Untitled Sermon (2)

Getting Beyond the stench

38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a acave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time 1there will be a stench, for he has been dead afour days.”40 Jesus *said to her, “aDid I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the astone. And Jesus braised His eyes, and said, “cFather, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, abecause of the 1people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that bYou sent Me.” 43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 Out came the man who had died, abound hand and foot with wrappings, and bhis face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

45 aTherefore many of the Jews bwho came to Mary, and csaw what He had done, believed in Him.

For many of us, this was the first scripture we had memorized.

However, others point out that this is the most important scripture because it shows that even Jesus Christ had grief. His tears point to his humanity and his love for a friend.

Today, we will end our series on miracles. This week in the bible study, we underscored the importance of knowing why Jesus heals in the gospel of John. The simple answer is Jesus heals because Jesus loves. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus' compassion toward those he healed. It’s not that surface type of compassion but that love that flows from the bowels of being, so when we read verse 35. Jesus Wept.

This is one of the most important declarations in scripture because it underscores the humanity of Jesus and a source from which healing flows: love. Let’s not get it twisted: when ministry becomes overly fixated on power, money, and control, it can distort the purpose of the miraculous. Miracles focus on making Christ’s love tangible to those in need rather than simply demonstrating God’s power.

So when Jesus came to the tomb, and said

John 11:38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a acave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.”

We must be careful not to believe that the miraculous starts with power but flows from genuine love. It is not about the power. The deeper purpose of the miraculous is to express God’s love. This love is practical and meets immediate needs but is always rooted in a desire for deeper relationships and flourishing

After weeping, Jesus comes to the tomb, and says remove the stone. I am quite sure that disciples were on the edge of their seats, however it was something that resisted the command of God.

Martha was not in a good place

Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time 1there will be a stench, for he has been dead afour days.”

40 Jesus *said to her, “aDid I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the astone.

The Stench of unhealthy grief

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.

What was Martha's initial reaction to Jesus' command to remove the stone, and what does it signify?