Sermon preached at St. Alban's on April 6, 2014
The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
In all honesty, I still have, and maintain, the same level of humor of my pre-teen years. Subsequently, when I read certain passages of scripture, such as this morning’s Gospel, I am transported back to my youth. When Jesus commands the stone to be removed from Lazarus’ tomb, I can still hear Martha’s shocked response in proper King James English; “Lord, by this time he stinketh,” and once again I am a young acolyte attempting to camouflage my suppressed laughter in the form of a sneeze or a cough, hoping neither the priest nor my mother will notice the breach of etiquette.
All joking aside, the truth is that this entire passage has the stench of death hanging over it like a pall. For example: the reference to Mary anointing Jesus with perfume is a foreshadowing of the preparation of his body before placing it in the tomb. We catch another whiff when Jesus states that Lazarus’ illness will not result in death, which wafts into fear as the disciples question his return to Judea after narrowly escaping death on their last visit. The specter of death appears in full when Jesus informs his disciples that Lazarus has indeed died, which in turn leads Thomas to believe that returning to Judea will lead not only to the death of Jesus but for all of them as well. When they do arrive in Bethany they are met with all of the signs of a Jewish funeral in progress, culminating in the reference to the smell of a decomposing corpse, because Jewish burial practice did not employ embalming like their Egyptian neighbors; the oils and spices used in preparation only kept the odors at bay long enough to bury the body or place it in a sealed tomb.
Now, returning to my youth; after the sophomoric humor had subsided and the impact of the story had registered on my brain, the weird logic of an inquisitive, yet imaginative youth kicked in and I wondered if there really was such an awful smell when the stone was removed. And furthermore, what did Lazarus look like when he appeared in the opening of the tomb? After three or four days of being subjected to the heat of the Middle Eastern sun, even in the relative cool of a cave, what was the condition of his flesh or his internal organs? Did he look like something straight out of a horror movie”? And if so, how long did it take for him to fully recover? Scripture doesn’t seem to say one way or the other. Or does it?
You see, in looking closely, I now believe we need to reframe the question. Rather than focus on Lazarus, we need to look at Jesus and ask, “What was it that God the Father heard him say, and for which he is now giving thanks; and when and where did he say it?”
As to the when and where, scripture tells us that prior to this story Jesus was about a day’s journey east of Jerusalem near the place where he had been baptized by John. This is where they are when they receive news of Lazarus’ illness, of which Jesus states “does not lead to death,” but is for the purpose of “God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” We are then told that “accordingly” he stayed put for two more days before heading back to Bethany.
All too soon we find out that Lazarus is indeed dead, and has been for four days, which means he died shortly after the messengers left Bethany looking for Jesus. And Jesus knew this in spite of his initial statement to the contrary. So why did he linger in the wilderness? It wasn’t because he lacked compassion or didn’t care, because we are told that he loved Lazarus and his sisters. In fact, the implication is that he stayed where he was because of his love for them.
So I would suggest that he remained in the wilderness for the purpose of prayer as he was wont to do; praying to God that even though Lazarus was dead, that his body would be “preserved from corruption;” that it would not rot and decay, but remain “whole and complete, and ready to be summoned back into life.”
Subsequently, when Martha warned Jesus of the probable stench, he didn’t say, “Quite right. You’d better hold your nose.” Instead he reminded her that if she believed then she would see the glory of God! And right then, before doing anything else, Jesus looked up and gave thanks to God for hearing and answering his prayer back in the wilderness! He said this out loud not because he thought God was deaf, but for the benefit of Martha and Mary, and his disciples, and all of the people who were there to console the sisters, so that they would believe he was truly sent by God after they witnesses what happened next.
Because when the stone was removed, nobody fainted or vomited, although they probably did gasp for breath, but not because of a horrific smell emanating from the tomb, but precisely due to its absence! IT DID NOT STINKETH!
So in answer to my original questions; when Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth, he obediently complied; not covered with open sores from decomposing flesh, not oozing bodily fluids, not staggering as one with no muscle tone, but as one who was fully alive, being restricted only by the strips of cloth wrapped around his hands and feet, from which Jesus commanded him to be unbound!
But here’s the point that John the evangelist is actually trying to convey to his audience, both then and now. The revitalization and reawakening of Lazarus, as miraculous as that was, only revealed the life-creating and life-sustaining power of God, but it was not the glory of God which Jesus promised to his disciples or to Martha and Mary, because the raising of Lazarus, like the absence of the pungent odor of death, was only a sign of what was yet to come!
You see, some of those who witnessed this incredible event - probably those who sneered at Jesus’ inability to prevent Lazarus from dying in the first place – they returned to Jerusalem and reported what they had witnessed to the Pharisees and chief priests, who in turn began to conspire for Jesus’ death. And believe it or not, it was this too, for which Jesus offered thanks to God. Not only had he been praying for the life of his friend, he also prayed for everything in his life to be in accordance to the will of the Father!
The truth is that in calling Lazarus forth from the tomb Jesus was only prolonging the inevitable; Lazarus would eventually face his own death a second time. However, by raising Lazarus to life, Jesus triggered the chain of events which would not only result in his crucifixion but also in his resurrection from the dead!
In other words, by bringing Lazarus back to ordinary life Jesus initiated the sequence of actions, which according to God’s plan, brought him not only to his death, but through it and out the other side into an extraordinary new life! And by accomplishing this redemptive work he blazed the trail as “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” providing opportunity for those who believe in him to follow in “the Way” of his footsteps!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we journey through the remaining two weeks of Lent, let us ever keep before us the promise and the truth of Christ Jesus in that it was his death on the Cross which revealed the glory of God, and it was his resurrection from the dead through which he, the Son of God was glorified! In believing these things, our Father in heaven has graciously answered our prayer, and has equipped us with the power to never fully succumb to the stench of death. And it is that for which we give Him our utmost thanks! In Nomine Patris
All joking aside, the truth is that this entire passage has the stench of death hanging over it like a pall. For example: the reference to Mary anointing Jesus with perfume is a foreshadowing of the preparation of his body before placing it in the tomb. We catch another whiff when Jesus states that Lazarus’ illness will not result in death, which wafts into fear as the disciples question his return to Judea after narrowly escaping death on their last visit. The specter of death appears in full when Jesus informs his disciples that Lazarus has indeed died, which in turn leads Thomas to believe that returning to Judea will lead not only to the death of Jesus but for all of them as well. When they do arrive in Bethany they are met with all of the signs of a Jewish funeral in progress, culminating in the reference to the smell of a decomposing corpse, because Jewish burial practice did not employ embalming like their Egyptian neighbors; the oils and spices used in preparation only kept the odors at bay long enough to bury the body or place it in a sealed tomb.
Now, returning to my youth; after the sophomoric humor had subsided and the impact of the story had registered on my brain, the weird logic of an inquisitive, yet imaginative youth kicked in and I wondered if there really was such an awful smell when the stone was removed. And furthermore, what did Lazarus look like when he appeared in the opening of the tomb? After three or four days of being subjected to the heat of the Middle Eastern sun, even in the relative cool of a cave, what was the condition of his flesh or his internal organs? Did he look like something straight out of a horror movie”? And if so, how long did it take for him to fully recover? Scripture doesn’t seem to say one way or the other. Or does it?
You see, in looking closely, I now believe we need to reframe the question. Rather than focus on Lazarus, we need to look at Jesus and ask, “What was it that God the Father heard him say, and for which he is now giving thanks; and when and where did he say it?”
As to the when and where, scripture tells us that prior to this story Jesus was about a day’s journey east of Jerusalem near the place where he had been baptized by John. This is where they are when they receive news of Lazarus’ illness, of which Jesus states “does not lead to death,” but is for the purpose of “God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” We are then told that “accordingly” he stayed put for two more days before heading back to Bethany.
All too soon we find out that Lazarus is indeed dead, and has been for four days, which means he died shortly after the messengers left Bethany looking for Jesus. And Jesus knew this in spite of his initial statement to the contrary. So why did he linger in the wilderness? It wasn’t because he lacked compassion or didn’t care, because we are told that he loved Lazarus and his sisters. In fact, the implication is that he stayed where he was because of his love for them.
So I would suggest that he remained in the wilderness for the purpose of prayer as he was wont to do; praying to God that even though Lazarus was dead, that his body would be “preserved from corruption;” that it would not rot and decay, but remain “whole and complete, and ready to be summoned back into life.”
Subsequently, when Martha warned Jesus of the probable stench, he didn’t say, “Quite right. You’d better hold your nose.” Instead he reminded her that if she believed then she would see the glory of God! And right then, before doing anything else, Jesus looked up and gave thanks to God for hearing and answering his prayer back in the wilderness! He said this out loud not because he thought God was deaf, but for the benefit of Martha and Mary, and his disciples, and all of the people who were there to console the sisters, so that they would believe he was truly sent by God after they witnesses what happened next.
Because when the stone was removed, nobody fainted or vomited, although they probably did gasp for breath, but not because of a horrific smell emanating from the tomb, but precisely due to its absence! IT DID NOT STINKETH!
So in answer to my original questions; when Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth, he obediently complied; not covered with open sores from decomposing flesh, not oozing bodily fluids, not staggering as one with no muscle tone, but as one who was fully alive, being restricted only by the strips of cloth wrapped around his hands and feet, from which Jesus commanded him to be unbound!
But here’s the point that John the evangelist is actually trying to convey to his audience, both then and now. The revitalization and reawakening of Lazarus, as miraculous as that was, only revealed the life-creating and life-sustaining power of God, but it was not the glory of God which Jesus promised to his disciples or to Martha and Mary, because the raising of Lazarus, like the absence of the pungent odor of death, was only a sign of what was yet to come!
You see, some of those who witnessed this incredible event - probably those who sneered at Jesus’ inability to prevent Lazarus from dying in the first place – they returned to Jerusalem and reported what they had witnessed to the Pharisees and chief priests, who in turn began to conspire for Jesus’ death. And believe it or not, it was this too, for which Jesus offered thanks to God. Not only had he been praying for the life of his friend, he also prayed for everything in his life to be in accordance to the will of the Father!
The truth is that in calling Lazarus forth from the tomb Jesus was only prolonging the inevitable; Lazarus would eventually face his own death a second time. However, by raising Lazarus to life, Jesus triggered the chain of events which would not only result in his crucifixion but also in his resurrection from the dead!
In other words, by bringing Lazarus back to ordinary life Jesus initiated the sequence of actions, which according to God’s plan, brought him not only to his death, but through it and out the other side into an extraordinary new life! And by accomplishing this redemptive work he blazed the trail as “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” providing opportunity for those who believe in him to follow in “the Way” of his footsteps!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we journey through the remaining two weeks of Lent, let us ever keep before us the promise and the truth of Christ Jesus in that it was his death on the Cross which revealed the glory of God, and it was his resurrection from the dead through which he, the Son of God was glorified! In believing these things, our Father in heaven has graciously answered our prayer, and has equipped us with the power to never fully succumb to the stench of death. And it is that for which we give Him our utmost thanks! In Nomine Patris