THY BROTHER SHALL RISE AGAIN

SERMON TITLE: THY BROTHER SHALL RISE AGAIN

SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 11:43-44

“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes; and his face was bound with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him and let him go.”

Jesus Christ performed many special miracles throughout his ministry but it is sufficient enough to say the resurrection of Lazarus was one of his greatest miracles. Certainly this was not his first resurrection miracle because we know that he resurrected Jairos daughter, a ruler in the synagogue, and the widow’s son, who at the command of Jesus, rose out of his coffin, as they were carrying his corpse to the burial. These were indeed spectacular miracles. But his raising of Lazarus from the dead, after he had lain four days dead, and saw corruption, is still, if possible, a greater miracle and a proof that he is the Christ, the Anointed Son of God.

The first verse says that, “Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” It proceeds to emphasize that this was the Mary, which anointed the feet of Jesus with oil and wiped them using her hair. The oil was worth 300 denarii, which was probably all her life savings. This Lazarus was Mary’s brother, so Lazarus was very close to Jesus. Now in order for Mary and Martha to amend the predicament and avert the crisis, they reached out to their friend Jesus Christ the great physician. Consider this, if you are a healer and you hear that your brother is terminally ill, would you not drop everything and rush to help your brother? Astonishingly Jesus did the contrary, he remained in Jordan. In fact he sent a message saying, “This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” Now Jesus did not need to go to Bethany because he is the word incarnate and the all-powerful God.  He could have just sent the word only like he did for the Centurion but he did not do anything. It seems Bethany was not originally part of his messianic itinerary. He delayed for two more days deliberately.

Jesus then left Jordan heading towards Bethany. He told his disciples that Lazarus was sleeping and he intended to wake him up. The disciples thought that he meant that he was talking of taking a rest in sleep but actually he meant that Lazarus was dead. Jesus was not coming to Bethany as the great physician rather he was coming to Bethany as the resurrecter.  Martha was in deep pain and she said to Jesus, “Lord if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Jesus replied her and said, “Thy brother shall rise again.” Martha thought he was talking of the eschatology. But Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Jesus clarified to Mary that he was not just concerned with the life to come but he was concerned with the present human predicament. He came to liberate people in the now and not just in the future. He therefore declares that he is the great I AM.

This great Jesus, the God incarnate, the transcendent creator saw Mary and the people weeping and began to groan in the Spirit because he was troubled. Jesus was deeply moved with compassion. Jesus Wept. He grieved because he loved Lazarus, Mary, Martha and the people. You must understand that at four days Lazarus had begun the process of decomposition, which is scientifically called taphonomy. His organic substances had begun to breakdown into simpler forms of matter. As soon as his heart stopped beating, blood stopped flowing and it drained into the dependent portions of the body under gravity. The blood could no longer supply oxygen or remove carbon dioxide resulting in the lowering of the pH levels resulting in cells losing their structural integrity. The small amount of oxygen that remained in Lazarus’s body was depleted by metabolism and aerobic microbes naturally present in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. The multiplication of aerobic and anaerobic organism consumed the body’s carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, produced a variety of compounds including propionic acid, lactic acid, methane, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. The process of putrefaction began to bloat his body and produced gases that are the chief source of the unmistakable putrid odor of decaying human tissue. His skin began to rapture and this gave access to insects, maggots, bacteria, fungi, mites, flesh flies, blowflies and carrion beetles. But this did not deter Jesus; in fact it motivated Jesus to perform this miracle in order to reveal the glory of the Lord.

Jesus stood in front of the tomb of Lazarus and shouted Lazarus come forth. Lazarus immediately stood up and began to hop forward. Jesus commanded the people to loose him of the grave clothes. It is one thing to be resurrected and it is another thing to be liberated or loosed. Jesus came not just to give life but also to loose those who are bound. I hear his voice echoing, loose him and let him go. I have come to declare to all my brothers and sisters that Jesus said; I AM the resurrection and the life. He does not want to give us life only but he wants to give us liberty and freedom. Poverty is bondage, racial inequality is bondage, economic oppression is bondage and to all those affected by these vices, I hear him saying, “loose him and let him go.” There is liberty in the name of Jesus. There is deliverance in his name. That is why Jesus declared these statement to Martha, “Thy brother shall rise again.”

The resurrection of Lazarus gives us impetus to act in the present. The hope for future liberation is noble but we must never forget the urgency of the now. Jesus was moved with compassion whenever he saw the oppressed. He did not wait for the eschatos in order to resurrect Lazarus but he pulled eternity into time and liberated Lazarus from death. He interrupted the natural forces of nature by a higher low of the spirit and life. He gave death yet another fatal blow. Death lay down on the floor totally conquered. I hear these words in my spirit, “O death, where is your sting, O hades where is your victory.” Once again death was not the one with the final say. Authority had stepped on the scene and death had to prostrate fall. Just as darkness flees from light, death fled from life at the speed of light. Suddenly death had nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Jesus once again had the final say. Jesus had come to give notice to all hell that life is greater than death, that light is superior to darkness and that Jesus was greater that sin and its effects. The scriptures say, “…The first man Adam became a living soul, the last man Adam became a life giving spirit.” Let resurrection power surge through our political, judicial and law enforcement systems. Let liberty break forth in the tombs gripping our sons and daughters with the fear of death and bondage. Let our sons come forth, let our daughters come forth, let our freedom come forth, let our peace come forth and let our deliverance come forth.