The Final Miracle John 11: 32-44 John 20: 1-18

For the last several weeks we have been exploring the miracles of Jesus found in the gospel of John. Today we look at the final miracle, or rather final two connected miracles, as Jesus conquers that which we thought was undefeatable - death itself. 

When Jesus walked on this earth he had friends, close dear friends, some of whom traveled with him wherever he went and others that welcomed him and his followers into their homes. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were in the later group. They were such good friends that upon Lazarus falling ill, the sisters sent word to Jesus because they knew he would want to be there to heal their brother. Only day after day passed and Jesus did not come. The result was tragic - their brother’s life ended. So they followed the typical burial traditions of the time - binding Lazarus’s feet at the ankles. Tying his arms across his body and then having his body wrapped in around one-hundred pounds of ritual clothes to protect and preserve the body. That ritual itself had taken place days ago, as the dead were buried on the same day as their passing. And now - now - Jesus showed up.

  Mary believed that Jesus could have healed her brother - but what could Jesus do now? Death always had the final word - and even Jesus couldn’t speak into that darkness. Mary had the same faith that many of us have today - preventative faith - that makes us go to God in order to keep things from happening. Could Jesus reverse the irreversible nature of death itself? 

Jesus had Mary take him to where the body of his friend was laid and told her and those gathered around to remove the stone. At which Mary hesitated. Her brother had been dead for four days - there would a stench. And what was the point? Dead was dead. But Jesus persuaded her by reminding her that she was about to see the glory of God.

We have the privilege of the written version of this story. We know how it ends. But just pretend for a moment that you were one of the folks gathered at the grave that day? How would you have reacted if you heard Jesus calling for Lazarus to come out - and then he actually did!?! Lazarus lived again - and he was freed from his death clothes and from death itself. 

The miracle of Lazarus coming back to life after death is important because it foreshadows both Jesus’s resurrection, which we celebrate this day, and our own as well. Our faith, in the words of Pastor Mark Batteron, revolves around the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For those who believe in Jesus, we know that our life, and even our death, are only temporary, for some day we too will hear Jesus call our name as we enter into glory. Today in the face of the empty tomb we hear the triumphant cry “Chris is Risen Indeed” as Jesus comes face to face with Mary and commissions her to tell the disciples the good news.

In our second scripture lesson this morning we find a different Mary also weeping outside of a tomb. he stood weeping outside of the tomb, by now catching up with the men who had ran in front of her. She still couldn’t bring herself to go into the tomb – what was the point? She knew what was facing her there and it was not what she was prepared to see. She wanted to do the only thing she could for her slain Lord, and someone had denied her that opportunity. Not only had she faced his death, but now his fallen body wasn’t even present. So she wept. Finally, with tears still blocking her sight, she bent over and saw two angels in the tomb, sitting where Jesus once was. They looked at her with tender respect in their eyes and asked, “Woman, why are you weeping?”. She sputtered out that the Lord, the one whom she was looking for, had been taken away. As she turned around, she saw another man looking at her with this seemingly familiar compassion in his eyes. He too addressed her in terms of respect, care, and admiration, “Women, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Mary once again gave her answer that caused her so much pain, her eyes unable to see who truly stood before her. 

But then Jesus said but one word, “Mary!” and her eyes were opened. She exclaimed, “Teacher!” and ran to cling to Jesus. He then gave her the command to tell the disciples that Jesus had not yet ascended to God, but of course Mary could not explain this to the disciples without first proclaiming, “I have seen the Lord!” Even though Mary knew about the healing of Lazarus, she had the same preventive faith as the other Mary - instead of resurrection faith - that type of faith that looks for God to redeem situations for the glory of God - even the seemingly unredeemable - even death itself. 

Sight and hearing are two of the most commonly used human senses throughout scripture to explain the richness of the faith. People may be able to see with their physical eyes, but can they perceive with their hearts? People may be able to hear the scriptures, but do they hear and understand the voice of God? There seems to be a disconnect at times between sensually experiencing the physical world and its deep spiritual meaning.

Mary had to hear her own name in order to be able to see properly. In the words of Chris Tomlin, she rose when Christ called her name – no more sorrow, no more pain. And when she did hear and see all logic flew out the window. Logically, Jesus was dead, not only dead but mangled, and those who die that painfully do not come back to life. Further, Jesus didn’t bring himself down off the cross, didn’t save himself, so why would he be alive now? All rational thoughts about how or why escaped her as she gasped, “Rabbouni” and went to him. She didn’t need reason in order to believe what was right in front of her.

At the heart of Christianity is the peculiar and illogical belief that Jesus rose from the dead. It doesn’t make sense. We can understand cross dying on the cross, but our faith does not hinge on that fact alone. No, Christ is risen, which means Jesus is alive! We are the only religion to make the claim that one we stake our faith on, our very lives on, lived, died, and lived again. And because Jesus lives again, so can we – death does not have the final word over our lives because it did not have the final word of Christ’s. And this doesn’t make sense. So all too often, we only focus on Jesus hanging on the cross, or what he taught his disciples, instead of claiming the power of the resurrection. But when Christ calls our name, our eyes are opened like those of Mary. Not by arguments or persuasion, but by hearing our name.

Have you heard Christ call your name today? Have you been awakened by it.  As artist Matt Maher proclaims, “Christ is risen from the dead, we are one with him again, come awake, come awake, come arise up from the grave.” For many of us, the Easter story is simply that, a story. But when it is connected with the reality of the risen Christ calling our name, we are able to see and place our faith in the empty tomb. Jesus, the risen one, knows each of our names. He knows that sometimes we let our rational sides block us from hearing him. And he knows that sometimes, in the face of the great mystery of his risen body and the empty tomb, we really want to defend him with logical explanations. But what Jesus really wants are not our explanations, but our ears and hearts listening to the sweet call as Jesus says our names so we can see, even when our world is clouded with darkness. Listen. Can you hear the voice of the Risen Lord? How will you respond when Jesus calls your name, not just on this Easter Sunday, but every day? Amen.