Our text today comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 11. "Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha the sister of the dead man said to him, “Lord by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me. When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”" Thus far our text.
Dear friends, in a few weeks, we will gather together and meditate on the death and torture that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will suffer on Good Friday. He will be beaten, spit on, mocked tortured and crucified. He will cry out, “It is finished, Tetelestai,” and have earned us salvation and life. we know with certainty Christ has suffered in our place, and that in that, we now have life eternal. We have certainty of life.
But do we truly have certainty? Do we really believe that Christ was raised from the dead? I have never seen anyone rise from the dead. I have never seen someone whose heart has ceased beating for more than a few minutes, who has come back to life. It doesn’t make sense. How can it really be true that someone could rise from the dead?
That is exactly what happens in our text today. If we look at the story of Lazarus, we see it is quite the interesting story. It takes place about a week before Good Friday. We see a friend of Jesus is sick, and dies. They bury him in a tomb, and by the time Jesus arrives, he has been laying there for four days. He isn’t just sitting in the tomb, there is no doubt at this point that Lazarus is dead. He has passed into eternal rest, and nothing can bring him back.
The family, certain of this has begun to mourn and wail. All of Lazarus’s friends come and weep for the loss of their friend Lazarus. But he is gone, nothing can bring him back. Even Jesus mourns at the loss of Lazarus. He mourns that because of sin, mankind must die. He mourns that in our sin we must deal with death. Lazarus too was a sinner, and in that sin, he has now died. The loss associated with death overcomes all those around. Death hurts.
But Jesus tells that mourning family, “I am the resurrection and the life.” And here he proves it. Jesus has the tomb opened, and standing outside calls forth Lazarus alive. The one who is dead returns to life. The one who was dead is returned to his family. The mourning of loss turns into joyful shouts, and celebration. By the mere speaking of His words, Jesus brings one of his believers back to life. By His word, Christ can make death run backwards.
It’s a miracle! It really happened! Today, you can go and see this, Lazarus’s first tomb. There are even members here who have been there. You can walk down inside of it, and see where Jesus called Lazarus forth from death. You can walk the same steps Lazarus walked out of the tomb. It is a miracle that God used to show that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 10) That He is the Lord of life.
This miracle happened, because Christ is true God. Jesus could raise Lazarus because he was headed to his own suffering and death. But unlike Lazarus, Jesus would not die for his own sin, but for your sin. Jesus would suffer and die, and be laid in a tomb, just like Lazarus.
But Christ has power over death and life. Even as Jesus is killed, the grave cannot hold him in. Even though He is executed, His life cannot be permanently ended by human means. Instead, Christ is the Resurrection and the Life. He is Lord over life and death.
And He has earned that right. He earned it by obeying God’s law completely and totally. He earned it by passively submitting to the will of the Father and drinking the cup of wrath prepared for sinners. Christ took our place and He suffered for us. And when our salvation was assured to us by the spilling of his holy precious blood, He announced to the world that sin and Satan were defeated by His rising again on the third day from the tomb.
Friends, almost 2000 years ago, the tomb of Jesus was found empty, just like the tomb of Lazarus was found empty. Just as Jesus called Lazarus back into life, God the Father raised Jesus back to life through His glory and power.
But Jesus’ resurrection was even more wonderful than Lazarus’. Lazarus would die again. Lazarus had two tombs, one in Bethany and one that church tradition holds was in the city of Larnaca on the island of Cyprus. Lazarus served as a pastor there until again he died and was reburied.
But Jesus will not die again. As the prophet Isaiah says, “He has swallowed up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:8) Where O death is thy victory, Where O death is they sting? (1 Corinthians. 15:55, Hosea 13:14) It is gone forever. Death cannot defeat Jesus Christ, because by his own death, he defeated death. When the tomb was found empty, that message has resounded throughout all the world. “Through Christ, death is defeated. Through Christ you have life.”
This is the message of the church. This message is important to the whole world, especially to you and me. God’s word tell us we are in the same boat. We hear that we have not kept God’s law. Scripture even says that “If we say we are without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” We are poor miserable sinners, and as sinners we too must die. Just as Lazarus died from his illness of sin, we too will die unless we live to see that last day. Just as Jesus laid in a tomb, we too will lay in a grave of some kind. It is the price that we must pay for our sin. It is the consequence of our disobedience to our heavenly Father.
And we see that in our daily lives. Even when we try to obey God, we fail. And in our failure we are trapped. We are uncertain which way we should turn. We are uncertain if there is a way out at all! All we can do is flounder around in our sin.
Being trapped in our sin is very much like being trapped in a grave. In our sin we are dead. In our sin we cannot climb or dig our way out. There is nothing that we can do. We are stuck, permanently. Just as a dead Lazarus could not remove himself from his own tomb, neither can we rescue ourselves. We are lost in our sin. We are dead in sin.
But Christ is risen. His tomb has been opened and the message of His victory has been spread over the entire Earth. It has come to our ears as we hear that beautiful message both in song and word. Even as this Lenten season we look forward to the death of Christ, we know that is not the end. The tomb will be opened with angel proclaiming the victory of the Lamb.
Because Christ is risen, so too are you risen. We have the promise of eternal life. In Christ, you have life. In Christ you no longer need fear death or the power or the power of the devil. You are set free, to live and reign with hi for all eternity. In Christ’s life, you too receive life, life to the full.
Death has no power over you. Even if you shall die, yet shall you live. In Christ there is victory. In Christ you triumph, the enemy is destroyed. Today, you have eternal life. You are risen with Christ.
