But Also Lazarus . . . ~ John 12:9-19

⁹ Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹ for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
    see, your king is coming,
    seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they remember that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷ Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” ~ John 12:9-19

In Ephesians 5 the Apostle Paul offers a provocative and poetic discussion of marriage only to turn the tables on his readers at the end by quoting a verse from Genesis about the two becoming one flesh and stating, “This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.” Well, today I would like to take such a strategy as we look at this mysterious story of Lazarus and also apply it to Christ and the church. What does it mean for us to be a Lazarus community?

                1.      We gather to tell of what Jesus has done for us.

We must never underestimate the power of our stories of Jesus to change people’s lives – to believe in him, to let us know of what’s possible. Personal testimonies remind us how much our lives matter and that the deepest spiritual truths are not found in dry facts or impeccable logic but the courage to share our experiences of God, to ask meaningful questions of one another and the patience to listen closely for the answers.

This is not about ego so some reluctance is not a bad disposition to have – for Lazarus hadn’t truly done anything, he was dead at the time - but about people coming to Jesus “on account of” what Jesus has done for us (vs. 11). And some of you have had Jesus walk up to the tomb of your dreams, your health, your life and bring you back from the dead. And you removed every stitch of grave clothes but that which covers your mouth. Some of you are being story selfish or story phobic – not sharing with others the hopeful story that others might need to hear so that they can believe in Jesus. That’s why we are going to start hearing more testimonies. Someone rightfully asked me, “Why would we want to do that in worship?” Well, we need to look no further than the Bible to recognize this truth – the Bible is filled with stories, the Gospels promote them, and we are thrilled, joined together, and excited by them.  Stories are the stuff of faith.

When I went through my divorce I knew what the Bible said but longed for others who shared such a story of pain to give me comfort, to let me know that I was not alone. 

Melissa Caputo sharing with the teenagers about her experience as a high schooler in the Philippines.

For us to be a faithful church, like Lazarus, we must never fail to share what Jesus has done for us. You can start by sharing with Don or myself.

               2.      We gather as a fragile community whose life is often in jeopardy.

But if we have exciting stories to tell of resuscitation, it is also true that that’s not the whole story of our lives. We gather as a community resuscitated by Jesus but still waiting on the resurrection. This is an important distinction. Lazarus being brought back from the dead is not resurrection. Resuscitation is breath coming back into the body, the heart beating once again but still capable of stopping, dying. Resurrection is an entirely different kind of life, a very different state of being – an incorruptible, non-decaying life - like Jesus’ body after the crucifixion and all the amazing things it could do. Don’t get me wrong – Lazarus’ resuscitation may be one of the more dramatic and awe-inspiring miracles of the Gospels but we would do well to remember that while such a thing might be amazing, our story reminds us in vs. 10 that there are things, people, shadowy parts of this world which after the fact still want to end our fragile, little lives; that plot to kill us.

I’m always surprised by how many believe that the church and its worship are meant only to be a polished service for happy people. Such a vision, because it’s pure fantasy and not biblical, leaves many people hiding and wounded. People who fail to mention that lingering illness, that withering depression, that painful divorce, that financial mistake, that plot to end their lives. I’m not blaming individuals for this lack of sharing but trying to express a frustration at something the church often seems to fail to understand – this is a place and we are a people which acknowledge our resuscitations as well as our threats of death. And like Lazarus we didn’t ask for them, maybe we didn’t even cause them, but they’re still there. So we need people who have the courage to say, “Jesus saved me and now I am struggling.” “Jesus pulled me out of the grave and now I fear those who seek to take my life.” 

Story: I met a woman who had been a recovering alcoholic and Christian for 13 years - she understood that her new life in Christ still needed a place for the broken parts, a place to struggle with life-killing tragedy like a child abused by a relative. But she couldn’t go to church for that, she told me despairingly, she would go to AA where others could accept her pain.

It’s funny to realize that we often speak of the church as a hospital but then are surprised to find sick people there. Can you imagine the folly of showing up in the ER only to respond, “I feel great. I’m fine. No troubles here.” Or to be told, “Hey, if you’re so sick, why did you come?”

If what I am saying is correct then we should not be surprised that we find every kind of sickness within our churches. The presence of those pathologies should then not deflect us from going to church but, instead, positively beckon us there.

               3.      We gather as a Hosanna community committed to lament and praise.

Lazarus’ story and Jesus’ triumphal entry are a good model for balanced thinking about who we are as the church. It reminds us that we aren’t simply people brought back to life nor are we victims known only by threats of death. It means that the life of faith is never only triumphant or struggling, that this life, cannot only be praise or merely lament. Luke’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is always a sobering reminder of the exciting journey of faith – amidst praise and adulation, Jesus, Luke shares, weeps. We worship a praise-worthy yet weeping King.  

Another way of capturing what I’m trying to say can be found in the crowds cry of “Hosanna!” Commentators puzzle over the ambiguity of this Hebraism which means “save” and what the crowd is actually doing. Some point out that “Hosanna” was a prayer for help – used for any number of petitions. “Helps us, O Lord, Save us, O God, give us what we need!” Other scholars point out that the term was used as an acclamation or a cry of praise. “Praise and thanks, O God! Blessing and honor to you, O Lord!”

And Lazarus? Which one would he be saying? Well, I imagine that as he joined the throngs crying “Hosanna! Hosanna!” Lazarus who was brought back from the dead, whom the chief priests plotted to kill, who loved Jesus and who was probably afraid – he understood better than anyone what it means to follow the Jesus riding slowly on a donkey, to the sounds of praise while tears fall from his eyes. This side of the resurrection we can’t decide which “Hosanna” is the right one – praise or lament - we simply have to say them both. 

And there is an odd promise in this text if we will be that Lazarus community that shouts Hosanna! The chief priests offer it as a complaint but for us it should be our prayer. “Look,” they said, “how the whole world has gone after him!” May our “Hosannas” bear witness to that.