In 1739, on the first anniversary of his conversion, trusting in Jesus Christ as his lord, Charles Wesley wrote an 18 stanza poem later put to music.
In the hymn are two verses that read:
He speaks, and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
Jesus the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
‘tis music in the sinners ears,
‘tis life and health and peace.
I can’t help but think that this gospel lesson was in his mind as he wrote those verses.
Death is a reality that has been part of our human experience since Adam and Eve bit the fruit and chose to live life for their own purposes rather than God’s. It is a mysterious, threatening, inescapable end to this mortal existence; the only reality we know.
Humanity and cultures throughout the ages have devised various means of coming to grips with its fearful power but no-one in history has been able to do anything about it…..
until Jesus.
This morning we hear of Lazarus, dead and buried four days, his family and friends broken-hearted and grieving.
As we approach this situation it is noted that Lazarus, as with his sisters, Martha and Mary, had a special relationship with Jesus. Initially Jesus speaks about them as friends but most significantly, the texts say first of all: Jesus loved them. This is the first part of this relationship—Jesus loved them.
It is not anything they had done or were worthy of. It is the nature of the son of God that he loved those whose very nature he had taken on, those to whom he had been sent by his father to redeem. It is the starting point for understanding God’s view of humanity—he first loves us—all of us—regardless of station, situation or condition. Scripture states emphatically that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus’ love for us precedes any response from us and is completely unconditional. But his love for us does not presuppose salvation for us.
The second part of this relationship speaks to a response to Jesus’ love. The text notes that Mary and Martha trusted Jesus. Both make the affirmation to Jesus that if you had been here Lazarus would not have died. Martha further states but even now, even though Lazarus is dead, you can make it right.
And at this point Jesus makes that remarkable claim to her: “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, even though he die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
And then asks Martha that piercing question—Martha—though you are heart broken, though your brother is dead—though you are powerless in this situation—do you trust me? And she responds with the remarkably acute: “Yes lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Regardless of what happens, she trust that somehow Jesus is working something out; despite her pain or what it looks like, Jesus is in control.
The response to God’s love for us is trust—faith– believing Jesus to accomplish his will—not ours—in life. And that his will regardless of what it feels like—regardless of how we see it —regardless of what we go through in this broken world—will ultimately be redeemed and restored.
The response to God’s love is faith—trusting ourselves completely to him.
Arriving at the tomb, Jesus’ reactions are noteworthy. The shortest sentence in all scripture should speak loudly to us: Jesus wept. Not a quiet tear running down the cheek—the word actually means he burst into tears.
Jesus knows, he feels, he responds to the situations we go through in this world. He wept with Martha and Mary at their loss, he weeps with us in our losses and our failures. He is not indifferent to our struggles, pains, and trials. He is with us in them and promises to overcome them. That’s where our faith comes in—trusting, knowing he will.
His second response is just as significant. It is mentioned twice- though mostly missed. It tells us Jesus was deeply moved. This does not speak to some mere sentimentality. It actually means he was angry, outraged in spirit.
One commentator noted that: “Jesus approached the grave…in a state, not of uncontrollable grief, but of inexpressible anger. True, he did respond with tears, but the emotion which tore his breast and clamored for utterance was just rage.” (B.B. Warfield)
He continues: “The spectacle of the distress of Mary and her companions enraged Jesus because it brought poignantly home to his consciousness the evil of death, its un-naturalness, its violent tyranny. In Mary’s grief he sees and feels the misery of the whole race and burns with rage against the oppressor of men. It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death, him who has the power of death, and whom he had come into the world to destroy. Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but that is incidental—his soul is held by rage, and he advances to the tomb, in Calvin’s words as a champion who prepares for conflict.”
Like the shepherd David he advances against Goliath, death, and Goliath’s king, Satan, to fell them both. On the cross he will strike the fatal blow, here he slaps the devil in the face, challenging him to the contest.
With that in mind he comes to the mouth of the tomb and shouts a command: Lazarus, come out.
And out he comes—bound tightly in burial cloths—the remnants of his previous condition.
The evidence is there presented: Jesus has the power of life to overcome the reality of physical death, and spiritual death- sin, and to grant life- physical, spiritual, and eternal, life.
Jesus is who he claims to be—and his question to Martha continues to ring—do you believe?
Spiritually we are, or have been, Lazarus dead in the tomb, our sins entombing us in spiritual death as real as physical death. Jesus commands us to come out. Come out of spiritual death to life in him. Give up what we want for what he wants, give up our desires for his desires, give over the life we want for ourselves for the life he wants for us.
I wonder, what if Lazarus did not respond. What if he chose death over life? What if he chose the tomb over Jesus? Seems like a ridiculous choice, yet many choose it—refuse to leave the familiar darkness of sin for life. And it’s not Jesus’ fault—he commands—and we ignore him—and that is at the heart of the problem, isn’t it? God commands —we ignore and do our own thing.
We need just to obey his command—come out and come to him to have that new life. We might spend the rest of our lives untangling ourselves from the burial cloths—the remnants and consequences of sin—but we do it as living, eternal beings.
Jesus loves us with a love that ultimately cost his very life. And he rages against the devil and his most powerful minion, death.
He called to Lazarus to come out of the tomb, out of sin, out of death. And he did.
Later from his cross and empty tomb, he commands to the world — to each and every person to come out—out of your tomb—and have life.
Through the church that command must still echo out—come out. Then with others who have obeyed, with Jesus guidance and, we, the church, help one another unwrap ourselves from the things of sin & death that once bound us.
Jesus claims: “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, even though he die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
may it be for all of us, that we find it true as Charles Wesley expressed it:
He speaks, and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
Jesus the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
‘tis music in the sinners ears,
‘tis life and health and peace.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard C. Marsden
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, FL
5th Sunday of Lent
April 6 2014