Our Sermons

Pastor: Pastor Berg
Bible Passage: John 11:17-27, 38-45
Sermon Date:  March 29, 2020

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She had every reason to ask the question. It seemed like she had done so many things right. When no one else was listening, she heard the words of this man from Nazareth. When one one else cared, she was hearing his message preached again and again about the kingdom of heaven drawing near. And she began to believe exactly what he said: that the kingdom of God was in fact, here, in the person of this one man, Jesus of Nazareth. She became convinced that everything he said was true, that he had come to be her Savior. She believed every word he spoke. And so she had every reason to ask the question. When the rest of the upper crust of Jerusalem was missing the picture, she didn’t. When no one else was there to support Jesus, she did. She opened her home, she opened her heart. When everyone else was ready to abandon Jesus, she was going to stand by him. She had done so many things well, and so Martha had every reason in the world to ask the question: “Why Jesus? Why would you let this happen? Of all people, Jesus, why me?

You know friends, each of you who sit inside of God’s house today have every reason to ask the same question today. Every reason. For you are sitting in your  homes in front of your screen today because you also believe the words of that man from Nazareth. You sit here today when you could be sleeping or making breakfast because you believe that the kingdom of God didn’t just draw near, it came in the person of Jesus. You sit here today to give praise to his name and support the work of his ministry because of one reason, and one reason only: you believe every word he said, right? You believe that he holds the universe in the palm of his hand and that he’s got everything under his control, and so yes, you of all people have every reason to ask that question, “Why, Lord?” When that blow comes that you never saw coming. When that difficulty springs up and knocks you off your feet. When life’s challenges and hardships are seemingly more than you can bear and it seems like everyone else is getting off easy, you of all people, friends, you’ve got every reason to ask: “Why, Lord? Why me Lord? I mean, you have my heart, you have my life. I trust you, Lord? Why would you let this happen to me?”

For Martha, the nightmare started when her brother got sick. He seemed to be getting sicker and sicker and not better, no matter how well she and her sister, Mary, took care of him. I wonder how long it was before she and her sister began to wonder if this was more than just sickness, that this could kill him. But as soon as that thought entered their minds, they knew what to do. They’d send for Jesus. Because if they knew one thing about Jesus, sickness didn’t stand a chance when Jesus came around. This was the guy they saw heal sick people like that–lame people can walk, blind people can see–this little sickness that Lazarus has, we won’t have to worry about it at all. Let’s just get Jesus here. So they sent a messenger to Jesus. And the message is simple, but you can feel the seriousness of the situation. The message said simply, “Lord, the one you love is sick!” Now they sent that message because they believed and they knew that Jesus could make a difference. They weren’t just telling him so that he would know Lazarus wasn’t feeling well. Inherent in that message was a plea: “Can you come, Lord? Can you come and heal him?

When Jesus heard that message, he spoke some words that probably made everyone calm down a bit. Jesus said, “This sickness is not going to result in death, but it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” And all the disciples who probably knew Mary and Martha and Lazarus well, all settled back down. Ok, Lazarus is going to be fine. Jesus is going to make it all better. And then Jesus did something really, really odd: he did nothing. He sat right there for two more days. Two more days, while Mary and Martha sat beside their brother as he grew weaker and weaker and finally stopped breathing, and he died. We can imagine what those ladies were going through: the tears and the mourning, and the funeral and the burial. They were likely surrounded by friends, but that doesn’t alway help the hurt inside, does it.

Two days later, Jesus says to his disciples: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.” And the disciples gave one of those great responses in the Bible. Whenever the Bible gives us a picture of the disciples before Pentecost, they aren’t the sharpest spiritual knives in the drawer. They weren’t particularly spiritually bright before Pentecost. In fact, they often look like that kid who is stuck inside pushing on the pull door. They were like, “Jesus, if he’s sleeping, that means he’s going to get better.” And so Jesus has to be completely blunt. “Lazarus is dead.” Let’s go.

The Bible paints such an emotional picture about Jesus arriving at Bethany. There’s weeping and wailing everywhere. Twice we’re told that Jesus was deeply moved. But that doesn’t really paint the full picture. The word used to describe Jesus’ emotions was one of anger and indignation mixed with sympathy. Jesus was angry at the whole situation. Righteously angry at what sin had done. It’s almost a picture of someone gearing themselves up for conflict. But before we even get to that point, Martha finds out that Jesus has come and she goes out to meet him. And the first words she says to him, do you remember them from the lesson? “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She had every reason to ask the question, “Why, Lord? Why weren’t you here? Why Lord, didn’t you come? Lord, I saw you heal people all over the countryside, why didn’t you come and heal Lazarus, your friend?” Remember, he wasn’t just their Savior, he was their friend. She has every reason to ask the question precisely because she believed in him. Precisely because she believed he had the power to solve this problem. Precisely because she believed he had all the love in his heart for her and her brother. That’s why she says: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

I tell you what, I think you and I are a lot like Martha. When trouble comes into our life, we ask that question, “Why?” But we do it still with faith in the God we’re talking to. That’s what Martha was doing. She asked the question why, but she asked it in faith, knowing Jesus had the power and the love to fix the problem. So she asked him why. I think it’s the same with us. We ask God why these things happen in our life and it’s not because we don’t believe him. We wouldn’t ask him if we didn’t think he was there to answer us. We wouldn’t be asking if we didn’t think he had a reason. We’ve got every reason to ask the question and Jesus isn’t afraid of it either. He answered Martha right away. “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha says, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the Last Day.” She was listening. She’d been hearing everything Jesus had to say. But then Jesus says something else. He said, “No, no Martha, you don’t understand at all yet.” He spoke words meant not just to give her comfort and hope, but to give us peace. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish.” Martha, you know that I’ve raised people from the dead before, but I’m more than that. I don’t just give resurrection, I am resurrection and I am life. I am the solution to sin and death. I am the answer to everything that man has failed. I am the one thing that can set this world right again. And if anyone believes in me, he will live, even if he dies.” “Do you believe this?” And Martha says, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

Did you hear that? She got it all! At a time when the religious leaders didn’t believe a stitch about Jesus; at a time when the disciples were still stuck inside pushing on the pull door, she got it all! She said, “I believe that you are the one anointed by God to solve this problem. I believe not only that, but that you are the Son of God who took on flesh so that you could be my Savior.  “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” She believed it all. And armed with that faith, she took her Savior to the tomb, a place of defeat and death. But Jesus the Lord of life, said, “Take away the stone.” But Martha objected, because death has an ugly face after four days. But Jesus would not be deterred. He was going to show everyone, and especially Martha, that she had every reason to ask the question. He was going to show these people once and for all that death was not the one in charge here. He was going to show these people once and for all that death can no longer hold onto the people of God. And so Jesus cried, “Lazarus, come out!” And a dead man walked. A man who had been buried for four days, stood up and lived. A man who had been wrapped in the clothes of the grave, was slowly unwrapped and given back to his family. Death came face to face with the Lord of life and death ran away in defeat. 

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” and Lazarus was walking and talking and living and breathing proof. Friends, we have every reason to ask Jesus the question, “why?” when trouble comes into our life and hardship is found in our heart and grief is on my soul. We’ve got every reason to ask Jesus, “why?” because we believe everything about him. We know that he loves us more than anything and that he’s got power over everything. So, we’ve got every reason to ask the question, “Why, Lord? Why would you let this happen to me?” We’ve got every reason to ask the question, but, let’s be very, very careful about how we ask it.

Because here’s what the Devil would like to do to you. When trouble comes into your life, the Devil would love for you to ask that question while you walk away from Jesus. He would love to have you ask that question as you walk away thinking about the raw deal you got. He would love to have you ask that question as you walk away from Jesus thinking that this God must not be worth it. He would love that! Friends, Jesus is not afraid of your questions, but let’s ask them like Martha did–going to Jesus. She didn’t take it home to her broken heart, she didn’t take it back to her empty house, she took her question to Jesus and he answered. He told her, “Why did this happen Martha?  “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” And as she stood there with her sister Mary, with her arms wrapped around her brother, she got it. She understood that even in this, God was given glory. Brothers and sisters, we’ve got every reason to ask the question because we know the power and love that Jesus has. The power that was able to raise a dead man means that he’s got the power to take whatever trouble is in your life and find a way that you may glorify God through it. That you may glorify God through it! Not in spite of it, not in opposition to it, but through it. 

I don’t know when that’s going to be. If it’s going to be tomorrow, or next month, or one day in heaven, but he promises you that he will do it. Yes, we have every reason to ask the question because we believe him. We believe him when he says, “I am the resurrection and the life,” and that Lazarus’ tomb wasn’t the only empty one. Jesus’ was too! Tombs that are empty are no longer places of defeat, but victory! Standing next to Lazarus’ tomb after he walked out was a place to joy and hope; a place of new life! When we stand next to Jesus’ empty tomb, he makes you a promise: in this too, he will be glorified. In this too, we will look and stand like Mary and Marth with their arms around Lazarus and say, “I understand. Now, I understand, Lord.” “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish.” Amen.