Presented to the Nipawin Corps, 25 January 2009
614 Warehouse Mission Corps, 02 April 2017
Alberni Valley
Ministries, 21 September 2025
By Major Michael Ramsay
This is the
2025 Version, to view the original click here:
https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/01/john-1117-27-giving-hope-today.html
Della’s
memorial service is October 18th. The passage of Scripture that we
are looking at today takes place around a memorial service, a funeral. Funerals
are an important part of life. I say life because they are really for the
living rather than the dead. Funerals are for those of us who are left behind
rather than for those of us who go on ahead, of course. They are where we
comfort those who mourn and celebrate the hope of the future resurrection (Matt
5:4; Acts 23:6; 24:15, 25; 1 Cor 15, Phil 3:11,12; 1 Pet 1:3, 3:21;Rev 20:4-6).
Funerals
are a way for us to grieve our own loss even as we recognise that the ones we
love who love the Lord are bound for a better place. We can share the hope for
the future resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6; 24:15, 25; 1 Cor 15, Phil
3:11,12; 1 Pet 1:3, 3:21;Rev 20:4-6).
What
is happening in our text today is not unlike today’s funerals but it takes
place in first century Palestine. The family and friends have all gathered. It
has some things similar to contemporary services. It takes friends and family a
while to arrive at the home of the bereaved. In our day people usually have a
lot farther to travel but, in those days, instead of catching the ferry to
Bethany or the first flight out of Nazareth, they had to walk; so, it took a
while for some people to get there. Because of travel time and other factors,
they would gather for a period of days.
Like
we sometimes hire pianists or funeral directors, people in first century
Palestine sometimes hired professional mourners so there may have been
professional mourners present. If there were, they are already at the house
with everyone else. The home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, is full of friends
and family and others; they are just waiting for the teacher. They are just
waiting for their friend – their very close friend. They are just waiting for
Jesus and his entourage (companions) to arrive.
Now
Jesus wasn’t very far away (10:40-42) – about 20 miles[1] - the
distance between here and Cameron Lake - when he heard the news that his friend
was ill but he didn’t rush to see him (11:1-6). He had his reasons for this
(11:15) and his disciples are certainly concerned that if Jesus does go back to
Bethany now, where Mary and Marth live and where Lazarus is buried, he might be
killed (11:8) but to his credit, the disciple Thomas is willing and eager to
lay down his life with Jesus since Jesus (in his own time) is determined to go
to see Mary, Martha (his friends) and their family (11:16). It is in this
context that our story opens up today, John 11:17-20:
On
his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four
days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to
Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard
that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
We
can picture this; we can identify with this, can’t we? The crowds are all at
the house. Mary and Martha are there. There are inevitably people preparing
food, people talking, people eating. There are all sorts of people going in and
coming out, offering their support and comfort. Most people are probably at
Mary and Martha’s home already but family and friends are still arriving – then
like now some people are later than others.
In
our world today it would be as if, with all this going on, they hear that Jesus
and his companions have just arrived at the ferry terminal or the airport and
Martha goes out to meet them while Mary stays home to keep an eye on all the
friends and family and everything else that is happening at the home front. But
look how Martha greets Jesus. Jesus has just arrived to see his friends and the
friends and family of his recently deceased friend and how does Lazarus’
sister, how does Jesus' friend Martha, greet him?[2]
Verses
21 and 22: “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother
would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you
ask of Him.” At first she reproaches Jesus[3] –
she says, Vs. 21, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
This
is interesting. It really expresses two things. 1) She had the
hope, she has the faith that Jesus could have saved
her brother from dying – you know that she and her sister have probably been
praying for that. And 2) she is angry, upset, or not happy anyway that Jesus
did not come right away even though they sent for him in plenty of time.
He
did not answer her request right away. His friend and her brother was dying.
Martha, Mary and Lazarus all have a strong personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. Mary and Martha don’t want their brother to die but Jesus doesn’t come
when they want him to come. Jesus doesn’t come to heal Lazarus, their brother
(11:6), who loves him (11:5). Jesus, who could have saved him, let her brother
die (11:14,15,21).
Today
this is not an uncommon charge against our Lord is it? Particularly when young
people are affected; I have certainly heard of people who ask this very
question: ‘How can a loving God let this sort of thing happen?’ These are the
kind of things that Martha is demanding of Jesus. She asks him, ‘How could you
– who say that you love me – how could you let my brother die?’ She reproaches
him. She is grieving.
When
I first preached on this text 16 years ago, in 2009; there was a significant
story about grieving in the news that has some chilling parallels to what is
going on in the world today. It was all over the media. I read the tragic story
of Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish[4] on
CBC.ca.[5]
The following is a paraphrase of that account.
Dr.
Abu al-Aish,a peace activist and a Palestinian doctor in Gaza, openly spoke to
Israeli television as his community was being invaded by the Israeli forces. He
reported the suffering there in nightly interviews with Israel's Channel 10.
Friday
night, he was speaking with an Israeli news correspondent when Israeli soldiers
launched two shells directly into his own home. Everyone listening could hear
him wail. "My daughters!" he screams. "Oh, God, my
daughters!" he cries as the Israeli forces kill his niece and his three
daughters live on TV.
Before
his community was invaded, Dr Abu al-Aish had already been planning to move his
family for start fresh in Canada, but not soon enough as no one in Gaza is
immune to the brutality of the invasion which left in excess of six thousand
Palestinian causalities – more than 1800 of those children.[6] (this was in 2009 remember – in the last
few months. Isreal has murdered more than ten times that number of people)
The
horror and the terror of this event does not end here for the good doctor.
Eighteen members of his extended family were in the house at the time it was
attacked. [on live TV
by the Israeli Army]
An
Israeli television correspondent choked up as the doctor's cries were broadcast
across the nation. The cameras followed the reporter as he appealed to the
soldiers to get an ambulance to the scene, at least to help the others who were
wounded. They don’t usually help Palestinians in this way but Dr. Abu al-Aish
was able to transfer two of his injured daughters to an Israeli hospital. Probably because of the media presence, the
Israeli army for the first time allowed a Palestinian ambulance to go straight
to the Erez border crossing, where they were then transferred to be taken by to
a hospital in Tel Aviv.
Now
much of Abu al-Aish's world has been shattered. His wife had died six months
ago but then there was hope for the future of the rest of the family, and he
said that at the very time of the attack, he was sitting there with them, his
daughters, planning, because he got an offer in Canada, from the University of
Toronto.
Now
they are dead and even while he was in the hospital grieving for his daughters
and speaking - even on TV calling for peace instead of war - even while all
this is happening an Israeli man visiting the hospital begins to verbally
attack at him – blaming Dr. Abu al-Aish and his countrymen for the loss of his
own daughters. Even as this man was forgiving the killers of his children, a
bigot was blaming him for his troubles.
Where
is God in all this? Why did God not come and save this man's family?
Why
did Jesus not come and save Lazarus? This is what Martha is asking Jesus in her
distraught state after having just lost her only brother. But this isn't where
she leaves her questioning.
This
is important. Even in her grief, even in her distress she doesn’t end her
approach with this reproach. Instead, after she says, “if you had been here, my
brother would not have died,” she says, “But I know that even now
God will give you whatever you ask of Him.”
This
is important. Even now, in the midst of her grief, even now
in the midst of her suffering even now, Martha believes; even
now Martha has hope; even now Martha has faith in God and
she even now believes that God will give Jesus whatever he asks
of Him.
Now
Lazarus has been dead for four days. Respected Johnine scholar Gail O’ Day
tells us that, “according to popular Jewish belief at the time of Jesus, the
soul hovered around the body in the grave for three days after
death, hoping to re-enter the body. But after the third day, when
the soul ‘sees that the colour of its face has changed;’ the soul leaves the
body for Good.”[7] It is now that fourth day. All those present
know that Lazarus is indeed dead.
Verse
23: Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha does believe in
Jesus but she knows that Lazarus is dead and she is sad so it is no wonder that
she interprets Jesus’ words as comfort and a hope in the final resurrection (as
opposed to an immanent resurrection) – and she is not yet fully realising (how
could she?) what is about to happen. Verse 24, Martha answered, “I know he will
rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
The
people of first century Palestine – with the exception of the Sadducees – knew
that there would be this resurrection “on the last day.” Martha knows that on
the last day the dead will rise, like we know that on the last day the dead
will rise and the dead in Christ will be the first to be raised. Martha here,
you will notice, even in her grief, even in her distress, Martha shows her
belief, her faith, her hope in God. She doesn’t just believe in a nebulous idea
that Lazarus is in some unknown ‘better place’ or that he has gotten wings or a
harp or something like that. Martha hopes that – like all of us – She knows
that Lazarus will rise on the last day. Martha has this hope in the
resurrection of the dead.
Now,
of course, we know that this truth isn’t all that Jesus is speaking about.
Jesus is speaking about something different and even more immediate as well -
but Martha, who couldn’t possibly be expected to know that, is showing that she
believes in Christ in the midst of her suffering.
Verses
25 and 26: ‘Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes
in me will never die. Do you believe this?"’
To
this she responds with the clearest declaration of faith to this point in
John’s account of the gospel. Verse 27: "Yes, Lord," she told him,
"I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into
the world."
Martha
believes in Jesus and we know that Jesus will do even more. We know that he
will even raise Lazarus before the final day. Jesus reveals to us the truth
that indeed he is the resurrection. He is the one who gives us hope and he is
the one in whom we should place our hope.
Do
we believe? Do we have the faith of Martha (and of Mary)? Do we have the same
hope in the resurrection of the dead? Do we believe that even now, in the midst
of our own sufferings, that Jesus can pull us through? Do we have this hope
today? Do we believe? Do we believe in Jesus?
For
those who remember the story of Job, you know how everything that Job could
have ever of hoped for was realised in the end: he had possessions, status, and
family restored unto him - even more than before - and a renewed spirit, a
renewed hope and faith in God.
Jesus,
as we read in the rest of this chapter, raises Lazarus from the dead fulfilling
more than they could possibly hope for.
And
Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish leaves us with these thoughts even as he was being
verbally assaulted on live TV: He says, "From our pain we can learn,"
he said. "We may disagree, but we should learn from that… It's beneficial
to us all."
During
the whole invasion to that point, the invaders had remained largely unmoved by
the death of women, children, men, and the destruction in Gaza, but as Dr. Abu
al-Aish's story was followed closely by every Israeli news agency, it struck a
chord: A man who has lost almost everything still has hope that Israelis and
Palestinians can live in peace.
"Maybe
the blood of my daughters was the price," he said, "and if it was, I
am happy about it. The cost of ceasefire to save lives to be my daughters' and
my niece's blood — honestly, I am proud of it. I am fully proud of it."
Now
we know that this ceasefire didn’t last. Israel persists in killing children
and others today, 16 plus years later, the genocide continues. He paid the
price of his daughters for a temporary peace.
And
Lazarus died again. Even after the miraculous resurrection. Lazarus died.
God’s
Son, Jesus, died too but He did not die for a temporary peace. He died for a
permanent peace. Jesus will not die again. Jesus rose from the dead so that one
day, we may all raise to eternal life – where there is no more death, no more
sin, no more sadness, no more injury, no more illness, no more pain.
God,
Jesus, died and rose again so we now have that hope and, as followers of Jesus,
since we have that hope, it is our responsibility to live in that hope and to share
hope – Just like the good doctor did. May we all do that. And as we do, may we all
experience the love and peace of Christ for evermore.
John
11:24-25: Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes
in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will
never die. Do you believe this?"’
May
we all believe and respond like Martha, Verse 27: "Yes, Lord, … I believe
that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
Let
us pray.
[1]Merrill C. Tenney. The Expositor's
Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:John/Exposition of John/ The
conversation with Martha and Mary (11:17-37), Book Version: 4.0.2: the death of
Lazarus must have occurred not long after Jesus was first informed of his
illness. The trip each way would have taken not much less than a day's travel
since Bethany was more than twenty miles distant from Jesus' refuge in Perea.
[2]Cf. , Gail O’Day, “John” in NIB IX, Ed. Leander E Keck (Abingdon
Press Nashville, 1995), 688.
[3]Cf. Gail
O’Day, 688, and Merrill C. Tenney, The Expositor's
Bible Commentary, Pradis
CD-ROM:John/Exposition of John/ The conversation with Martha and Mary
(11:17-37), Book Version: 4.0.2.
[4] Live
video: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=655_1232202860
[5]Before
ceasefire, Gaza doctor's grief was heard on live Israeli TV 'Oh, God, my
daughters!' he cried after Israeli shells hit house Last Updated: Sun, Jan
18/09 10:29 PM ET With files from AP: www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/01/18/gaza-doctor.ht
[6] UN: …the death toll stood at 1,003, with 4,482 people
wounded. Mr. Ging has previously called Palestinian casualties figures
credible, with 42 per cent of the dead and nearly 50 per cent of the injured
listed as women and children – mostly children. (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29543&Cr=gaza&Cr1=&Kw1=palestinian&Kw2=deaths&Kw3=)
[7]Gail O’Day, “John” in NIB IX, Ed. Leander E Keck (Abingdon
Press Nashville, 1995), 687.
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