2017 The ressurection and the life James Shepherd

When reading a passage like John chapter 11, we are confronted with both the reality of death, its pain,

John 11 · chapter mention

but also the hope of being raised from the dead again.

It can be a very difficult narrative to process for us.

For most of us, we're used to the narrative of the world.

We engage with the world each and every single day,

and we hear that there is no hope in the face of death when looking at the world and how the world views death.

Because the world finds this kind of narrative in John 11 quite foreign, quite different.

Death is something that can't be stopped.

It can't be explained.

It brings the wonderful gift of life to an end.

And this is a narrative that our world is so used to seeing and hearing each and every day.

But for them, for our world, it's too much to grasp.

It's too much to handle.

For a narrative without hope, a narrative that just ends, is not one we want to pay any attention to at all.

Instead of acknowledging death as something we should talk about, we redirect our focus.

We focus on something else.

We focus on any other narrative that gives life or exemplifies life.

And every product we buy, every service we use, every policy that we might have,

plays on its underlying theme of life in its narrative.

Everything from beauty products that use every single life-giving adjective in the book to sell its product,

to superannuation policies that guarantee you a secure retirement so you can go and live your life the way they want.

They, all at the heart of it, are trying to sell you life, trying to get you to focus in on life.

And we're in a world where now eating healthy, going to the gym, in our active wear is considered cool

because of the benefits to your health and to the quality of your life.

We're always hearing about the new power foods such as the cyborgs and the almighty kale,

foods that are supposed to give us all we need to live a vibrant and healthy life now in the present.

The narrative we are constantly engaged with each and every day,

a version of life and life abundantly with no end at all in sight.

We never hear about death in our world.

No one ever talks about death in the services, the products or the policies that we take.

No one wants to talk about the reality of death in our life.

Our world would rather live in a fantasy world where death is not even a thing.

But whilst we might be able to put off death for some time,

death has a way of catching up to us and confronting us when we least expect it.

You could be healthy for a very long time in your life.

And then one morning you wake up with sharp pains in your chest.

Your blood pressure is through the roof.

And you need to call an ambulance to come pick you up, unaware of what's going to happen next.

You could wake up one morning with a headache to find out a week later you've developed a brain tumour.

You could be driving up the coast on your way to the holiday you've been looking forward to for a very long time.

And one moment you're driving, everything is fine.

And the next moment you're waking up in hospital, you can't fit your legs,

the doctor tells you you have damaged your spine, and you won't be able to walk again.

The signs of death painfully pull us back into reality, out of our fantasy world,

and places us in this reality where we have to deal with death in front of us.

Recapturing our focus.

Uninvitingly putting death on the table again is something we have to deal with.

Something we have to talk about.

And so what then?

What do you do when you are confronted with death?

Our world is so ill-equipped to deal with the real narrative of life,

that we live and that we die.

That death is real and something that we must face.

But in John chapter 11, the narrative is a bit different.

John 11 · chapter mention

Here we see Jesus and his disciples confronted with death.

News has come to them that their friend Lazarus has fallen ill.

And before they even arrive in Bethany, Jesus pronounces to them in verse 16 that they are dead, that he is dead.

However, he ends his sentence by saying to them, let us go to him.

Which begs the question, what is going to happen when Jesus arrives on the scene?

When he is confronted with death, what will he do?

If Jesus is the one who has come to bring life and life to the full, as we see back in chapter 10,

what can we expect will happen when the one who has come to bring life is confronted with death?

The story of Lazarus is written for a world that is confounded by death.

When we struggle to know how to respond to death, we must look to Jesus who shows us how.

So looking at Jesus' example here in John chapter 11, there are a few things we can see.

John 11 · chapter mention

Firstly, we see that we must acknowledge that death is a destructive and painful and unnatural force in our world.

Death not only takes away our opportunity to enjoy life in this world, but it also takes away life in community.

Death will always come in between and end all of our relationships, even our deepest and most closest ones.

In excess was wrong.

Nothing will tear us apart.

Wrong.

No.

Death will tear us apart, and death has been tearing us apart for a very long time now.

Again, a song like that appeals to us, doesn't it?

A world in which we will always live together forever.

Jesus' own response says it all.

Verse 35, the shortest verse in all the Bible captures the grief that Jesus was in when he was face-to-face confronted with death.

It says,

At a distance, back up north, Jesus was able to keep his emotions in check, simply to say that Lazarus is dead.

But when he is face-to-face with the grief and the pain, the sadness of death, he can't help but feel the sharp pain that it brings.

One of the reasons why it's so often easy for us to ignore death in our life is because we rarely are confronted with it.

And I'll admit, as someone who is pretty young, I've rarely confronted death in my own life.

We see it only far away in the news, in statistics, articles, in TV shows and movies, in places where it doesn't seem quite real to us,

where we don't feel the gravity of what's going on.

But rarely do we see it face-to-face.

And so when we do see it face-to-face, the grief, the pain of death can be overwhelming.

We have been so used to the narrative of life and life abundantly that our world projects on us

that when the reality of death strikes us, it confounds us.

How do we respond?

What do we do?

But Jesus' response here is quite interesting.

In verse 33,

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,

he was deeply moved and troubled.

The phrase deeply moved there, I think, is a bit of a soft translation.

The word used here is often used elsewhere in the Bible to describe the angry snorting of war horses.

So if you can imagine a war horse as they anticipate battle, the anger they feel,

as they feel the battle coming, this is Jesus' response.

It's not simply that he is moved, but he is angry.

Angry as he stares down at his enemy, death.

And for what it's doing to the people around him that he loves.

Now the word troubled here intensifies this emotion as well.

The same word for trouble is used back in John chapter 5 with a beggar by the pool of Siloam.

John 5 · chapter mention

The beggar who wants to be healed in verse 7, he says this,

I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred or troubled.

If you imagine a lake that's entirely still, you're on holiday, you're enjoying the pristine, crystal clear lake.

And all of a sudden, annoying little rat bag kids come up and start skimming rocks across the lake.

And you are annoyed because you're trying to enjoy this lake and the beautiful, pristine nature of it.

But now you are troubled, just as this lake is also just being troubled and disturbed.

That's how Jesus feels right now.

This picture of what is going on for him right now, the death of Lazarus has made him deeply angry within,

to the point that his anger is bubbling up inside of him.

He is not at peace, he is stirred.

The best translation I found was in the message, actually.

And it says this, the anger welled up in him, like a wave coming up.

Why this intense anger?

Because death is not a natural part of life, but an unnatural phenomenon that rules our present age.

He is angry because death stands opposed to God's good order,

and robs the glory of God found in creation, blinding humanity to the goodness and love of God.

We have been blinded if we think death is a natural part of life.

But the thing is, many people do feel it's natural.

Many people think that if eventually all things die,

if we can observe that everything dies in this world,

then it must be natural, it must be normal.

It is repeatable, and I can test it.

It's the way our world functions.

But even those who might believe death is natural

struggle to accept the loss of relationship that we talked about in death.

And you see this all the time at funerals,

when you hear people say,

he hasn't really died,

but he lives on in our hearts and our memories.

She's with the angels now looking down on us.

His spirit will always be with me.

If you remember when Philip Hughes passed away after being struck by a cricket ball,

Michael Clarke gave a very emotional, moving eulogy.

And you could see in his face that he really, really struggled to deal with death,

death of one of his closest friends.

And he said that Philip Hughes' spirit will always be with him when he went out to bat,

trying to somehow make him live on beyond death.

People refuse to accept that the ones they love are gone forever.

Even though our scientific world would say otherwise,

our grief and our pain says something is very wrong and very unnatural about death.

And Jesus' own grief, he testifies to this.

You might be sitting here waiting for me to get to the good bit,

and we will get there, I promise.

But it's so important, you don't miss the reality that we are all under.

If we caricature the reality and power of death,

we will end up caricaturing the power and reality and the hope of the gospel.

If we caricature the reality and power of death,

we will end up caricaturing the power and the hope of the gospel.

As Christians, we do have an answer to suffering and death,

for the one that's facing terminal illness,

when tragedy strikes and goes south for us in our health.

But the worst thing we can do for a brother and a sister,

for a friend who is grieved by the passing of a loved one,

is to not acknowledge the pain of death,

the separation, the loss that is there,

and therefore just jump straight to the good news.

Remember, even though Jesus knew what he was about to do in waking up Lazarus,

he wept.

He felt the pain that death brings.

He mourned.

And so a correct response to death,

indeed, the first response is to grieve.

Indeed, weep.

It's to acknowledge the loss and the separation that happens,

and to mourn that loss.

It's to be angry,

and to acknowledge that this isn't right,

this isn't good,

this isn't natural,

this isn't the way things are supposed to be.

We can't beautify death.

It's not part of the circle of life,

as the Lion King might tell us.

Death is a real and destructive force

in our broken and corrupt world.

But we are not those who grieve and who mourn without hope.

And so secondly,

this passage teaches us to respond to death

by looking forwards to the hope of a future resurrection.

When confronted with death,

the Christian has a profoundly different narrative.

When, whilst there is grief and anger,

there is also hope.

And the basis for this hope

is in the one who is able to call us back to life again.

And so Jesus, stirring with anger,

will not let death have the final word.

With Lazarus,

he asks in verse 34,

Where have you laid him?

When they take him to his body,

he weeps.

Those around him are amazed at his love for him.

But some are confused.

In verse 37,

But some of them said,

Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man

have kept this man from dying?

The power of sin and death

has so influenced

and corrupted the minds of men

that people question the power of God

to bring life,

to bring someone back to life.

This leaves Jesus in verse 38

to again be deeply moved,

to be stirred with anger,

to be warded with anger.

Why?

Because the power of death

has threatened

to rob his authority,

his power,

and his glory.

The power of sin and death

has dictated for far too long

the hearts of men,

causing them to fear,

robbing the worship of man

that belongs to God alone.

And so Jesus no longer allowed us to go on.

He who calls himself the resurrection

and the life,

in verse 25,

will do only what God can do.

And that is raise the dead,

promising that he would do,

as he said in verse 5,

give glory to God.

Verse 41,

Then Jesus looked up and said,

Father, I thank you

that you have heard me.

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.

When he said this,

Jesus called in a loud voice,

Lazarus, come out.

The dead man came out,

his hands and feet

wrapped with strips of linen

and a cloth around his face.

Through the power of his word,

Jesus gives life to a man who was dead.

He doesn't invoke some foreign spirit

or a power to raise him,

nor does he mutter an incantation

or a spell to bring him back.

He orders Lazarus to come out,

and the dead man responds.

He hears the call to new life

and responds and comes out.

It's through the command of his word

that he overturns the power of death

that had so taken Lazarus.

And such is the basis for our hope as well.

When confronted with death,

we will be grieved,

we'll be angry.

But facing death well,

it's not trying to explain it away,

it's a natural part of life,

it's not trying to soften its impact

by saying our loved ones

live on in our hearts and minds.

Facing death well

is acknowledging the grief

and the pain that is there,

but knowing full well

that sin and death

have been put unnoticed.

Celebrating the day

when Jesus will call us

out of the grave

to new life.

As he spoke of in John 5,

he says this,

Very truly I tell you,

a time is coming

and has now come

when the dead

will hear the voice

of the Son of God

and those who will hear

will live.

And verse 28,

he says,

Do not be amazed at this,

for a time is coming

when all who are in their graves

will hear his voice

and come out.

Those who have done

what is good

will rise to live

and those who have done

what is evil

will rise to be condemned.

As verse 42 reminds us,

Jesus raised Lazarus

in order that we might believe

that he was sent by God,

that he is the Christ.

It was for this purpose also

that Jesus healed the man

who was born blind

back in chapter 9,

which we looked at two weeks ago.

That he would believe

and respond in worship,

that we too,

as we read,

might also believe

and respond in worship

in the one

who can and will

raise us from the dead.

Although,

we look forward

to a much better

resurrection

than Lazarus.

He was raised mortal,

but will be raised immortal.

He was raised still

under the power

and the reign of sin

and death,

but will be raised

under the reign of Christ

in the kingdom of God.

His resurrected body

still subject to decay,

but our resurrected bodies

will be heavenly

and perfect

and never will decay.

A funeral is different

for a Christian.

No less painful,

it's no less sad.

The loss of a loved one

is very real

and it grieves us.

But we are not

without direction

and hope.

We don't need

to try and explain

death

to make it fit

somehow in our life

and make it make sense.

We can accept

the painful reality

of death.

We can accept

its unnatural

destructive force

because we know

the one who has overcome

the power of death

and we look forward to

and he will not only

call out our loved ones

from the grave,

but us also

to new life.

We anticipate

the day in which

sin and death

will be no more.

It will be rendered

powerless.

It's that hope

we hold to

when confronted

with death

in the present.

A glorious future

for all who trust

and believe in Jesus

that he can raise

them from the dead.

It's a wonderful hope

to hold on to

in a world

that is so afraid

and so scared

of dying.

But this,

it's a hope

that's already begun.

It's a hope

that's already begun

to be realized

in the present.

Because this passage

is not only

what we anticipate

in the future,

but it's also

paradigmatic

of what we experience

as a Christian

in the present.

Which brings me

to my last point

I want to

take out of this passage.

The resurrection

of Lazarus

teaches us

to hope

in the resurrection

of our bodies

to come,

but to also

celebrate

the new life

we have received

in the present

by the Spirit.

As we've mentioned

before,

we exist in a world

that cannot accept

the narrative

of death.

Their hope

is in remaining

in a state

of ignorance,

living out lives

in a fantasy world

where death

doesn't exist,

turning a blind eye

to the decay

of their own bodies.

But the irony

of their pursuit

is that they're

already dead.

The Bible

not only talks

about death

physically,

but also spiritually.

Dead in sin

and without any hope.

Ephesians 2.1

makes it very clear

stating that

we were all dead

in our sins

at one stage.

So it doesn't make sense

that dead people

can't see,

can't smell,

can't hear.

They can't be persuaded

of anything.

They can't be

persuaded to follow God.

They're dead.

That was once us.

although we had

the image of life,

we were spiritually dead.

So how do those

who are dead

hear the life-giving

word of the gospel?

The resurrection

of Lazarus

not only points

to what we can

anticipate

in the future,

but testifies

to the incredible

life-giving

work of the Spirit

in the present.

it testifies

to the magnificent

creative work

of the gospel.

When we heard

the gospel

and believed

for the first time,

we were receiving

the call of God

to be made alive again.

Just as Jesus

called Lazarus

out of the tomb

to be made alive,

we who were dead

in our sins

were called

through the gospel

to be made alive

once more

by His Spirit.

The resurrection

of Lazarus

shows us

that the gospel

is not merely

a message

by which we try

and persuade people of.

It's a creative word

that gives life

to those who are dead.

Lazarus

had no power

to raise himself

up from the dead,

let alone

the mind

to persuade it.

It wasn't like

Jesus went there

and said,

Lazarus,

come on, mate,

you want to come out?

I know you do.

I know you don't

want to stay dead.

Jesus didn't coerce

Lazarus

and say,

come on,

you have to come out.

No,

Jesus said,

Lazarus,

come out

and by that powerful

life-giving word,

a man who was dead

was given life.

It was a creative event.

It was not a persuasive event.

It was a word

of creation,

a creation event

similar to what we see

in Genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

where God says,

let there be light

and there was light.

God speaks

and the world

comes into existence

in the same way

through the incredible

power of the gospel

God declares

he speaks to us

be alive

in Christ

by the power

of spirit

to which we respond

in repentance

and faith

which is why

Paul can say

in 2 Corinthians 5

17

therefore

if anyone

is in Christ

he is a

new

creation.

New creation.

The old is gone,

the new has come.

the only chance

for life

for immortal life

is hearing

the life-creating

word

of the gospel

which gives

life now

and in the future

with the resurrection

of our bodies.

Our confidence then

in a future

bodily resurrection

can be based

upon our experience

of a spiritual

resurrection

in the present.

we do not need

to fear death

when we are those

who have been

made alive

in Christ

by his spirit.

We will face

death

in this life.

It will grieve us

as we experience

the unnatural loss

of relationship

and the joys of life

but we can remain

confident

that Jesus

will call us

out of our graves

because he has

already called us

out of our

spiritual graves.

the story

of Lazarus'

resurrection

gives us

the means

to face

death well

in a world

that is confounded

by death

and how to respond.

This miracle

reminds us

that death

is still

a painful

reality

that we must

face

but one

we don't face

without hope.

The only question

we must ask

of ourselves

is the one

Jesus asked

of Martha.

Do you believe

that Jesus

is the resurrection

and the life?

Can you face

death well

in this world

knowing that your

future is secured

and you have new

life in the present?

Because death

and suffering

will come

when we least

expect it

and when the

signs of death

come

or indeed

death itself

comes

will you resign

yourself to

despair

and hopelessness?

Will you choose

to ignore it

and just jump

into the fantasy

world

and pretend

and ignore

that death

is not a thing?

Or

will you

through your grief

look forward

to the redemption

of your broken

body?

That in the present

you have new life

by the Spirit

and because of

God's gracious

and effective

life-giving word

you are able

to walk with

him

and show

all those

around you

the great joy

you have

in Christ

in the face

of death.

If you do not

believe in Jesus

if you are

hearing the good

news that

he has come

to bring life

for the first

time

do not turn

away

do not retreat

into the fantasy

world

hear and receive

the call

to life

both spiritual

life now

and eternal

life to come

the Bible's

narrative is not

only far more

satisfying than

the world

when it comes

to how we

should respond

it's far more

logical

it recognizes

that it's

unnatural

to which our

grief also

testifies to

but it also

provides the

solution

that Jesus

has come

as the

resurrection

and the

life

to overturn

the power

of sin

and death

that he

might give

us

as he said

in John 10

life

and life

of the

fool

let me

leave you

with Jesus

words to

Martha

from verse

25

I am

the

resurrection

and the

life

whoever

believes in

me

though he

die

yet shall

he live

and everyone

who lives

and believes

in me

shall never

die

do you

believe this