Three Resurrections
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· 4 viewsComparing the resurrection of Lazarus with the resurrection of Jesus - and looking forward to our resurrection in Christ
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Spot the difference
Spot the difference
Two resurrections. One after the other, and fairly close in time.
Let’s look at the similarities first.
A tomb with a stone
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
People running (called Mary, though not same person)
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
Weeping
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
A question - where have you laid him?
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus called Lord
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Jesus called teacher
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”
There are more. How many can you spot?
Writer clearly wants to draw our attention to the similarities between these two stories. Even the specific details are the same, down to the descriptions of the burial clothes.
But there are also some really significant differences. Differences that point to who Jesus is. I think John has included the story of Lazarus, which is the final sign miracle before the cross, because it’s a foreshadowing of the greater reality to come. A bit like a trailer before the main film.
Remember John’s purpose in writing his gospel:
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
So why has he included the 6th sign - the sign of the resurrection of Lazarus? Let’s actually get to Spot the Difference.
I wonder what you noticed?
Who removes the stone?
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Jesus commands the removal of the stone for Lazarus. But who commanded it for Jesus? Who removed it for Jesus? Who do you think?
Who calls the dead man to life?
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
No-one calls Jesus to life.
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Who uncovers his face?
6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
All of this points to the greatness of Jesus. In the story of Lazarus, he is the one who commands the stone to be rolled away, the dead man to walk out, and the grave clothes to be taken off. Lazarus can’t raise Himself.
I believe that the similarities and differences are there to draw our attention to the power and authority in Jesus.
Even within the Lazarus story, we see that Jesus is making bold claims about Himself. He is about to DO a resurrection, but in v25, he says to her:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus is the resurrected one, but He is also the resurrection. We know from his conversation with Martha that many Jewish people believed in a long-way-off resurrection, in the final days. That was the main fight between the pharisees and sadducees. But Jesus doesn’t just confirm her belief - “yes dear, one day”, but He identifies Himself as the source of that resurrection.
If that isn’t a divinity claim then I don’t know what is!
And in this paradoxical statement that He makes to her, there’s the idea that if we put our trust in Him, if we believe in Him - we will participate in that resurrection life now, and also after death. I can’t quite wrap my brain around that, , but it’s one of many examples of the now and not-yet of His Kingdom and reign.
Remember that the purpose for John in writing his gospel is:
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
And that’s the same verb as He uses in talking with Martha. It’s also the same verb in
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
We also find it again at the end of chapter 20, when Jesus talks of those who will come after those first disciples, and who will believe in him:
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
So what does this mean for us? How are these two resurrections connected, and why should we care?
Jesus promises that those who believe in Him will live.
I have been talking about two resurrection stories in the past, and one resurrection yet to come. If we believe in Jesus, we can have confidence in participating in the resurrection to come.
One of the other things that both these stories have in common is a lot of intense emotion. There are people running about, people crying. Even Jesus, even knowing He would raise Lazarus, wept and was deeply troubled. These were his dear friends.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
There are lots of theories about why Jesus wept. But it’s clear that He knew He would raise Lazarus:
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
I think here we see the God who participates in our griefs. Who enters into the pain of loss. Many of us in our church family have been bereaved. We’ve known friends and family who have believed in Jesus. We miss them. We grieve.
When I was quite young my first husband died. It was intensely painful. I felt at the time that the pain of loss was in direct proportion to the love that I had for him. Great love = great grief.
But the resurrection of Jesus changes our grief. It doesn’t take it away. I know some of you, particularly men, were told not to cry, but Jesus wept! Mary wept.
But we are told how to grieve - we grieve as believers in the resurrection - not just an event, but a person, and His name is Jesus.
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
The promise of resurrection to eternal life is for those who have believed in Jesus. Those who are ‘in him’. Not to those who live a good, moral life. Not to those who attend church. Not to those who are well behaved. He is the Way - the Only Way.
Today is Easter Sunday. Resurrection Sunday. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus - the Great Sunday after Good Friday. The confirmation that the cross was enough.
And we look forward to the future resurrection of those who believe in Him.
In a moment Martin and the band will come and lead us in musical worship. We’ll sing songs of praise to Jesus. But before we do that, we’ve put together a short video, just a small sample of what we’re hoping for when we put our trust in Jesus...