“Asleep & Awake in Christ” (John 11:1-45)
1. Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word this 5th Sunday in Lent is taken from John chapter 11 and is entitled, “Asleep & Awake in Christ,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. When Jesus receives the message from Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, He says to the disciples in John 11:11, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." Jesus often referred to being dead as sleeping. He did this when Jairus's daughter was dead, and again in the New Testament the dead are referred to as "those who have fallen asleep" such as in 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18. Therefore, death is a kind of sleep. It's easy to misunderstand this expression because people have an incorrect assumption about natural life and sleep. We assume life is something we "own," something we have control over. Sleep is a pause, a period of rest in this life. We still own our lives during sleep and we will wake up. But life isn't something we possess. It's something we receive from the Creator. We are in His hand our entire lives, dependent upon Him. We live only as long as He continues His creative work, and gives us life. That is what sleep is too. The biblical truth about sleep is found in the Psalms, in Psalm 3:5 it says,: "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me." If I wake to a new day, it's because God has sustained me. When death is called sleep, it means that the dead are also in God's hand. The Creator has the same power over them that He has over those who are alive. They, too, are in God's hands, completely dependent upon Him.
3. Upon arriving at Bethany, Martha, Lazarus’ sister says to Jesus in John 11:21, “Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” It’s like Martha is saying, “Jesus, if you really loved us, You would have come here right away to heal my brother.” And such is the devil’s temptation. He loves to make us think, “Jesus, if you truly loved me, You wouldn’t have taken my loved one from me.” Jesus if you truly cared, then I wouldn’t be so sick.” “Jesus if You are always there for me, why am I feeling so lonely?”
4. Jesus loves Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha, and that’s why he waits. Although it’s hard to understand, Jesus’ inaction is the best action. He knows what is going to happen—Lazarus will be raised from the dead, and the result of this miracle will be that Jesus will be glorified and many more will believe that He’s the Son of God. And because Jesus loves you, He often waits. He doesn’t answer your prayer in the way or the time that you had hoped. He unexpectedly calls someone you love to her heavenly home. In the midst of trial, he appears to be slow to help or deliver. It’s not easy for us to wait on the Lord. But know this, our Lord will act. And when He acts, He will bring glory to Himself. He may not heal your sickness or take away your cancer, but He will strengthen your faith through suffering and even use it as a witness to others. Because he loves you, your Lord will always do what is best for you.
5. If Jesus says that Lazarus has gone to sleep why is it that in our text he weeps? It seems strange to the grieving family and friends of Lazarus. Their response in John 11:37 is, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also kept this man from dying?” If Lazarus’ death would make Jesus cry, why didn’t He keep Lazarus from dying? And it’s strange to us as well that Jesus wept. Jesus stayed where he was for two days before going to Bethany to see Lazarus and his family. And when he finally decided to take the journey he told his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” Jesus knew what He was going to do in Bethany and it’s for that reason that He waited.
6. Keep in mind that Jesus doesn’t weep because Lazarus had died or because he felt helpless or weak. He weeps for Mary and Martha, and their family and friends that the pain of death brings. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Jesus will live even though he dies, and the believer shall never experience eternal death. He who conquered death and the grave by His own death and resurrection gives life to all who believe now and also at the resurrection on the Last Day. And as true man, Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses as Hebrews 4:15 reminds us. In the church, we rejoice with those who rejoice, and we weep with those who weep. And what is true of the church, is also true of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the head of his body the Church. When a loved one dies, we can be certain that Jesus, the resurrection and the life, has given eternal life to our loved one who died in the faith. We can be confident that the one we love will be raised again on the Last Day. We have that sure and certain hope and yet we weep. We feel empty and alone and our tears freely flow.
7. Yes we weep at the face of death and our Lord Jesus weeps too. Even as He gives life to all who have fallen asleep in faith, He weeps with us who continue on our earthly pilgrimage. He not only weeps, but He also comforts us, He reminds us that He’s the resurrection and the life and by His word of promise, He strengthens us as we mourn. Please pray with me, Heavenly Father, Your beloved Son befriended frail humans like us to make us Your own. Teach us to be like Jesus’’ dear friends from Bethany, that we might serve Him faithfully like Martha, learn from Him earnestly like Mary, and be raised by Him ultimately like Lazarus; through their Lord and ours, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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