RESURRECTION LIFE

SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE ON MARCH 9^th, 2008

John 11: 25-26 "I am the Resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die."

"Whoever lives and believes in me".

On Thursday I read a very interesting interview with the author Anne Rice, and her son Christopher, who is also a writer. Anne Rice wrote the well-known book "Interview with the vampire", which was made into a movie, and subsequent books followed.

About ten years ago she converted back to the Christian faith of her youth. Since then she's been working on a series of books about the life of Jesus which is called simply "Christ the Lord". As a writer she is very popular; as an interesting case of turning back to Christ; she's phenomenal. And she says that all her books now are to glorify the Lord - to glorify the Lord. She said that even if she would write one more book about the vampires in New Orleans.

Her son, on the other hand, having been brought up by two atheist parents does not share her faith, and he talked about that in the interview. Christopher said that he could believe in Christianity if it “moved beyond Jesus rising from the dead”.

Beyond Jesus rising from the dead. What sort of Christianity would that be if it moved beyond Jesus rising from the dead? What sort of Christ would Jesus be?

Certainly not one who had power over death - which is exactly the point of today's Gospel. Let's be quite clear: the story of Jesus raising Lazarus is not just another story, nor is it even the biggest of the many miracles of Jesus. It is significant in many ways - and particularly because in Saint John's Gospel it is the seventh and last sign.

In his Gospel, Saint John talks about the miracles and activity of Jesus being signs. There are seven of them, and they are given by Saint John as signs of who Jesus is. They are set forth to prove his opening statement: "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us".

These seven signs point to Jesus as the Son of God incarnate. Similarly he uses the term "I am" - the English translation of Jehovah - as a sign of who Jesus is. So these signs demonstrate who Jesus is. How deeply he is incarnate in this world, and how closely identified with it, is demonstrated by the setting of these signs.

Let us begin with the first one - the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. What could be more a part of the creation of this world than a wedding? For through the marriage of a man and women comes the procreation of the human-race. It is the way in which the world keeps creating. That is what marriage symbolizes.

What a wonderful first sign that one is the incarnate God in the world! But it is also more than that. A marriage is symbolic of the love that binds us together, married or single, and flows through the whole of human life - it is a sacrament and a celebration of human love. Saint John says that at that wedding, that flowing of love, we saw the first of Jesus' miracles - and he says: "He let his glory be seen".

This has a direct connection, "He let his glory be seen", with today's last and seventh sign. For Jesus says to Martha: "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God"? In both signs John refers to the glory of God revealed in the changing of the water into wine, and also in raising Lazarus from the dead. So although at the opposite spectrums of life, the two have an intricate connection as signs of who Jesus is.

Indeed the circumstances of God's glory shown could not be more different. The wedding celebrates hope, youth, potential, and the future - dead Lazarus is the end of all that. Even Jesus wept.

But there is wonderful hope in all this too. The incarnate Word of God is part of life from the first stirring of youth and hope, to the last tears at the end of life. The wedding and Lazarus symbolize the beginning and the end - and the Word is part of both. And of course everything in between.

And it must be so - for both the wedding and the raising of Lazarus mirror the life of our Blessed Lord.

When Christ came into the world, it was for the purpose of giving us eternal life. That was the whole purpose and meaning of the incarnation. We are about to embark on the celebration of those events which achieved and won for us eternal life - promised us in the incarnation.

In the raising of Lazarus, Jesus not only gives a glimpse of what lies ahead for him, but also what lies ahead for us. It is all interconnected - going right back to the purpose of the incarnation.

+ Without the incarnation there would be no suffering and death - for then Christ would not be truly human.

+ Without suffering and death there would be no redemption - for Christ would only then be human.

+ Without redemption there would be no resurrection - and therefore no life eternal.

The Word was made flesh that he might give us this eternal life. Jesus said: "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life". So the raising of Lazarus becomes not just a sign, and not just another miracle of healing, but becomes the proof of the whole purpose of the incarnation.

Because eternal life is bound up with death and our thoughts of death, we can look again at this story of the raising of Lazarus and see how it speaks to us and the world. The scene, of course, is very familiar: family and friends gather after a death to console each other, to share memories and to share grief.

Jesus hears of Lazarus' death and goes to Bethany - the town where he had shared many happy moments with Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Upon arrival Martha says to Jesus: "Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died". “Lord if you had been here”, she says.

If only! - what a familiar cry those words are. "If only". How often have we said those words in many situations - and not just perhaps the unfortunate circumstances of death, but in all manner of occasions in our daily lives. If only. If only I had done that, or if only I had not done that. If only I had been there, or if only I had not been there. And so it goes. "If only" is one of those phrases that we utter so many times.

To Martha's "If only" Jesus responds with the amazing declaration: "I am the Resurrection and the Life". Martha does not understand - because of course, Martha is concerned with how she is feeling and the loss of her brother. How can this mean anything to her? No doubt she had forgotten Ezekiel's prophecy about resurrection in Ezekiel 37:1-14 - a prophecy given to the House of Israel. No doubt those standing around were puzzled by Jesus' declaration also - for when he says: "I am the Resurrection and the Life" how can he be something which is in the future? How could this man, this friend, be something which was yet to happen?

But he says it: "I am the Resurrection and the Life".

And then we come to that profound statement "Jesus wept".

With words so poignant, the Son of God is truly human as he weeps. He knew what he was to do, in fact he prayed so - and yet he still wept. And He wept because he identifies with all of us in our moments of weeping - not just outwardly, but inwardly. That inward cry taken up by the psalmist in the opening of Psalm 130 "Out of the depths I call to you O Lord, O Lord hear my voice". Jesus wept.

And then the order to open the tomb, much to the horror of those around. Ever practical Martha is concerned about the smell - so Jesus responds: "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God"?

Jesus' "If you would believe" is his response to Martha's earlier question "If only". Martha said: "Lord if only you had been here" - Jesus says: "If only you would believe you would see the glory of God".

And so, the answer to the world’s "if only" is Jesus' "if only". "If only you would believe".

The Gospel concludes with those dramatic words of Jesus: "Unbind him, and let him go". Another translation is: "Unbind him, and let him go free" - for Lazarus is indeed free, not only from death, but from everything that would restrain him from a God-filled life.

In his own resurrection, Jesus will unbind himself and be free. And in his resurrection, Jesus will unbind all of us - and we will know that He is the resurrection and the life.