “Because they did not have faith, Jesus did not perform many miracles there.” (Matthew 13:58)

Jesus typically reserves the greatest displays of His power for those 

who demonstrate an expectation that big things are about to happen.

Now Martha & Mary, Lazarus’ sisters, had already expressed a little of this kind of faith.  When Lazarus became deathly ill the 1st thing the sisters did was send for Jesus (John 11:3) … “Jesus, please come.”  They recognized that they needed some supernatural help … & they knew where to get it.

It was a step of faith on their part … call for the Savior.

And then when Jesus arrives, Martha (verse 21) & Mary (verse 32) both say the same thing.  “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died!”

These brokenhearted women are still expressing faith.

They’d seen Jesus heal people.  And they’re saying, “Lord, we know that if you had been here, you could have/would have healed Lazarus.”

The 1st miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana. (John 2:1-11) Do you remember what He did just prior to that miracle? … He told the servants to fill 6 stone jars with water, (each held 20-30 gallons).  Was Jesus capable of filling those empty jars with wine without any water in them? … Of course … so why fill the jars? 

The same thing was going on in the 1st miracle as is happening in His final miracle.  Jesus is looking for some evidence of faith.  “Fill these jars with water.” … “Take the stone away!”  It’s not that Jesus needs our help …

Jesus just wants to know that we really want His help.  Jesus waits to see if we’re willing to move the stone in anticipation of what we expect Him to do.

2nd, this is invincible power. (Luke 1:37)

“Martha, the dead man’s sister, answered, ‘There will be a bad smell, 

Lord.  He has been buried 4 days!’

“Jesus said to her, 

‘Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?’”

Now hearing Martha’s words, it doesn’t really sound like she’s truly expecting a miracle, does it? … Jesus says, “Take the stone away!”  And it appears that Martha responds, “You’ve got to be kidding.”  But to Martha’s defense, the story isn’t over yet.  All we’re seeing at this point is Martha’s immediate reaction.  But it isn’t long before they’re removing the stone.  So, 

let me suggest that faith sometimes needs a long runway before it takes off.

A 2nd thing, in Martha’s defense … she had the faith that if Jesus had arrived in time, He would have healed her brother.  It’s just that power to heal is one thing … power to resurrect is another.  No one expected that.  

“Some of the people said, ‘He gave sight to the blind man, didn’t he?  

Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?’”

Everyone was willing to concede … Jesus restored sight to the blind, 

He performed all sorts of miracles, & “could have” kept Lazarus from dying …

if He had arrived on time. 

 But a resurrection made nobody’s list of possibilities.

Now, I know, if you’ve read the Gospels, you’re thinking … 

“Hey, didn’t Jesus already raise a couple of other people from the dead?” …

Yes, but they weren’t as “dead” as Lazarus!

In the 1st instance, the Synagogue ruler Jairus comes to Jesus, 

“My little daughter is very sick.  Please come & place your hands on her, 

so that she will get well & live!”  So, Jesus goes with him.  

But on the way some messengers come & tell Jairus, 

“Your daughter has died.  Why bother the Teacher any longer?”  

Jesus looks at him & says, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:22-24,35-43)

Jesus arrives at Jairus’ home … takes his daughter’s hand, which is probably still warm, & says … “Little girl, I tell you to get up!”  

And she got up at once.  Jesus raises her from the dead … barely dead.

In the 2nd instance, Jesus is out & about & a funeral procession is going by.  

They’re carrying a young man to the graveyard.  (Now in that culture people were buried the day they died.  There was no way to preserve a body, 

& in that climate, it would begin to decompose right away.)  So,

Jesus goes over to the coffin, & says, “Young man!  Get up, I tell you!”  He raises this only son of a bereaved widow … also just barely dead. (Luke 7:11-15)

The situation with Lazarus was entirely different.  Lazarus was dead dead.

Martha tells us that in a couple of ways.  

1st of all, she says that “he has been buried 4 days.”

There was a superstition in Jesus’ day that the spirit of a person would hang around the dead body for 3 days in the hope that the person might be resuscitated.  But after 3 days it left.  Lazarus has been buried 4 days.

The 2nd thing that underscores his deadness is “a bad smell.”

The body, in other words, has begun to decompose.  (The King James Version graphically puts it, “Lord, he stinketh.”)  Lazarus was dead dead. 

And while there were many in this crowd who were willing to grant the fact that Jesus could pull off the occasional miracle, & might even be able to possibly raise a recently dead body to life … dead dead people were an entirely different matter.  That would require invincible power.  That would require power so awesome that it could only be described as Jesus does … 

“God’s glory.”  Jesus says to Martha,

“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory?”

Sometimes I wonder if we don’t carry around in our minds a list of what we think Jesus can & cannot do.  We believe in Jesus’ power … 

up to a certain point, but anything beyond that … it just isn’t going to happen.

I’m not suggesting that our Lord is going to say “yes” to every one of our prayer requests, but I know this … He’s not going to say “yes” to prayers that are never prayed because of unbelief.  

Do you believe that Jesus’ power is invincible? … 

Or are there some things that you pray for, 

but not other things because they’re beyond what God can do?

3rd, this is identifiable power.

“They took the stone away.  Jesus looked up & said, ‘I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.  I know that you always listen to me, 

but I say this for the sake of the people here, 

so that they will believe that you sent me.’”

What I want you to get from this passage, 

is the inseparable link between Jesus & His Father.

1st, “Jesus looked up.”  Jesus could have prayed with His head bowed 

& His eyes closed.  I believe that looking up was a dramatic gesture on Jesus’ part to intentionally let those people know that He & God were working together on this.

Then He says, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.” …

“You listen to me.”  Jesus knows for a fact that God listens to Him.  So, what is it that God has heard? … What God has been listening to is the continuous communication that Jesus has been having with Him all along. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Now up to this point the volume has been kept low, but now Jesus turns up the sound so that everyone else can hear who He’s talking to.  

But this has been a nonstop dialogue that’s already in progress.

“I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.”

Jesus is telling His listeners … “I’m on a mission.  I’ve come from a place other than planet earth.  I’ve been sent.  The Father sent me.  

I’m working on His agenda.  He & I are doing this together.” (John 10:30)

This is a God thing.  Jesus is setting up the crowd for the miracle.

He just wants them to understand that when He calls Lazarus from the dead … that God is the one who has done this. (John 6:38)

When I was a boy, I used to love to watch Zorro.

The thing I especially liked was the moment Zorro rescued somebody.

He would always do what? … He’d leave his signature behind.  He’d take out his sword & go … (Z) & there’d be this huge “Z” for everyone to see,

so no one would be in the dark as to who had done this.

Jesus has taken out His “sword” as it were & swiped a large “G” in everybody’s mind.  God!  What you’re about to see is a God thing!  

The Father & I are working together in concert with each other.  (John 14:9-10)

4th, this is internalized power.

“After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’  

He came out, his hands & feet wrapped in grave cloths.”

Just a couple of amusing side notes.  1st of all, Jesus “called out in a loud voice.”  Back in those days there were a lot of traveling magicians & wizards who would mumble their “hocus-pocus” when casting a spell.  Jesus wants to distinguish Himself from those charlatans.  There’s no secret chant going on here.  No magical words are being said.  This is straight forward God power.  He speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. 

The other thing that I find kind of amusing is that Jesus uses Lazarus’ name.  “Lazarus, come out!”

Some Bible scholars have suggested that if He hadn’t used Lazarus’ name, the whole graveyard would have come alive.  If He had just said, “Come out!” … how many dead bodies would have responded? …

Let your imagination go with that thought. …

Now what made this miracle so amazing, (besides a dead man coming back to life), was Jesus’ Jewish audience didn’t have much of an understanding about the concept of resurrection.  Believe it or not, there’s very little in the O.T., (which would have been their Scripture), about it.

The Psalmist alludes to it a few times writing that the Lord’s blessing 

would be extended beyond this life. (The Psalms 16:10; 49:15)

Job states, “I know there is someone in Heaven … 

& someday I will see him with my own eyes.” (Job 19:25,27)

Daniel writes … “Many of those who have already died will live again: some will enjoy eternal life, & some will suffer eternal disgrace.” (Daniel 12:2)

And Isaiah … “Those of our people who have died will live again!” (Isaiah 26:19)

But once we get beyond those few Scriptures there’s not much else that describes resurrection.  In fact, there were 2 major religious parties in Jesus’ day … 

Pharisees & Sadducees, & the Sadducees, (religious leaders mind you), 

didn’t even believe in a resurrection! (The Acts 23:8) What’s the old joke?  

The Sadducees don’t believe in Heaven, that’s why they’re sad-you-see.

Now because this miracle was done “less than 2 miles from Jerusalem” & due to the fact that Martha, Mary, & Lazarus were a prominent family, 

& many Judeans had come to comfort them … 

there were a great # of people milling around.

I suspect there must have even been some Sadducees there.  

Wouldn’t you have loved to see the look on their faces when Lazarus came out of the tomb?  Kind of wrecks their whole theology, doesn’t it?

Resurrection!  This is a doctrine that’s personified by Jesus Himself.

“Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, 

Lord, my brother would not have died!  

But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.’

“‘Your brother will rise to life,’ Jesus told her.

“‘I know,’ she replied, ‘that he will rise to life on the last day.’

(Martha has pieced together those O.T. passages 

& believes that there will be a resurrection.)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection & the life.  

Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; & those who live 

& believe in me will never die.  Do you believe this?’

“‘Yes, Lord!’ she answered.  ‘I do believe that you are the Messiah, 

the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’”

What Jesus is questioning isn’t,

“Do you believe this theological doctrine?”  He’s asking, “Do you believe in this person standing in front of you?”  And Martha responds, “Yes, Lord!  

I believe that you are who you claim to be, the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Please note … Jesus is not just a person who does resurrection …

Jesus is the resurrection.  Jesus is not just a person who makes people alive … Jesus is the life. This is not a S.S. lesson about the doctrine of resurrection; this is about a personal relationship with the One who is resurrection & who is life.  

Do you believe in Him?  Martha announces boldly … “Yes, I do!”

“In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience & sins.” 

(Ephesians 2:1)

Spiritually speaking, we are dead, lifeless.  We can’t do anything to merit our own salvation.  We’re hopeless.  We’re helpless.  It takes Jesus to resurrect us to new life spiritually.  And the day is coming when we believe that this is going to happen physically.  We’re going to be resurrected in an eternal sense.  I am so looking forward to that day!  We sang about it a moment ago.  “I’ll see the lights of glory & I’ll know He lives.”

Jesus told them, “Untie him, & let him go.”  This is inaugurating power.

We all know about inaugurations; we have them every 4 years.

It’s the beginning of something new, something fresh, something that creates expectation.  Lazarus has just been raised from the dead … 

but somebody has got to set him loose from his grave clothes.

Getting raised from the dead is only the 1st step.  Try to picture this.  Here’s this guy just raised from the dead, & He’s struggling to get out of the tomb.  And everybody is just standing there with their mouths open … nobody’s doing anything about it.  It takes Jesus to do that.  The power that Jesus gives is not just the power to start us out in the Christian life; 

it’s the power to transform our life. (Romans 12:2)

One final thought …

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead not only as a testimony to those who lived in that day, but also as a visible reminder of His promise to us. (John 14:19)

Think about this … in just a few days after raising Lazarus from the dead Jesus Himself is going to be killed, & He’ll be buried, & then He’ll rise from the dead.  And since that’s the case … why bother with Lazarus?  

Why raise him from the dead? …

Well, if only Jesus rose from the dead … what difference does that make to us? … I mean, “yeah, Jesus is God.  Of course, He can rise from the dead!  But we’re mortals … & death is part of the deal for us.” (Hebrews 9:27) 

Every person we’ve ever known throughout our lives has or will die.  

It’s our fate.  But in raising Lazarus from the dead, 

Jesus was allowing us to have a preview of what He’ll do for us.

  “If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, 

then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you.” (Romans 8:11)

Isn’t that an awesome thought? …

The Spirit of God who resides in us is powerful enough to bring us right up out of the grave!  Just as Jesus rose from the grave … we will too!  When that trumpet sounds on the last day, (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) we’ll be resurrected to be with Jesus eternally.  No grave will be able to hold us. (Romans 6:9) That’s what Paul was telling the Romans, & that’s what Jesus was telling Martha.

In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, there’s a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite & marble cemented together & fastened with heavy steel clasps.  It belonged to Henriette Juliane Caroline von Rüling,

a woman who didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead.  In fact,

she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection, it couldn’t reach her.  On the marker were inscribed these words: “May this tomb bought for eternity never be opened.”

In time, a seed began to grow into a tree.  It slowly pushed its’ way through the soil.  As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets.  This birch tree pushed away the stones, opening that grave.  The tomb has since become a tourist attraction, & even the subject of horror stories.  

Now, everyone has an idea about what happened there … 

but we know what really happened.  God laughed & said … “Seriously? …

You really think I can’t open this grave.  Just watch.”

Jesus announced … “I am the resurrection & the life.  

Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; 

& those who live & believe in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

So, what does this say to us this morning?

The answer is given by Paul in his 2nd Letter to Timothy. Timothy was a young man who lived in the pagan city of Ephesus.  He had to struggle to live as a Christian in that polluted, pagan environment, just as we have to today in our society.  He was sometimes discouraged, sometimes defeated, 

he faced many problems.  He was afraid, & at times, timid.

Paul wrote, “Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from death.” (2 Timothy 2:8) Remember Jesus right where you are.  He is with you. (Hebrews 13:5)

Whatever your problems, struggles, temptations, the living Lord of Glory is with us, & He knows how to lead us through whatever comes our way, 

even, if necessary, to raise the dead.  He can do anything. (Luke 1:37)

Do you believe this?

MARANA THA