Jesus Mission death to life

Okay, well, death.

It's a stark word, isn't it?

And bitter experience forces everyone to recognize that stark reality,

recognize that awfulness.

The statistics are brutal.

One out of one dies.

Now, instinctively, we move away from death, don't we?

We tend to move away from any notion of death,

and we move towards notions of life.

In fact, I think if you scratch below the surface,

most people develop a way of thinking about death

as a necessity which allows enjoyment of life.

And I think the problem is largely driven by relationships.

Parents, children, siblings, friends.

We really value relationships.

We would do anything to maintain relationships,

but constantly they're being ripped away from us by death,

whether that death comes through illness,

accident suddenly,

or simple old age.

There's never a moment where we're ready to give up those relationships into death.

We're horrified.

We're traumatized.

We sense that this is not right.

We sense that we're made for something better,

something more permanent.

We long for something better.

And angrily, sometimes, we wonder why it has to happen

and wish something could be done to prevent it.

We actually want to defy death,

but no, we can't.

In spite of our efforts to look young or extend our lives,

death catches up.

And so I think what we do in our society

is default to the next best thing.

We avoid talking about it.

And so traditionally,

death has been one of those impolite subjects at a dinner party.

Even when we have to talk about death,

and sometimes we do,

we tend to sanitize the notion of death these days in our society.

We sanitize the reality by saying that someone has passed.

When's the last time you heard of somebody dying?

People today just pass.

I'm not sure where they're passing to,

but that's the language.

It seems to soften it.

Funerals are increasingly given over totally

to a celebration of the life of the person who's passed.

Now, there's nothing wrong with celebrating the life,

but somehow these celebrations are now dominating,

and there's no time given

to consider the stark reality of that body

before friends and family.

And the termination of relationships

that's represented in that body

before the family and friends.

No amount of celebration can really offset that.

And then again, changing direction slightly,

we all want to know how a story ends.

We like to watch a movie to the completion.

We follow scandals through the newspapers to completion.

And no less do we desire to know

how our own personal story is going to end.

And so, in our society,

some, perhaps even increasingly so, I think,

turn to fortune tellers and mystics.

Increasingly common also in our society.

People just assume a view of what happens after death

without really thinking it through.

So, you'll hear people commonly talk today

about reincarnation.

And I'm thinking, really?

Do you know what goes around all that?

Or some people will just say,

well, after death there's nothingness,

there's oblivion.

Well, how have you come to that conclusion?

Or people commonly say,

well, I'm going to be resurrected and go to heaven

because I'm basically a good person,

at least better than those people over there.

And sometimes even we talk about hell.

We talk about hell in a way

that has sort of domesticated it.

We're in hell as now a place of fun.

And if I end up in hell,

well, I'll be there with all my mates.

It'll be a romping old party.

But you know what?

When you scratch below the surface,

in spite of all these strategies to deal with death,

so many people still fear it.

So many people still fear death.

Ignoring it doesn't make it go away.

Won't hold it at bay.

Won't make it any easier when the moment comes.

And that, if you need a reason this morning,

tune into what the Bible said.

And that is why we need to listen

to the words of Jesus in this passage before us.

Because the words of Jesus

promise a good end to our personal story.

Jesus doesn't avoid the reality of death.

He feels it deeply.

We'll see that in the passage.

But he promises to move us through death to life.

That's his passion.

That's his mission.

To move people from death to life.

He promises life everlasting.

The good life that we long for

every time we go to a funeral.

The life we since were created for.

He promises that to any and all

who believe or trust in him.

So with that introduction,

let's turn to the story.

One of these stories in which the truth

is a sight more strange than fiction.

One of these stories in which the truth

is a story of Jesus.

One of these stories in which the truth

is a story of Jesus.

One of these stories in which the truth

is a story of Jesus.

And if you're a visitor this morning

and not familiar with it,

the outline of what I'm saying

is on the back of that sheet

you get given at the front door

as you came in this morning

or should have been given.

So I want to walk through

the first part of the story

under the heading

of words speak louder than actions.

Words speaking louder than actions.

And I'm using that heading

because I'm hoping it will actually

help us avoid tripping up

on a couple of real problems

in the story early on.

Because there's a couple

of really jarring moments

in this story as it unfolds.

And those jarring moments

if we trip on them

will cause us to miss

the big point of the picture

or the big point of the drama altogether.

So here we go.

Jesus is in a region called Batanea

which is up in the northwest of Palestine.

About four days travel

from Bethany where these guys live.

And the story

at a big picture level

develops really, really slowly

over a minimum of six days.

Now that slowness I think

is pretty incredible

given that the story starts

with Jesus getting the message

that nobody wants to get.

His good friend from a family

he was obviously very close to

was ill.

Now the word there is ill.

It doesn't mean he just had a headache

or a bit of an upset stomach.

It means he was seriously ill.

He was at death's door

and deteriorating.

And this messenger arrives

and the news was already there

for four days old

when Jesus got it.

And so with the message

we get no trouble I think

sensing the desperate hope

that was attached

to that message

by the two sisters.

They would have known

of Jesus' miraculous power

intervening and reversing

other similar situations.

And so their hope

attached to this message

was that just perhaps

in some

I don't know what way

Mary and Martha might have thought

just

maybe Jesus can do something.

maybe he can intervene

in the situation

for our brother.

Either by coming

to him immediately

and they know

he had done that

by crossing the sea of Galilee

crossed it immediately

it says

or healing him

from a distance.

Now this is the first

stick point

Jesus' response

into this

urgency

this tragedy

unfolding tragedy

he sends the messenger

back with another message

essentially saying

to Mary and Martha

knowing that the messenger

would take four days

to get back

to deliver this message

don't worry

everything will work out

alright.

And again

it's not hard

to imagine Mary and Martha

questioning the messenger

remember

when you look at

the time sequence

of the story

by the time the messenger

gets back

Lazarus has already

been dead for two days

and you can just

imagine

Martha and Mary

quizzing the messenger

is that it?

Is that all he said?

He didn't offer to heal

he didn't offer to do anything?

But it gets worse

even more

apparently heartless

was Jesus'

purposeful delay.

Look at the way

verses 5, 6 and 7

are put together.

Now Jesus

we're just told

in verse 5

how much

Jesus loved

the family.

And then look at

verse 6

the so

in our English versions

is therefore

it's a very strong word

so it reads like this

now Jesus loved

Martha and her sister

and Lazarus

therefore

when he heard

that Lazarus was ill

he did nothing

for two days.

He did nothing

for two days.

and then

verse 7

two days later

when he knew

that Lazarus

was dead

then he says

to his disciples

now let's go

to Judea

let's go and see

Lazarus.

but the disciples

then come

into the picture

and if Jesus

is heartless

they're

insensitive

because

it would appear

that they're

off in a different

direction altogether

because their

concern

when they hear

the word Judea

is hang on a minute

that's going to be

a strategic mistake

if we go back

there we're as good

as dead

they're operating

on their own agenda

of what they think

Jesus' mission

should have been

and for them

the idea of death

doesn't figure

if Jesus is going

to lead a revolt

against the Roman

occupation force

Jesus has no use

dead

go back there

you're as good as dead

no Jesus

we can't do it

and verse 9 and 10

then Jesus challenges

their agenda

again speaking

purposefully

purposefully rather

he says

look

I'm light

and by definition

light dispels

darkness

even more than that

Jesus is saying

there that he

is the light

of God's

salvation purpose

this is

my mission

I'm involved

in God's

salvation purpose

so what can go

wrong

what can go wrong

when you're

fulfilling God's

plan

is what Jesus

is saying to them

but still they persist

when Jesus then

tells them that

Lazarus has fallen

asleep

they misunderstand

it because

they're not

thinking

they're not

engaged

they're thinking

of their own

agenda

and he sees

on that

as further

reason not to

go back to

Jerusalem

well if

Lazarus

shone some

signs of

recovery

we don't need

to go there

and put our

lives at risk

put the bigger

mission at risk

and again

that prompts

another apparently

heartless response

by Jesus

verse 14

Jesus clarifies

Jesus said

told them

plainly

Lazarus

has died

look at what

follows

and for your

sake

I am glad

I was not

there

so that you

may believe

but let's

go to him

how could

Jesus be

glad

he wasn't

there

and yet

is now

determined

to go to

him

after he's

dead

friends

that's why

I use

the heading

for this

first part

of the

story

it's really

important

we hear

Jesus'

words

rather than

getting tripped

up by his

apparent actions

his words

are purposefully

designed

to point

to the

heart of the

story

to point

towards belief

as we're told

in verse 14

see the story

is not about

Lazarus

it's about

Jesus

setting the

scene

where the

death of

Lazarus

becomes a

powerful

demonstration

of the

character

purpose

and goodness

of the

father

and of

Jesus

himself

the word

glory

is used

to describe

all that

and so

this whole

story

is orchestrated

and that's

a very strong

word but it's

the word

that needs

to be used

Jesus

orchestrates

every circumstance

here

so that they

might believe

that he is

saviour

and king

and so

the way

the story

unfolds

at the end

of the first

part

we are

face to

face

with an

indisputable

power

the power

of death

life

the life

of Lazarus

succumbs

to death

Lazarus

is dead

and Thomas

I think

speaks

for the

disciples

following

through

this notion

of death

and heaviness

Thomas speaks

for the

disciples

verse

16

well

he says

we may

as well

go with

him

because

we're

all as

good

as

dead

if we

go back

to

Judea

there's

just a

heaviness

brooding

over this

whole story

death as it were

is coming at them

from every which

angle

and four days

later

the heaviness

continues

four days

later

they finally

arrive at the

home of

Lazarus

and they're

confronted

with a

scene of

devastation

the reality

of death

dominates

there as

well

the despair

the confusion

the broken

heartedness

the pain

the anger

the grief

which comes

inevitably

with death

is all

there

palpable

as Jesus

arrives

at the

family

home

and in

conversation

with Martha

and then

Mary

we sense

we sense

these two

girls

trying to

be restrained

trying to

keep it

together

but oozing

with hurt

and disappointment

why didn't

you do

something

Jesus

it was

within your

power to

do something

why

why

why

if only

man

isn't that

the questions

we ask

we're so

familiar with

those questions

at a funeral

aren't we

we sit

beside

the bedside

of somebody

who's

dying

that's the

question

isn't it

and so

John has

drawn us

brilliantly

into an

all too

familiar

yet dreadful

scene

we've all

been there

we've all

been there

sisters

brothers

wider family

parents

children

friends

we've all

been there

as one of

those groups

gathered to

grieve

numb with

pain

and confusion

wrestling

in our

hearts

with the

anger

it shouldn't

be like

this

the big

questions

why

what if

longing that

could have

been different

but at the

same time

not knowing

how

and quietly

recognizing

in a way that

we never

ever admit to

quietly

recognizing

that the

unwelcome

visitor who

has just

turned up

again and

snatched away

ripped away

one love

deeply

by us

will one

day turn up

for us

it will be

my turn

soon

all too

soon

so let's

look at the

second part

of the

story

where

Jesus'

actions

speak much

louder than

his words

Jesus walks

into this

tragic scene

dominated by

death and

despair

with words

of promise

words of

promise that

overflow with

hope

comfort and

blessing

look at

verse 23

he pushes

Martha

to a

whole new

level

of belief

Jesus said

to her

your brother

will rise

again

Martha said

to him

I know

he will

rise again

in the

resurrection

on the

last day

Jesus said

to her

I am

the resurrection

and the

life

see

Martha

like most

Jews

believed

there would

be a

sort of

general

resurrection

sometime

in the

future

at the

day of

judgment

at the

end of

the

world

because

they

believed

that God

would not

allow

death

to have

the final

word

in the

lives

of his

special

people

things

and the

life

was to be

found

in

relationship

with him

and might

be known

and enjoyed

now

Jesus

said to

Martha

Martha

I need

you to

believe

in me

that I

am the

one

I am

Messiah

I am

the one

who can

cross

the boundaries

between

life and

death

this world and the next world, I can cross that boundary and bring back to life any whom I choose

to do so, any I choose to give life to. This is my mission. This is my specialty, is what Jesus

is asking Matthew to believe. My specialty is moving people from death to life.

I am the source of real life, says Jesus. And wherever I am, I'm so identified

with resurrection and life that you can actually say, I am the resurrection. Wherever I am,

says Jesus, there will be real life, life that will never end, relationship that will never break

or cease to be or be ripped away, life that will always satisfy and never disappoint.

More than that, if that was possible, more than that, trusting Jesus or being in relationship

with him means that though we will actually at some point in the future experience actual physical

death and decay, we will never experience a break in relationship with God, but we'll pass through

death into heaven and eternal relationship with him. Death won't be the end of our story.

It's a new chapter as the life we have in Jesus now takes on a whole new dimension as the life we have

with Jesus in heaven forever. Now look at Martha's response in verse 27. Now we've got to cut the

woman a bit of slack. This is pretty big call to come at this sort of stuff. Martha says in verse 27,

yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.

Now she doesn't quite get there, does she?

She's a couple of steps short of what Jesus or where Jesus wanted her to be. Nevertheless,

John records this very, very carefully. She doesn't get fully that resurrection life is a present

reality to be enjoyed. But here's the goal that John wants us to understand. What she does know is,

what she is sure about, is that Jesus is the Christ. That is, that Jesus is God's King and Savior

sent into the world to reverse the effects of sin, principle of which is death.

So she doesn't know how it's all going to work. She can't quite get her head around what Jesus

sent her, but she knows enough to know that life lies with Jesus.

And interestingly also, when you look at the bigger picture, step right back, big picture stuff,

John chapter 20 verse 31, John gives us his one reason for writing the whole record,

John 20:31

and it's almost identical words to which, to that, to those which he puts in Martha's,

Mary or Martha, whoever it was, one of them anyway, one of the sisters,

almost identical words to what he puts in her mouth now.

In other words, John's saying, yet she doesn't understand all the details,

but she's there. She believes.

She is a demonstration of that very thing that Jesus has come to achieve.

She is entrusting herself in the face of death to Jesus, the face of life.

Then the story moves on, and that was Martha, obviously.

Jesus meets Mary then, and once again is confronted by the utter devastation that comes with death.

These girls have been chatting away.

They had been having a word or two about Jesus before Jesus arrived,

because she leads out with almost identical sentence to Jesus.

Jesus, if only you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died.

So there's a fair bit of conversation that wasn't reported to Jesus there, I would suspect.

And in response, Jesus acts in wonderful tenderness and compassion with Mary as he did with Martha.

And you can just see it.

He felt their pain, and he identified with them.

And verses 33 and 34 then.

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

he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

And he said, where have you laid him?

The whole scene, as Jesus observes it, prompts an overflow of incredible emotion on the part of Jesus.

Now, we need to understand these words here, because in the English translation again,

it says he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

And it suggests that it might have been in response to saying the girl's weeping.

But the language is much, much stronger than that.

The word there means, in English, what was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

The word actually is better rendered outraged.

Jesus was absolutely outraged at what he saw before him.

So what was Jesus outraged at?

Well, I take it he was outraged as he observed the mess caused by sin among God's image bearers.

You remember back at the start of Jesus' ministry, one of the first things he did, he went to the temple.

And the same word, he was outraged.

He was outraged back then because he saw in the temple, the very place of worship,

he saw how sin, how far sin had taken God's people away in their heart from worshipping God.

So it had just become a den of robbers and thieves.

A place to make money.

And he was outraged.

Sin takes people away from God, into death.

Sin messes up the world, messes up lives, and ultimately takes us to death.

And he was outraged.

And he's outraged at the end of his ministry because he looks at the unnaturalness of death in God's good creation.

He's outraged at the misery of the human race, the carnage of sin,

and the destructive power of Satan, who is the power of death,

and whom he had come into this world to defeat and destroy.

His outrage then comes with tears.

He weeps.

He weeps because of the mess of sin he sees before him.

He weeps because sin means that God's not honoured as he ought to have been honoured by those he made.

He weeps because in just over a week, he would do battle to defeat Satan, who is the power of death,

knowing that that battle would cost him his life.

So he weeps for what's ahead, I believe, as well.

So here we have it, as we move to the climax of this miracle.

The final action of the drama unfolds with Jesus standing in front of the tomb of Lazarus,

not in a state of inconsolable grief,

but driven by absolute outrage at the mess sin causes in God's world.

And with that, we see for the second time in this story,

a confrontation with that indisputable power

as Jesus moves Lazarus from death to life.

Come back from the dead, Lazarus, now.

Come back from death to new life, now.

And immediately, the stinking, and that's the word, not a polite odour.

Man in a 50 degree climate after four days.

Do you want me to describe it to you?

Alison begged me not to.

Yep, the stinking decomposition that Lazarus had become

is reversed.

Totally reversed.

Immediately reversed.

And Lazarus bunny hops out of the grave,

looking a bit stupid in a sense,

wrapped in these grave clothes.

He couldn't have walked.

And Jesus says,

take those things off and let them go.

Almost an anticlimactic statement.

Because the climax was the saviour of this world,

Jesus Christ,

the one who claimed over and over and over again to be God

because he had the power that only God could demonstrate.

And he demonstrated that power, saying,

come back across the divide, Lazarus.

Come back to life.

And even bigger still,

and we'll deal with this next week,

the second half of verse, chapter 11.

Even bigger still,

the scene was just a shadow

of what would be repeated

in just over a week.

Where Jesus would confront the real enemy,

Satan,

who has the power of death,

and defeat him

and prove his lordship over everything

by himself coming back from the grave.

Remember in chapter 10,

Jesus said that,

nobody will take my life from me.

For the sake of my sheep,

as a good shepherd,

I will lay down my life.

And then I will take it back up again.

But who else but God

has the power to come into this world

and exit the world

and come back into it

on his own volition?

Only Jesus has the power

to deal with sin

which inevitably results in death

and thereby reverse

the curse of death

and restore life

as it was meant to be

to God's image bearers.

That is his mission.

He confirms that mission

as he prays to his father.

He openly says,

I'm not praying this

because I need to pray.

I'm praying this to show you guys

that I and the father

are absolutely one

in this mission

of moving people

from death to life.

So John arranges this story

as a report of Jesus

to do this.

It's one thing for Jesus

to have the big words,

to promise words of life.

But in this part of the story,

his actions speak much louder

than his words.

He actually delivers life

from death

in this very public

and orchestrated setting.

Could anything bring more glory

to the Lord?

More honour to the Lord

than this?

I don't think so.

So I'll finish with this question.

Same question that Jesus asked Martha.

Do you believe?

Do you believe?

Surveys of Christians show

that I've read,

there's probably lots

of different ones,

but I've read surveys

that show 60 plus percent

of Christians

don't actually believe

in the resurrection.

I'm talking Christians,

I'm not talking pagans.

So I ask the question again,

do you believe?

Do you believe?

Jesus said he was the good shepherd.

Chapter 10,

the good shepherd

who pursued his lost

and wayward sheep,

pursued his sheep

right to the point

of their being dead

in their trespasses and sin.

He calls them back by name.

He delivers them

into the good life

of relationship with God

as we were created to enjoy.

That's what Jesus said he did.

And here he delivers.

My friends,

here's the practical application.

Jesus is that something

we long for

when we're confronted with death.

He is that better life

we sense we were created for.

He offers his life

in the midst of coping

with dying bodies

that fail us constantly

and increasingly.

The big issues of life,

what happens when I die,

can be sorted now

by believing

that in Jesus

there's forgiveness,

new acceptance,

new relationship with God

and the good life,

eternal life,

life abundant,

life that will go with us,

from this life

into heaven and eternity

in an unbroken continuity.

So again,

as we've seen week after week

going through John's gospel,

the question is this,

will you put your hope

for the future

into building security

and longevity

into your current life

by your own resources?

obsessively even

trying to defy age

and death

and my goodness,

our society's given to that

now, isn't it?

And we in the church

just trot along

behind society,

obsessively trying

to defy age

and death.

Or will you invest

your future

in real life,

true life,

defined by relationship

with Jesus,

life that will take you

across the divide

that one day

we will all have to cross

into a continued life

of never-ending enjoyment

of Jesus in heaven.

My friends,

I just ask you,

I beg you,

to consider these words.

Let me pray.

Lord, it's a hot morning,

not conducive to concentration.

Lots of distractions

around us

and in our own hearts

and minds.

I pray, Lord,

that you might

cut through all those things

and imprint your word

in our hearts.

Give us great joy

for those who

have already

committed ourselves

to life in Jesus.

And Lord,

for those who are here

this morning

who have not yet done that,

break through

resistance, Lord,

so that they might

also choose life.

Amen.