A Change in Circumstances



"I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die."  John 11:25

 

A number of years ago, a letter appeared in the national news that was sent to a deceased person by the Indiana Department of Social Services. It read as follows: Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away.  You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.

The good news, through the power of God’s Word – is that God has a resurrection for you!  God has given us the ultimate change in circumstances!  The powerful story from John 11 speaks to this.  For John, this story was a drama of the tragedy of death and the triumph of the new life.  Let’s go back and review it again. Mary and Martha who live in Bethany are some of Jesus’ closest friends.  They send word to him that their brother, whose name is Lazarus, is desperately ill.  But by the time Jesus gets there, Lazarus has died and has been in his grave for four days.  Mary and Martha come out to meet Jesus and they express their grief: “He’s gone. We’ve lost him.  O Lord, if only you have been here, our brother would not have died.”

The family and friends have gathered and in their deep sorrow, they begin to weep over the loss of their loved one, Lazarus.  The heart of Jesus goes out to them, and Jesus weeps with them.  He loved Lazarus, too, he loves them, and he shares their pain. Jesus goes out to the cave-like tomb and he says to them: “Roll back the stone!”  Martha, always the realist and ever ready to speak out, protests: “But Lord, we can’t do that. He has been in the grave for 4 days.  By now there will be a terrible odor.”  Jesus says to her: “Martha, only believe and you will see the power of God.”

So they roll the stone away, and Jesus cries out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come forth!”  And incredibly, miraculously, amazingly, before their very eyes… Lazarus is resurrected!  He comes out of the tomb.  He still has on his grave clothes.  His head and feet are still wrapped with mummy-like bandages.  Jesus then turns to the friends and family and says to them, “Unbind him and let him go.  Unwrap him and set him free.”

In this powerful and dramatic story, three amazing lessons jump out at us.  Three great truths emerge which are helpful to us today.

First, Jesus wept with those he loved and he still does.  John 11:35 is famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible.  While that may be very helpful for Bible Trivia – there is even more importance found in those two words – “Jesus wept”.  Those two short words tell us of our Savior’s love and care for those He came to redeem – like Lazarus, and each and every one of us.

Jesus wept with those He loved, and He still does.  He hurts with us.  He feels our pain.  We all face suffering some time and when it comes, one thing we can know is that our Lord is hurting with us, and He will love us through it.  He will walk through the valley with us and in time He will bring us out of the valley of sorrow to the mountaintop on the other side.  Jesus wept with those he loved and he still does.

The second truth we find is Jesus raised people up and he still does.  How does Jesus do this?  Through His living and active Word.  We also see this in Ezekiel.  We too, ask along with Ezekiel, “Can these dry bones live?”  When disaster strikes, when someone we love dies, when our health is broken, when we’re disappointed and crushed, we ask – can these dry bones live?  The answer is, YES!  They will live because God Himself will draw them together with sinews and muscles and cover them with skin and breath into them His life – His Word.  Impossible?  Not for our God, a God of mercy, grace, and love.  Not for the God who has redeemed His people from the guilt and power of sin when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life on the cross.  There on the cross Jesus’ Word proclaimed victory saying – “It is finished.” 

The same Word that brought life to the dry bones in Ezekiel cries out to Lazarus.  And just as Jesus said to Lazarus, “come out” – He now speaks in the Word and personally addresses each of us by name saying “come out”.  “Come out of death, guilt, and bondage – and into life.”  Jesus has come that we might have life – but now and eternally.  He offers and gives peace, joy, and everything we need – but can’t find anywhere else.  He offers and He freely gives forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Jesus’ raising of Lazarus shows us that out of death comes new life.  Lazarus’ raising is a powerful sign of the Easter message of resurrection and new life.  The death of Lazarus proved to be an opportunity for Jesus to show once again the power of His Word.  At the conclusion of the story we learn that many who accompanied Mary to Lazarus’ tomb also believed in Jesus.  Not only can new life come out of death, so can the faith that leads to eternal life.

The third truth we find is that Jesus included others in the healing process, and he still does.  Notice what happens when Lazarus comes out of the tomb. Jesus turns to his family and friends and says, “Unbind him and let him go. Unwrap him and set him free.”

Jesus knew how important it is to have our family and our friends helping us, surrounding us with love, supporting us, encouraging us.  Another thing we see in this story is that Mary was accompanied by her grieving friends who grieved with her.  There is something supportive and therapeutic about having friends around you who love you to grieve with you. 

That is what the church often is:  a community of Christ’s compassion and consolation to one another.  In our busy and active culture, we often don’t have time to live deeply with our feelings.  In our hurried up plastic world, we often don’t have time to share deep love or deep sorrow.  In our shallow materialistic world, we attempt to minimize death.  But not in the church.  We know love; we know grief; and we share it with one another.   

God’s powerful Word has a resurrection for us each and every day.  Daily we fall short and die to sin – but through the forgiveness won for us by Jesus Christ, we begin each day remembering our Baptism and the robe of Christ’s righteousness that has been placed upon us.  God also has an eternal resurrection for us.  For just as Christ has been raised imperishable – so to will all believers be raised to new and eternal life in heaven.  Talk about a change in circumstances!