John 11:1-45
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So 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 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
Reflection - Come out!
Oh, how Mary and Martha surely believed in Jesus. How both of them truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Both women proclaimed to Jesus... "Lord, if you had been here..." Yes, Jesus, if you had been here, Lazarus would still be alive and kicking. Lazarus would not be dead, Jesus, if you had been here.
It makes me wonder if when Jesus saw and heard the honest and open trust and faith that these women had in him; if this contributed to the tears Jesus shed. Jesus knew that Lazarus was dead by our own worldly standards. Jesus knew this, walking into this situation.
Then to hear the words of these women who fully trusted in him but laid no blame on him for Lazarus death. Yes, Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here..." And then... and then those awesome words that seem to spring up in the gospel. Words that always seem to reach out back and forth from the people to Jesus and from Jesus to the people. Jesus asked where Lazarus had been laid. Had Jesus seen a glimpse forward into time a place where he too would lie dead in the sin of all the world? Had Jesus gotten a mental picture of what would be perceived by all the world to be his own final resting place? Did Jesus feel the still and quiet place of the tomb? Did Jesus enter into that tomb mentally and smell the stench of the sin of all of the world as it lay rotting? Yes, it was those same words that the woman at the well proclaimed to her friends that he now heard Mary proclaim to him... "Come and see..." See, where Lazarus lay dead behind the stone of a tomb. See this sight and smell the stench of rot wafting into the air through the cracks of the stone in front of the tomb. Yes... Jesus... "Come and see..." This is the place that you too will soon lie dead in the sin of all the world. This is the place you too, Jesus, will rot and decay. "Come and see..." the reality of it all. And Jesus wept...
Jesus was human. Jesus with emotion and empathy and memory and knowledge of a plan that would save all of these people in his sight from sin, death and the devil. Jesus with the deep emotion cried. He cried for you and for me and I think maybe even for himself and all of his disciples to follow him throughout all time. All of us will die to our sin. All of us will smell the stench of our sin and see the crudeness of death and all of us will mourn for loved ones. All of us will weep.
But... Jesus also knew the resurrection. Jesus knew that there was more than just this bodily death. There was more to the story. Yes, Jesus knew ahead of time that Lazarus was dead in the tomb. Jesus knew that Lazarus body no longer functioned. Breath no longer kept time in Lazarus's lungs and his heart had stopped the consistent flow of blood throughout his body. Lazarus was dead! More than just asleep. Lazarus was dead!
But... Jesus knew that this was not the end of life for Lazarus. This was only the beginning. But it was the beginning of the end towards the victory that Jesus would show to all the world. Yes, it was the beginning to the ending to the beginning for Jesus. It was this act of granting continued earthly life to Lazarus that would lead to Jesus own suffering, death and time in the tomb. This act would begin the topple of cards that would lead to Jesus on the cross. This act of granting life to a dead Lazarus would start the process that would lead to the death of Jesus and the death of sin in all the world.
No, not quite yet the elimination of sin in all the world. That time we wait for even today. But the death of the consequences of sin. No longer will God and man be separate. All people can and will have the ability to see God and follow Jesus and live into eternal resurrected life with Jesus. But for now... in this moment of time with Mary, Martha, Jesus and the family and in the presence of the dead Lazarus, we will be able to witness a tiny resurrection of sorts.
And Jesus cries... "Come out!" And Lazarus responds to those words of Jesus.
" "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him."
Yes, it was this act of God through and in Jesus that started it all. The cards are toppling over as we live and breathe today. But the results have been determined. Jesus calls each of us to come out of the death of our sin and to see the Light shine from his face in our coming out. Jesus calls each of us today and at this moment to "Come out!" from the depths and the darkness and the stench of our sin and believe in what he has done for us out of an everlasting love for us. Jesus has called for you and for me to "Come out!" Come out here and now and believe in the Savior of all people and all the world. For Jesus died upon that cross that we might live. Jesus was placed into that tomb dead in our sin and taking the rotten stench of our sin with him into that tomb out of love for you and for me and for all people.
Jesus then... yes Jesus next... yes Jesus would rise and depart from that tomb, having defeated the consequences... the death of sin and live resurrected in order that you and I and all people too may live a resurrected life in the Spirit of God present with us here and now!
Yes... "Come out!" and then run and run and go and go and proclaim to all the world those wonderful words... "Come and see!" Yes "Come and see!" this Savior who loves all people to death. Come and see this Savior who loves creation so much that we can live in relationship with the Creator, the Savior, the Holy Spirit in eternal everlasting relationship of love.
Yes Lord... I WILL "Come out!"
Yes Lord... I WILL proclaim with all my might... "Come and see!"
Thanks be to God!
I leave you with a song that my daughter, Sarah, introduced me to several years ago that proclaim the wonder of this Love of God through Jesus resurrection. I have to think that Lazarus emotions when stepping from that tomb reflect the words of this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENtL_li4GbE
Prayer
Lord, may all the world "Come out!" to you that all the world may proclaim with one voice... "Come and see!"... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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