Jesus says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” funeral sermon on John 11 (Selected verses)

1. Who are you and what are you? How do you describe yourself? Most of us describe ourselves first by what we do. You might say, “I’m a truck driver.” “I’m a factory worker.” “I’m a farmer.” “I’m a Lutheran pastor.” And we describe other people by what they do. “The barber.” “The mailman.” “The janitor.” “The plumber.” We even call these people by these titles even when the barber isn’t cutting our hair, the mailman isn’t delivering bills, and the janitor isn’t mopping floors. What people do and who people are are one and the same.
2. Our God describes himself to us by what he does. On the very first page of the Bible, God tells us who he is by telling us what he did. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” When he revealed his name to Moses, he showed who he was by telling what he does. “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, showing love to thousands . . .” When the Word was made flesh, and God walked the earth in the person of Jesus, again he told us who he was by what he did. Today Jesus told Mary and Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This is who he is. This is what he does.
3. Jesus was far from Jerusalem, on the other side of the Jordan where John used to baptize when he got word about his friend Lazarus: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus knew who he Jesus knew that he is the resurrection and the life. He knew what he was about to do. He knew that raising Lazarus would be his greatest miracle, besides his own rising from the dead. Jesus stayed where he was a two more days. Even though Mary and Martha were anxious about their brother Lazarus, Jesus waited. He knew that the right time would come for him to go to Bethany– and reveal his glory. Finally he told his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” Jesus knew who he was.
4. Mary and Martha knew who Jesus was. When he came to Bethany, they both ran out and cried at his feet, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” They knew that Jesus had the power to heal the sick. The other mourners who were there said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Yes, he could have. And he would have. But Jesus waited until now to come and do something more glorious than make a sick man well. Martha said, “I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Martha knew who Jesus was, yet her mind was swimming in grief. When Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again,” she immediately thought of the resurrection on the last day. Did she believe one moment, and then doubt the next? Did she believe in Jesus’ power, but at the same time feel that he wouldn’t help– not now. To this poor, grieving sister, Jesus gave the greatest assurance he could give. He reminded her who he was. “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” Yes, Martha knew who Jesus is. She knew exactly who he is.
5. Don’t forget who Jesus is. Today we see Mary and Martha and the others hearing one moment, remembering one moment, but forgetting the next. Jesus asked, “Where have you laid him?” …. “Take the stone away.” And Martha– Martha– to whom Jesus just said, “I am the resurrection and the life”– Martha said, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”“Take the stone away.” “You don’t want to do that, Jesus. Lazarus is dead. You don’t want to open a grave because the body is decaying.” Jesus knows who he is. He knows what he is about to do. That’s why he says, “Take the stone away.” “Open the grave … because I am the resurrection and the life.” Our God has told us who he is. Jesus has told us that he is the resurrection, he is the light of the world, he is with us always, he is the bread of life, he is the good shepherd, he is the way, the truth and the life,” …. and like the disciples, our faith is often weak. We forget who our Savior is and what he says he can do. We feel pressure from the world around us and the events around us– it doesn’t even have to be real pressure–it can just be thinking about something that may never happen at all– and we forget the Lord who promised to be with us always. He tells us who he is so that we can believe, and as we put our faith in him, we receive what he has to give us.

Conclusion: His Word is our power. Jesus is God; we are not. Jesus has unlimited power; we don’t. He can heal sickness; our medicine has limits. He can raise the dead; we can only trust his word and wait for him to do what he says he will do. Our weakness shows itself in our limitations. Christ’s power shows itself in his Word, and he gives us his Word to remind us of his power, and to give us his power. Our God gives us strength of faith when our all other strength fails. He gives us his Word that tells us who he is, what he has done, and what he can do. Because of his promise, we know that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Amen.

Pastor Stratman’s sermons are available online through the St. Stephen’s Sermon page www.ststephenspulpit.wordpress.com, and on his own sermon blog, www.pastorstratman.wordpress.com.