Sermon on John 11:32-44
Pastor Jennifer Garcia
There are times this past year and a half that have felt like a tomb.
We went from being able to move about freely in the world to being encouraged to stay at home, remain 6 feet away from other people, cover our faces, and dwell in the uncertainty of a world affected by a pandemic.
What we thought would last two weeks has lasted a year and a half and more. Though the situation has changed over time, the end is not in sight.
We have lost loved ones, jobs, freedoms, opportunities for travel and celebrations with special people, and so much more.
Raise your hand if you know of anyone personally who has died of COVID.
Raise your hand if you know of anyone who has died in the last two years.
Raise your hand if your job or finances have been affected by COVID.
Raise your hand if a wedding, graduation, vacation, or other event you were looking forward to was canceled or moved online because of COVID.
We’ve all been affected one way or another by COVID. We’re pretty much all grieving something. Some of us are grieving the death of loved ones. Some of us are grieving the loss of jobs or hopes or security or our understanding of the world.
All of that hurts.
There are times this past year and a half that have felt like a tomb.
And on this All Saints Sunday, we specifically remember the saints who have died before us. Some people we have missed for days or weeks; some for decades. Your grief may feel like a gaping wound or a gentle ache or a roller coaster of emotions with no way to stop and take a breath.
This Gospel story is full of emotions, too.
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Jesus was good friends with the siblings Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.
When Lazarus became sick, Mary and Martha sent the news to Jesus. And Jesus made the conscious choice to wait two days before traveling to Bethany to see him. Jesus’ disciples were worried, because Jesus’ life was in danger in Bethany, but Jesus insisted, and they agreed.
When they finally arrived, they were too late. Lazarus was already dead.
Martha goes out to greet Jesus, while Mary stays at home.
To me, it sounds like Martha is just barely containing herself as she confronts Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Jesus replies, “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha quickly backpedals, saying, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” She doesn’t know what’s coming, and she rushes to find a polite explanation—to cover up any anger she feels.
I wonder, though, if there were times when she felt like she was the one in a tomb instead of her brother.
When Jesus asks to see Mary, she tells him the exact same thing as Martha had: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
To me, this time those words sound different. I imagine her refusing to go with Martha to see Jesus. When Jesus asks to see her, she rushes out to meet him, and I imagine her boiling over with rage. Then, she utters the same words as her sister, but I imagine it as an accusation. And then she bursts into tears.
I wonder if Mary felt like she was in a tomb.
It must have been so hard for both Mary and Martha to see their brother get sick, to get their hopes up that their friend Jesus would come—Jesus, who had healed so many!—and then to wait, and wait, and wait, while their brother’s condition worsened, and no sign of Jesus. And then finally that last breath left Lazarus’s body. And Jesus still hadn’t come.
And then, days later, he finally showed up. What were they supposed to say to him? Jesus, who had healed so many, but wasn’t there when they needed him.
Maybe even their friendship felt like a tomb.
And what did Jesus do, when Mary was weeping at his feet?
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Jesus wept.
It’s famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible.
When confronted with Mary’s grief and anger, Jesus didn’t try to excuse his lateness or try to get her to stop crying.
He cried with her. With all of them—everyone who was grieving Lazarus’s death.
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And Jesus weeps with us, too.
Jesus weeps with us over every grief we experience.
We are never alone in our grief, no matter how much it feels that way.
Jesus weeps alongside us when we feel like we are in a tomb.
But he doesn’t leave us there.
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After Jesus weeps with Mary, he goes to the tomb and summons Lazarus out of it.
Now, of course, this is hard, because, for most of us, our loved ones don’t get brought back to life as we know it.
Some people experience miraculous healings and near-death experiences, but for most of us, we won’t see our loved ones again on this side of death.
So, it’s all well and good for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, because Jesus brings Lazarus back to life.
But what about us? What about our loved ones? It would be easier to celebrate All Saints Day if our loved ones weren’t the ones being remembered.
We, like Martha, who told Jesus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day,” know that in Jesus, our loved ones will have life after death. But that’s not the same as having our loved ones with us now. We miss them now.
And Jesus is with us in that grief, weeping as we weep, aching as we ache.
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But when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it wasn’t just about Lazarus or Mary or Martha.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus does 7 signs that point to the Reign of God. They’re not just miracles; they’re acts of power that point to something bigger. They give us glimpses of who God is and what the Reign of God will be like.
For example, in the signs of Jesus turning water into wine and feeding 5,000 people, we see God’s abundance and the celebration and joy that will be in the Reign of God.
And in signs of healing, we see that in God there is life and in the Reign of God we have life now and forever.
But people still weren’t getting it.
So, Jesus does this seventh sign to drive it home. In bringing Lazarus back from the dead, Jesus shows us that he is life for us now and forever.
In bringing Lazarus back from the dead, Jesus points to his own death and resurrection—his own ultimate sacrifice and triumph over death itself.
In Jesus, death has no ultimate power over us.
Because Jesus is life itself.
We grieve the deaths of our loved ones, because we miss their presence in our lives—of course! And Jesus grieves with us.
And we also know that death does not have the last word.
Whether we feel like we are in a tomb or our bodies actually are in a tomb, Jesus calls our name and draws us out of the tomb into living life in the Reign of God.
Jesus is life for us now and on the other side of death. Jesus is life in the Reign of God.
So, beloved child of God, when you feel like you’re in a tomb, know that Jesus is there with you and will never leave you.
And Jesus calls your name, inviting you into the Reign of God, where he is life for you in both this life and the next.
And all the saints who have gone before us—the great cloud of witnesses—are cheering you on.
Beloved child of God, even as you grieve what needs to be grieved, Jesus is life for you: live in him.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are life for us now and forever. Wrap your loving arms around those of us who grieve. Wrap your loving arms around those we love and miss. Hold us in our grief and draw us more and more into life in you. Thank you for all the saints who have mentored, inspired, and loved us. Help us to feel them cheering us on until we are reunited with them in the fulfillment of your Reign. Thank you for defeating death and filling us with life. Amen.