Delayed for Belief – Lent 5

Delayed for Belief

John 11:1-53 T Lent 5

INI

‘Why did you wait so long?’

That’s basically what Mary and Martha asked Jesus in the Gospel lesson. They sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was approaching death. They wanted him there, because they knew Jesus could do something about it. Mary and Martha knew Jesus’ power. They’ve seen Him heal strangers before. So, surely Jesus would come as quickly as He could to heal his friend, Lazarus, right?

But Jesus didn’t get there as soon as he could. Instead of dropping everything to go to him, Jesus delayed. Two whole days in fact. And then he went.

BUT WHY? Why couldn’t Jesus just work a little miracle for His friend? Heck, He didn’t have to be there – He’s healed from a distance before. Why didn’t He do anything to prevent Lazarus’ death? It didn’t make sense to Mary and Martha.

Why the delay for Lazarus?

That’s what’s so interesting about how the Good Shepherd shepherds His sheep. He doesn’t present Himself to us as the miraculous fix to all our problems. He doesn’t just go around performing miracles to reduce the amount of suffering in the world. He’s come into this world not to reduce the amount hardships we go through – but to be an eternal answer to them. He’s come to defeat sin, death, and the power of the devil.

And that’s what He demonstrates through the resurrection of Lazarus. To answer Mary and Martha’s questions about ‘why’, Jesus has a bigger goal in mind. He says “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” He says this because hardships become the place where Christ drives you to Himself. It’s where He creates and strengthens faith in His Word and promises.

But then, Martha questions Jesus, and approaches Him in sorrow. But Jesus leads her to see the bigger point – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” And then after Jesus met Mary, He was led to Lazarus’ tomb. Lifting up his eyes He 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.” And then He cried – ‘Lazarus, Come out!’

After the miracle, what did those who witnessed it? Well, some believed in Jesus. But then there were some others who felt threatened by Jesus – so they went to tell the chief priests and Pharisees.

So – why did Jesus delay helping Lazarus? It wasn’t because He didn’t care. It was to demonstrate to every witness of this resurrection – including you and me who’ve just heard about it – that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus allows death so that you would believe in what HE has come to do with death – namely, to destroy it, and raise you from it.  But that raises the question for you –

Why the delay for your suffering?

Perhaps we ask that question of God. In moments of prolonged unanswered prayer, we might ask – ‘why did you wait so long? Why did you allow this pain to afflict me? It could have easily been prevented – only if you were just here.’ I’m sure we’ve thought that way before – whether that be because of a medical diagnosis we receive, or a loved one that we lost suddenly, or we have a child who’s strayed away from Church, and Christ is the only one who can bring them back. Why the wait?

Each hardship is an opportunity to believe in Him. His Work. His resurrection. And the life everlasting He brings us to. It’s not God’s will or plan for us to suffer – but He uses it. It’s like when Joseph was sold to Egyptian slavery by his brothers in Genesis. God didn’t WANT that to happen to Jospeh. But God used Joseph to save many from starvation despite the evil his brothers caused. What they meant for evil, God used for good. And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God. And the good that God is working towards isn’t just relief in this life – but resurrection in the next.

Why the delay in resurrection?

By raising Lazarus, Jesus shows us something very important – God will cause all our bodies to rise from the dead.

And that matters more than we realize. We tend to have the impression that bodies are bad. That the body is evil and the soul is good. The body will die and decay – but it’s okay because then our soul will live with God in heaven forever. I HATE it when people look at a body in a coffin and say – that’s not Jim anymore. Yes it is! God created that body – just for Jim! And GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN FOR OUR BODIES WILL ONE DAY TAKE PLACE! We won’t be disembodied spirits forever. God will raise our bodies from the dead, and He will restore us with blood, and flesh, and hair, and eyes, and ears, and arms, and legs for all eternity! Jesus makes that point when He states that Lazarus was just sleeping. It’s like His body, though appearing lifeless, was just taking a nap. He will awaken and spring to life again. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes that happen. Because HE is the resurrection and the life.

And this isn’t new. God has always promised to deal with death this way. In the Old Testament lesson, the Holy Spirit brought Ezekiel to a valley filled with bones. And by the Word of the Lord, the bones began to reassemble to each other, sinews were attached, and flesh and skin covered them. And God said – “Behold I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people.”

This strange vision foretold the scene that would happen at the Last Day. When God will reunite our souls to our bodies – and we will live in our bodies again. Forever. Without the spot or stain of sin. Without suffering. Bodies without aches and pains. We’ll have perfect virtues – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

So, why the wait? Why the delay, O Lord?

But truth is resurrection isn’t a far off reality. He’s given you resurrection now. He’s given it to you in baptism. He’s put your sinful flesh to death. He’s given you the Holy Spirit, to raise you to new life daily! That means, our bodies aren’t bad. These are the bodies Christ will raise on the last day. But it’s our sinful desires and sinful nature that’s bad. That’s the ‘flesh’ Paul refers to in the epistle from Romans. He says – “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. […] Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

We don’t live in the peace of our baptismal resurrection when we live in unrepentant sin. Or when we treat God’s Word like a buffet line – picking which promises to comfort us, and pass right by the commands that challenge us and make us uncomfortable. Or if we act like the Pharisees, desiring to appear holy – but inwardly, we’re white washed tombs. That’s what it means to live in unbelief. It’s the very same unbelief of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel lesson.

Once they heard of Jesus’ miracle, they start to plot. They seek to kill Jesus, because they thought he’d cause a riot, and the Romans would answer the riot by destroying their Temple and the Jewish people. So, ironically, Caiphas, the chief priest unknowingly prophesied – “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” No truer words have been said – and yet Caiphas only understood this in an earthly way, not a spiritual way. He spoke better than he knew. Yes, one man WOULD die for the people. But not to preserve the Jewish nation from Rome – but to save all nations from sin, death, and the devil – through the death and resurrection of God’s own Son.

So, why the delay for Lazarus? So that you may believe that Jesus has power over death, for He’s the resurrection and the life.

Why the delay for your suffering? So that through hardship, Christ would draw you to Himself.

Why the delay in the resurrection? The day is coming when the Lord won’t tarry any longer. He will come like a thief in the night to call us all out of our graves to a perfect, embodied life again. And death will be powerless forever. Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And whoever believes in Him – though He die – yet shall He live.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston