March 9, 2008<\/p>\n
Fifth Sunday of Lent<\/p>\n
Jn 11: 1-45<\/p>\n
Westminster Tower<\/p>\n
Dc. Larry Brockman<\/p>\n
I’d like to start by thanking Chaplains Jane and Erin for inviting me.\u00c2\u00a0 I have found that this wonderful organization is the embodiment of what it means to be ecumenical. \u00c2\u00a0They strive to do their utmost to encourage all the residents in their own individual faith experiences. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0And yet, these Chapel services build that special sense of unity amongst all the faiths by sharing what’s common among us-\u00c2\u00a0 the living Word of God. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Can you put yourself into the shoes of Lazarus?\u00c2\u00a0 My wife had a heart valve replaced six years ago.\u00c2\u00a0 She experienced one of those “near death experiences”.\u00c2\u00a0 Although she tries, she can’t quite communicate in words what she experienced.\u00c2\u00a0 But I can see in her eyes that it was something very special.\u00c2\u00a0 She talks about experiencing unbelievable joy.\u00c2\u00a0 And then, she was told that she was going back.\u00c2\u00a0 And I also know that she has not been the same.\u00c2\u00a0 No, she has a much deeper faith, and God and his will for her matter much more now than ever before.\u00c2\u00a0 I believe Lazarus had the same feeling.\u00c2\u00a0 Let me explain:\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the culture of Jesus time,\u00c2\u00a0 It was generally believed that the soul left the body after 3 days.\u00c2\u00a0 So, by waiting as long as Jesus did, 4 days, nobody could claim that Lazarus had not died.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pharisees were, well, totally blown away.\u00c2\u00a0 And that explains why Jesus waited as long as he did.\u00c2\u00a0 It wasn’t because he didn’t know what would happen; and it wasn’t because he was insensitive to Martha and Mary.\u00c2\u00a0 No, it was because he wanted this incident to be clearly understood as a miracle; one that would give glory to God.\u00c2\u00a0 And He wanted to show them that he was who he said he was- The Son of God.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
This miracle was powerful- it moved and it touched many people.\u00c2\u00a0 And so, the Pharisees were frightened at the number of people Jesus had touched.\u00c2\u00a0 Ironically, the Pharisees fulfilled the parable in Luke’s gospel about another Lazarus.\u00c2\u00a0 This other departed Lazarus is told that:\u00c2\u00a0 “If they do not believe Moses and the Prophets; then neither would they be convinced if someone is raised from the dead”.\u00c2\u00a0 Indeed, the raising of Lazarus simply hardened the Pharisees; it didn’t convince them.\u00c2\u00a0 And they went away plotting to kill both Jesus- and Lazarus.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now it’s possible that one or so of you may have had a “near death experience” like my wife.\u00c2\u00a0 And you may have had the same kinds of feelings.\u00c2\u00a0 Because most of the people who have had the experience have one of two consistent paths to talk about- either stepping into the light, and incredible joy; or stepping into the darkness, and fear.\u00c2\u00a0 If so, you understand what Lazarus felt- rising, and stepping into the light with Jesus at the end of the tunnel!\u00c2\u00a0 And yet, I’ll bet that most of you have not had such an experience.\u00c2\u00a0 But, most of you have gone through a faith conversion.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ve accepted Christ as your savior, and you have been “born again”.\u00c2\u00a0 That brought you a feeling of indescribable joy.\u00c2\u00a0 And, you don’t want to go back.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s no happy return to that previous life.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, all of you experience a resurrection of a kind, when you accept Jesus, and turn away from death to sin.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
But, there’s much more to the Lazarus story than that.\u00c2\u00a0 Because it also prefigures Christ’s Resurrection; a Resurrection to everlasting life.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact there are many parallels between the raising of Lazarus and the rising of Jesus.\u00c2\u00a0 First, there are mourning Mary’s in both stories-\u00c2\u00a0 Lazarus sister in this story, and the Mother of God in Jesus’ story. \u00c2\u00a0The mourning Mary’s tell us something about faith.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact, both Martha and Mary showed great faith when they both independently said:\u00c2\u00a0 “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”\u00c2\u00a0 Yet, it was limited faith- limited faith.\u00c2\u00a0 They understood that the body would be resurrected on the last day.\u00c2\u00a0 But they did not understand that only death brings resurrection to everlasting life,\u00c2\u00a0 And so, the death of Lazarus brings tears.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
In fact, the Bible says “And Jesus wept” (The shortest verse in the Bible).\u00c2\u00a0 Some say it was a natural human emotion from losing someone who was close to him.\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps, but there’s another view.\u00c2\u00a0 You see, the death of Lazarus, and the whole scene surrounding Martha and Mary- the town, the Jews, the crowd, the whole scene- was a clear and unmistakable sign of the power of Satan.\u00c2\u00a0 The power to bring chaos between various factions and to cause physical death.\u00c2\u00a0 That could surely have caused Jesus to weep.\u00c2\u00a0 And raising Lazarus would show the Glory of God in the face of that evil;\u00c2\u00a0 Just as the raising of Jesus showed that Glory of God on Easter Sunday.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second, both were buried in a cave for three days.\u00c2\u00a0 I have already talked about what that meant to the Jews at the time- a perceived separation of the soul from the body, the certainty of death.\u00c2\u00a0 Then there’s the similarity in the burial clothes.\u00c2\u00a0 Both were wrapped head to foot and anointed.\u00c2\u00a0 But there is a difference, too.\u00c2\u00a0 Lazarus was raised with the burial clothes still on, symbolizing the fact that he was returning to physical life.\u00c2\u00a0 But Jesus clothes were carefully rolled up and left behind, symbolizing the new, everlasting life to which we are called.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lastly, the apostle Thomas is given a cynical role in each story.\u00c2\u00a0 His faith is found lacking in both stories- faith in the first case that Jesus can return to Judea lest he be captured by his enemies; and faith in the second case that Jesus was risen at all.\u00c2\u00a0 It would seem to us that Thomas, and indeed the other apostles were hard headed because over and over Jesus had foretold his story.\u00c2\u00a0 “I will suffer and die and be resurrected on the third day; I am the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in me will be saved”.\u00c2\u00a0 And yet they just didn’t get it.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
But do we get it either?\u00c2\u00a0 Do we understand what life and death are all about?\u00c2\u00a0 Have we really listened to what these Resurrection stories are telling us?\u00c2\u00a0 Be honest- the idea of death, certain that it is, is frightening, something that we don’t want to think about.\u00c2\u00a0 We don’t want to hear that we are going to suffer; and that we are going to die, even if we hear that we will be resurrected to everlasting life.\u00c2\u00a0 Because, most of all, we are afraid of death.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heard a preacher recently who said something very interesting.\u00c2\u00a0 He said that the bible tells us, in various ways, not to be afraid, 365 times- once for every day of the year.\u00c2\u00a0 Think about that. \u00c2\u00a0We are consistently told not to be afraid; to believe in Jesus; to go where he leads you; and to be not afraid.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 As we go into the last couple of weeks of Lent, reflect on whether you truly get it.\u00c2\u00a0 Whatever your circumstances- young or old; healthy or not; suffering or not; you are where you are today by the Grace of a loving God.\u00c2\u00a0 And you can resolve to believe in Him and trust him.\u00c2\u00a0 Be not afraid.\u00c2\u00a0 And imagine that you are Lazarus walking out of that grave.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
March 9, 2008 Fifth Sunday of Lent Jn 11: 1-45 Westminster Tower Dc. Larry Brockman I’d like to start by thanking Chaplains Jane and Erin for inviting me.\u00c2\u00a0 I have found that this wonderful organization is the embodiment of what it means to be ecumenical. \u00c2\u00a0They strive to do their utmost to encourage all the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}