1/11/2024 Homily for Burial of Barbara Arendall

Do you believe this?

Augustine of Hippo, a fourth century North African bishop said “That death is not to be judged an evil which is the end of a good life; for death becomes evil only by the retribution which follows it. They, then, who are destined to die, need not be careful to inquire what death they are to die, but into what place death will usher them.” Essentially, what St. Augustine says to us this day is the same thing that Jesus Christ said to Martha in our Gospel reading, when she was distraught by the death of her brother Lazarus. She runs to Jesus and says, “Lord, if you have had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” On the surface, her statement seems to contain a good portion of faith, that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. And yet a few verses later, in John 11.39 Martha doubts Jesus’ power when he tells them to roll away the stone.

While it may be tempting to view this passage in light of Martha’s proclamation of faith, the main point of this passage is not the faith of Martha but the declaration of Jesus’ divinity and power over death and the grave. We should always read the entirety of St. John’s Gospel with the context of his stated purpose in John 20.30-31: it says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” The purpose of the Gospel of John is that the original audience, Christian Jews in the first century, and by implication you and I, would read the gospel in order to remain loyal to Christ in our faith, despite the circumstances that surround us.

Jesus approaches Bethany four days after the death of Lazarus which eliminates any doubt that the man is truly dead. Martha meets him on the road and in desperation cries out to him for comfort. Her brother has died, and she and Mary are left without a male caregiver, without someone whom they admired and loved. Jesus himself loved Lazarus. In John 11.35-36 we read the following: “Jesus began to weep, so the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” It is not a foreign idea thing for the God of the universe to be intimately acquainted with our suffering. He too felt pain. He too felt sadness, loneliness, hunger. He knows well the condition of his creation, which is constantly in need of care and comfort.

But the most important declaration in this passage comes not from Martha, but from Jesus. He says in John 11.25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live. And everyone who lives and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Throughout the Gospel of St. John we find encounters between Jesus and various people of different statuses and conditions. In each case we see a response to the signs of Jesus. In the case of Martha, who already was a follower of Jesus, he asks her if she believes that he is the resurrection and the life. And whether or not she believes that in him is eternal life. This is a magnificent claim by Jesus, because in the Jewish context only the one God of Jacob and Israel is able to raise people from the dead. This is a difficult thing for people to understand in the first century, who have been taught their entires lives that there is only one God. The concept of God being incarnated as a human is a foreign concept. And yet it is true.

The Pharisees believed in a resurrection of the body by God on the last day. The Sadduccees did not believe in this resurrection. Only God could accomplish such a resurrection. For Christ to claim that he is the resurrection and the life, is to essentially announce himself as the Son of God. He also rightly claims to have power to raise someone to life who has already been dead four days. There could be no shadow of doubt about Christ’s divinity should he prove to them that he is able to raise the dead Lazarus to life. John 1.4 says “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ” Likewise, Jn 3.36 says “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life but must endure God’s wrath.”

So, do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God sent for the redemption of all creation? The main reason for this passage is that Christians everywhere and across all time would continue strong in their faith in Jesus Christ. It is our human condition that when we encounter resistance, pain, suffering, or obstacles, we retreat from our zeal in Christ. Jesus offers Martha a glimpse not only into his eternal glory and the hope of the resurrection, but of his intimate knowledge of the human heart. He cried alongside Martha and Mary. He was deeply distraught by the death of Lazarus. And his response in that situation was to raise Lazarus. Did he do it just to appease the crowds that were watching? Did he raise Lazarus only to ease the pain of the family? No, he raised Lazarus so that everyone watching then, and everyone listening to his words today might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That he offered himself up to God, for the sins of the world, so that you and I and everyone who believes in Him would be adopted as children of God. It is through his sacrifice that we have not only the redemption of our souls, but a promise of everlasting life.

The truth of Christ's divinity and power does not change across time and space. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This is the good news of the Gospel: that while the world devolves into an unrecognizable state, while all the created order decays, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit remain true forever. Just like those listening to Christ, and watching him raise Lazarus from the dead, we also must make a response in light of Jesus Christ. Are we going to live the remainder of our lives as if Christ is non-existent? Or are we going to pledge our allegiance to the only one worthy of such a thing. We practice loyalty and faithfulness to all sorts of gods in our lives: education, entertainment, our loved ones, our country. Let us not forget the one who makes all those things possible.

The question this passage answers is the one that everyone has at a funeral: Where do I go after death? The question of the body is simple to answer, but the more seemingly complicated answer is actually quite easy to answer in light of this passage. Belief in Jesus Christ leads to eternal life in his presence. Do you believe this? In the name of…