This week we have switched from the Gospel of Mark to the Gospel of John, so let’s take a moment to look at some background information.First of all, we think we know that the apostle John wrote the Gospel of John and the truth is the writer is anonymous.The writer, whomever that happens to be, goes to great lengths to insinuate that he is the apostle by using terms like “the beloved disciple” for instance, and the truth is we just don’t know who wrote it.The most important issue in the gospel of John seems to be the question, “Who is Jesus?”One of the most wonderful gifts of this gospel is that is seems to lead each person who reads it into her or his own experience of who Jesus really is.Women play an important role in this gospel. Women seem to be “John’s” main partners in conversation.John includes woman-focused stores like the wedding at Cana, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, the detail about Scribes, Pharisees and Women, the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, which will be our focus today, andseveral other women based stories.I want to share a wonderful resource that I’ve used heavily for this sermon, The Women’s Bible Commentary, edited by Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe.[1]It is one of my favorite resources and it is still available in places like Amazon.com
Gospel
Let me review the story quickly; you know it.Mary, Martha and Lazarus are amongst Jesus’ closets friends.Jesus is out doing his ministry when Lazarus becomes very sick.Word is sent to Jesus that he needs to come right away.You know how that goes; a loved one gets sick and we call on the cell phone and say, “meet me at the hospital right away, so and so is sick and might not make it.” And we get in our six cylinder powered cars and race up or down I-75 and go flying like a bat out of you know where into the emergency entrance until we’re at the side of our beloved.That’s sort of what Mary and Martha, especially Martha wanted Jesus to do, and Jesus seems to take his time, so that before he arrives Lazarus dies.
There’s an important point here that we can’t miss.Notice the disciples’ reaction when Jesus announces that they’re going back to Judea, “What are you crazy?We’re going back there, don’t you remember they just tried to stone you there?” And Jesus goes anyway. Remember that.
Now when Jesus got within about two miles of the city Martha heard that he was coming and went running for him. I wonder if anybody warned Jesus.She ran up to him and let him have it. “Jesus, what took you so long? Jesus! Jesus!If you had come when you were supposed to Lazarus would have been alive.Don’t you know how much he loved you?Didn’t you love him, too?Do you not remember all those times I cooked for you and cleaned for you and let you stay at our house and when our brother was dying you couldn’t even drop what you were doing?What kind of friend are you Jesus? How dare you not come, Jesus?Now what are you going to do? And Jesus does what Jesus always does. He calmly tells Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Martha misses the point and thinks about the final resurrection.
Look at Mary, sweet Mary.She falls down at Jesus feet and she cries and Jesus goes to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and comforts them.When the time comes Jesus accompanies them to the grave and as he sees the grave of his beloved companion, Jesus cries too.“See how he loved him!” The Jews said.Oh the deep deep love of Jesus that causes the crowd to remark, “See how he loved him.”And my sisters and brothers I want us to pause right here for just a moment to see how he loves us, too.When we grieve, Jesus grieves.When we cry, Jesus cries with us.When we experience the pain of oppression and discrimination, Jesus feels the pain with us. When children and adults feel hungry, Jesus feels hungry with them. And in this and all the lectionary readings for today we see all over again, that no matter how we struggle, no matter how much we’re hurt, no matter what we walk through, Jesus walks through it, struggles through it, and stands right by our sides.And hear the Good News, when Jesus walks with us, struggles with us, stands by our sides, there is always HOPE.And when the people of God, like these Jewish people in the gospel story stand in solidarity together, hope grows and hope is kept alive and people struggle together and come out on the other side alive and well and amazingly blessed.
And notice these women. Women had no right to even send for Jesus.Women had no right to talk to Jesus the way Martha did.Women had no right to touch Jesus the way Mary did.Jesus could have caused all kinds of suspicion by going to these women’s house now that their brother way dead.And isn’t it wonderful how Jesus just breaks those cultural stereotypes of oppression wide open?Why?Because he loved them.Why?Because they were his family.All kind of speculation has taken place about Jesus relationship with Mary and Martha and yes, with Lazarus, too.And what matters is that he loved them.They were his family.And as long as Jesus was with them, hope was alive.
Jesus called out to Lazarus, “Come out.”And Lazarus came up out of that grave. Jesus told the people to unbind Lazarus and he walked away alive, well, whole again.What an amazing story.
Conclusion
Are you ready for your resurrection my friend?On this All Saints Day I am reminded of so many people who’ve given their lives for the sake of this Gospel.Jesus gave it all. Many women and men have given in all so we could be here today.Rev. Elder Jeri Ann Harvey had to leave the United States to spend her last days with the woman God had given her as a life partner.Imagine it, Rev. Elder Gill Storey, what amounts to a Bishop in our church, and the United States Government would not let her stay. I know it for a fact because I was intimately involved in trying to make it happen.And yet, Jeri Ann knew that Jesus was with her in the struggle, that Jesus grieved along with her and that Jesus accompanied her to Spain to spend her last days with her beloved Gill. We had to have Jeri Ann’s memorial in Canada because the US Government wouldn’t even let her come back for that.And I saw it first hand as I addressed that congregation how the support and love of the people of God as we stood in the solidarity of God’s love gave Rev. Elder Gill Storey the strength she needed on that day.That is the legacy of Saints.
Carol Retherford Moore struggled with addictions for almost as long as I can remember.She tried everything to stop it, physicians, twelve step programs, churches, prayer, preachers, and nothing could calm the addiction the would ultimately end her life way too soon.And the last time I saw her, just a few months before her death, she was so sweet and kind.She knew God loved her.She knew Jesus was walking beside her. She knew the support of family and friends she knew what it felt to walk a long dark road while many stood in solidarity with her.That, too is a legacy of Saints, my sisters and brothers.
Lazarus died. Mary, Martha, many others and even Jesus cried.And they stood in solidarity at that graveside.They stood in the presence of the Son of God, the Son of humankind, they stood in solidarity with all those who would come after them and struggle, and they learned first hand what HOPE can do.Lazarus lived.
And my friends, we can live, too.We can live lives full and free with blessings pressed down, shaken together and running over in our laps.And there’s enough blessing to share with all the world and we stand for HOPE knowing that the love of Jesus in by our sides and in our hearts.We know that the love of God is in us and all over us and that we can hold on to HOPE in Jesus’ name.There is a hope, no matter what happens.There is hope no matter what comes.That is the legacy of our saints and that is our legacy of hope.Holy women, holy men, holy examples for us and for all those who have yet to come.
Keep hope alive. Hold on to Jesus. Continue building this Legacy of Saints; Holy Women, Holy Men.
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
3But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them. 2In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster, 3and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace. 4For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality. 5Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; 6like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt-offering he accepted them. 7In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble. 8They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them for ever. 9Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and he watches over his elect.*
John 11:1-45
11Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
[1] Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe, The Women’s Bible Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1992.
