St. Marks
Lent 5 - A

      • John 13:34NIV2011

      • John 8:12NIV2011

      • John 11:25NIV2011

      • John 11:26NIV2011

  • Graves Into Gardens

      • Ezekiel 37:1–14NIV2011

      • Psalm 23NIV2011

      • Psalm 130NIV2011

      • Romans 8:6–11NIV2011

      • John 11:1–45NIV2011

  • Intro: The Perfect Faithfulness of Jesus Makes up for our Fumbling

    This is the third large Gospel Reading of Lent
    Woman at the well — come see the man who told me everything I’d ever done! Jesus is the source of Living Water
    The Healing of the Blind Man — Jesus is the Son of Man — the promised figure of deliverance. Faith brings the identity of Jesus into focus. Unbelief distorts Jesus who is a threat
    Today in John we read something startling and confusing — Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life! In Jesus death is transformed from a dead end into a doorway to Eternal Life.
    What is required of us? Not perfect faith, not full understanding, but the openness to trust Jesus enough to work it through. When Jesus is our focus — God’s realty breaks in to our imperfect reality.

    The Place of Suffering and Death in the Life of the Christian.

    Christians have always been weird about death. We have worshipped in catacombs. The Great Saints are usually depicted in art holding the implements of their torture and death. Historically, Christians have taken death pretty lightly.
    So two things need to be considered before we examine the passage.
    Jesus had a special bond with this family from Bethany. Lazarus is the one he loved with brotherly affection (Phileo). Jesus then, loved Martha and Mary as his own sisters.
    Lazarus’ sickness was not a sign that Jesus did not care. Suffering itself — though never easy — is not a sign of judgement for his followers, or a sign of apathy. Even in our suffering there can be purpose
    Suffering is a symptom a world that has been thrown off its axis. Suffering can be the consequence of our sinfulness, or the sinfulness of others.
    But as we read in the story last week about the blind man — our focus is not self-pity but how we might bring about the glory of God both in our own suffering, and through our ministry to The Suffering.

    1. Delays with Divine Purpose

    God’s timing is mysterious. To accept God’s timing demands that we trust God. It demands faith in the face of hardship.
    Here is the hard thing — Jesus is close enough to help. But the timing might be off.
    So the last time Jesus was in Judea people tried to stone him for blasphemy — since he had claimed to be God’s son. John 10:31-39. Following that, Jesus moved to the far side of the Jordan to where John had been baptizing John 10:40.
    Where was that? An area called “Bethany beyond the Jordan” near the Dead Sea. This was about 32 Kms away from Bethany where Lazarus was sick. Jesus could have made it back to Bethany in a day.
    Jesus receives messengers that Lazarus was sick. But like the blind man he believed that this form of suffering would be for the glorification of God and his Son.
    He delay two days.
    Here’s the thing though — I’m not very good at math, but this is pretty basic. By the time they get to Bethany Lazarus has been in the tomb for 4 days. That means he may have been dead up to 5 days before they got there since it was customary to have the body in the grace before sunset of the next day.
    When the messengers found Jesus. Lazarus was already dead.
    Why the delay? To display the power of God? NT Wright believes the delay was for Jesus to pray against the corruption of Lazarus’s body.
    Jews believed the soul hung around for 3 days before going to Sheol. Was the delay to demonstrate beyond a shadow of doubt that this was not a healing — this was resurrection.

    Devotion & Skepticism

    Jesus announces that they will return to Bethany.
    The Disciples believe this to be a mistake — that it will not end the way that they want. That Jesus’ ministry will come to an end.
    There is an almost comic failure to communicate between Jesus and his disciples. Which we don’t have time to explore. But Jesus says that Lazarus’ death will result in the deepening of disciples’s faith in him.
    Thomas the Realist (Not the Doubter)
    He was devoted to Jesus, but he did not understand Jesus. He did not agree and yet he says one of the bravest things in the NT.
    John 11:16 NIV
    16 … “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
    Fellow Disciples: We do not need to be in full agreement with Jesus to follow him. We do not need to have full understanding before we can claim to be Jesus’ disciples. What we need is courage to follow where Jesus calls.
    It is not ours to fit Jesus into our worldview or culture. It for us to follow Jesus out of our preconceptions into his Kingdom.
    What a wonderful example we have in Thomas.

    2. Faith Amidst Frustration

    Young mom diagnosed with terminal cancer. She had already survived cancer once. “Thank God for the Resurrection.” Response to young mom being diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was angered. But he doubled down. Seriously! Thank God this life is not all we hope for!
    Christians sometimes have a bad reputation for being insensitive to those grieving. I have heard that funerals are time to say goodbye not to have religion crammed down my throat.
    But it is hard not to hope in the Resurrection when we are confronted with death.
    Yet looking to Jesus we see how we are to respond to death, and also where we are to place our hope.
    Martha is amazing.
    Even in grief she is out there doing what is expected of her.
    She went out to welcome Jesus. And she rebukes him in a way grieving people do. “If you were here, my brother would not have died.” Where were you? Why did you not prevent this from happening.
    Those of us who have walked the road of grief feel these questions. WE have asked these questions.
    To express pain and disappointment to God is not disbelief. This is relationship. From this statement is is clear — Martha prayed the Psalms which cry out to God in pain, and expect God to make things better.
    Martha’s Faith — Even now you can do something, can’t you? God will give you whatever you ask! She trusts Jesus.
    Jesus tells her, that Lazarus would rise again.
    A hint of disappointment — a credal answer. Based in the teachings of Daniel 12:2-3
    Daniel 12:2–3 NIV
    2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
    and 2 Mac 7:9
    2 Maccabees 7:9 NRSV
    9 … the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.”
    There is a sense of let down here. Until Jesus redefines Resurrection
    John 11:25–26 NIV
    25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
    What does that even mean? Jesus somehow makes the Resurrection — an event, a thing of faith into a person — into himself. The event of the Resurrection is not our destination — Jesus himself is.
    So that is why when people ask what Christians believe happens to them after they die — they say we go to be with the Lord.
    Martha cannot comprehend this. So when Jesus says do you believe this — she says I believe in you: God’s Messiah the one who is to come into the world. i.e. the fulfillment of God’s promise to David.
    We do not need to understand all the complexities of theology — we simply need to trust in the Messiah, the SoM, the SoG, our friend, Jesus.

    3. Presence in Our Pain

    Introverted Mary is suffering alone. Grief takes many forms. Sometimes we are ashamed of our grief — I should have more faith than this. But Jesus calls to us even in our grief, in our pain, in our darkest and worst moments. He wants to be with us even in there.
    Where Martha expresses grief and faith Mary stops with lament.
    In the Greek sentence Mary emphasizes “My Brother” There is a deeper resentment here. How could you let me suffer this loss? Don’t you care for me?!”
    Jesus becomes Agitated — angry. Not at Mary. But at death itself — the final enemy to be placed under Jesus’ feet. Jesus shows wrathful emotions wanting to defeat the opponent that hurts his loved ones so.
    Where have you laid him? Jesus wants to go to the source of their grief to lament for his friend. To feel the affects inflicted by death.
    Ride the roller coaster. The road of Grief is wild but it is so important to walk it all for our healing.
    The gift of Christianity: we have a God who suffers with us.
    Isaiah 53:4 NIV
    4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

    4. Resurrection Reveals Reality

    Though Martha believed — she expected nothing but decay behind that stone. Where she expected something foul — Jesus knew there would be a freshness like nothing else.
    Jesus takes charge. Open the tomb and let Lazarus out! You will see the glory of God not the ruin of decay.
    Jesus prayed — aloud for the benefit of those around him. So that their faith would be strengthened in prayer and in him.
    Like Lazarus — we are to leave the tombs of doubt and despair and come into the light.
    We are to rely on one another to strip off our grave clothes so that we might move freely in God’s Kingdom.

    Conclusion

    I naturally disguise my grief, and hide my need.
    Suffering, grief, despair, ignorance all the symptoms of this world are not to be things that shame us, they are to be opportunities for prayer — that the Lord would resurrect those parts of us that are asleep.
    Thomas did not agree with or understand Jesus, his timing or his destination — but he was devoted to being with Jesus. We do not need understand but we must trust
    Martha expressed her pain, and her deep faith. She did not understand how Jesus was the Resurrection of the Life — but she did believe in him. We are to know and trust in Jesus — and to invited others to do the same.
    Mary came to Jesus in her hurt. She suffered and grieved with Jesus. And Jesus brought about new life through that exposure.
    This is a long chapter to show us who Jesus really is, and who we are called to be next to him.

      • John 11:16NIV2011

      • Daniel 12:2–3NIV2011

      • 2 Maccabees 7:9NIV2011

      • John 11:25–26NIV2011

      • Isaiah 53:4NIV2011

  • My Soul Waits
  • Breath Of God
  • Always
  • More Than Conquerors

      • John 13:34NIV2011

St. Marks
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