Sermon Tone Analysis

Background

The key to the chapter and a foundation stone of the doctrine of resurrection and the afterlife appears in these beloved verses.

This is another one of the Lord’s seven “I Am” statements in this Gospel.

Jesus said future resurrection was impossible without him.

Let’s start with

What was the common belief among ancient Jews regarding the resurrection?

With some exceptions such as the Sadducees, most Judeans and Galileans seem to have believed in the resurrection at the end of the age, especially the resurrection for the righteous.

What does verse 25 truly mean?

Does that mean spiritual life beyond the grave as many interpreters have suggested or is it something else?

For a Christian, we do not experience a spiritual death.

The context seems to demand an emphasis on physical death and physical life—in other words, bodily resurrection.

What lesson can we learn from Martha’s response?

Martha did not grasp the entirety of this theology, but nevertheless placed her foothold of faith directly in Jesus’ affirmation of his messiahship.

She was not completely without faith.

She still believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that he might still be able to do something, although she did not really know what.

She understood only two categories of life: physical life on earth and some future life at a resurrection.

In her mind, Lazarus had neither of those at the moment.

She did not think there was anything Jesus could do about his death.

How does another “I am” statement: tie to this section?

Martha (as well as Lazarus) had no hope without him in the picture.

He also said that real life (life that extends beyond death) is possible only through him.

A person attains it no other way.

This life is both spiritual (will live, even though he dies) and eternal (will never die), and it comes only to those who believe in Jesus.

What is significant about Martha’s confession in verse 27?

Martha’s affirmation of Jesus in verse 27 fits directly into the Johannine pattern.

She affirmed that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore the Son of God, and also that he was sent into the world by the Father—a fact he had been arguing in public for more than three years.

Jesus did not deny the truth of Martha’s claim.

The Son of God

The title “Son of God” was first applied to Jesus by the angel Gabriel in his announcement to the Virgin Mary.

John the Baptist, after witnessing the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism

This was also the confession of Nathanael (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”)

()

Peter, spokesman for the disciples ().

When the earthquake occurred at Jesus’ crucifixion, the centurion and soldiers who carried out the execution

Martha’s return to the natural state - Jesus wept ;;

It appears to the casual reader that Martha had climbed on board theologically and would no longer have any question about what Jesus could do.

Yet a few minutes later she heard Jesus call for the removal of the stone and objected, “But, Lord … by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days” (v.

39).

So again Martha reminds us of ourselves—a willingness to verbally proclaim biblical truth without applying it in our lives.

Borchert reminds us that “the story thus serves as a significant warning even to evangelicals who may be able to mouth all the correct theological statements about Jesus but actually have failed to bring words and life together.

It is not enough to make statements about Jesus.

Indeed, if a person would make a statement akin to Martha’s in some churches, the tendency would be to baptize such a person and to accept him or her into membership.

But we must all be warned that verbal confessions and life commitments are not always partners with each other” (Borchert, p. 357).

11:25–27.

Jesus did not merely have the power to resurrect.

His claim I am the resurrection and the life makes Him the very source of resurrection and all life.

(See “Jesus’ Seven ‘I Am’ Claims” at 6:35.) Everyone who lives (v.

26) refers to one’s physical life since it is followed by and believes in Me.

Only in this life does one have the chance to believe in Christ (Heb 9:27).

Believe this parallels “believes in Me” (vv. 25, 26).

Believing the NT truths about Christ should not be distinguished from “believing (or trusting) in” the person of Christ.

Martha’s confession (v.

27) You are the Christ, the Son of God anticipates John’s purpose statement (20:31).

Taken together, to believe that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God” means to believe that He is my resurrection and eternal life.

Let’s move to

SUPPORTING IDEA: The goal of John’s Gospel is always evangelistic.

He wanted people to understand the truth about Jesus, to believe that he is the Son of God, and thereby to experience the life of which we have been reading in this Gospel.

Faith itself is not an end but a means to an end.

Boice has these observations: “What convinced Thomas?

Some have suggested that it was Christ’s obvious knowledge of what Thomas had said, though Jesus had not been physically present when Thomas said it.

To do that, so the argument goes, Jesus would have had to be God.

But logical as this is, I do not find myself believing that this is what really got through to Thomas.

What finally got through to him was the presence of Christ, identified by the wounds in his hands, feet, and side.

It was the Christ of the cross who reached Thomas” (Boice, V, pp.

322–23).

Is Thomas a bad guy here?

We have to remember what the disciples were going through.

Thomas used strong language with his friends, indicating the frustration to which the events of the past week had driven him.

In , Scripture gives indication that the disciples still did not have an understanding that Jesus must rise from the dead, despite His telling them that these events must happen on multiple occasions (; ; ), as well as giving Peter, James, and john a preview of His resurrected self in .

Therefore, we can safely make an assumption of their state of mind after the death of Jesus on the cross.

Seeing their leader die would certainly have made them afraid for their own lives.

Couple this with experiencing the grief they must have had as the one they called friend, master, and Lord, had died such a cruel death.

It had to be a dark couple of days for them as they huddled in Jerusalem, unsure of what the future held for them.

He took the old motto “seeing is believing” to frightening dimensions.

He removed himself from the disciple band, telling them he wanted to hear no more about this ridiculous notion of a resurrection.

Let’s go to

20:24–25.

Thomas was not with the twelve (now eleven since Judas Iscariot committed suicide; Mt 27:5).

Didymus (mentioned three times, only by John, 11:16; 20:24; 21:2) means “the twin.”

Perhaps John personally knew Thomas’s twin.

Thomas’s unbelief was inexorable.

He rejected the testimony of the women and all the other disciples who had seen the Lord (v.

25).

Thomas insisted that he would not believe unless he personally put his finger into the place of the nails, and put his hand into Jesus’ side.

20:25 nail marks in his hands.

Romans most often tied persons to crosses with rope, but sometimes nailed them, as a sadistic (but often death-hastening) variation on the execution.

Unless the person were also tied to the cross, a person could not be simply nailed to it through the palm of the hand, as this would not support his weight (the hand would simply tear open).

The Greek term translated “hands” does allow for the nails to be in the forearms.

Let’s go to

What is Jesus’ reaction to Thomas?

What comfort can we gain from this for ourselves?

Rather than showing his hands and side to the entire group, he turned to Thomas and invited empirical investigation.

Sincere Christianity has always welcomed sincere research.

Jesus did not scold Thomas or condemn his hesitation.

He provided the evidence.

Only then did he say to him, Stop doubting and believe.

Thomas’s confession was a divine title (e.g., ).

20:26–27.

After eight days, i.e., the Sunday a week after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and Thomas.

The circumstances duplicated His previous appearance (vv.

19–23) when the doors had been shut.

The disciples still lacked the boldness they would receive at Pentecost.

Thomas must have been shocked to hear Jesus tell him the same words (v.

27; cf.

25) he had told the other disciples about handling His hands and His side.

20:28 My Lord and my God!

The emperor who reigned when John’s Gospel was probably written, Domitian, reportedly desired to be called “Lord God” (Suetonius, Domitian 13).