Resurrections: Lesson 2 (5-8-22)

Overview

The Raising of Lazarus: "I Am the Resurrection and the Life"

The seventh and climactic sign in John's Gospel—the raising of Lazarus in John 11—stands at the threshold of Jesus' passion. It is the pinnacle of His public ministry because it reveals, in advance, the truth on which everything else depends: Jesus has authority over death itself.

Three Dimensions of Death

Scripture speaks of death in three ways, and each is at play in the Lazarus account. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body; the soul is the immortal, life-giving center of our thinking, desires, and feelings. Spiritual death is the natural condition into which every descendant of Adam is born—a state in which we want nothing to do with God and contribute nothing toward our salvation. As Paul writes, "You were dead through the trespasses and sins… But God, who is rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ" Ephesians 2:1–5. Eternal death is final separation from God's blessings, what Scripture calls the second death (Revelation 21:8; see also Matthew 25:41; Matthew 8:11–12). Annihilationism—the idea that unbelievers simply cease to exist—misreads the immortality of the soul; every person's destiny is heaven or hell.

A Deliberate Delay for God's Glory

Jesus loved this family, yet He intentionally remained two days longer after hearing of Lazarus's illness, so that Lazarus would die and be raised. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been entombed four days—past the three-day window in which rabbinic teaching held resuscitation possible. Any explanation other than divine miracle is removed. Jesus delays so that the Father is glorified and the disciples' faith is strengthened.

Both sisters greet Jesus with the same words: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Putting the best construction on their words (as Luther counsels), we hear genuine confidence in Christ's power—but also the temptation we share: trusting God's power in the past or the distant future while doubting it in the present. Martha confesses faith in the resurrection "on the last day," and Jesus turns her gaze from a future event to His own person: "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" John 11:25–26.

A Savior Who Weeps and Rages at Death

When Jesus sees Mary's loud wailing, He is "greatly disturbed in spirit"—the word carries the force of indignation, even outrage. He allows Himself to feel this anger, because He sees what sin has done: it rips loved ones from us. Then He weeps, tears streaming down His face. This is no distant, deistic God. This is the Lord who feels deeply, cares deeply, and confronts death as the enemy it is 1 Corinthians 15. For Christians, death can be spoken of as "kind and gentle" because Christ has conquered it—yet its origin remains sin, and Jesus Himself stands at the tomb both grieving and furious on our behalf.

Pastoral Application

When we walk with the suffering, we are not called to offer our own assurances ("I'm sure it will all work out"), which can minimize pain and rest on a promise we cannot keep. Instead, like Jesus with Martha, we point one another back to who Christ is and what He has promised. Faith is not first about timetables and solutions we present to God; it is about clinging to the One who is, right now, the resurrection and the life.

In the historic one-year lectionary, the raising of Lazarus is appointed for Easter Eve—a foretaste of Christ's own resurrection and of the resurrection of all flesh on the last day. Lazarus came out still bound in grave clothes, called by name from the tomb. So too will every believer be called by name when Christ returns in glory. Today, for those who are in Him, is already one more day in all of eternity.

Transcript

Let's pray. The strife is ore and the battle done. Now is the victors, triumph one. Now be 2s

the song of praise begun. Hallelujah. The powers of death have done their worst, but Christ 12s

their legions have dispersed. Let's shout of holy joy outburst. Hallelujah. Amen. Well welcome back to our 21s

continued study here on Resurrection's. Last week we took a look at the story of Jonah in Holy 35s

Scripture and we saw how Jonah's events here, what Jonah experienced was a foreshadowing, a prefiguring of Jesus's life. And that 44s

quote I shared with you last week with regard to Luther, where Luther said, life and righteousness come because of God's mercy 56s

in sending his son to suffer, die, be buried and rise again on the day of the new creation. So that all the sinful dead 65s

Jonah's of this world would have new life. And so you know who's included in that lot, right? All of us, all of us sinful 76s

Jonah's. Well today I'd like to examine with you the story of Lazarus. So to do so let's open up to John the 11th 87s

chapter, please. Matthew, Mark, Luke and then John. John chapter 11. And what we have here is the story of the raising of 94s

Lazarus. This marks the end here of Jesus's full public ministry. So chapters 11 and 12 are really transitional 107s

verses and then when you get into 13 there you have the emphasis on the crucifixion of Christ. So far in the 119s

gospel of John there's been six miracles that has occurred that John has related. This seventh here is the 130s

pinnacle. Why? Because it is a story of resurrection from the dead. So let's go to chapter 11 verse 1. Now a certain man was ill. Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and 138s

her sister Martha. Mary Martha and Lazarus, they were all siblings. And the oldest is always named first. However Mary's named first because she's more well known here in this 158s

account. But going on in to verse 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was ill. So the 175s

sister sent a message to Jesus. Lord, he whom you love is ill. So obviously from that verse we know that Jesus must have known the family that the family was most 186s

likely then very acquainted with regard to the miracles that had been occurring. They had seen the healings. What is beautiful is simply placing the problem at the 201s

feet of Jesus. That's a wonderful lesson for all of us. To simply place our challenges and difficulties and the problems that 215s

are not lead to death. Well certainly what he must have been talking about here is eternal death because we know that Lazarus died. So the reference here from the Lord Jesus must be to 242s

eternal death. Just a little excursus here with regard to death. We see from Scripture that at death the soul separates from the body. The soul is that invisible part of us. It gives the body life. It's the center of our thinking, of our desires, of our 258s

feelings. The soul is that which is immortal or to put it more succinctly. Your soul is your life. Your soul is your life. So at death then we have a separation then of the soul from the body. So that's physical death. We also see in Scripture there is that which is called spiritual death. 288s

Spiritual death. I talked about that some in the sermon this morning. That spiritual death is that natural state in which we are born where we want absolutely nothing to do with God. Absolutely nothing. There is no spark of divine interest in us. There is no glimmer of faith that we are born with. 318s

We are an idol factory as Luther said that has a propensity to make all kinds of idols. But there is nothing in us that desires the true God. 344s

So we are born spiritually dead. Adam and Eve experienced this from the moment that they fell into sin. So they were not born spiritually dead. But due to the fall spiritual death then entered into the picture. 361s

Let's go over to Ephesians chapter 2. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Romans. First and second Corinthians, Galatians and then Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1. 377s

We read, you were dead through the trespasses and sins. You were dead through the trespasses and sins. That's getting at that whole concept and understanding of spiritual death. 403s

Then jumping over into verse 4. But God who is rich and mercy out of the great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead through our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved. 417s

So we are spiritually dead. We want nothing to do with God. As I talk about this morning in the sermon our confessional writings, our doctrinal writings refer to us as a rock. I mean a rock can't affect anything. It just is a rock. That's who we are spiritually. We want nothing to do with God. We are spiritually dead. 437s

There will be physical death for us if the Lord Terry's in terms of his second coming. But we are born spiritually dead. There's also the third dimension of death is what's called eternal death. 460s

And that is the separation of God from God's eternal blessings. Now there's a false teaching out there. It's called annihilation. And the false teaching says that when the unbeliever dies they just kind of go away. That the believer then would go into the reality of heaven. But the unbeliever simply goes out of existence. 480s

It's a false teaching because it's a false understanding of the soul which is immortal. We are all immortal beings. Our destiny is one of two places either heaven itself or hell itself. 503s

And so eternal death is then synonymous then with hell itself. Let's go to Matthew chapter 25 verse 41. Matthew chapter 25 verse 41. 519s

Then he will say to those at his left hand, you that are accursed depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. That's eternal death. 555s

Or let's go back into Matthew the eighth chapter. Matthew chapter 8 verse 12. 569s

Let's go into verse 11 so we're not mid-sentence. 585s

I tell you many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Well the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 589s

Let's go to Revelation chapter 21. Last book in the New Testament. Revelation chapter 21 verse 8. 606s

But as for the cowardly the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the second death. 625s

The first death of course is that which is the physical death. This is called now eternal death. Now this short list here of course is not all inclusive for those whose eternal destiny will be hell. 642s

So they are examples that are given of those that are unrepentant. So it's simple examples here that are given. 660s

So we have death, death equals separation. You've got separation from the soul from the body that's physical death. You've got spiritual death. That's who we are by nature. We want nothing to do with God. There is eternal death. That's the unbeliever separated from God's eternal blessings. 672s

Okay, let's jump back now to John 11 and we'll pick up in verse 4. 691s

But when Jesus heard it he said, this illness does not lead to death. So obviously again just to loop back to where the point that we were at. 709s

Obviously he must be talking about eternal death here because we know Lazarus dies. This illness does not lead to eternal death rather it is for God's glory so that the son of God may be glorified through it accordingly. 721s

Though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus after having heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 742s

Jesus delays so that Lazarus will die. Jesus delays so that Lazarus would die so that Jesus can raise him from the dead. So that glory may be brought unto God so that God is glorified through it. 757s

Let's jump down now into verse 15. For your sake I am glad I was not there so that you may believe but let us go to him. Another reason why Jesus allows Lazarus to physically die was so that the end result would be the faith strengthening of the disciples. 777s

So you have God's glory that is revealed to us and you also have how God will use this to strengthen the faith of the disciples. Let's go to 17. 803s

When Jesus arrived he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem some two miles away and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console him. 816s

So let's look at the name of the people who told them about their brother. So what's the significance here about Lazarus being in the tomb for four days? 833s

Ancient rabbinical teaching believed that if a person was going to be resuscitated if a person had died and somehow they could be resuscitated that it would have to occur within a window of three days. 843s

Because they believed that the spirit hovered over the dead body for three days. So why does Jesus wait until the fourth day? 864s

It totally takes the possibility that somehow Lazarus was resuscitated right off the table in the minds of the rabbis and now it puts it squarely in the understanding that if Lazarus comes out of the tomb it is solely a miracle of God. 875s

So Jesus waits and Jesus knows full well the rabbinical teaching and he waits until that's totally off the table in their understanding. 901s

Now the only option left if Lazarus comes out of the tomb is that a miracle has occurred. Let's pick up in 20. 912s

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went and met him while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died. 925s

So how do you understand the tone there? Well you can't. We don't have any clues here in terms of the tone. 941s

Was this a little bit of a frustration and chest aisement here that is being communicated? 950s

Luther teaches us to put the best construction on things. That's really a helpful lesson in life isn't it? 962s

When something occurs or something and you're standing back and you're looking at that and you're not quite sure what occurred Luther says put the best construction on this and not the worst. 970s

What is our tendency in our sinfulness to put the absolute worst scenario on this as if we can speak that we know exactly about the motives of the person etc. here. 985s

So let's follow Luther's advice here and say let's put the best construction on this because we don't have an indication here of the tone of voice put the best construction on it. 1001s

The best construction here is that it expresses a confidence in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't it? 1015s

That if Jesus would have been there Jesus has the ability here to change things. 1022s

However there's also an expression of the limited power of Jesus. 1033s

So there's the expression we put the best construction on this the expression here that the best construct here is Jesus you could have changed this situation but now we're too late. 1041s

You see how the coins just got flipped and now all of a sudden there's an expression of the limited power of Jesus. 1060s

Are not we tempted to do the same? 1069s

Are we tempted to do the same thing? 1073s

We have this all figured out of how you should move in this kind of situation or this challenge or this difficulty on all this and we've got the timetable in mind. 1077s

We know that the clock's ticking here and so the timetable is in mind we've got the solution of course because we've already communicated that to God because we've thought it all through. 1089s

We've got the timetable, we've got the solution and then when there's not a rectifying of the situation almost as if the buzzer on the game show goes off and you're out of time. 1100s

And too bad we've fallen out of the window here. 1112s

That is our temptation too is it not with regard to God? 1118s

That on the one hand we can have confidence in his power to act and on the other hand we can act after a certain period of time as if God is simply limited in his power. 1122s

Verse 23, Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. 1137s

Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. 1147s

Your brother will rise again. Martha said, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. 1156s

There is trust in the power of God but notice now it's not trust in the power of God in the present. It's trust in the power of God in the future. 1162s

He's died. You came too late. 1176s

Well I know he'll rise in the future and there's the temptation to have confidence in God but to somehow limit his power to the past period of time that we've specified or the future. 1182s

But in the present that's where our doubts can creep in. 1202s

Verse 25, Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus focuses Martha back on who he is. 1209s

That is instructive for us as we care for one another. 1225s

Is to continue to focus the person back on the promises and back on who Jesus Christ is. 1229s

What is not helpful is to say, I'm sure it's all going to work out. 1241s

Because when we say that, we minimize a person's pain. 1249s

When we say, I'm sure it's all going to work out and we've thrown the person back on our promise. 1254s

Have you ever done that and what's the response of the person? 1264s

Well you don't know if that's the case. Have you ever gotten that response? 1269s

I always say, it's all going to work out. You don't know about that. 1273s

But if we focus the people back on the promises of God, if we focus people back on Christ, we're taking them saying step back, see the bigger picture on who Christ is and his promises. 1278s

And we're not throwing them back on our promise or encouragement, we're throwing them back on the promise and encouragement that is ours through Jesus. 1295s

Jesus here, I'm the resurrection and the life. 1309s

And all of a sudden, she's put within the framework of who God is and his promises. 1316s

Verse 25. 1324s

Jesus said to her, I'm the resurrection and the life. 1327s

Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live. 1330s

And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 1334s

Verse 25 speaks of physical life. 1339s

Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live. 1343s

There's the transition into eternal life. 1349s

So there's the acknowledgement there of the end of life, if the Lord terries in his second coming, verse 26 talks about the spiritual life. 1351s

And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 1361s

There's the emphasis on the spiritual life. 1365s

That's why we say, today is one more day in all of eternity for the Christian. 1368s

Does that mean that we don't experience physical death? 1373s

Nope, if the Lord experiences, if the Lord terries, we'll experience physical death. 1376s

But we have been brought through the faith that God gives to us in the Lord Jesus. 1382s

We've been brought into spiritual life. 1387s

We're no longer spiritually dead. 1391s

We are now a people spiritually alive. 1394s

And we say then that today is one more day in all of eternity. 1398s

That's why we've talked about it in the past. 1403s

Why death is transition in living. 1406s

You're here, then you're in paradise. 1410s

It's transition in living because of Jesus who's the resurrection and of life. 1413s

Here then comes the question. 1421s

End of verse 26. Jesus says, 1424s

Do you believe this? 1427s

She said to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world. 1430s

Okay, let's jump down now in verse 32. 1442s

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, 1448s

Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 1457s

Is that sound familiar? 1461s

It's the same song here. 1463s

It's just a different person singing it. 1466s

Okay, let's put the best construction on it again, right? 1468s

What's the worst construction on it? 1471s

She must have been really talking mean to Jesus. 1476s

Did you hear? 1481s

I heard that she said to Jesus. 1484s

You see, that's worst construction stuff. 1487s

Worst construction stuff. 1489s

What's the best construction? 1490s

Best construction is it's an expression of confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1492s

Let's go to verse 33. 1501s

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, 1506s

he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 1514s

Let's break down some words here. 1522s

The weeping here of Mary, the word that is used, 1525s

it means loud wailing. 1530s

Loud wailing. 1535s

There's a difference between when one cries and when weeps. 1538s

This is a physical expression of the loudness of the wailing that was occurring. 1541s

Where it says that Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit, 1550s

that word means outrage. 1555s

It means indignation. 1557s

Jesus is really, really angry. 1561s

And what's he angry over? 1567s

He's angry over the effect of the sin. 1569s

What's the effect of sin? 1576s

When a loved one dies, they're ripped from us. 1578s

They're ripped from us. 1583s

And he is greatly disturbed in spirit for this ripping that occurs. 1585s

And the verb here, it communicates, it's what's called a reflexive verb. 1591s

So that means he allowed himself to experience this expression of emotion. 1599s

Let me put this way. 1611s

Have you ever said, I'm not going to cry. 1613s

I'm not going to cry. 1615s

That's not an understanding of a reflexive understanding there. 1619s

But if you cry and you allow yourself to cry, that's the expression here. 1625s

That is occurring here. 1633s

Jesus is, I rate. 1636s

He's I rate when he sees the effects of sin. 1640s

And it's reflexive verb, he allows this anger to occur. 1644s

It also says that he's deeply, deeply moved, 1649s

that emphasizes the intensity here of the reaction. 1655s

So you have Mary who is wailing and Jesus who is absolutely I rate, 1660s

focusing on the effects here of sin. 1671s

There is such a comforting word in that for us, I think, 1677s

in that the comfort comes in understanding that we have our Lord who cares to that level, 1684s

who cares to that level, and who lets himself care. 1697s

This is not a deistic understanding of God who God creates and then steps back on the throne 1707s

and says, you know, I'm done. 1715s

Good luck to you. 1716s

This is a God who feels deeply here and deeply cares for us. 1719s

For Christians, physical death is oftentimes associated with 1728s

blessing. 1737s

We sing, for example, in the hymn, all creatures of our God and King, 1739s

one of the verses is, and you most kind and gentle death, 1744s

waiting to hush our final breath, 1748s

O praise him, Alleluia, you lead to heaven the child of God 1751s

where Christ our Lord, the way, has trod. 1755s

There is that sense where when one is suffering, 1760s

when it has become apparent that God is going to heal on the other side of Easter, 1765s

there is that sense where one can look at death and sing this verse. 1771s

But also, one understands that death, the origin of it, is sin itself. 1780s

That's why 1 Corinthians the 15th chapter says that death is an enemy. 1788s

Okay, verse 34 now. 1797s

Jesus said, where have you laid him? 1802s

They said to him, Lord, come and see. 1805s

Jesus began to weep. 1809s

Now this is a different word than Mary's weeping. 1813s

The word here now for weeping is the sense of tears streaming down one's face. 1818s

So it's not the wailing, but the image here that we get of Jesus is that the tears that are streaming down his face. 1828s

Verse 38. 1844s

Then Jesus again greatly disturbed. 1848s

It's the same word that we see before. 1851s

It came to the tomb. 1854s

It was a cave and a stone was lying against it. 1855s

Jesus said, take away the stone. 1861s

Martha the sister of the dead man said to him, Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead before days. 1864s

You see once again here there's the limiting of the power here. 1871s

Martha here is struggling with all of this. 1879s

Verse 40. 1884s

Jesus said to her, did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? 1885s

God's glory then. 1896s

We see in the revelation of his attributes. 1898s

And here's the expression. 1902s

Verse 41. 1904s

So they took away the stone and Jesus looked upward and said, Father, I thank you for having heard me. 1906s

I knew that you always hear me, but I've said this for the sake of the crowd standing here so that they may believe that you sent me. 1913s

When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come out. 1922s

The dead man came out his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. 1927s

Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. 1934s

Now you realize why Jesus called out Lazarus's name, Swiss Pists specifically, don't you? 1940s

Why did Jesus do it? 1951s

He goes, if he didn't, say Lazarus, everybody's coming out of the tomb. 1954s

Everybody is. 1962s

And so he says, Lazarus come out and out comes Lazarus. 1965s

As Jesus demonstrates, he is the resurrection and the life. 1975s

In the historic one-year lecture, the lecture is those appointed texts for the readings of the church. 1982s

In the historic one-year lecture, the account of the raising of Lazarus is the text that is appointed for Easter Eve. 1994s

That before there is the celebration of Easter on that Saturday. 2008s

The text appointed for that Saturday is the raising of Lazarus. 2015s

It gives a foretaste of the feast of Jesus' own resurrection. 2021s

And it gives a foretaste of the resurrection of all flesh on that last day. 2028s

The resurrection of Lazarus was truly for the glory of God. 2036s

It prefigured the glory of God that's found in Jesus' own passion, death and resurrection. 2040s

And to the glory of God when He will raise us up on that great day. 2049s

We'll continue next week. 2059s

Thank you. 2071s