Scripture: John 11:17-27, John 20:11-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
Introduction
- The stone’s been rolled away! The tomb is empty! Our Savior’s risen! He is alive!
- Today’s message is the most important one of the year, because today means hope.
- Before this fateful day almost 2000 years ago, mankind was lost in its sin.
- Only a tiny fraction of the people in the world even knew about God or sin.
- The vast majority were doomed to sin because the meaning of sin is to be apart from God
- Even the tiny people group in Roman-occupied Israel were doomed to sin because they KNEW about God and they KNEW how to repent from sin, but had gotten so corrupt.
- What of those who have died and never knew Jesus? Or were disobedient to God before?
- Jesus said that: “no one comes to the Father except through Him”
- 1 Peter 3:18-22 suggests that Jesus ministers to those in sheol (hades) who are awaiting judgment:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
- There are two key passages to consider from our Scripture for today:
- The raising of Lazarus
- The raising of Jesus
1. The raising of Lazarus
- One of Jesus’ very best friends (apart from the disciples and Mary Magdalene) was Lazarus.
- Earlier in John chapter 11, we learn that Lazarus had gotten very sick.
- Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, and he deliberately delayed returning for 2 reasons:
- Jesus wanted to give Lazarus time to die so that He could use this to glorify In verse 4 Jesus says: “No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
- Jesus would be taking a huge risk returning to Bethany after nearly being stoned there. We know that the disciples were concerned by what they said in verse 8: “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
- The disciples were worried but determined to support Jesus as Thomas said in verse 16: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
- So, the scene at Lazarus’ tomb in Bethany was very somber.
- Lazarus has been dead and buried in the tomb for four days now.
- Always the practical sister, Martha was the first to come out and greet Jesus.
- Jesus had not yet reached the tomb but was still a ways off.
- Mary was still at home grieving.
- In verses 20 and 21, Martha spares no words when she confronts Jesus with:
“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.”
- In other words, “it’s about time that you showed up, but I know you can fix this.”
- Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again.
- Martha thought Jesus was talking about a time way in the future.
- But Jesus tells her in verses 25-26:
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
- “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
- What we see happening here with Lazarus is a foreshadowing of what is going to happen later to Jesus.
- Only John’s Gospel mentions this story about Lazarus.
- I realize I left out a lot of the story, but the most important part is Jesus’ question: “Do you believe this?”
- Fundamentally, it all comes down to this question: Do YOU believe this? Do you?
- The rest of the story is very emotional.
- Martha went back to Mary and told her that Jesus had come.
- Mary jumped up and rushed out straight to Jesus. Then in verse 32 we have a repeat of Martha’s reaction to Jesus:
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
- Verse 33 tells us: “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”
- This passage is such a great insight into the full humanity of Jesus as only John captures.
- Verse 35 is the famous shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.”
- Jesus felt the deep sorrow of losing His friend even as He knew that He would fix it.
- Let’s pause here a moment and let that sink in.
- Lazarus was only one person. Imagine feeling this pain on the cross for ALL of us.
- That’s how much He loved Lazarus and that’s how much He loves each of us.
- And yet again, the Jews that were gathered there in verse 36-37 said:
“See how He loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
- How many times doe He have to hear that?
- When He got to the tomb, Jesus said: “take away the stone.”
- After four days, this was a very bad idea – you guessed it – the smell was bad.
- Jesus said in verse 40: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
- Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus walked out of the grave.
2. The raising of Jesus
- Some of the Jews that had been gathered at the tomb of Lazarus actually believed.
- But in verses 46 and 47 of John 11, “some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.”
- This is when the Jewish leaders concluded that Jesus was a threat to their way of life.
- Jesus must die. And they plotted from there to arrest and kill Him.
- When we get o our story from John 20, Jesus had died on the cross on Friday.
- His body was placed in a tomb before sunset on Friday because it couldn’t be done on the Sabbath by Jewish law.
- There wasn’t enough time for proper embalming of the body on Friday.
- That’s why the women were at the tomb first thing on Sunday morning because Sunday was the first day of the week.
- When Mary Magdalene got to the tomb, she immediately noticed the stone was rolled to the side and the tomb was wide open.
- Mary runs back and tells the disciples what she found and they race back to see.
- After they confirmed what Mary had reported, the disciples returned home.
- Mary encounters two angels who ask her in verse 13: “Woman, why are you crying?”
- She tells them that she is upset because it seems as though the body has been stolen.
- Then she saw a third person standing there whom she assumed was the gardener.
- Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
- Mary didn’t recognize Him so she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
- All Jesus had to say was, “Mary.” And she immediately recognized Him.
- She must have thrown her arms around Him based on what He said next in verse 17:
“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
- In a few moments, Mary has gone from thinking the body had been stolen to seeing Jesus
- In this story, Jesus has somewhat repeated the scene from Lazarus for Himself.
- For Lazarus, He restored him to life in his earthly body, which will eventually die again.
- Jesus’ earthly body never saw decay and was replaced with a new, spiritual body.
- Even in its new form, Jesus’ body had form and function. It had physical substance.
- He could come and go at will without being limited by earthly physics.
- The stone was rolled away for Mary and the others’ benefit – it didn’t block Jesus.
- Jesus was recognizable to all who knew Him (unless He didn’t want them to, Like Mary.)
- In both events, Jesus demonstrated His power over death and the physical world.
- We can’t ignore the tragic events of Friday; Jesus took our sins to the cross.
- But the Good News is that He left sin on the cross and overcame death.
- He did it in a very public and dramatic way so that we today can see that He has made the same path for us to leave death behind and join Him for eternity.
It’s the greatest gift of all.