John 11:17-37 – “Jesus at the Tomb of Lazarus”
(Matt Koerber)
John 11:17-37 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 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. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 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 also have kept this man from dying?”
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I live next to a funeral home and sometimes I help conduct funerals for people that I don’t know very well. On some of these occasions, I have had to attempt to offer comfort to a bereaved family with very little background knowledge of the deceased. In those occasions, I find it helpful to read from John 11 – Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. This passage has it all. First of all, there is really exalted Christ centered theology. As Jesus draws near to the tomb of his friend Lazarus, he grabs hold of Martha’s good theological answer about the resurrection (v.24 – “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.“) and redirects this about himself. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life… whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live..” (v. 25) When we are forced to confront the cold reality of death, Jesus offers himself as the solution to our deepest problem.
But the passage offers more than good systematic theology. We learn that Jesus is not only powerful, but he is able to identify with our suffering.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the passage is the way that Jesus responds to the bitterness of death. It appears that he knows all along that the plan is to call Lazarus back from the dead. In so doing he will continue the pattern of connecting miracle-signs to theological revelation. That is, he will raise the dead as a vivid illustration that he is “the resurrection and the life.” And yet… Jesus still responds with emotion when he encounters his friend Mary and the dark reality of Lazarus in the tomb. Read again, how he responds:
(vv.33-35) When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled…Jesus wept.
Jesus knew that the story was going to have a happy ending. He knew that he had power to call Lazarus back from the dead. He knew that death would lose this battle. And yet, he was still overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment. Jesus shared in the very human act of grief in the face of death. Consider these few points:
1.) Jesus is able to help us in our weakness because he has fully experienced the difficulties of human life. (Heb 4)
2.) The grief of Jesus was connected to his love for Lazarus. Those around him said, “See how he loved him” (v.37.) The love of Jesus drives his grief response.
3.) Jesus was also moved by the suffering of Mary… and the “Jews” (v.33.) We have seen that the term “the Jews” is used a lot of different ways in the Gospel of John. Sometimes it refers narrowly to the leadership. Other times it seems to refer to the crowds too. Sometimes they show a measure of belief. Often they emerge as the chief antagonists. Here, they are simply the object of Jesus’ compassion. He sees their grief and he weeps.
4.) Sometimes we offer people inestimable benefit when we share theological truth with them. There is a place for pointing to Jesus as our hope in the face of death, he is the resurrection and the life.
5.) Sometimes we offer people inestimable benefit when we grieve with them in the face of tragedy. Sometimes you don’t need to say anything, but simply weep with those that are weeping (Rom 12:15.)
Weekly Prayer Focus: Neighbors
Daily Prayer Request: “Jewish Neighbors.” As we think about the neighbors who live around us in Greenfield, there is a significant development in recent years. Many Jewish people have begun to move South from the traditionally Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. There is a Jewish school just two blocks from the Greenfield Chapel and many of our members who live in Greenfield have Jewish neighbors. Please pray that we would be good neighbors, that we would develop solid relationships, and that the hope of Jesus (“the Resurrection and the Life”) would be be shared and believed.