Sunday 03/22/26 – Adams Village Baptist
Church
Sermon Title: “Jesus Raised the Dead!” - “The Path to the Empty Tomb” Sermon Series (Part 5 of 7) - John 11:1-45
(Welcome
Picture)
So, I have a
question for us all to consider this morning. The question is this, do we
believe that dead things can be brought to new life? This could be new
spiritual life, this could be literal life from death, or a whole new way of seeing
things, and even a whole new way of seeing the world itself. It could be taking
a piece of furniture and making it look brand new. Bringing something dead to
“New Life.” “New life” is central to the Christian faith, as Easter Sunday is two
weeks from today. On Easter Sunday Jesus rises to new life. Jesus will walk out
of the tomb taking His body and His divinity with Him! The vast majority of
Christians worship on Sunday, as this is the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Every
Sunday, therefore, is a “mini-Easter.”
I ask this question this morning, because in our reading
from John 11:1-45 that we just heard, the gospel of John says that Lazarus was
dead and in the tomb. Further, that Jesus physically then raised Lazarus from
the dead. Last Sunday, we discussed how Jesus healed a man that was blind from
birth in John 9:1-41. These are considered “miracles,” as we often have a hard
explaining them rationally or scientifically. So, did a man blind from birth begin
to see in our story from John 9:1-41 from last Sunday? I believe that he did.
Do I believe that Jesus raised a man from the dead in our reading this morning
from John 11:1-45? I do. I cannot fully explain it to you, and I cannot prove
outside of scripture or the witness of scripture. What I can say though, is
that a man blind from birth was able to see, and this morning, Lazarus being
raised from the dead are much bigger than just the miracles themselves.
You see, if you believe that you have witnessed a “miracle”,
how does that reality change you? How would believing that a man blind from
birth who could now see change you? Would it grow your faith in God? Maybe if
you did not believe in God, it would then help you to believe in God. The point
here is that the blind man getting healed last Sunday, and Jesus raising
Lazarus from the dead in our reading for this morning, are once again, much
bigger than the actual miracles themselves.
For two-thousands years people have read these stories of
the “miracles” performed by Jesus. Some believed that these miracles happened,
like I do, and some were uncertain. Some followed Jesus and lived out what He taught
but did not believe in His miracles literally. The real question though is this,
how does this scripture from this morning change you, and how does it change us
all? This morning my message is called “Jesus Raised the Dead!,” as we continue
our Lent sermon series called “The Path to the Empty Tomb.” For nearly
two-thousand years Christians have been remembered the sequence of events on
Jesus’ life. His birth, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and yes the empty
tomb on that first Easter Sunday. Next Sunday, on Palm Sunday, we will
celebrate Jesus coming into Jerusalem will palms waving, to the shouts of
“Hosanna,” or “save us”.
Once again though, in my experience of being a Christian
and following Jesus, I believe that we have a savior that brings dead things back
to life. I have seen people’s lives change. I have seen people become vastly
different people than were before coming to Jesus. This morning’s gospel lesson
is a big one though. Why? Well medical technology has come a long way. There
are various treatments and procedures for people that have difficulty seeing,
hearing, etc. Yet taking a person who has been day four or more days and
bringing them to back to state of life and health. Well, this is quite a claim
indeed!
So, let us unpack together John 11:1-45 this morning.
Starting in John 11:1 the gospel says, once again:
The
Death of Lazarus
11 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 (Jn.
11:1-5, NRSV).
So, Jesus and his
disciples at this point, are on the other side of the Jordan River about 15-25
miles from where Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha are in Bethany. This
was and is considered my many Biblical experts to be about a two-day journey
back and forth. So, the messenger that took the message from Mary and Martha
about their brother Lazarus being sick, probably took two days to get to Jesus
and the disciples. Some Bible scholars in fact, believe that Lazarus likely
died shortly after the messenger was sent by Mary and Martha to Jesus and His
disciples. As the message from Mary and Martha stated, Jesus loved Lazarus, as
He loved Mary and Martha. Now remember, this message probably took two days to
get to Jesus and His disciples, and even so, Jesus said that Lazarus being sick
or ill would not lead to his death. Instead, Jesus said that Lazarus’ illness
or sickness is for God’s glory, that He would be glorified through Lazarus’
illness. Further, after getting this message and saying what He just said,
Jesus then stayed an additional two days longer with His disciples where He was
staying in Perea or the modern-day country of Jordan. This means that after two
additional days of the messenger traveling to Jesus and His disciples, Jesus
then stayed where He was with His disciples in Perea two more full days. Why
would Jesus do this if Lazarus was so ill or sick?
(Map of
Perea to Bethany - Picture)
To put this into context, once again, it took two days for
the messenger to bring Jesus the message from Mary and Martha that their
brother was sick or ill. Jesus then waits another two days with His disciples
before heading to see Mary, Martha, and Lazarus who is sick or ill. So, two
days for the messenger to get to Jesus and His disciples in Perea, two days
that Jesus and his disciples wait, and then two days to travel to Bethany,
where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. So, this means that Jesus and His
disciples get to Bethany is, where Lazarus is sick about six-days after the
original message was sent to Jesus and His disciples. So, we are talking for
almost a full week! In addition to this, Jesus said that Lazarus’ illness does
not lead to death. So, Lazarus must be still alive then when Jesus and His
disciples arrive in Bethany six days later right?
Well, let us look again together. Jesus
and His disciples have waited the two days, after waiting another two days to
make the two days trip back to Bethany, the scripture says picking up in John
11:7, once again:
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 (Jn. 11:7-14, NRSV).
Jesus going to back to Bethany, near the Mount of Olives
was risky, according to His disciples. His disciples said, that last time He
was there the Jews were trying to stone Him to death. Jesus then responded and
said there is twelve hours of sunlight. Jesus said, those who walk during the
day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. Jesus of course
is saying that He is the light of this world. Jesus then says those who walk at
night stumble because the light is not in them. So, we need literal light to
see, but Jesus is saying that we also need His spiritual light in us, as well.
Jesus then tells the disciples on the journey to Bethany, once again, ‘Our
friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The
disciples though, as they often did, did not fully understand was Jesus meant. As
they said to Jesus, once again, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be
all right’. Jesus meant by sleeping that Lazarus was dead. So, he then told
His disciples, once again, directly, ‘Lazarus is dead’.
Jesus already knew then that Lazarus was dead, as, once
again, many Bible scholars thinking that Lazarus died shortly after the
messenger was sent by Mary and Martha to Jesus and disciples that Lazarus was
sick. Since Jesus already knew, what is a couple extra days staying where He
and the disciples were in Perea? I mean, after all, if Jesus intended to raise
Lazarus from the dead, and he likely died about 4-6 days before Jesus and his
disciples got to Bethany, then Lazarus stays dead a little longer.
To explain this further, the gospel lesson continues on
saying, picking up in John 11:15, saying, once again:
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’ (Jn.
11:15-16, NRSV).
Jesus
the Resurrection and the Life
17 When Jesus
arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four
days (Jn.
11:17, NRSV).
Jesus tells His disciples that He is glad that His
disciples were not there when Lazarus died. This is because when Jesus raises
Lazarus from the dead, the disciples will believe in Him more. Thomas then says
to the other disciples, that they all (the disciples) should go and die with
Lazarus. This was certainly brave and self-sacrificing from Thomas, who was
called the Twin. When Jesus arrived, once again, Lazarus had been in his tomb
for four days. Remember, that it was six days from the messenger getting to
Jesus and His disciples, to Jesus and His disciples getting back to Bethany.
Given this, it seems completely likely that Lazarus died before the messenger
ever even got to Jesus. Right after the messenger left, according to many
scholars. I would time to prepare Lazarus for burial, and once again, when
Jesus and His disciples get there, Lazarus was not only dead but was in the
tomb itself for four days. This does not necessarily consider the time to
prepare Lazarus for burial, or a funeral for Lazarus.
Picking up in the gospel reading starting at John 11:18, we
hear, once again:
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.’
In John 11:18-27, we hear once again, that
Jesus and His disciples were approaching Bethany where Lazarus had died. They
were near Jerusalem, about two miles away from Bethany. Many of the Jews had
come to Bethany to console Mary and Martha as they heard about Lazarus’ death.
Martha however, heard that Jesus was coming, so she went out to meet Jesus
before He arrived in Bethany. While Mary stayed home in Bethany, Martha found
Jesus and said to Him, once again, 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.’ Jesus then tells Martha that
Lazarus would rise from the dead. Martha thought this was the resurrection of
the dead on the day of judgement though.
Jesus then gives us one of His famous I am statements. In
John 11:25
(I Am the
Resurrection – John 11:25: Picture)
25 Jesus said to her,
‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they
die, will live, (Jn.
11:25, NRSV).
Jesus then tells Martha
that everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die. Jesus then asks
Martha in John 11:26, once again, Do you believe this?’ Martha then
responds in the scripture 11:27, saying once again:
27 She said to him,
‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming
into the world’ (Jn.
11:27, NRSV).
At this, Martha goes back to Bethany, and tells her sister
Mary who stayed home, that the teacher, or “Rabbi” who is Jesus, is calling for
her. Mary then quickly gets up and goes to Jesus. Jesus was not yet in the
village of Bethany and waited for Mary right where he was. The Jews who were
consoling Mary in her house saw Mary get up quickly and go to Jesus. They
followed Mary because they thought that Mary was going to Lazarus’ tomb to weep
and mourn there. They were following her then to be supportive. Then starting
in John 11:32, we hear once again:
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?’ (Jn. 11:32-37,
NRSV).
Mary comes to Jesus, kneels at His feet, and tells Jesus
that Lazarus would not have died if He were there. Mary was weeping or crying,
the Jews who came with her to support her were also crying. Jesus sees this,
and the scripture says in John 11:33: he was greatly disturbed in spirit and
deeply moved. Jesus then asks where Lazarus was laid or entombed,
knowing that Lazarus had been entombed for four days. Mary and the Jews said to
Jesus, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Now what happens next is particularly
amazing, for in John 11:35 it says, once again:
35 Jesus began to
weep (Jn.
11:35, NRSV).
(Jesus Wept
– John 11:35: Picture)
Did Jesus cry or weep
anywhere else in the Bible? According to the research I have done, this is
where Jesus cried of wept in the Bible:
The Bible records Jesus weeping or
crying in three primary instances, demonstrating his humanity, empathy, and
deep sorrow over sin and death: before raising Lazarus (John 11:35),
over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41),
and during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Hebrews 5:7, Luke 22:44)
(https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+times+does+jesus+cry+in+the+bible).
So, we have three recorded times in the Bible where Jesus
cries, with John 11:35 being over the death and response to the death of
Lazarus. Further, the gospel of John is the only place that Jesus cries or
weeps over Lazarus, and the resurrection of Lazarus story is only in the gospel
of John. In some translations of John 11:35,
the verse is just “Jesus wept”. Two words, making it the shortest verse of
scripture in the Bible. “Jesus wept.” To me, when I think of Jesus I rarely if
ever see Him emotionally moved and in tears, but yet this is exactly what Jesus
did in John 11:35. “Jesus wept”.
I realize, once again, that this is a long gospel reading
this morning, as was last weeks, but we are now to the point in the is this
gospel reading where Jesus will raise Lazarus from the dead. Picking up in John
11:38, we hear, once again:
Jesus
Raises Lazarus to Life
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 for 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
upwards 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!’ (Jn. 11:38-43,
NRSV).
Jesus gets to the tomb of
Lazarus, which is a cave, and asks the stone to be rolled away. Martha then
says there is a stench, as Lazarus has been dead for four days. Jesus then
basically says to trust Him. The stone is rolled away, and Jesus talks to God
the Father, and asks for help raising Lazarus from the dead. The reason for
this, is so that all the people present, and for everyone including us, would
believe in Jesus and what he is capable of doing. After this Jesus cried
with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’
(Lazarus
Come Out Picture – John 11:43)
Then the scripture says,
once again:
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.’
The Plot to Kill Jesus (Jn. 11:44,
NRSV).
(Lazarus
Wrapped Up Picture – John 11:43)
Finally, the gospel
lesson ends with Jonh 11:45, that says:
45 Many of the Jews
therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him (Jn. 11:45, NRSV).
Quite a big and miraculous story today, of raising Lazarus
from the dead. As we walk “The Path to the Empty Tomb” on Easter Sunday, how
can we take this story, this “miracle” of Lazarus being resurrected on this day
out into Adams and the world? How can live, love, and change the world, through
what we have learned today?
Here are some application points that for
us to consider this morning:
John
11:1-45 tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead,
functioning as a "sign" that reveals Jesus as the source of
resurrection and life. It demonstrates Jesus's empathy ("Jesus
wept"), his authority over death, and serves as a turning point that
directly leads to his own crucifixion. The narrative emphasizes faith over
despair.
Key
Themes and Meanings
·
"I Am the Resurrection and the Life": Jesus
declares himself the source of eternal life, showing that for believers, death
is not final.
·
Glory of God: The illness and resurrection are not
simply to end pain, but to glorify God and strengthen faith.
·
Jesus’s Humanity and Divinity: Jesus shows deep
emotional distress and empathy (weeping) yet holds divine power to call the
dead back to life.
·
"Unbind Him": Just as Lazarus was freed,
this is a call for the community to participate in resurrection work by
releasing others from spiritual or emotional bondage.
Usage
Examples and Context
·
Funerals/Sorrow: Often used to provide comfort,
emphasizing that Jesus shares in human grief and offers hope beyond death.
·
Lenten Studies: Frequently used during Lent (5th
Sunday) as a final sign pointing toward the events of Holy Week.
·
Sermons on Faith: Used to encourage faith during
difficult "wait times" when God seems absent or delayed.
Synonyms/Related
Concepts
·
The Resurrection of Lazarus
·
"Jesus Wept" (John 11:35)
·
The Seventh Sign of Jesus
·
"I Am" Statement
·
"Lazarus, come out!"
(https://www.google.com/search?q=John+11%3A1-45+meaning)
So may be take the story of this miracle into Adams and the
world, so that we may be “miracles” to each other. Amen.
(Rise Up
Video – With Lyrics)
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