The Resurrection and the Life

Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group. 
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 1-12)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 13-26)

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8:40 Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

We’re continuing our study in the Gospel of John, and today we come to a passage that’s all about death. A personal friend of Jesus, named Lazarus, dies. And the way Jesus responds teaches us a lot about how we should respond to death. Because here’s the hard truth: people die. If you have not yet lost someone who’s close to you, eventually you will. So this passage guides the way we handle death. But even more than that: it helps us handle other big losses: the death of a friendship. The death of a marriage or romantic relationship. The loss of a job. The loss of your health, or your money. Unfortunately, life is filled with little deaths and losses. So how do you not let your losses crush you? That’s what Jesus shows us.

John chapter 11, starting in verse 1. This is God’s Word for us today…

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
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?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 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.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then 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 have kept this man from dying?”

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 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.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” This is the Word of the Lord.
So…how does Jesus help us handle death and loss? Three things we need to know.

First, He’s In Control. And that’s true in two senses. First, he’s intentionally using that painful thing—that loss—for a purpose. When Jesus first hears the news that Lazarus is sick, in verse 4 he says, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” In other words, “This thing that’s happening looks completely bad, but God is using it to do something good. He’s going to work through this to show people the power and the goodness and the glory of his Son, Jesus.” Last week we talked about how Middle Eastern shepherds would literally lie down at night across the doorway to the sheep pen, to protect their sheep. So nothing could slip past them and harm the sheep. So now, one chapter later, Jesus is saying, “Okay—one of my sheep, named Lazarus, is sick, but don’t think this one slipped by me. This is part of the plan. Because through this, people are going to see who I am more clearly than they ever have before.”

Do you have some kind of painful loss happening in your life? Would you allow yourself to believe that God is going to use that very thing—that painful thing—to open people’s eyes to the glory of Jesus? Maybe he needs to open your eyes—maybe you’ve been blind to who Jesus is. Or maybe he’s going to use you, and the way you walk through it with Jesus, to open the eyes of others.

He always has a purpose. And to accomplish that purpose, he has a particular timeline—which doesn’t necessarily make sense to us. Verse 5 says Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6a So when he heard that Lazarus was sick.. Wouldn’t you expect it to say, “When he heard his friend was sick, he saddled up his fastest donkey, and he flew to the home of Lazarus, ignoring all speed limits!”? That’s what I would expect. But what does it say? …he stayed where he was two more days. What?? So let me get this straight: he loved this family so much, and he had the power to heal people, but he hung out for two more days before leaving. It seems callous, doesn’t it? It seems cold. But that’s because we don’t understand the purpose of God.
Remember—this sick man, Lazarus, has two sisters—Mary and Martha. So when Lazarus becomes sick they send messengers to Jesus. And Jesus must have had a really close friendship with Lazarus, because the message is, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” So they send messengers to Jesus, and then they wait. And I imagine there were moments, when their brother’s life was slipping away, and they looked out the window, or they walked out to the road and scanned the horizon, and they thought, “Jesus, where are you?”

Have you ever said that? You’re experiencing something hard. And you think, “Jesus, where are you? My wife’s been on this ventilator for a week; my relationship with my teenage daughter is breaking apart; my husband is drinking again. Lord, this would be a really good time for you to show up.”

Sometimes God seems absent…but he’s not. He’s always on time. And he’s using the waiting. And this is hard to say, but he’s using the suffering to shape us and prepare us to see his glory. That’s what he was doing with Mary and Martha. They would not have fully appreciated the miracle, if they hadn’t first walked through the misery.

Trust that he’s in control. That doesn’t take away the pain, but it changes your perspective.
Second, know that He Cares. And again, this is true in two ways. First, he cares about our faith. Let’s back up to before Jesus leaves to see Lazarus. He’s with his disciples; they’ve heard the news that Lazarus is sick. They stay for two more days. And then, Jesus says, “Let’s go.” And then in verse 14: 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead…” 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, (why?) so that you may believe. Wait—didn’t the disciples already believe? Isn’t that why they had left everything to follow Jesus—because they believed in him? Yes…and no. They believed (except maybe Judas); but their faith was weak. Like the man in Mark chapter 9, who asked Jesus to deliver his son from a demon, and Jesus says, “All things are possible for those who believe,” and the guy says, “I believe! Help my unbelief.” Can you relate to that? At some level, you believe…but there are times when you struggle to believe. It’s true of most of us.

So Jesus says to these people who already believe at some level, “I’m glad I wasn’t there earlier, because you’re going to see something that will take your faith to a whole new level.”
So they leave for Bethany, and they learn that Lazarus has already been dead four days. Lazarus’s sister Martha comes out to meet him. And she says, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus says, “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha says, “I know he’ll rise again on the last day.” Martha assumes Jesus is just offering the standard Jewish consolation. Like, today, people say, “He’s in a better place,” or “We’re going to see him again someday.”

But Jesus isn’t finished—verse 25: 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.” Notice, he doesn’t say, “I can give you resurrection. I can give you life.” What does he say? I am the resurrection and the life. Yet another radical claim by Jesus, right? I am the light of the world. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the gate. And now: I am the resurrection and the life. In other words, the power to live eternally is so wrapped up in me, the only way to get it is to believe in me; and the Greek preposition for “in” normally means “into”—like, when you put your faith in Christ, you get pulled into him, so his resurrection on Easter morning becomes your resurrection. What’s true of him becomes true of you. Wow.

And then he says to Martha, Do you believe this? Verse 27: 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” She has no idea what Jesus is about to do! But she believes in who he is. She believes the source of life and the power for eternal life, is in him. Do you?

Jesus cares so much about our faith. He’s using all our losses to build our faith.

But also, thankfully, he cares about our pain. Martha goes back into town and tells her sister Mary, “Jesus is asking for you.” Mary pulls herself together and goes to Jesus, and she says the exact same thing her sister said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And it’s so interesting: Jesus responds to Mary very differently than he responded to Martha. To Martha, he gave theological truth about future resurrection; but with Mary—verse 35: 35 Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible. And one of the most important. To Martha he gave truth; to Mary he gives tears. Because the Good Shepherd knows his sheep, and he knows what each one needs at each moment. Isn’t that true with us? Sometimes, we’re ready to hear some biblical truth; other times, we just need someone to cry with us. You might be experiencing something so hard, and you can’t imagine why God would allow it to happen. But here’s what you can know for sure: it’s not because he doesn’t care. Jesus wept with them, and he weeps with us.

Trust him: trust that he’s in control; trust that he cares.

And now, here comes the best part: He Conquers. Pick up the story in verse 38: 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” I have to mention: this is my favorite verse in the old King James version of the Bible. Martha says, Lord, by this time he stinketh. I’m not making that up. Sometime before the end of the day, you need to use the word “stinketh” in a sentence.

Verse 40: 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” Verse 43: 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” How do we even begin to imagine what those people were feeling? It must have been a combination of shock and disbelief and fear and joy and confusion. And we don’t get many details! John just gives us the bare facts. But remember: this was a close, personal friend of Jesus. I doubt Jesus was calm and clinical: Take off the grave clothes and let him go. No way! These were friends, and they must have embraced and wept for joy! How could they not? Of all the miracles Jesus had performed so far, this one was the most personal, and the most shocking, and we’re going to see it’s the one that draws the most attention—from his friends and his enemies. Because in the town of Bethany, dozens—maybe hundreds of people—had been to a man’s funeral…and now he was alive…because Jesus showed up.

So…what does mean for us? I can summarize it in one word: preview. Preview. This is a preview of the ultimate resurrection of Jesus himself. And for us, this is a preview of what will happen to every believer in Christ. Your death—and my death—will be temporary, just like the death of Lazarus. Our bodies will be in the grave for a while—just like Lazarus’ body was—or maybe in ashes for a while. Chances are, your body will be in the grave longer than four days, but the principle is the same: the grave is temporary. Death loses; Jesus wins. And if you’re in Christ—trusting in him as the Resurrection and the Life, here’s the truth: you win. So live like it. Take off the grave clothes and live.

About two weeks ago, I saw an interview that impacted me deeply. Ben Sasse, who was a U.S. senator from Nebraska, and more recently the president of University of Florida, was being interviewed by Ross Douthat from the New York Times. Ben Sasse is in his early 50s, and this past December he was having back pain so he went to the doctor. They did some tests, and the doctor said, “Your torso is chock-full of tumors. It’s pancreatic cancer; it’s metastasized, and it’s inoperable. You have 3-4 months to live.” So I just want to prepare you: I’m going to show you a picture of what he looked like during the interview, and it’s a little bit shocking, because his face is covered with sores—which is a side effect of the chemo he’s receiving.

So here’s what he looks like now. It’s hard to look at. But what struck me the most is that he radiates peace and joy and humor and lack of fear. It’s amazing.

Douthat asks him, “How did you handle the diagnosis?” And he says, “I was incredibly blessed to be quickly at peace. I kept hearing the phrase by Paul, ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain.’” And then he says, “Death is terrible. We should never sugarcoat it. It is not how things are meant to be. But it’s great that death can be called the final enemy. It’s an enemy, but it’s a final enemy, and there will then be no more tears. I believe in the resurrection.”

So in the time he has left, Sasse is hosting a podcast called—you ready?—“Not Dead Yet.” He’s spending time with his wife and three kids, and talking to as many people as possible about the hope he has in Christ. I am so grateful for that example, aren’t you?

Listen: death and loss are so painful. But Jesus is in control. And he cares. And he conquered death. And when you know that—and when you believe in him—it takes away the fear, and it frees you to live well and love well every day.

Rise for prayer, invite worship team up as we get ready for baptism.