PUTTING IT TO THE TEST

John 11: 17-28 (1-45)

March 17, 2002

Fifth Sunday of Lent

About six years ago last Veteran’s Day, my sister, brother and I gathered at my parent’s home. They were living near Gig Harbor at the time. My father had been having some irregular heart rhythm problems and losing weight. Though we were hopeful that he would recover and live many more years, it was time for the immediate family to get together and talk. You know – the talk you need to have but always want to avoid. It was just the five of us: mom and dad and us three children. Mom and Dad shared their wishes and desires about their final days, their wills, and their advanced directives regarding health care when they were no longer able to make decisions. We had a clear understanding of their desires. There were tears; there were hugs; there were frank and straightforward questions with straightforward answers; there were times of silence; we concluded in a big family hug and prayer. It was heavy, almost more than I wanted to bear, but I’m glad we did it.

This service isn’t a funeral or memorial service nor is it Easter Sunday – that is still two weeks away - but the Gospel reading for today is one that is often quoted at those times. Yet, the time to talk about those deep matters is when the skies are still blue and filled with sunshine, and not when the storm clouds have already gathered and we are caught in the thunderstorm of life with no shelter.

Mary and Martha were close friends with Jesus; they have a brother Lazarus who is dying. They send for Jesus to come and heal him before he dies. Jesus appears to delay intentionally a few days; Lazarus dies and then Jesus heads for Bethany. He has been dead 4 days. When greeted by Martha and then by Mary, they both say, "If you only had been here he would not have died." But just like in other situations in the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the moment to show God’s glory and power.

At that time tradition stated that the spirit of the dead person hovered over the body for three days waiting to see if there might still be life, but after three days, the spirit would depart. The story is also clear to say that it was four days and that body decay would have already begun. In other words, Lazarus was dead; this is not a resuscitation story.

Jesus comments to Martha, "Your brother will rise again." She responds, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." This expresses the Jewish belief that there is one resurrection of the dead at the very end of time. All souls wait for that final day to be raised. Jesus then expresses what is one of the most profound statements in the entire four Gospel accounts. "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." Martha expresses her faith in response, "I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."

A few verses later Jesus is standing in front of the sealed tomb, a cave with a large rock in front of the opening. Jesus tells them to take away the stone. Martha, the one who just a few moments previous has stated faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, balked – he has been dead 4 days; his body is decaying. We know the facts of life. But Jesus is putting her faith to the test. If he is the resurrection and the life then he has power over death.

We can talk in sermons, Sunday School lessons, Bible studies and in the reading of books about faith – God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, salvation, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, baptism, and so on. And all that may be well and good, yet, Jesus asked a different question: "Do you believe in me?" Faith is not an assent to a series of faith statements but assent to a relationship. Our faith is not grounded in a set doctrine, but in a relationship. Jesus challenged Martha to move from a belief about the resurrection that she had learned from her tradition to a belief in a relationship with the person standing in front of her. Jesus forever alters the experience of life and death.

We live in a society that does not handle death very well. Maybe September 11 has changed that. With our modern science and technology we live much longer with more quality of years than any other people in history. We can make ourselves look younger with surgery and cosmetics; we focus on youth and young bodies and are not sure how to cope with people who live long lives. We live in a denial of death, and so when it does come knocking at our door we are often ill prepared.

The Apostle Paul expressed the issues death as the final enemy, the ultimate enemy that must be defeated – death, not just in physical terms but total separation from God due to sin. In Jesus Christ, sin that separates us from God dies with Jesus on the cross. The final enemy is defeated.

A couple of years ago Keith & Keith Funeral Home called on me to officiate at a funeral for a person who had not church ties, no pastor. I do a few of those every year. After the service as I was riding in the coach to the cemetery, I commented to the funeral director, "You can sure tell that the family has no strong relationship with God or church ties." The funeral director commented, "You can spot it every time; there is a big difference." The attitude of the family toward the service and what they want said, the attitude towards the deceased, the emotional pain of separation; it is obvious.

Not that the pain of the loss of a loved one is any less, not that there are less tears, but through the years the faith relationship with Jesus Christ of a Christian totally refocuses the meaning of life. And that impacts the relationship they have with that loved one and friend. The life-giving power of God in Jesus Christ determines for a Christian the definition of existence and life, not the power of death. It is living that relationship with Jesus Christ day in and day out – through sunshine and clouds – that enables us to stand in front of the grave and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. As one author put it, "The relevance of faith lies not in the power of faith as such, but in the fact that faith creates communion with Jesus and that through Jesus believers receive the gift of life." (NIB, commentary)

When my father died suddenly just over a year ago, I wasn’t ready, but yet I was. I knew my father’s wishes; I knew his faith. His 79 years were lived in a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord; it wasn’t just doctrine, it wasn’t just the spouting of scripture passages; it wasn’t a show. It was his life. It wasn’t how he stated his faith towards the end of his life that spoke volumes; it was how he had lived his entire life. I saw it every day – his prayer life, his values, his priorities, his sharing with others, his financial giving to others, his helping people who needed a listening ear.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." Jesus wasn’t just talking about dying he was talking about living. Resurrection is all about how we live our lives, about how we live, about our attitudes and values towards self and others and the things of this earth, it is a relationship with Jesus that gives life meaning. He asked Martha, "Do you believe this?"

What is your response? Are you living your life in a relationship with Jesus Christ? Even if you were baptized years ago and been active in church, do you need to rethink your relationship? Do you believe this?