Rev. Doug Floyd

Lent 5
Rev. Doug Floyd
Ezekiel 37:1–26, Psalm 130, Romans 6:15-23, John 11:1-44

Israel was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.[1]

Dead and buried in the depths of Assyria and Babylon. North and South Israel had been crushed by their enemies. People died. Land ruined. Temple destroyed. The remaining Jews scattered, exiled. The Beloved of God forsaken in the wilderness.

When judgment finally came it was swift and sure. No going back. The Psalmist cries out,

By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land? (Psalm 137:1-4)

All hope is lost in the land of dead. From this land of exile, this grave of death Ezekiel declares, “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.” (Ezekiel 37:1)

The Lord said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:4-6)

Today we stand at the edge of this Word becoming flesh as Lazarus steps forth from the grave. In him, we see the promise of God’s people awaking to new life.

But first, let’s look back at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. Like Mose before Pharaoh, Jesus does a miracle with water. Moses comes to deliver the people from slavery in Egypt, from Pharaoh’s hand. He turns water into blood. Jesus comes to deliver his enslaved people from sin and death.  He turns water into wine.

After plague upon plague, Moses declares that God will take Pharaoh’s firstborn and all of Egypt’s first. That night Egypt is filled with wailing, but the people of God are free.

After sign upon sign, Jesus will lead all people from slavery to freedom, from death to life. Once again, the life will be required. Jesus comes as God’s only begotten Son and dies on the cross to breaks the bonds of sin and death.

In today’s Gospel, we see the beginning of that story. The prologue of the great procession to Jerusalem, to the cross, to the grave, and ultimately to the resurrection.

Jesus is ministering in the plains of Jordan where John the Baptist had been baptizing (John 10:40). Messengers arrive from Bethany with an urgent request. “He whom you love is ill.” Jesus loves Martha and Mary and Lazarus. And yet, He chooses to wait. “The Spirit blows when and where it will.”

Jesus says, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”(John 11:4) We are at the threshold of the Son’s glory. The Gospel of John is moving toward this glory. The signs and the speeches are all moving to this glory. The raising of Lazarus is the great event preceding this glory. In John 17 we read, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:1–5, ESV)

The hour of glory is the revelation of the Father through the Son in His death upon the cross. Everything is moving toward that moment. Our story today sets this dramatic action in motion.

Jesus waits two days before traveling to see his friends. If you’re counting, it took one day for the messenger to arrive with the news of Lazarus (that is from Judea to the plains of Jordan). Jesus waits two days. He travels to see his friends, which takes one day. He will arrive on day four. When He arrives, He learns that Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days. This means that Lazarus must have died just after the messenger left to get Jesus.

Even if Jesus had left instantly, it was already too late. And yet, it wasn’t too late. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Martha tells Jesus that He could have prevented it. She says, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”” (John 11:22–23, ESV)

Now one of favorite lines in the story, “Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?”” (John 11:24–26, ESV).  

Here we behold one of the clearest statements of Jesus’ death and life, 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.

We can never tire of these words. Wherever you are at today, our Risen Lord is looking at you and speaking, 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.

Everyone I turn, I meet people in need, in grief, in fear, in the depths of the valley of the shadow of death. No matter what happens, we are safe in the hands of God. For Jesus, the Risen One stands among us and declares, 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.

Even as we hear this address, we see this event of Lazarus in the tomb is pointing to the death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus will call Lazarus from the tomb. Some will rejoice. Others will tell the Pharisees and the end will begin.

Yet, they will unwittingly prepare the way for the dry bones to live. Remember, Ezekiel prophesying over the dry bones? In the death and resurrection of our beloved Savior, Israel is recalled to life, we are recalled to life, our world is recalled to life. We are ambassadors of reconciliation to a world in death.

As we carry the griefs and struggles of those around us, we look to our Risen Savior. This reminds me of when I was in the hospital with COVID back in 2021. I’ve said before that I awoke with a sense of God’s presence surrounding me. For me, today’s Gospel brought that moment into clear focus. 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. I was so safe in the arms of our Risen Lord. I knew it did not matter whether I lived or died. I was, I am absolutely safe. You are absolutely safe in His arms, in His presence.

Turn to Him. Make known your pain, your fears, your struggles. Tell Him about the people on your heart. He hears and He will not forsake us. Trust Him.

[1] With apologies to Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol: A Timeless Classic Sprinkled with Timeless Wisdom (p. 9). (Function). Kindle Edition.