Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead — a sermon on John 11:1–45 by Rev Harry Newton
A Sunday sermon from SumRed Church in which Rev Harry Newton preaches on the raising of Lazarus as a revelation of Jesus' authority over both death and life.
Summary
Rev Harry Newton delivers a sermon on John 11:1–45, the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after four days in the tomb. He frames the miracle not primarily as a story about Lazarus, but as a declaration of Jesus' identity — specifically his claim "I am the resurrection and the life," which Newton connects to the divine name "I AM" revealed to Moses in the burning bush. Newton argues that this event, far from being a private miracle, was a very public act that directly triggered the religious leaders' plot to kill Jesus. He draws on the parallel story of Hannah from the Old Testament to argue that God holds authority not only over death but over the circumstances of living people's lives. The sermon closes with a pastoral appeal, arguing that Jesus' lordship over life and death is not merely a future promise but a present reality available to anyone who believes.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Context: The Gospel of John and the Seven Signs
Rev Harry Newton: If you were here last week, you might remember we had a story about a dude who was blind. Long story short, we're in the Gospel of John, one of four accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. In John, there are seven so-called signs pointing towards who the person of Jesus is. One of those signs is the healing of a blind man — a guy blind since birth. If you were here last week, you might remember it's a bit of a rough deal. The guy doesn't see it coming. He's going along minding his own business, Jesus walks up, spits on the ground, and rubs a whole bunch of mud in his eye — which, think about it, you hear something and the next minute something's getting pasted on your eyes. A bit disconcerting. And then the guy gets healed. It's all very miraculous. And then, before his troubles are over, he gets excommunicated and kicked out of his community. How's that for good luck?
And then what we didn't read last week is that opposition against Jesus mounted in the wake of that. So he goes bush for a few days. And while he's bush, this story happens. Some message comes to him saying, your mate Lazarus is dying — you've got to come be with him. And Jesus, as we're told, dilly-dallies.
Jesus Delays — and the Sisters Wait
Now, we have the blessing — the advantage — of looking at it from the reader's perspective. We get told, oh, he heard this and he intentionally waited, et cetera. But the people in the moment, they wouldn't have known that. It would have been pretty weird. Why aren't you responding straight away?
He gets this news that Lazarus is dying, and he does decide to head back to Judea, but in his own time. And if you've ever watched someone you love slip towards death, you already know something of what Mary and Martha were feeling. If you've ever had to be there as someone you love passes out of this life into the next, you might understand just a sense of what Mary and Martha were sensing in that moment — where they were hoping, hoping for a miracle, that Jesus might just get there and do his thing and heal their brother.
But strangely, despite how much he cared for Lazarus, he dilly-dallies. He waits two more days before leaving. Then he takes a few days to get there. And by the time he arrives, we're told Lazarus has been dead for about four days. And as I said, we know that it was intentional. Jesus himself said, "Let's go back to Judea. Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so you may believe. Let us go to him."
Thomas and the Risk of Returning
We know that that was evidently a dangerous move. There's a dude called Thomas — if you know your Bible, you might know him as Doubting Thomas. What an awful nickname, right? Almost as bad as James the Lesser, James the Greater, and James the Brother of Jesus. James the Lesser was known as lesser because he was short — kid you not. James the Greater was known as greater because he was tall — kid you not. And the middle-sized one was Jesus' brother, so he got given "the Brother of Jesus" as his nickname. I don't know about you, but how would you feel if your nickname was named after your sibling?
But anyway, that's a whole other thing. Thomas has also got a bit of a lame nickname, and he says, "Hey, look, Jesus, if you go back, it's going to be really dangerous." And Jesus says, "No, we're going anyway." So Thomas turns to the boys and says, "Let us also go, so that we may die with him." Yeah. How's that for some bravado?
Arriving at Bethany
But regardless of the risk, Jesus sticks to his guns and heads off to Bethany. And we're told the place was packed. Evidently, Lazarus is quite well known. Every man and his dog had turned up for this funeral. It was about a 45-minute walk away from Jerusalem, the town of Bethany. They arrive and the funeral is in full swing. There are always people there — there are religious leaders there.
What we just had read for us is actually the slightly truncated version because it's a very long story. What we miss is that the same religious leaders who were anti-Jesus for healing that blind man — they're all there now as well. But Jesus ignores them. He walks up to Martha and Mary, Lazarus' sisters, and he speaks with them.
"I Am the Resurrection and the Life"
And as he speaks with Martha, Jesus says something that's really important. Because while the story is known as the resurrection of Lazarus, it's more accurately a story about the identity of Jesus. What Jesus does is walk up to Martha and say, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die."
Part of what Jesus is doing here is assuring Martha that there's hope — that through him, death has been defeated, that her faith isn't misplaced. But what he's also doing is making a profound statement about his identity.
If you were here last week, you might recall me saying this: there was an ancient prophet called Moses. He's out in the wilderness, walking around doing his own thing, comes across a burning bush, has a discourse with God who is embodied within the bush, and then he says to God, "Who should I say sent me?" — when he's given the task of going to the Israelites. And God responds, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent you." And because of this, in Judaism, the phrase "I AM" became synonymous with the name of God.
So whenever Jesus says these "I AM" statements throughout John's account, he's making a statement about his identity, but also about the nature of God. With me so far? Awesome.
So when Jesus says here, "I am the resurrection and the life," he's claiming authority over life itself. And that's really the big idea of this whole story — Jesus has the authority over life itself.
Martha's Response — and Jesus Wept
So he turns to Martha and asks, "Do you believe this?" To which Martha, despite all evidence to the contrary, replies — choking on her tears and her grief, maybe a little bit of snot in there too, just for good measure — "Yes. Yes, Lord, I believe."
And Jesus, despite knowing what's going to happen next, despite the whole situation happening because of his intentional delay, is so cut up by the raw emotion of the sisters that Jesus wept. Shortest verse in the Bible.
And then he asks them to show him where they've laid Lazarus, and the two women lead him out of the village towards the tomb. The crowd all follow along, out of the village to Lazarus' tomb.
The Stone Is Rolled Away
And Jesus walks up to the tomb and orders those standing nearby to remove the stone blocking the entrance. And you might have heard in the story — Martha, the sister, says, "It's going to stink." I'm paraphrasing. And Jesus says, "Eh, it's fine. Remove the stone anyway."
So Jesus stands there and he prays aloud for all to hear. And here's the interesting thing — he doesn't pray over Lazarus. He cries out to God and says, "I'm praying for their benefit." And then he commands Lazarus: "Lazarus, come out."
And then a moment later — nothing happens. And if you read the slightly less truncated version, you hear how the jeers are starting to form on the lips of the Pharisees, and they're getting ready to have a go at Jesus. And then suddenly, out of the darkness, a figure emerges. Lazarus steps out, still wrapped in burial clothes.
And you can imagine the smell as he stumbles out of the tomb. If you've ever smelt something dead, you'll know what I mean. It must be disgusting. But I don't think his sisters cared. Can you imagine the joy on their faces as the fear dissipated? Can you imagine the look of confusion amidst the tears and the smiles as they realize in that moment that Jesus is who he said he is? Because it's one thing to say it — it's another thing to experience it.
The Consequences: A Plot to Kill Jesus
And then our story ends with those present recognizing that Jesus is who he says he is and deciding to follow him.
Now, as I said, this is a really public event. A huge number of people see it happen. This is not like a backwater place. Where's the most backwater place in New Zealand you can think of? Gore? All right, I usually say Gore, but then people hate on me because there's always someone from Gore. So if you're from Gore, I apologize. Maybe we could say Kafir, where my parents are from, because that's pretty back of the backwater. But this isn't like a backwater first-century village right in the middle of nowhere. This is a public raising of a man from the dead after four days, at a funeral where hundreds of people have turned up to see it happen.
And here's the thing — what Jesus does today seals his fate. It kicks off a chain of events which ultimately leads to his death in less than two weeks from now. Because sadly, instead of being amazed by what they've seen, some of those present went back to Jerusalem and found the religious leaders, and they began to plan how they were going to kill Jesus. But that's next week's story.
What Does This Mean for Us?
What about today? It's a cool story, but what's it going to say to your life? Why should you care?
Well, there's a universal truth that most people spend their lives ignoring or trying to avoid, and it's this: you are going to die, and so am I. That's a pleasant thought for a Sunday morning, isn't it?
The reality is that we all will die one day. And it might not be pleasant, but it's true. And one thing I've noticed about death is that it's in some ways worse for those who remain than it is for those who die. When I've seen people receive a terminal diagnosis, they go through a whole raft of emotions. You might have heard of the five stages of grief? Not true at all. People often skip a whole bunch or completely ignore them and do their own thing — and that's absolutely fine. People respond in different ways. But eventually, nine times out of ten, the person who's going to die, who's facing that thing in front of them, they come to peace with it. Regardless of their spiritual orientation, there's an element of peace — a realization that I can't do much about this. But those who are left behind, they're the ones who struggle most.
And the struggle isn't always just emotional. It's also pragmatic — money, bills, insurance, mortgage, all that stuff. It was the same for Martha and Mary, Lazarus' sisters. Because when Lazarus dies, they're going to be left alone in a world run by men, with no man to protect them because they're not married. The future would have looked dark, uncertain, unsafe.
Death is scary, both in terms of facing what is to come, but also for those who watch from the sidelines.
Hannah's Prayer: God Is Lord Over Life Too
And so I think the greatest lesson the story offers us this morning is a reminder that there is someone who reigns over all, even in death, and that person is Jesus Christ. And as we're going to hear over the next couple of weeks, Jesus proved this beyond a doubt by dying — his body thrown in a hole — and three days later rising from the dead.
And you might hear that and wonder if it's really believable. You might struggle with the idea of the resurrection of Jesus. You might even struggle with the story today. And you know what? That's absolutely fair. You're in good company. And in a couple of weeks, we're going to be looking more into it.
But for now, from a simply spiritual perspective, here's what this story is about. Jesus isn't just Lord of death — he's also Lord of life. And there's a story in the Old Testament of the Bible that points to this same thing. It's about a woman called Hannah. Hannah couldn't have a child. She was being bullied. She had social stigma. She was shunned. She was desperate for a child. And her husband's second wife, Peninnah, would mock her and made her life a living hell.
And one day we're told Hannah, in her anguish, cried out to God. She made a promise that if God would just give her a baby boy, she would dedicate him to God's service. And then, amazingly, God answered her prayer. She gave birth to a little boy called Samuel. And when he'd been weaned, she dedicated him to serve God under the leadership of a priest called Eli.
And as she's handing her son Samuel over to Eli, she prayed this incredible prayer which they wrote down for us. It's a prayer of praise. And we hear her declare: "God brings death, but he also makes alive. He brings down to the grave, and he raises up to life."
Her point being that not only does God have power and authority over death — as demonstrated by Jesus today in our story — but he also has sovereign authority and power over the lives of us humans and our circumstances.
As Jesus himself said, "The one who believes in me will live even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." And therein lies part of the great hope that those of us who follow Jesus have — that there is a God made knowable to us in Jesus Christ, and that through him we can be assured of a genuine hope beyond the grave, that death has lost its sting, and that we can revel in the promise of eternal life.
Good news, right?
Jesus Is Lord Over Life Here and Now
But here's the thing. Jesus also said, "I came so that you might have life and have it abundantly." Yes, Jesus has power and authority over death — something proved not only in our story of Lazarus, but also in the Easter story about his own resurrection. But Jesus also has power and authority over life here and now.
He offers rest and comfort to those who find themselves exhausted with the never-ending demands of life. They did a survey recently of New Zealanders, and they found that somewhere in the 30-something percent of the baby boomer age bracket self-report being burnt out. The millennial age bracket — which is my age bracket — 64%. The Gen Zers, people younger than me, 70% of them are experiencing emotional burnout.
Sometimes our struggles in life aren't just spiritual. Sometimes they're mental. And if that's you or someone you love, then hear the words of Jesus who said, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest, and you will find rest for your souls."
And not only that, but part of Jesus' mission also includes bringing restoration and healing to broken lives, broken promises, and broken circumstances. He once said, "God has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of God's favor." His point was that Jesus came to bring healing, freedom, and hope for everyone and anyone — just like he did for Mary, Martha, and Hannah.
But he also came to bring lasting spiritual fulfillment — a fulfillment that doesn't fade or rise and fall on your emotional state, or whether you did enough yoga, or enough quiet time, or meditation, or all those things we're encouraged to do nowadays. He promises a genuine spiritual satedness that sustains you in good times as well as in bad. And that's why Jesus once described himself as the bread of life. He said, "Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." Jesus promised that he would bring lasting fulfillment here and now in your life.
Jesus is the Lord not just of death, but of life — of weary hearts, of those in need of healing, and of those seeking fulfillment.
The Promise Is for Now, Not Just Later
So here's the thing. Jesus promises healing. He promises freedom. He promises spiritual fulfillment and rest for the weary heart. Jesus promises hope beyond the grave — that there is more to life than this. And Jesus promises you and me that no matter what storms we experience in life, he will never forsake us.
As I said last week, I've had the privilege of walking alongside a number of people in some pretty horrific times in their lives. And I have seen firsthand the goodness of God. And I don't just mean it in a nice, fluffy way — I always think God is nice because everything turned out okay in the end. I've seen people go through hell and back. Sitting in the police cells with someone as their life imploded, as they heard all these horrific things that a member of their family had been perpetrating against others. Sitting with people as they've buried their children. Being with others as they've faced financial ruin. A friend of mine who employed dozens of people — his company collapsed during COVID. Sitting with people in those horrific moments, and then seeing, quite seriously, the birth of something quite miraculously new out of the ashes.
Jesus promises to restore life now. You don't just have to wait till you die and then get the blessings in heaven. Eternal life starts today. He promises life forever. And he walks alongside us every step of the way.
The Vision of Physical Resurrection
And perhaps the best picture of this truth is the one we started with — the moment outside the tomb in Bethany. The stone being rolled away. The air thick with grief. Mary and Martha standing there with the crowd, snot and all. And standing in front of the dark cave is Jesus. And he just calls out three simple words: "Lazarus, come out." And the man who was dead walks out of the tomb.
That moment was more than just a simple miracle. It was a statement about the identity of Jesus. He was revealing that he holds authority over death itself as well as life — which means Jesus doesn't only promise life after death. He also brings life into the places that feel dead right now. Into your broken hopes, your exhausted heart, your anxious mind, the devastation of the loss of a relationship, and into those circumstances which feel stuck and dark.
Just as he called Lazarus out of the tomb, Jesus still calls people into life today.
Now, you might hear that and wonder if it's really believable. And you know what? That's fair. But I remember sharing a story once with my brother. We were taking off on a flight as kids — we flew a lot. And he's looking out the window, and my dad goes, "What are you looking at, Al?" And he says, "I'm looking for Jesus. He's got to be out there somewhere."
Now, Jesus isn't on a cloud hanging out, looking down and going, "Oh, I might zap him now and bring him up into the cloud to have a good coffee with me." No — that's a weird view of the afterlife. Eternal life starts now, life in all its fullness. And the vision of Scripture is that when one day Jesus comes back and returns, and those who he raises back to life join with him in a new heaven and a new earth — what that means is physical resurrection, the end of grief, the end of suffering, the end of death. It's a beautiful vision for the future. It also means that you're not just going to go off and be a disembodied spirit hanging out in the ether. There is a physical hope for the future.
The Question Jesus Asks You
So whether you feel more like Martha, who's trying to hold on to faith when life feels uncertain, or perhaps like Hannah, who was battling things beyond her control, or like Mary, who was overwhelmed with grief and questions, or even like Lazarus, who was quite literally stuck in a place that was lifeless and dark — Jesus still calls people out of their tombs. He brings life where there is death. He brings hope where there is despair. And he brings rest where there is exhaustion.
Because the one who stood outside the tomb in Bethany that day is the same one who stands here before you this morning and says, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die."
And then he turns to Martha and asks her a question. It's the same question he asks you this morning: Do you believe this?
Because if so, the abundant life that Jesus promised is yours for the taking. The good news of Jesus is not just an eschatological, end-of-life, pie-in-the-sky hope — sitting on a cloud playing a harp. Eternal life starts now, life in all its fullness.
And what that means is that Jesus being Lord over life and death means his lordship begins now. So if you want to have life in all its abundance, ask yourself the question: Do I believe this? And if the answer is, "I want to, but I can't quite bring myself to do so" — you are in good company. Why not challenge God to meet you? Because I'm sure he will.