I’m sure we have all heard of the story of Lazarus. The story of Lazarus is not just an ancient narrative. It is the story of God entering human suffering. Whether that is in a graveyard outside Jerusalem or even if we were to come closer to our own experience today and we look at the headlines of today's world or even if some of us were to reflect on our own personal experiences, there is very much a message in this story for all of us. In John 11, we see Jesus delaying going to Lazarus even though he loves him.
I think it was quite purposeful in verse 5 of John 11 that we are reminded that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus weren't just mere acquaintances of Jesus. They were actually people who were very near and dear to him. Because then we wonder if these were people who were so important to Jesus, why did he wait? Why didn't he go when he was summoned?
The reason being that sometimes God is slow to act, not because he doesn't care, but because his timing is tied to his glory and to a greater purpose. when we examine this story. Now in this story we come across Martha, a woman of intense faith.
As we encounter her in this passage of scripture, however, her faith isn't absent. But what we find is a Martha who is experiencing considerable grief and she is in a lot of pain. Isn't that the experience of so many of us today? In some form or the other, you know, we experience pain.
Many people in this world are living in very difficult experiences.
If we look at the news headlines in recent weeks, we've all seen escalating conflict in the Middle East. We've seen major military action between Israel and Iran. And then we saw people from different parts of the world getting involved and saying this is my business and we know your oil can't pass here and a number of different things. And in the middle of that we hear of human suffering.
We hear reports of significant casualties of civilian deaths and a whole you know things that would just cause us anxiety prompting diplomatic reactions and fears of wider escalation. Will the UK get involved for example? Which country in Europe is going to get involved next? What does that mean for our lives?
Now, in the midst of all this global suffering, it's very easy to echo Martha's sentiments. Where is God in all of this? We could almost say, Lord, if you had been here, would this have happened? But the message for us from the experience of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus is that we must hold to the promise that God's delay is never God's denial.
I find it interesting in the story that both Martha and her sister Mary said the very same thing to Jesus when they saw him. Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Now, this isn't them blaming Jesus.
Both Mary and Martha genuinely believe that Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus. That's why they sent for him. Their statement is not anger, but they are showing their belief in who Jesus is.
Their statement, however, does show their intense grief. They're heartbroken. Their beloved brother has died and the person who could save them didn't come. So what we seeing is them responding out of a place of pain and intense loss.
If only he had come. And how many of us have said this to us in our own lives? If only Jesus had done this. If only God had intervened. In fact, how many times have we prayed for peace as individuals or as a church only to see violence break out again in other parts of the world?
All these things happening on the world stage at the moment reminds us of how broken this world is. Yet just as Jesus responds to Martha, he responds to us when he said to her,
"Your brother will rise again." And when he says in verse 25, "I am the resurrection and the life." The thing is Jesus didn't promise an easy life, but he did promise life itself. And he is intended to be your source of strength in times of suffering. In verse 35 of the New Revised Version, it says, "Jesus began to weep when he arrived to the place where Mary and Martha were." In other versions, this is often referred to as the shortest verse in scripture, two words, Jesus wept.
Now, you ask yourself, why did Jesus cry? especially because he of all people in that situation knew how the story was going to end. Nobody else but Jesus knew what was going to happen at the end of it. He knew that Lazarus would live again.
And still Jesus wept. He wept because suffering even when temporary is real. Even though Jesus knew of the amazing thing that was about to happen, he wasn't without compassion for what the sisters were going through. He had empathy for the situation he encountered. And it tells us that our pain and our suffering matters to God.
So we too when we grieve, when we hear of innocent lives being lost in conflict for example, and we pray for peace and we weep for those who suffer and we cry out for healing and for the violence to end.
The one who wept over Lazarus's death, he sees and he knows of our own of our pain. But it didn't stop there. What did Jesus do next? He told them, "Roll away the stone from Lazarus's tomb."But in verse 39, Martha reminds Jesus, "Lord, it's been 4 days already. He's rotting. He stink."
You know, she says, "It stinks." And like that unbearable stench, sometimes there are moments in life when challenges are too difficult for us to handle on our own. Some situations can feel overwhelming or just too big for personal for our own personal capacity.
What we often face in times of trouble can seem beyond our strength to manage. For example, sometimes when I see images of human suffering in places like Palestine or anywhere else on the news or on social media, I often just change the channel. And that's not because I'm cold or uncaring. My friend and I often say we have to protect our mental health
because it's very difficult seeing these images and not knowing how to process them. But Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Even though that stench was horrible, they had to encounter it. Now, why did Jesus say that? Because he could have Jesus could have just snapped his fingers. He could have said, "Look, let's clean up the situation. I am God and I am God in this situation. You know, you don't have to do anything."
But God said, he Jesus said, "No, roll away the stone." And I feel that he asked them to do this or he told them to do this because he didn't just want people he didn't want them to be a bystander in this situation because God often wants us to participate in our healing in addressing suffering in this world.
He wants us to do the work with him. So even though it's hard and I often say this as Christians, we can't be bystanders of suffering in this world. So even when the world seems broken, the world seems difficult, the world seems challenging, we as Christians, we still have to do something about it. We have to participate in this. And it does start with us praying. Yes. But then we have to ask ourselves what more can we do to help to alleviate the suffering that we want to see end in this world.
And then of course we know in verse 43 Jesus calls Lazarus back to life and Lazarus comes out still bound, still wrapped and Jesus says unbind him and let him go.
Now this is really powerful. What does it mean to unbind something? Well, it means to unshackle it, to liberate it, to set something free. And I think Jesus was saying this because resurrection in itself, him coming back to life wasn't enough. He needed to be liberated. He needed to be free. And this is the work of Jesus. This is what he does for us. Now, I want to say this. I often use life events whenever I'm teaching or just to because it's an easy reference. It's something we all can relate to. We all see what's happening in the world. We all know what's going on in the Middle East. We all are affected by it. We can't hide from it. But I know on a very personal level many people, some of us in this very space right now are hurting for one reason or the other. So I want to conclude by asking this question. Where are you in this story?
Because are you in a place like Lazarus? Now, it's really funny. It's the story of Lazarus, but you don't really talk much about Lazarus. Lazarus doesn't say anything. Poor man. He He gets ill. He dies. He gets wrapped up. He gets buried. And then he emerges from the tomb when God instructs him. But that's all we hear of him.
But are you in a place where the stone hasn't yet moved in your own life where you might be bound and where you need freedom? And if you are in that place like I realized I was just this week, let me encourage you to hear God's voice because he who called Lazarus from the tomb, he will call your name as well and he will heal you and he will give you freedom. You might be like Mary or Martha.
You love Jesus, but in your difficult situation, you're wondering where is God? And I would encourage you just to continue to trust God beyond your hurt and pain because he is there on the other side of it and he will see you through. Or you can be like Jesus in this story because there's so many amazing facets to Jesus's character. When he heard that his friend was sick, possibly about to die, Jesus didn't get moved by emotion.
He still continued to do what he needed to do. But he also showed considerable bravery in returning to Judea even when he knew that people were trying to kill him. And it does require us to be brave to confront some of the suffering in this world and to do something about it and to make a difference.
Jesus also showed compassion in the midst of human suffering. He didn't ignore it even though he knew I am going to raise Lazarus you know Lazarus is coming back to life but he still acknowledged the pain that he was he encountered in that situation.
Jesus brought hope. He said I am the resurrection and the life. But more importantly Jesus displayed an unwavering faith and trust in his father and what he's able to do. And that's a really powerful message for all of us. So the story in John chapter 11 reminds us as a church that Jesus knows and understands suffering.
He doesn't avoid it. He does not distance himself from it. In fact, he enters in with you in your suffering. He stood at the tomb with Martha. He wept. But then he spoke life and he walked towards the cross because the one who would raise Lazarus from the dead would also be raised himself.
And in doing so, he became the answer to every earthly plea for peace, for healing, and for life. And life that truly overcomes death.
