Come Die With Me Ezek. 37:1-6, John 11:1-45
Even if you and the Bible are barely on speaking terms,
you probably know that the gospel of John is different from the other three gospels.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic” gospels
from the Greek word meaning “to look alike.”
John, however, takes a somewhat different tack
when telling the story of Jesus’ life and ministry.
He seems to have a different purpose in mind for telling Jesus’ story.
Among the unique features of John’s gospel are what are called “sign” stories.
These are miracle stories – turning water into wine,
healing the man born blind,
and raising Lazarus from the tomb, to name a few.
These “sign” stories are different from miracles Jesus performed in the other gospels
because they follow a certain formula.1
For one thing, in a “sign” story, Jesus always acts according to his own timing
with his own purpose in mind
and does not react to external pressures on him to do something.
For example, in the story of Lazarus, messengers came from Mary and Martha,
to find Jesus doing a little wilderness camping
out by the Jordan River where he was baptized.
When the messengers arrived, panicky and breathless,
they probably threw water on the campfire and started taking down Jesus’ tent
in an effort to be helpful and to expedite his swift departure for Bethany
where his good friend, Lazarus, lay critically ill.
They must have been puzzled, indeed,
when Jesus just sat there by the rock like he had all the time in the world
dreamily casting out his line into the river and reeling it back in again.
What would they tell Mary and Martha?
What would Mary and Martha think when it took three more days
for Jesus make a one day journey?
Jesus has his own purpose in mind; his own timing.
Another characteristic of a “sign” story is that its primary purpose is revelation.
The miracle in the story is not an end in itself.
In a “sign” story, the miracle always has something more to say
about the meaning of God’s glory and God’s presence in the world through Jesus.
For example, calling Lazarus out of the tomb after he’d been there four days
is not just an happy tale about one man getting some extra time tacked onto his life
to spend with his friends and family.
It’s more than that, much more.
It is, instead, a story that draws us into a discussion about the nature of death and life.
It invites us to consider that, when seen in the light of God’s power
demonstrated by Jesus, the Roaring Lion of Death is exposed for what it really is;
a toothless old bag of bones,
But the story of Lazarus also reveals the paradox of God’s eternity;
that only through dying can we live.
The air around Jesus had been humming with death ever since he and his disciples
had arrived in Jerusalem that winter to celebrate Hannukah.
Hannukah, also called the Feast of Dedication, was a politically charged festival anyway
and there was much excited talk among the locals
about Jesus possibly being the Messiah; the one who would free them from Rome.
No doubt sick of the disruption Jesus was causing
and probably a little jealous of all the attention Jesus was getting;
the Pharisees brought matters to a head.
They challenged Jesus right there under the temple portico to put up or shut up.
When Jesus responded to them by speaking of “his sheep who hear his voice”
and how he was going to give his sheep “eternal life,”
the Pharisees couldn’t stand it anymore.
They picked up rocks and were going to stone Jesus for blasphemy,
but somehow Jesus was able to escape the city and go out to the Jordan river.
It’s no wonder then, that having spent time in the relative safety of the wilderness,
Jesus’ disciples were in no hurry to go to Bethany,
just a stone’s throw from Jerusalem,
even though they knew how much Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters.
You can feel the internal struggle and the temporary relief
when first Jesus says that Lazarus is “asleep.”
“Oh, well, then, if he’s only asleep he’ll be fine, no need for US to go.”
But then when Jesus says, “No, you ninnies, what I mean is, he’s dead,”
they reluctantly come around to what they have to do.
Thomas says aloud what the rest understand,
“Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
In the safety of our Rockfish valley we experience very little in the way of external threat;
nothing compared to larger cities like Richmond or Washington, D.C.
where violent crime seems quite frequent.
We hear on the news of horrible bomb blasts in Iraq
and Palestinians in Gaza and students in Jerusalem being killed for a cause,
but it’s all so distant.
Death does certainly intrude into our quiet valley scene –
the occasional automobile accident,
or a dire diagnosis that hits a little too close to home,
but still, it’s fairly easy here to pretend everything’s OK,
to hope that, in our little corner of the woods,
death is but a rare and unusual event.
If Jesus was here among us right now, I think he might say,
“No, you ninnies! Death is NOT a rare and unusual event!
Death comes to us all.
You will not only fall asleep. You will die.
One day the breath will leave your body and your heart will come to rest.
Your brain will fire its last electrical impulse and your blood will cease to flow.
Friends and family will mourn your passing,
tears will be shed over your demise.
and you will be dead.
But in the same breath, Jesus would also say, “Death is real, but only temporary.”
For those who believe in the power of God, death is but a doorway;
a transition from life on this earth to life with God.
In John’s gospel, eternal life is not only a future hope,
it is also a present reality.
That’s the sentiment behind Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection and the life,
those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and every one who lives and believes in me will never die.”
Martha gets the gold star for her declaration of faith that Jesus is the Messiah,
so why then is Jesus so disturbed?
Kenneth Bailey, a biblical scholar who lived many years in the Middle East
and has a knack for knowing the cultural nuances of Jesus’ day
points out that, though our Bible says “Jesus was disturbed”
the original Greek says “Jesus was angry.”2
What was he angry about?
Sentimentalists say he was angry at the unfairness of death,
at the pain it caused Mary and Martha.
He wept with them and the crowd out of compassion.
Kenneth Bailey believes something different.
He believes that Jesus was angry to the point of tears
because for three years he had been teaching Mary and Martha and the others
about the power of God; that death is not the end.
He was frustrated beyond imagining that they were weeping and carrying on so
over Lazarus’ death as though they were ones who had no hope.
We see the residue of Jesus’ frustration in the way he barks orders.
“Roll the stone away,” He says.
“Lazarus, come out!,” He says.
Some wonder that Lazarus didn’t come out kicking and screaming,
four days gone to paradise only to get hooked and pulled back into this world.
He came out doing a bad Boris Karloff impersonation in The Mummy,
all wrapped up and tied together
until Jesus gave one more order, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
It seems so spectacular, this miraculous revival of Lazarus’ physical body,
so utterly remarkable and outrageously beautiful
until you stop to think about what Lazarus had in store now.
For one thing, Jesus called Lazarus back to the land of the living
only to face the prospect of experiencing death all over again.
Even for the most faithful among us, those of us who don’t fear death,
it’s the thought of the dying process that makes us go pale.
Who wants to do that twice?
For another thing,
by being called forth from the tomb by him,
Lazarus was linked with Jesus from then on.
Just a few short passages later in John we find the Pharisees plotting Lazarus death
because he is a living testament to the Jesus’ power
and the reason more and more people are believing in Jesus.
Remember, the story of Jesus calling forth Lazarus from the tomb is a “sign” story.
It’s not about giving Lazarus a few more weeks, months or years.
It is meant to give John’s readers – meant to give us
a new and better understanding of God’s plan for our death and life.
Frederick Niedner, professor of biblical studies at Valparaiso University
puts it this way.3
“To the rest of us, Jesus’ summons at the tomb where each of us will one day lie
sounds something like this:
‘Come out of there friend. Come with me. We’re going up to Jerusalem.
So much for ordinary dying from disease, accidents or plain wearing out.
So much for living the sole agenda of not dying and desperately extending our days.
Let’s go to where we can give our lives away. Come die with me’.”
Niedner continues by saying, “This command comes…not merely in some final moment
in a grassy graveyard, but every day of our lives.”
Every day, though worn down and worn out, we are called to die in the waters of baptism;
we are called to die with Christ in order that we may live.
_____
1 Craddock, Fred. “A Twofold Death and Resurrection (John 11::25-26),” Christian
Century, March 21-28, 1999, p. 299.
2 Bailey, Kenneth, “The Confession of Martha and Jesus’ Anger,” The Presbyterian
Outlook, February 12, 2008,
3 Niedner, Frederick, “Reflections on the Lectionary,” Christian Century, February 26
2008, p. 21.
you probably know that the gospel of John is different from the other three gospels.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic” gospels
from the Greek word meaning “to look alike.”
John, however, takes a somewhat different tack
when telling the story of Jesus’ life and ministry.
He seems to have a different purpose in mind for telling Jesus’ story.
Among the unique features of John’s gospel are what are called “sign” stories.
These are miracle stories – turning water into wine,
healing the man born blind,
and raising Lazarus from the tomb, to name a few.
These “sign” stories are different from miracles Jesus performed in the other gospels
because they follow a certain formula.1
For one thing, in a “sign” story, Jesus always acts according to his own timing
with his own purpose in mind
and does not react to external pressures on him to do something.
For example, in the story of Lazarus, messengers came from Mary and Martha,
to find Jesus doing a little wilderness camping
out by the Jordan River where he was baptized.
When the messengers arrived, panicky and breathless,
they probably threw water on the campfire and started taking down Jesus’ tent
in an effort to be helpful and to expedite his swift departure for Bethany
where his good friend, Lazarus, lay critically ill.
They must have been puzzled, indeed,
when Jesus just sat there by the rock like he had all the time in the world
dreamily casting out his line into the river and reeling it back in again.
What would they tell Mary and Martha?
What would Mary and Martha think when it took three more days
for Jesus make a one day journey?
Jesus has his own purpose in mind; his own timing.
Another characteristic of a “sign” story is that its primary purpose is revelation.
The miracle in the story is not an end in itself.
In a “sign” story, the miracle always has something more to say
about the meaning of God’s glory and God’s presence in the world through Jesus.
For example, calling Lazarus out of the tomb after he’d been there four days
is not just an happy tale about one man getting some extra time tacked onto his life
to spend with his friends and family.
It’s more than that, much more.
It is, instead, a story that draws us into a discussion about the nature of death and life.
It invites us to consider that, when seen in the light of God’s power
demonstrated by Jesus, the Roaring Lion of Death is exposed for what it really is;
a toothless old bag of bones,
But the story of Lazarus also reveals the paradox of God’s eternity;
that only through dying can we live.
The air around Jesus had been humming with death ever since he and his disciples
had arrived in Jerusalem that winter to celebrate Hannukah.
Hannukah, also called the Feast of Dedication, was a politically charged festival anyway
and there was much excited talk among the locals
about Jesus possibly being the Messiah; the one who would free them from Rome.
No doubt sick of the disruption Jesus was causing
and probably a little jealous of all the attention Jesus was getting;
the Pharisees brought matters to a head.
They challenged Jesus right there under the temple portico to put up or shut up.
When Jesus responded to them by speaking of “his sheep who hear his voice”
and how he was going to give his sheep “eternal life,”
the Pharisees couldn’t stand it anymore.
They picked up rocks and were going to stone Jesus for blasphemy,
but somehow Jesus was able to escape the city and go out to the Jordan river.
It’s no wonder then, that having spent time in the relative safety of the wilderness,
Jesus’ disciples were in no hurry to go to Bethany,
just a stone’s throw from Jerusalem,
even though they knew how much Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters.
You can feel the internal struggle and the temporary relief
when first Jesus says that Lazarus is “asleep.”
“Oh, well, then, if he’s only asleep he’ll be fine, no need for US to go.”
But then when Jesus says, “No, you ninnies, what I mean is, he’s dead,”
they reluctantly come around to what they have to do.
Thomas says aloud what the rest understand,
“Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
In the safety of our Rockfish valley we experience very little in the way of external threat;
nothing compared to larger cities like Richmond or Washington, D.C.
where violent crime seems quite frequent.
We hear on the news of horrible bomb blasts in Iraq
and Palestinians in Gaza and students in Jerusalem being killed for a cause,
but it’s all so distant.
Death does certainly intrude into our quiet valley scene –
the occasional automobile accident,
or a dire diagnosis that hits a little too close to home,
but still, it’s fairly easy here to pretend everything’s OK,
to hope that, in our little corner of the woods,
death is but a rare and unusual event.
If Jesus was here among us right now, I think he might say,
“No, you ninnies! Death is NOT a rare and unusual event!
Death comes to us all.
You will not only fall asleep. You will die.
One day the breath will leave your body and your heart will come to rest.
Your brain will fire its last electrical impulse and your blood will cease to flow.
Friends and family will mourn your passing,
tears will be shed over your demise.
and you will be dead.
But in the same breath, Jesus would also say, “Death is real, but only temporary.”
For those who believe in the power of God, death is but a doorway;
a transition from life on this earth to life with God.
In John’s gospel, eternal life is not only a future hope,
it is also a present reality.
That’s the sentiment behind Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection and the life,
those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and every one who lives and believes in me will never die.”
Martha gets the gold star for her declaration of faith that Jesus is the Messiah,
so why then is Jesus so disturbed?
Kenneth Bailey, a biblical scholar who lived many years in the Middle East
and has a knack for knowing the cultural nuances of Jesus’ day
points out that, though our Bible says “Jesus was disturbed”
the original Greek says “Jesus was angry.”2
What was he angry about?
Sentimentalists say he was angry at the unfairness of death,
at the pain it caused Mary and Martha.
He wept with them and the crowd out of compassion.
Kenneth Bailey believes something different.
He believes that Jesus was angry to the point of tears
because for three years he had been teaching Mary and Martha and the others
about the power of God; that death is not the end.
He was frustrated beyond imagining that they were weeping and carrying on so
over Lazarus’ death as though they were ones who had no hope.
We see the residue of Jesus’ frustration in the way he barks orders.
“Roll the stone away,” He says.
“Lazarus, come out!,” He says.
Some wonder that Lazarus didn’t come out kicking and screaming,
four days gone to paradise only to get hooked and pulled back into this world.
He came out doing a bad Boris Karloff impersonation in The Mummy,
all wrapped up and tied together
until Jesus gave one more order, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
It seems so spectacular, this miraculous revival of Lazarus’ physical body,
so utterly remarkable and outrageously beautiful
until you stop to think about what Lazarus had in store now.
For one thing, Jesus called Lazarus back to the land of the living
only to face the prospect of experiencing death all over again.
Even for the most faithful among us, those of us who don’t fear death,
it’s the thought of the dying process that makes us go pale.
Who wants to do that twice?
For another thing,
by being called forth from the tomb by him,
Lazarus was linked with Jesus from then on.
Just a few short passages later in John we find the Pharisees plotting Lazarus death
because he is a living testament to the Jesus’ power
and the reason more and more people are believing in Jesus.
Remember, the story of Jesus calling forth Lazarus from the tomb is a “sign” story.
It’s not about giving Lazarus a few more weeks, months or years.
It is meant to give John’s readers – meant to give us
a new and better understanding of God’s plan for our death and life.
Frederick Niedner, professor of biblical studies at Valparaiso University
puts it this way.3
“To the rest of us, Jesus’ summons at the tomb where each of us will one day lie
sounds something like this:
‘Come out of there friend. Come with me. We’re going up to Jerusalem.
So much for ordinary dying from disease, accidents or plain wearing out.
So much for living the sole agenda of not dying and desperately extending our days.
Let’s go to where we can give our lives away. Come die with me’.”
Niedner continues by saying, “This command comes…not merely in some final moment
in a grassy graveyard, but every day of our lives.”
Every day, though worn down and worn out, we are called to die in the waters of baptism;
we are called to die with Christ in order that we may live.
_____
1 Craddock, Fred. “A Twofold Death and Resurrection (John 11::25-26),” Christian
Century, March 21-28, 1999, p. 299.
2 Bailey, Kenneth, “The Confession of Martha and Jesus’ Anger,” The Presbyterian
Outlook, February 12, 2008,
3 Niedner, Frederick, “Reflections on the Lectionary,” Christian Century, February 26
2008, p. 21.
posted by David Cameron | 8:05 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home