The Power to Bring New Life
John 11: 17-44
March 23, 2025
What’s a person to do?
We look around and we see so much wrong about our world. Everything that’s happening in Washington DC. Everything that’s happening with the rich and powerful. Everything that’s happening in the Middle East. Everything that’s happening in Ukraine. Everything that’s happening even in our own families and communities.
At times it seems the whole world is going to hell.
What’s a person to do?
It’s easy to get discouraged. We see so much wrong and we lose hope. We become negative and cynical. All we think about and talk about is how bad it is.
I read the 11th chapter of John and I see Jesus responding differently.
Jesus doesn’t get discouraged.
Let’s see what Jesus does. I believe it’s what Jesus Christ is still doing today.
We’ve been traveling through the gospel of John. I encourage you to read along at home. Today, we’re looking at chapter 11.
The story today is about Lazarus of Bethany. Jesus gets a message that this friend of his is sick. He delays his visit until he realizes that Lazarus has died. Then Jesus decides to go back to Bethany. Unfortunately, there are many near this town outside of Jerusalem that want to see Jesus dead. As a result, Thomas says to the other disciples, “Come on. Let’s go with Jesus so we can die with him.”
Thomas is willing to go near Jerusalem even though it is dangerous. But he is discouraged. He doesn’t believe there is any hope for them to survive a trip there.
Maybe you’ve been like Thomas. Maybe you’ve gotten discouraged lately. Maybe it’s been hard to see any hope.
Another person who has become discouraged is Martha, the brother of Lazarus. Imagine if she told her story:
I’m sitting in the corner of the bedroom. My bedding is all twisted up in a pile on the floor. I don’t care. My hair hasn’t been brushed and I haven’t washed in days. I don’t care. People come by and ask if they can do anything. I just say, “I don’t care.” A few bring food and sit and cry with me. I don’t care.
My brother Lazarus is dead. He died here. In this house. My sister and I were with him those last days. We watched him grow yellow and gaunt. We watched him grow weaker until he couldn’t talk.
That last evening, my sister and I anointed him with a sweet-smelling oil. We couldn’t stop crying. We tried to remember things we had done together. We whispered the stories. We hoped he could hear us.
We watched him take his last breath, late into the night. Holding each other, Mary and I cried for dear life until morning.
At dawn we announced his death. The mourners gathered. They came, tearing their garments, sobbing, and screaming so shrilly that I almost couldn’t stand it.
Certain women wrapped Lazarus in long linen strips. Men brought a funeral bier (beer). A long procession formed at the door of our home. Our good friends carried the bier and the corpse high in the air. My sister and I followed behind. The procession ended up at the place of the tombs on the edge of our town of Bethany.
The burial was three days ago. I retreated to this bedroom of mine after that.
Here my memories of Lazarus flash through my mind. All the times we spent together. I remember the trips. I remember the dinners. I remember the times we laughed together. I remember what Lazarus did to show he loved us. I remember the anniversaries and birthdays and holidays we celebrated together.
It’s hard to imagine that Lazarus is gone. I’m so depressed and discouraged.
Four days after we buried him, Jesus shows up. Jesus says: “Your brother will live again.”
I say, “He will be raised to life on the last day.” I’m focused on heaven. I’m thinking about seeing Lazarus again one day when we all are raised up and go to heaven.
If I, Mike Tupper, was Martha, that’s what I’d be thinking about as well. If my brother just died, I’d be thinking about him being in heaven.
But in this case, Jesus has something different in mind.
Jesus is not discouraged. Jesus is not focused on heaven.
Notice what happens next.
Jesus says, “I am the one who raises the dead to life. I am the resurrection and I am life. Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die.”
Jesus didn’t say, “I will raise the dead to life.” He’s not talking about taking people to heaven in the future. He’s talking about bringing new life here and now. This new life can never be snuffed out, even by the most powerful force in the world – death.
Jesus doesn’t get discouraged.
Jesus doesn’t focus on heaven.
Jesus talks about having the power to bring new life in the midst of the worst this world is throwing at us.
Jesus goes on to say, “Everyone who has faith in me will live. Everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die.”
Jesus’ new life is inside each of us who faithfully follow Him. Jesus’ new life inside us changes us. It also begins to change the world around us.
The story moves on. Eventually, Jesus, Mary, Martha, the disciples, and other friends of Lazarus go to the tomb of Lazarus. This is a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance. Jesus tells the people to roll the stone away. But Martha says, “Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days and there will be a bad smell.”
I imagine I would say something similar if I was in Martha’s shoes.
In our day, as someone talks about hope and change and new life and love, we say, “But let’s be realistic here. The stench of this place is just too bad. It’s really hopeless. As you can see, we are way past any chance of turning this around.”
Jesus replies: “Didn’t I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?”
After the stone was rolled away and Jesus finished praying, he shouts: “Lazarus, come out.”
The man who had been dead actually came out. His hands and his feet are wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covers his face.
Jesus tells the people, “Untie him and let him go.”
Jesus has the power to bring new life to the dead. This same Jesus wants to bring new life to us and to our world today.
Jesus knows how discouraged and depressed and overwhelmed we can sometimes get. Jesus wants to give us hope and new life in the midst of everything we have to face.
It’s not hopeless. Jesus can make a difference. If Jesus can bring Lazarus to life, He can change the life of anyone and he can change the life of our world.
Jesus wants to save our country and world. Things can change. People can change. Families can change. This country can change. The whole world can change … Because of Jesus Christ.
Notice what happens next in the story. As Jesus does this amazing miracle of bringing someone back from death, some start plotting Jesus’ death. For every good that happens, there is usually resistance. Even the loving, caring Jesus finds resistance, not because of anything he does wrong. But resistance comes because of the good work he’s doing.
Jesus finds out about this plot against his life. But it doesn’t stop him. It doesn’t discourage him. He returns back to Bethany right before the Passover for what we know will be his last week.
Jesus doesn’t force himself on anyone. People can choose to fight against him, against God’s way. Sometimes these are people who seem very religious – like the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day.
If we take up Jesus’ work of bringing new life, we can expect opposition. Just like Jesus faced.
It seems the world is going to hell in a handbasket.
We can get discouraged.
We can focus on heaven.
Or we can let the power of Jesus bring us new life here today.
We can let Jesus bring new life to our situations. We can let Jesus bring new life to our families. We can let Jesus bring new life to our country and our world.
Jesus is calling out to us, “Come out. Come out of that cave of death.”
Will we walk out and let Jesus bring that new life?
God wants to do some amazing things in our lives and in our world. He’s making it possible, starting today.
Let’s come out of our caves of death.
Amen!
