Father Gary’s Sermon

Inspired from John 11:1-44

Proclaimed on March 13, 2005

Several years ago the Associated Press released a heartwarming story. It was about the Bratcher family that lived in Artesia, New Mexico. Mrs. Bratcher had accidentally run over their puppy, Brownie. In haste she buried the little pup in a nearby field near the ranch home. Her son, Toby, who was in the car with her, refused to believe that Brownie was dead. The puppy’s mother also refused to believe it. While Mrs. Bratcher was away, she went out into the field and dug little Brownie up. When Mrs. Bratcher returned she found the little puppy on her front porch, caked with blood and mud, and barely breathing. She picked up the little dog and immediately took it to the vet. In the end recovered, though it lost one eye and sustained a broken shoulder. When he was brought home from the vets the family gave him a new name: Lazarus.

Obviously, the family’s new name for Brownie was inspired from our Gospel reading this morning. Lazarus was a very good friend of Jesus. He had come down with a life threatening illness. Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus, sent a messenger to Jesus, requesting he come to Lazarus’ aid immediately. However, Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. However, like Brownie’s mother, Jesus refused to believe that this was the end of the story. Furthermore, like that little dog’s mother, Jesus had his friend’s body removed from its grave. The outcome of the story is that Lazarus was raised from the dead. Such an event brought him a new popularity. His new following, however, came with a high cost. Now Jesus was considered to be too dangerous by the religious establishment. To them this dangerous heretic must now die.

What is the relevance of this event for us today? Astonishingly, it is the reality that Jesus does not always follow our plans. Indeed, there are probably many times when we can relate to both Martha and Mary who separately confronted Jesus for not coming to the aid of Lazarus right away. In a nutshell they both said, “Jesus, if only . . . .” Does that not sound familiar? Have we not heard it said, or even said it ourselves: “If only she had her seatbelt on.” “If only we had gone to a different hospital.” “If only we had a different doctor.” “If only the ambulance had arrived five minutes sooner.” “If only he had not had that last drink.” “If only she had stopped smoking.”

How does Jesus respond? First, he listened to Martha and Mary very closely. He remained calm, nondefensive, and understanding. Then he empathized with their grief. It is all captured in the shortest verse of the Bible, “Jesus wept.” Why did he weep? If we take the original language of that small verse seriously it means that he was “deeply angered.” Jesus was angry at what death had done to his dear friends. His response is important to note, if not impossible for us to believe.

Martha and Mary had Jesus right in front of them to see his reaction clearly. What about us? Eugene Peterson in his book Reversed Thunder answers this question for us very well. This book is an excellent commentary on the Book of Revelation. The author notes that while this biblical book is popularly thought to be a writing about the last times, for him it is a book of all ages. The Book of Revelation was written during a time when the Jews were kicking the Christians out of the synagogue. Up to that point, Christianity was merely a sect within Judaism. They all practiced essentially the same Judaism, except that the Christians believed that Jesus was the expected Messiah. When the Jews decided that Christianity was a heresy that must be repudiated, the separation was inevitable. With this separation, however, came Christian persecution. While Judaism was tolerated by Rome, the Jews found ways of turning the state against the Christians. They labeled Christians as being atheists, cannibals, and rebels. As a result, while the Christians were being expelled from the synagogues, the Roman authorities were hunting them down and persecuting them. Christians were asking the Apostle John where was God when they prayed in the midst of these persecutions. The Book of Revelation was his answer. Each time in the book when God’s elect were being persecuted, the Apostle would receive a vision of how God responded to their prayers. The Lord would always act mightily and with haste. In essence, like Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, God never remains neutral and aloof, but listens carefully to our prayers, empathizes with them, and then acts mightily. In essence, the Book of Revelation is written to doubting Christians of all ages, Christians who are asking the question “If only, . . .” of God. It is written to reveal to us the God that continues to listen, empathize, and to act. In essence, as Brownie’s mother acted to dig up her puppy, so Jesus called Lazarus from the grave. Today this same Lord continues to act for us. Our “if only’s” are never the end. Indeed, even the grave is not the end. Our Lord acts on our behalf even beyond the grave.