John 11:1-45
“Look for the Liberator”
March 26, 2023
The category was “Quoting the King James Bible” this past July 13th and there it was, the Daily Double answer for $1000 in the Jeopardy round was “It’s the entirety of John 11:35, often acknowledged as the shortest verse in the Bible.”
And two-time champion Steve Clarke (no relation), said he would make it a true Daily Double.
So, with $2000 on the line, Steve offers,
“What is ‘Jesus wept?’”
And Steve moves into the lead, but we were also reminded, on national television, of the power of two simple words.
“Jesus wept.”
And they begin to take a bit of the sting away from the beginning of today’s account from John’s Gospel.
This sign, of Lazarus being raised from the dead, is the seventh sign that John uses to show us Jesus’ true identity and purpose in the world that began with the wedding in Cana.
John calls all of these “signs” because they point us toward something bigger and more important than the action itself.
If we kept going after today’s reading, we would find out that the religious authorities had had enough of Jesus and his signs and decide that it is time to put him to death.
Why?
They were threatened by the thought that these signs, especially raising someone from the dead, would make the people believe in him and want to follow him.
Once they believed in Jesus, they posed what the Romans who were occupying the land would see as possibly leading to an insurrection.
And if there was an insurrection the Roman authorities would crack down and destroy the temple and their nation.
Again, why are they so worried?
They remembered what the prophet Ezekiel said, “You shall know that I am Lord when I open your graves.”
And raising Lazarus from the dead could certainly be viewed as opening a grave.
This was meant to be a sign that God was going to save Israel and eliminate the Roman occupiers and restore their nation to them.
The thinking would be that if they were to avoid a brutal crackdown by Rome, it is better to get rid of Jesus.
But before we get to all that will unfold next week let’s focus on the dead one we have in front of us – Lazarus.
It is evident that his sisters are devastated.
We also hear that Jesus finally arrives four days later, when the body probably stinks to high heaven.
Those who love this family are surrounding them, as we do when someone we care about dies.
In that foggy, emotion-laden time, Jesus finally gets to the sign, the bringing back to life of the friend whom he loved.
Jesus lays a lot of groundwork for what he is about to do before he does it.
Many think the word “sign” is a better descriptor than “miracle” for Jesus’ actions in these events which range from that water into wine at the wedding business all the way through last week’s gift of sight for the blind man.
Signs point to something else and all seven of these signs have been very public opportunities to lead people to belief.
Jesus’ activity has been condidered suspect all along by a lot of the religious leaders and this returning Lazarus to life is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, at least in John’s Gospel.
So, we have a stinking body and that, importantly, is proof itself that Lazarus was truly dead and not just passed out or in a coma.
Lazarus was Jesus’ friend and in this shortest verse in scripture, “Jesus wept.”
This demonstrated to those present, and we even hear from the translation from Greek, that Jesus loved Lazarus more than the agape love that is extended to everyone.
This was a friend and witnessing the depth of the grief of his sisters moved the Jesus who was human at that exact moment and divine in the next one when he ordered the bound Lazarus to come out of the tomb.
Today we experience a foretaste of what we will begin to experience even more deeply next week with the Passion narrative and the journey through Holy Week that triumphantly will end with Jesus’ own resurrection.
In raising Lazarus, Jesus is teaching us what resurrection means.
It is at the heart of our journey as his followers – there is more and it is both now and in the future.
Amid the weeping of Mary and Martha in this story is Jesus’ own weeping.
We have all had times when words are not enough or they are too much.
Jesus, the one who himself is the Word, does not speak but lets his tears do his speaking for him.
In both today’s story and the Passion narrative we are being called out by Jesus to live fully into his words that “I am the resurrection and the life,” as well as pay attention to his actions.
These two other words go together – resurrection and life.
Both need God.
We are to embrace and engage this life fully as well as recognize death as holding more.
Jesus weeps because Jesus lives.
Let us then raise up this prayer from the Rev. Taesung Kang:
God of hope,
you who transcend our understanding,
you who exist and move beyond our expectations and time,
you who give life beyond the grave.
In you,
weeping may turn into joyful dancing.
A dead-end road may turn into a new pathway.
Doubting may lead to believing.
When we feel at the end of our rope,
we doubt and question,
if you are still with us,
if you are ever going to show up,
if there is a way beyond the dead-end …
But You invite us to be part of this life-giving action, to “unbind him, and let him go.”
to unwrap Lazarus from the cloth and let him walk freely,
to proclaim your powerful words of liberation,
to take action for the bound, marginalized, and oppressed.
Through our presence and ministry,
Let the world see hope beyond despair.
Let all people participate in resurrection beyond death.
Let this world become a beloved community on earth. Amen.