The Raising of Lazarus

This was such a long reading that I broke it up a little with reflections between the readings...

  

John chapter 11 from v 1 - 16

We’re hearing part of John’s gospel, so this isn’t just a travelogue of where Jesus went or a diary account of what Jesus did.

John wants us to know who Jesus is – he is telling us his account of one of the ‘signs’ of Jesus’ identity as the son of God.

Lazarus is sick. Jesus loves him, but he delays travelling back to Judea, to Bethany, which is very near Jerusalem. His disciples are clearly concerned about the journey – but Jesus has told them that they are going to see God’s glory revealed. Let’s read on…

 

From v 17 - 31

When Jesus meets Martha he says the words “I am the resurrection and the life”. These are words you might well have heard at a funeral service. They are words of comfort – and we’ll come back to those words in a while….

 

 

From v 32 - 37

Mary echoes her sister’s words  “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died”. Jesus doesn’t repeat what he said to Martha, or try to reason with Mary – he acts.

Jesus is moved, he weeps, and then he sets off to the tomb.

 

From v 38 - 43

 

Sermon.

Lazarus is raised from death. John is right – this is an amazing sign of who Jesus is. Only God’s own son – God in a human form – could raise from the dead someone who had been dead 4 days. The people who see this are amazed – and yet for the religious authorities it is a sign that Jesus is a dangerous trouble-maker 

 

But for  Lazarus  - what a moment. He returns to his family & community. He will die again – and be raised to life as Martha imagined – the life of heaven.

But here and now Jesus has given him a second chance at life.

 

Perhaps that’s why Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life”

Jesus is showing people that he is not just offering a better life after death – he is offering a second chance at life right now.

 

Lazarus is given a sneak preview of the resurrection we will celebrate on Easter Sunday. He is perhaps the first one to know what resurrection really means.

So let’s see him as an inspiration to embrace life, to recognise that however old we are or whatever has happened to us that we have a real chance to live again and to live more fully. What if we could see Lazarus as one set free from the grave clothes, as one given, against all the odds, a second life? What if we could grasp that possibility for ourselves too?

There are people who, very literally, get second chances at life and many of them can testify about what that feels like.

Someone suffers a heart attack, clutches at his chest and thinks that this is it.

But by a miracle help is close and he finds himself clutching at life instead, seeing his family and friends with new eyes, looking at years of life that for a moment he thought he would never have.

Or someone suffers the sadness and heartbreak of widowhood or divorce, to find that she falls in love again with someone gentle and funny and passionate, and a new life that she never imagined is opened up.

Or after redundancy, after the shattering blow of finding a job is ended, someone finds a new kind of work, and a more fulfilling life than she thought possible with days that she looks forward in a way she never dreamt could be.

Someone in middle age finds that she has an intellect that she’d never believed was hers and she thrives on books and learning.

There are many kinds of second life. There are many ways that we can emerge from the tomb of a first life, and find a second one.

Jesus gives Lazarus that second chance at life.. and down the centuries Jesus has continued to work in everyday situations and ordinary people to continue to give God’s children new life.

 

In 1945, in Kraków, as the second world war ended, relief workers organized warm baths for children who had survived the camps. For years, the children had known only filth, cold, and neglect. Now, steam rose from basins, and soap, towels, and clean water promised comfort that many could scarcely imagine.

 

A boy of about nine approached the bath hesitantly. He stepped in, then froze, trembling. The warmth and the unfamiliar attention overwhelmed him. “It is too much,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

 

A worker knelt beside him, speaking softly and gently pouring warm water over his shoulders. Slowly, cautiously, the boy began to relax. The heat seeped into his muscles, the soap lathered over his skin, and for the first time in years, he felt a sensation untainted by fear or hunger.

 

After a long moment, he closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash away the grime of months, the shadows of memory. When he finally emerged, wrapped in a clean towel, he whispered, “I feel new.”

 

In that small act of care, the boy was offered more than cleanliness—he was given a sense of restoration, a reminder that his body, mind, and spirit could begin to heal. The bath became a quiet gateway back to life.

 

 

Let us celebrate that wonderful story.

Celebrate today with Lazarus.

Celebrate the second chance of life we can all enjoy.

Celebrate the fact that today, as we hear the voice of Jesus call our name, we can whisper “I feel new”.

 

Thanks be to God.

Amen