SERMON
March 22, 2026
John 11:1-45
- INVOCATION
- PRAYER
- MOST OF YOU DON’T KNOW ME WELL…PERSONALLY..BUT IF YOU ASKED MY WIFE…MY FAMILY…FELLOW COLLEGUES THEY WOULD SAY THAT I AM NOT A VERY PATIENT PERSON
- SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WHY I HAVE TROUBLE WITH THIS GOSPEL READING FROM JOHN TODAY
- YOU ALL KNOW THIS STORY OF THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD WELL….BUT THERE IS A DETAIL IN THIS STORY THAT REALLY BOTHERS ME
- “COME QUICKLY!” MARTHA…THE SISTER OF LAZARUS BEGS JESUS…”LAZARUS WHOM YOU LOVE IS ILL!”
- AND WHAT IS JESUS’ RESPONSE TO MARTH’A PLEA FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE???
- SHE HAS SEEN AND HEARD HOW JESUS HAS HEALED AND CURED SO MANY PEOPLE OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS…AND NOW SHE IS ASKING…BEGGING JESUS TO DO THE SAME FOR HER BROTHER
- AND WHAT IS JESUS’ RESPONSE???
- “AW…LAZARUS ISN’T TERMINAL!”
- HOW DOES JESUS KJNOW??? WITH NO EXAM THAT LAZARUS ISN’T SO SICK?
- THREE DAYS LATER…WHEN JESUS FINALLY MAKES IT TO THE HOME OF MARTHA AND MARY IN BETHANY…MARTHA GIVES JESUS A PIECE OF HER MIND.
- BASICALLY SAYING TO JESUS…HER CLOSE FRIEND…”DON’T RUSH OVER NOW MR. SAVIOR….IT’S ALREADY TOO LATE FOR LAZARUS…HE’S BEEN IN THE TOMB NOW FOR THREE DAYS…
- AND I LIKE THE WAY THE KJ VERSION SAYS…”HE ALREADY STINKETH!”
- SO I GUESS YOU MIGHT SAY THAT JESUS WASN’T A VERY GOOD DIAGNOSTICIAN.
- THE OTHER STRANGE POINT IN THIS GOSPEL STORY IS THAT WHEN JESUS IS INFORMED THAT HIS GOOD FRIEND LAZARUS WAS NOT IN GOOD HEALTH….WHAT DOES JESUS SAY TO HIS DISCIPLES…ACCORDING TO THE WRITER JOHN..”JESUS WAITED TWO DAYS!”
- EXCUSE ME? WHAT DIDN’T MR. CARE AND COMPASSION RUSH RIGHT OVER AND SAVE THESE SISTERS AND THEIR BROTHER THIS GRIEF??
- ISN’T THAT THE DEFINITION OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP…A FRIEND IS SOMEONE WHO CARES ENOUGH TO DROP EVERYTHING AND COME RIGHT OVER WHEN CALLED UPON.
- WHAT WAS JESUS DOING THAT WAS MORE IMORTANT THAN COMING TO THE AID OF A FRIEND WHO IS NEED?
- WAS JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF A SERMON SERIES AND JUST COULDN’T BREAK AWAY?
- MAYBE JESUS HAD A LONG LIST OF OTHERS WHO WERE SICK AND NEEDED HIS ATTENTION BEFORE LAZARUS?
- BUT JOHN SIMPLY GIVES NO EXPLANATION…NO EXCUSE AND SIMPLY SAYS..”JESUS WAITED TWO DAYS!”
- AM I THE ONLY “IMPATIENT” PERSON WHO FINDS THIS THREE DAYS ABSENCE…THIS 72 HOUR ABSENCE…ODD?
- I CAN UNDERSTAND A FEW HOURS…HE WAS IN/NEAR JERUSALEM…ONLY 2 MILES AWAY FROM BETHANY WHERE MARY..MARTHAT AND LAZARUS LIVED….
- BUT IT TAKES JESUS THREE DAYS TO GET TO LAZARUS
- TRUE…WHEN JESUS FINALLY STOPS WHATEVER HE’S DOING…JOHN DOESN’T GIVE US ANY CLUES…AND GOES TO THE CEMETARY WHERE LAZARUS HAS BEEN BURIED…
- AND THERE JESUS PULLS OFF HIS GREATEST MIRACLE….
- JESUS STANDING THERE…SURROUNDED BY HIS DISCIPLES…MOURNERS…PROBABLY RELIGIOUS SPIES KEEPING AN EYE ON JESUS AND RECORDING EVERYTHING THAT HE SAYS AND DOES
- MARY IS AT HOME…PROBABLY OVERWHELMED WITH GRIEF
- MARTHA COMES TO MEET JESUS AND YET…EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HER GRIEF…SHE SAYS:
- “LORD…IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE…MY BROTHER WOULD NOT HAVE DIED,,,
- “BUT…EVEN NOW…I KNOW THAT GOD WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK OF HIM.”
- JESUS ANSWERED HER, “YOUR BROTHER WILL RISE AGAIN!”
- MARTHA THEN CONFESSES HER FAITH BY SAYING, “I KNOW THAT HE WILL RISE AGAIN IN THE RESURRECTION ON THE LAST DAY!”
- THEN JESUS SAYS, “ I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE…THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME…EVEN THOUGH THEY DIE…THEY WILL LOVE…AND EVERY0NE WHO LIVES AND BELIEVES IN ME WILL NEVER DIE. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?”
- MARTHA THEN GIVES HER PROFESSION OF FAITH…DECLARATION OF FAITH…MUCH LIKE PETER DID WHEN IN LAST WEEKS GOSPEL…JESUS ASKS “WHO DO “YOU” SAY THAT I AM”
- AND PETER RESPONDS…”YOU ARE THE MESSIAH…THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD!”
- MARTHA PROCLAIMS…”YOU ARE THE MESSIAH…THE SON OF GOD…THE ONE COMING INTO THE WORLD!”
- THEN MARTHA GOES BACK TO GET HER SISTER, MARY…TELLING HER THAT “THE TEACHER” IS CALLING FOR HER ALSO
- AND WHEN SHE HEARD THIS…SHE GOT UP QUICKLY AND WENT TO JESUS
- FINALLY WHEN MARY AND MARTHA COME BACK TO THE CEMETARY MARY FALLS AT THE FEET OF JESUS AND SAYS:
- “LORD…IF YOU HAD ONLY BEEN HERE MY BROTHER WOULDN’T HAVE DIED!
- THEN JESUS SEES MARY WEEPING AND ALL THE OTHERS ALSO WEEPING….WE ARE TOLD THAT
- HE WAS “GREATLY DISTURBED” AND JESUS BEGINS TO WEEP ALSO
- AS MOST OF YOU KNOW “JESUS WEPT” IS THE SHORTEST VERSE IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE
- JESUS IN THE MIDST OF HIS GRIEF…ORDERS THE STONE TO BE ROLLED AWAY…AND YOU CAN IMAGINE ALL EYES WERE ON THAT NOW OPENED TOMB
- JESUS THEN DOES WHAT…”HE PRAYS TO HIS FATHER”
- PRAYING THAT ALL THOSE THAT WILL WITNESS THIS MIRACLE WILL BELIEVE THAT GOD SENT JESUS
- THEN AFTER PRAYING …WE ARE TOLD THAT WITH A “LOUD” VOICE JESUS SAYS…”LAZARUS…COME OUT!”
- AND AS YOU ALL KNOW…LAZARUS CAME OUT DRESSED IN HIS BURIAL CLOTHS
- THEN JESUS TELLS THEM TO “UNBIND HIM…AND LET HIM GO!”
- BIG QUESTION STILL REMAINS…”WHY THE THREE DAY DELAY?”
- MOST THEOLOGIANS SPECULATE THAT JESUS DELAYED FOR SO LONG BECAUSE IT WAS A PRECURSER OF HIS OWN RESURRECTION…WHERE HE SPENT THREE DAYS IN THE TOMB
- OK…BUT HAVEN’T YOU EVER WONDERED WHY DID JESUS SPEND THREE DAYS IN THE TOMB BEFORE HIS RESURRECTION?
- WHAT WAS JESUS DOING FOR THOSE THREE DAYS!
- THE BOOK OF 1ST PETER CLAIMS THAT THE DEAD JESUS WENT TO HADES.HELL AND PREACHED TO ALL THOSE WHO HADN’T THE CHANCE TO HEAR HIM IN LIFE.
- THIS IS JACK’S INTERPRETATION ON THE THREE DAY DELAY FOR HIS RESURRECTION
- DEVIL…PARTY GOING ON…JESUS ENTERS INTO HELL AND TAPS SATAN ON HIS BACK AND DECLARES…”SATAN…YOU LOSE!”
- AGAIN…THIS VERY IMPATIENT PERSON CONTINUES TO ASK…”WHY THE DELAY?”
- I THINK ABOUT HOW OFTEN GOD “WAITS…DELAYS” BEFORE ANSWERING PRAYERS
- MOSES…CHILDREN OF ISRAEL…WAITED 400 YEARS TO DELIVER THEM FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT…CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGE THE AMOUNT OF PRAYERS THAT MUST HAVE GONE UP DURING THAT TIME?
- I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU…I FIND IT HARD TO “WAIT FOR GOD!”
- I HAVE LITTLE PATIENCE EVEN HERE AT ST. JOHN’S…I WANT THIS SANCTUARY TO BE FILLED WITH DISCPLIES OF JESUS WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENTS….AND THEN “GO AND PROCLAIM JESUS TO THE WORLD!”
- I PRAY THIS REQUEST OVER AND OVER..AND YET I STILL SEE PLENTY OF EMPTY SEATS
- HOW OFTEN HAVE I HEARD MEMBERS SAY THAT THEIR SON…DAUGHTER…GRANDCHILD…WHO HAVE BEEN RAISED IN THE CHURCH ARE “NO LONGER A CHRISTIAN!”
- AND WITH AGE AND SOME WISDOM…I HAVE GAINED A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR GOD TAKING GOD’S OWN GOOD TIME”…I HAVE RESPONDED TO THEIR PAIN…AND SAID…”NOT YET!”
- WHEN I FINALLY “RETIRED” FROM MY OFFICIAL MINISTRY AFTER 45 YEARS…I WAS OFTEN ASKED..
- “WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR LEGACY?”
- I RESPONDED…”GOD ONLY KNOWS!”
- I MEANT THAT AND STILLL DO…IT IS UP TO GOD TO MAKE OUR LIVES MEAN SOMETHING BEYOND OUR TIME.
- OUR LEGACY IS UP TO GOD
- I MAY STILL BE “IMPATIENT”…BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT GOD WILL ALWAYS LEAD…AND GOD WILL ALWAYS BLESS…”IF”…WE ARE PATIENT AND SECURE IN THIS TRUTH….THAT “NOTHING…NOTHING…NOTHING WILL EVER BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD…THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!”
(ABLE STAND AND SING #666..”WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS!”
