Deep Disappointment, Glorious Surprise

Christ is risen. Amen. If you have a Bible, turn with me to John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

We'll also put the verses up on the screen so you can follow along that way.

I'm going to begin by reading the first 16 verses of John chapter 11,

John 11 · chapter mention

the beginning of the story of a man named Lazarus.

So join me as we read along. John 11, beginning at verse 1.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister Martha.

It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.

So the sisters said to him, saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill.

But when Jesus heard it, he said, this illness does not lead to death.

It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this, he said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again.

The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you.

Are you going there again?

Jesus answered, are there not twelve hours in the day?

If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world.

But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.

After saying these things, he said to them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.

The disciples said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.

Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died.

And for your sake, I am glad that I wasn't there so that you may believe, but let us go to him.

So Thomas called the twins, said to his fellow disciples, let us also go, that we may die with him.

So one unavoidable part of being human is that often our expectations don't line up with reality.

And sometimes this mismatch between expectations and reality results in disappointment.

Last summer, my wife and I built a fire pit in our backyard, like many other people in 2020.

And initially, I thought this will be great.

Now I'll be able to invite people over even through the winter, even through the pandemic.

So one evening in mid-November, Brian Kunzman came over.

He and I were going to meet and talk.

And I said, well, you know, it's supposed to be a cold night, but I think I can build a pretty good fire.

You're from Chicago.

I'm from New England.

We can do this.

Well, unfortunately, it had recently rained.

So the ground under the fire pit was wet.

Some of the wood was also wet.

My skills at building fires in our indoor fireplace did not translate as well as I hoped to our outdoor fire pit.

Brian was a good sport.

We had a good conversation.

But afterwards, I was so cold, I could not get to sleep for two more hours.

And so I concluded I should not put anyone else in the church through that experience.

And so the fire pit went unused for the rest of the winter.

Now, in the scope of this past year, that is a fairly trivial example.

But for many of us, this past year has brought with it a long list of disappointments, both trivial and more profound.

We might say hopeful expectations that were crushed by harsh reality.

But thankfully, disappointment is not the only way that our expectations don't line up with reality.

Sometimes the mismatch between our expectations and reality results in a glorious surprise.

For the last seven years or so, my family has had a small fig tree in the corner of our living room.

My wife, Jane, has faithfully watered and tended this plant, moving it outdoors during the warmer months and in the colder months,

positioning it by a south-facing window to maximize sunlight.

I can take no credit for the existence, growth, or health of this fig tree or any of our other houseplants.

Now, at one point, the fig tree disappeared for a few months, which was okay with me because Jane gave it away to someone who admired it.

But then there was a clearance sale at a garden store and another fig tree showed up.

Again, I'm not naturally into houseplants, but there wasn't space for anything else in that corner of the living room,

so I had no good reason to object.

For the last seven years, I have had zero expectation that either of our fig trees

would ever yield any actual figs.

After all, some fig trees planted in the ground take eight to ten years before they yield any fruit.

And I've always been skeptical of the idea that a fruit-bearing tree could actually exist in our living room.

Until last week.

One evening, Jane asked me,

Did you see the fig tree?

I said,

What about the fig tree?

She said,

Look at the fig tree.

And there they were.

Two little hard green nubs protruding from the branch.

Unmistakably figs.

New life and fruit emerging where I never expected to see it.

My meager expectations were gloriously surprised by a merciful reality.

This morning, I want us to consider two stories from the Gospel of John,

where people are first disappointed,

where their hopeful expectations crash into a harsh reality.

But then, they are gloriously surprised.

Their meager expectations are surprised by a merciful reality.

The first story we're looking at is the story of Lazarus, which I've read the beginning of.

The second is the story of Jesus' own death and resurrection, which we heard earlier in the service.

The story of Lazarus comes right in the middle of the book of John.

And the story of Jesus' own death and resurrection is the climax and conclusion of the Gospel itself.

Now, these stories are connected to each other in a couple of ways.

There's a chronological connection.

John tells us in chapter 11, verse 53,

that the raising of Lazarus sets into motion the chain of events that result in Jesus' own execution.

But there's also a thematic connection in that the raising of Lazarus from the dead

is a preview of Jesus' own resurrection from the dead.

And throughout the history of the church, these two stories have been closely connected

and sort of woven together in a variety of ways.

So I want to look at them in parallel this morning.

So first, let's consider how both of these stories begin with disappointment.

Consider the beginning of the account of Lazarus, right?

What happens?

Well, first thing we learn is that this dear brother,

and most likely he was a relatively young guy,

became seriously ill.

And you know, this isn't just an unknown individual.

Most of the people whom Jesus healed during his earthly ministry,

their names are not recorded for us.

But this is someone who Jesus knew well.

Four times this story emphasizes Jesus' particular affection and love for this family,

for Mary and Martha and Lazarus.

In verse 3, they say,

Lord, the one you love is ill.

Verse 5, it says,

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Verse 11, Jesus calls Lazarus our friend.

Verse 36,

though the mourners at his tomb say,

see how he loved him.

You see, these siblings had welcomed Jesus into their house.

They had listened to him teach.

They had shared meals with him.

They had developed an emotional and relational connection with Jesus.

And so they sent a request to Jesus on their brother's behalf when he became seriously ill.

Now, in ancient Middle Eastern culture,

if you were making a request of an honored person,

you would make your request as indirectly as possible.

And so that's how you showed respect to someone.

So they don't say,

Jesus, come.

That would be sort of like ordering him around.

They simply say,

Lord, the one you love is ill.

They give him all the information he needs to know.

But the meaning is very clear.

They wouldn't send such a message unless it was an urgent and important need.

The message is come.

But then we hear that Jesus delayed.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that Lazarus was ill,

he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

What?

How does that make any sense?

Why would Jesus delay without any apparent explanation or reason?

Delaying for two whole days would appear to dishonor the family

and minimize their suffering.

How could Jesus delay be motivated by his love?

And then we see the perspective of Jesus' disciples,

starting in verse 7.

Two days later,

Jesus says to his disciples,

Okay, let's head to Judea.

And immediately, his disciples objected

because the last time Jesus was in Judea,

the religious leaders had concluded that he should be executed.

That he was worthy of death.

There was hostility and danger facing him in Judea.

And so the disciples pushed back on him.

You know, is it really worth it

to travel to attend a funeral

if you would be putting your own life

and maybe others' lives around you at risk?

That's a hard question.

So the disciples

find all the reasons they can

to say,

Really?

No, we shouldn't go.

Until finally,

Thomas says,

Okay, let's go with him

so that we'll die with him

rather than leave him alone.

Thomas may have been a pessimist,

but he was not a coward.

And as we'll see later,

he was absolutely right

that for Jesus and his disciples,

going to Lazarus' funeral

meant walking into a dangerous

and legitimately hostile environment.

So Jesus' friend got sick.

Then Jesus delayed with no explanation.

Then Jesus' friend died.

Then Jesus intentionally led his disciples

into a hostile and dangerous environment.

That's where the story begins.

Disappointment

on all sides.

Hopeful expectations

crushed by harsh reality.

Can you identify with

any of those experiences?

A friend or family member

becoming seriously ill?

A prayer

that seemingly goes unanswered?

A loved one

lost?

Unexpected hostility?

Or heightened

danger?

Well, just a week or two later,

Jesus himself would be arrested

and condemned to death,

mocked and beaten

and crucified,

and you can only imagine

the disappointment

that his disciples faced then.

Many of them had hoped

that he would be

the long-awaited Messiah,

the deliverer of Israel.

But now he was rejected

by many of Israel's own leaders

and condemned

by the Roman authorities.

To die a cruel

and shameful death.

How do we respond

to disappointment

when hopeful expectations

are crushed

by harsh reality?

Well, some of Jesus' disciples

responded by

lashing out at others.

When Jesus got arrested

in chapter 18,

Simon Peter drew his sword

and struck the high priest's servant

and cut off his right ear.

fear.

Sometimes that's how we deal

with disappointment

or unmet expectations.

We angrily lash out

at people around us,

even if they may not have been

the direct cause

of our disappointment.

The high priest's servant

certainly was not the ringleader

of the crowd

that arrested Jesus.

We can lash out with words

or even with physical actions.

During the last year,

instances of uncontrolled rage

and physical violence

have significantly increased,

sometimes with tragic consequences.

You see,

lashing out in anger

is a very natural response

to disappointment,

but it can cause

great destruction,

even if it's only

through words

without any physical

element involved.

You know,

we can also respond

to disappointment

not by lashing out

at others,

but instead by withdrawing

into ourselves.

And actually,

Peter exemplifies this too.

Just a few hours

after he had lashed out

in anger,

he withdrew in fear.

When Jesus was on trial,

it says Peter stood

in the courtyard

of the high priest

warming himself

by a charcoal fire

because it was a cold night.

And then when people

kept on asking him,

aren't you

one of Jesus' disciples?

He kept on pretending

that he didn't even know

what they were talking about.

Of course,

that's another way

that we sometimes

deal with our disappointment,

by withdrawing

from our responsibilities,

by retreating

into self-pity,

by prioritizing

our own comfort

above all else,

just trying to stay warm.

You know,

when you consider

the disappointments

that you've experienced

lately,

do you notice

either of both

of those tendencies?

Either to lash out

at others

or to withdraw

into yourself.

You see,

the invitation

that both of these stories

extend to us

is instead of doing

either of those things,

the invitation

that these stories extend

is to go to Jesus

and to stay with Jesus

even in the midst

of our deepest

disappointments.

That's what a small group

of Jesus' followers

did when he was crucified.

It's primarily

a group of women.

John 19, 25

says,

Standing by the cross

of Jesus

were his mother

and his mother's sister,

Mary,

the wife of Clopas

and Mary Magdalene

and the disciple

whom he loved.

That's John's way

of referring to himself,

the author of the gospel,

the disciple

whom Jesus loved.

But these faithful few

saw their Lord

and teacher

condemned

and crucified.

They saw him

take his last breath.

They saw his body

be wrapped up

and buried in a tomb.

They didn't understand

why it was all happening.

But they stood there.

They stayed with Jesus

all the way to the end.

They watched him.

They listened to his last words.

That's also what Mary

and Martha did.

In the story of Lazarus,

when Jesus arrived

too late

to save their brother

from dying.

Verse 20,

When Martha heard

that Jesus was coming,

she went out

and met him

even before Jesus

entered the village.

Martha said to Jesus,

Lord, if you had been here,

my brother

would not have died.

Later on in verse 32,

her sister Mary

says exactly the same thing.

Lord,

if you would have been here,

my brother

wouldn't have died.

You see,

Mary and Martha

brought their disappointment,

their frustration,

their unmet expectations,

and unfulfilled longings

to Jesus,

even when it seemed like

Jesus might have been

the cause

of those disappointments.

they opened up their hearts

to him.

They lamented the loss

that they had experienced.

They didn't pretend

that everything was just okay

and I'm just fine.

And yet,

they didn't abandon

their trust in Jesus

even in the middle

of their disappointment.

Now,

Mary and Martha

were quite different

in their personalities.

Martha was assertive,

active,

and confrontational.

So she took initiative,

she went out to meet Jesus

and initiated the conversation.

Mary was the opposite.

She was quiet,

reflective,

and responsive.

She stayed in the house.

But notice how Jesus

engaged Mary and Martha

in such a thoughtful

and loving way.

He knew each of their,

he knew each of them

in their individual personalities.

Jesus responded to Martha

by engaging her

in conversation,

by telling her

that one day

her brother Lazarus

would rise again.

And even more than that,

he told her

that he himself

was the resurrection

and the life.

He challenged

and comforted Martha

with bold claims

and precious truths.

But with Mary,

Jesus took

a different approach.

In verse 28,

Jesus specifically asked

to see Mary.

Martha was the one

who had come out to him.

They had a conversation

outside the village.

And then Jesus

specifically asked for Mary.

You see,

Jesus sees us

in our disappointments.

Even if nobody else does.

Even if we don't reach out to him,

he reaches out to us.

When we are quietly suffering,

when we are emotionally fragile,

Jesus does not overlook us.

And he does not ignore us.

In love,

he takes initiative

to come and find us

and to draw us out

and to listen to us.

And that's what Jesus does

when Mary comes to Jesus.

He doesn't say a lot.

He just asks,

where's the grave?

So he can go and weep

with her there.

In the face of death,

Jesus felt grief

and outrage

and compassion

all at the same time.

Jesus felt for her

and he felt with her.

You see,

Jesus meets us

in the midst of our disappointments.

And even when we don't understand

his ways

and even when

our disappointments

seem to be caused

by his own sovereign decisions,

he summons us

to go to him

and stay with him.

That's where both of these stories begin.

With great disappointment.

But that's not where

both of these stories end.

Because both of these stories

end in a glorious surprise.

And what we see

in both of these stories

is that everyone

who goes to Jesus

and stays with Jesus

through their disappointments

is gloriously surprised

by Jesus in the end.

Verse 38

of chapter 11,

then Jesus,

deeply moved again,

came to the tomb of Lazarus.

It was a cave

and a stone lay against it.

Jesus said,

take away the stone.

Martha,

the sister of the dead man,

said to him,

Lord,

by this time

there will be an odor

for he has been dead

for days.

You see,

nobody

was expecting

Jesus

to raise

Lazarus

from the dead.

not even

energetic

go-getter Martha

who had just

proclaimed her faith

that Jesus

was the son of God

who had come

into the world.

Now,

like most other Jews

in her time,

Martha believed

that at the end

of history

all the righteous,

God would raise

the righteous dead

to life

at the end of time.

Including her brother.

But Martha

wasn't expecting

a preview

of that day

right in front

of her eyes.

Martha knew

that dead bodies

normally start

to decompose

and stink

after just

two or three days.

And this is day four.

You see,

in the ancient

Jewish culture,

they didn't

embalm

dead bodies

in order to

try to

slow the process

of decay.

No,

they simply

washed the body,

sometimes anointed it

with oil or spices,

and then wrapped it

in a large sheet

with a cloth

over the face

and the hands

and feet

bound.

And then they

would place

the body

in a tomb

and then a year

later,

after the body

was completely

decayed

and only bones

were left,

the family

would come

and retrieve

the bones

and bury them

somewhere else

so that the tomb

could be reused

for someone else.

That was the

normal procedure

of burial

in those days.

But Jesus

had come

into the world

to do something

that was not

just normal.

Jesus had come

into the world

to reverse

the cycle

of sin

and death

and display

the glory

and life-giving

power

of the creator

God himself.

In John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

Jesus said this,

the thief

comes

to steal

and kill

and destroy.

I came

that they may

have life

and have it

abundantly.

I am the good shepherd.

The sheep hear

the shepherd's voice

and the shepherd

calls his own sheep

by name

and leads them out.

And that's exactly

what Jesus does here.

Jesus cried out

with a loud voice,

Lazarus,

come out!

The good shepherd

calling one of his

own sheep

by name.

And then verse 44,

it says,

the man who had died

came out,

his hands and feet

bound with linen strips

and his face

wrapped with a cloth.

He was probably

awkwardly shuffling,

blindly feeling

his way along,

but most definitely

he was alive

again.

Consider how surprising

that would have been

for all involved.

Right?

Mary and Martha

had sent to Jesus

in their time of need.

They might have been

puzzled,

even troubled

by his delay

or seeming reluctance

to respond promptly

to their request,

but then they were

gloriously surprised

by a deeper

understanding

of Jesus' character

because they saw

that Jesus not only

had power

to heal people

from sickness,

but he even

had the power

to call the dead

to life.

You see,

when we stay

with Jesus

through our disappointment,

we often end up

with a clearer

and more profound

vision of his character

in the end.

Or consider

the experience

of Lazarus.

Perhaps he had hoped

that Jesus would arrive

in time to heal him

or at least

to have a parting visit

with him.

But he felt his life

ebbing away

and Jesus never came.

But then the next thing

he heard

was Jesus' own voice

calling him by name

and raising him

to life again.

And that's the promise

that the Bible extends

to everyone

who believes in Jesus.

That after we die,

that the next voice

we will hear

is the voice of Jesus

calling us by our name

and calling us

to himself.

You see,

what a glorious surprise

for those who had experienced

such deep disappointment.

Now,

I want to pause a moment

because I want to address

the question

that I'm sure

some of you are thinking.

Which is,

okay,

that's an interesting story.

Is there any reason

to believe

that such things

actually happened?

I mean,

this is more than

a report

of a near-death experience.

I don't know about you,

but over the years

I've had a handful

or two of people

who have told me

that they have

literally died

and come back to life.

Most of them

I didn't know very well,

so it has honestly

been hard for me

to evaluate their claims.

But none of them

claimed to have been dead

for four days straight.

It was almost always

a few hours

and maybe they were

already in a coma

in the ICU

or something like that.

Maybe a day.

Never four.

Right?

After four

it's pretty clear.

So,

what do we make

of this story?

Because it's claiming

something pretty bold.

You know,

many modern skeptics

assume

that the miracle stories

in the New Testament

simply couldn't have happened.

but

many of the earliest

opponents of Christianity

did not share

that assumption.

So,

some of the earliest

opponents of Christianity

accused Jesus

of practicing

evil magic

in order to

lead people astray.

So,

this accusation

comes up in the

writings of

Celsus,

a second century

pagan opponent

of Christianity

as well as in

the Jewish Talmud.

the New Testament

Gospels

also record

Jesus' opponents

making similar

accusations

on multiple

occasions.

But notice,

all these

early opponents

of Christianity

did not deny

that Jesus

did miracles.

they did not

deny that

Jesus had

healed the

sick

or even

raised the

dead to

life.

In fact,

they implicitly

admitted it.

They admitted

that he had

done

marvelous deeds,

things that

were not

normally

explainable,

that he had

exhibited

supernatural

powers.

They didn't

question that

at all.

They simply

accused him

of getting

his supernatural

powers

from evil

forces

rather than

from God.

So,

if even

Jesus'

opponents

acknowledged

his miracles,

perhaps we

shouldn't be

so quick

to simply

dismiss

the possibility.

Now,

other people

in the modern

world have

been skeptical

of this

story in

particular

for the

reason that

it is only

recorded in

John,

which is the

last of the

four Gospels

to be written.

Lazarus isn't

even named

in Matthew,

Mark,

or Luke.

And so,

some scholars

say this

indicates

that this

story was

made up

long after

the fact

it's just

a legend.

However,

if this

story actually

happened the

way John

says it did,

there's a very

good reason

why it would

not have been

included in the

earliest New

Testament Gospels,

and it's this.

After Jesus

raised Lazarus

from the dead,

Lazarus

immediately became

a wanted

man.

John 12

John 12:10

verse 10

says,

the chief

priests

made plans

to put

Lazarus

to death

as well

because on

account of

him,

many people

were going

away and

believing in

Jesus.

Now,

Lazarus lived

in Bethany,

just two

miles outside

of Jerusalem,

where Jesus

himself

was killed.

And if

Lazarus

continued to

live there,

which we

assume he

would have,

his story

could not

have been

publicly and

widely proclaimed

in the local

area without

at the same

time putting

him, as

well as his

sisters,

in grave

danger from

both Jewish

and Roman

opponents of

the early

Christian

movement.

According to

the book of

Acts, the

first Christian

martyr,

first Christian

who was killed

for his

profession of

faith,

was Stephen,

and he was

killed in

Jerusalem.

You see,

Jerusalem was

not exactly

a safe space

for the

early Christians.

So the

Christians in

Jerusalem had

to be very

careful who

they put

forward as

public witnesses

in order to

avoid unnecessarily

exposing some

of their key

members to

mortal danger.

Now,

most scholars

think that

Mark was the

first of the

New Testament

Gospels to be

written, and

Luke and

Matthew build

off Mark

to some

extent,

and that

Mark's

narrative of

the events

surrounding

Jesus'

crucifixion and

resurrection

was built

from an

earlier narrative

and what

had been

handed down

and what

was publicly

read and

commonly told

within the

church in

Jerusalem.

So in that

case, it

wouldn't be

surprising at

all that

Lazarus is

not named

in the

earlier Gospels.

God's

name.

Because if

they named

him, if

they were

publicly

proclaiming

his story

to anyone

and everyone

and everywhere,

that would

immediately put

him in grave

danger, as

well as his

family.

There are

other examples,

by the way,

that fit this

pattern, too.

In fact, there

are three other

instances during

the events leading

up to Jesus'

crucifixion and

resurrection,

three other

sort of sensitive

incidents,

where Mark

describes an

action anonymously,

but John tells

us who did

it.

One of those

is when Peter

hacks off the

ear of the

high priest's

servant.

Mark doesn't

tell us either

of their names.

John tells us

both of their

names.

And again,

one of those

incidents that,

if you were

named publicly,

could have got

you into

trouble.

By the time

John was

writing later

in the first

century, at

least two

things had

changed.

Number one,

the temple in

Jerusalem had

been destroyed

in 70 A.D.

and that

changed the

religious power

structure in

the city.

Second, most

likely Lazarus

would have

died of

natural causes

by this

time.

So either

way, when

John was

writing, there

would have

been no

further need

to protect

him from

harm by

keeping his

story on

the down

low.

The point

is, just

because this

story only

appears in

John, that's

no reason to

believe that it

was merely

invented, or

a legend

invented long

after the

fact.

One final

detail, in

1887, archaeologists

found a

first century

burial cave

near the

town of

Bethany with

the names

Mary, Martha,

and Eleazar

inscribed on

it.

Lazarus is

simply the

Greek form

of the

Hebrew name

Eleazar.

Mary, Martha,

Eleazar.

Now, that in

itself doesn't

prove that the

story happened,

but it does

demonstrate that

the details,

the names,

the location,

the burial

customs, all

of those are

entirely

plausible.

But you

know, the

greatest miracle

that the New

Testament records

is not the

raising of

Lazarus, who

would one

day die

again, but

the story of

Lazarus only

points forward

toward the

greater miracle

of the

resurrection of

Jesus, who

was raised

from the

dead, never

to die

again.

And again,

after the

great disappointment

of Jesus being

crucified, the

resurrection was

a complete

surprise to

every last

one of

Jesus'

followers.

None of

them were

expecting it.

Notice how

they reacted.

In that story

we read earlier

from John

John 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20,

the first

person who

goes to the

tomb is Mary

Magdalene.

She was one

of the women

who had stayed

with Jesus to

the end, who

had seen him

die and be

buried.

And when she

came to the

tomb early on

Sunday morning

and found it

empty, she did

not immediately

conclude that

Jesus had been

resurrected.

She didn't

say, oh yes,

this is what we

were hoping and

dreaming all

along, our

dreams have

now come true.

No.

She ran

away completely

distraught.

She thought that

someone had

stolen Jesus'

body and

carried it

away.

They've taken

the Lord out

of the tomb

and we don't

know where

they played

him.

It was only

later on when

Jesus appeared

to her in

person and

called her by

her name that

she recognized

him as the

resurrected Lord.

Of course, the

next person who

sees the empty

tomb was Simon

Peter and

John, the

disciple whom

Jesus loved.

And Peter

noticed a

fascinating detail.

The linen

cloths that

Jesus' body had

been wrapped in

were lying there

and the face

cloth which had

been on Jesus'

head was folded

up in a place

by itself.

You see, this is

one of the main

differences between

Lazarus who was

resuscitated and

Jesus who was

resurrected.

You see, unlike

Lazarus, Jesus

did not come out

of the tomb

awkwardly shuffling

and blindly

feeling his way

along.

No, God had

raised Jesus

from the dead

never to die

again.

His body that

was crucified

was decisively

transformed into

a new and

glorious body.

It's as if

Jesus got up

and left his

grave clothes

behind like a

caterpillar that

has turned into

a butterfly,

leaves its

cocoon behind.

He neatly

folded his

laundry and

went on his

way as the

triumphant king

who had once

for all conquered

sin and death.

And then later

on in chapter 20,

Thomas comes on

the scene.

Remember Thomas?

The coward,

not coward,

the courageous

pessimist?

Everything's going

to go wrong,

but I'll stick

with you to the

end anyway.

Well, guess what?

When the other

disciples had seen

the risen Jesus,

Thomas says,

I won't believe

it till I see

it.

Here's the

point.

The early

Christians,

none of them,

they were not a

bunch of naive

and gullible people

who were just

about to believe

anything.

But they became

convinced.

They were not

expecting to be

gloriously surprised

on that first

Easter morning,

but Jesus broke

through their

meager expectations

and surprised

them with his

merciful reality.

Now, these

days, Jesus

isn't making

physical appearances

on earth,

not in the

same way that

he was in the

40 days after

his resurrection,

but let me tell

you this.

Jesus still

breaks through

our meager

expectations

with his

merciful reality.

Jesus still

gloriously

surprises us.

As you look

back on your

darkest days

and on your

deepest

disappointments,

can you see

the light of

Jesus breaking

through to meet

you in unexpected

ways?

You see, quite

often Jesus first

brings us to a

place of

disappointment

where our

hopeful or

perhaps naive

expectations

crash into a

harsh reality.

But in that

very place of

disappointment

and anguish

and even death,

he calls us to

himself, to go

to him, to

stay with him,

and he doesn't

end there because

he continues to

bring life out of

death and glorious

surprise out of

deep disappointment.

Friends, this is

what Easter is all

about, that everyone

who goes to Jesus

and stays with

Jesus through

their disappointment

will be gloriously

surprised in the

end.

Let us pray.

Father God, we

thank you for the

honesty of your

disciples that we

read about in the

Bible, for Mary

and Martha's

honesty in going to

you with their

disappointments and

laments, for the

honesty of the

disciples in voicing

their skepticism

and hesitation

when they first

saw the empty

tomb or encountered

you, their

risen Lord.

Lord, give us the

courage to come to

you honestly.

We pray that as

they did, pray that

we would take

seriously their

testimony and the

testimony of

Christian believers

through the ages

that you are the

God of glorious

surprises.

Lord, we pray that

we would draw near

to you in our

disappointments.

We pray that you

would gloriously

surprise us with

your merciful reality,

that you would

break through our

limited and meager

expectations of you,

that we would

experience your

life-giving power

in our souls, in our

bodies, in our

lives, in our

relationships, and

that we might carry

that with us into

the world and

wherever we go.

We pray this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.