March 24, 2003
April 20
___John 11:14-44; 47-53
A life punctuated by an early death
___By Craig Vire
___Some things in life are so incredible, so strange, they are almost too hard to believe. That is exactly what Robert Ripley was counting on.
___Ripley spent his life traveling the world in search of bizarre but true stories. These collected accounts formed the substance of the "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" books for more than 70 years. For example, you will find the following entries in the "Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Great and Strange Works of Man."
___ The cornerstone of the Washington Monument, which was laid on July 4, 1848, and weighed 25,000 pounds (that's 12.5 tons), disappeared and has never been found.
___ Walter Schneider of Monroe, Wisc., balanced 5,555 wooden matches on a one-inch wide test tube.
___ In 1937, Ernest Wright of California wrote and published a 50,110 word novel called "Gadsby: a Champion of Youth" without using the letter "e".
___One of the most unusual feats ever accomplished is the raising of Lazarus from the dead as recorded in John 11. The story is so extraordinary some people find it difficult to accept as truth.
___Death as a period
___Jesus appears to exhibit an uncharacteristic lack of concern when word comes his friend Lazarus is sick. He remains where he is for two more days before making his way to Bethany.
___His conversation with the disciples on the subject seems contradictory at points. He affirms early on that Lazarus' illness will not end in death. They are no doubt comforted by that news.
___Jesus states cryptically that Lazarus is asleep and reveals his decision to go wake him. The disciples assume their friend is napping and that's a good thing. After all, sick people need their rest.
___Then Jesus tells them plainly Lazarus is dead. For the disciples, that puts a final period at the end of life.
___Death as a question mark
___When Jesus arrives at the home of Lazarus, he is confronted by a family immersed in the grief process. He meets privately with Martha and then Mary. Both sisters question his late arrival.
___The death of their brother places a question mark at the end of life. We are prone to ask the same kind of questions in similar circumstances. Why did my loved one have to die? Couldn't God have done something to prevent my loved one's death? If God could have done something then why didn't he?
___In response to Martha's questioning grief, Jesus makes one of the most extraordinary statements recorded in all Scripture. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die," (John 11: 25).
___Being a toddler is frustrating at times. When my youngest daughter was small, she often found herself competing with the television, other adults and the telephone for my attention. Preschoolers may be small, but there are times when they have important things to say. They also are fairly resourceful.
___When being heard was imperative, she would clasp my face with a hand on either side. Doing so formed blinders so that I had no option but to look directly into her eyes. Holding my face inches from her own, she would say through clenched teeth, "Now listen to me!"
___That's the way Jesus must have felt at times. He comes to Bethany to demonstrate he can give life to one who is already dead. If he can give life to one man, he has the power to give life to all who trust in him. The news then, as now, seems too good for many to believe.
___Life as an answer to death
___Jesus calls for a response to his claim to be the resurrection and the life with a question of his own, "Do you believe this?" In doing so, he challenges the depth of Martha's faith.
___She is not a faithless individual. She believes Jesus has power over sickness. His presence prior to her brother's death would have prevented his passing. Her faith affirms that God will grant any request for which Jesus petitions his heavenly Father. She believes Lazarus will rise at the last day.
___Jesus challenges her to take her faith a step further. Lazarus is four days dead. Can the Savior who is able to keep men from dying also give life to those who have perished?
___Martha answers in the affirmative. She acknowledges that Jesus possesses the same creative abilities to bestow life demonstrated by the God who created all things. Her heart and mind determine Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one, the long-awaited Messiah sent from God.
___God grants every human being the capacity of free will to determine whether they will respond to the life and love he offers. The decision to share love with another individual must be made freely or it becomes coercion and manipulation. Love can only be experienced as a result of a free choice.
___We as Texas Baptists believe in the doctrine of soul competency. God enables every person to consider freely the claims of Christ. Each person is responsible for deciding whether or not they will receive the life Jesus extends.
___Death as a comma
___Jesus asks Mary, "Where have you laid him?" The inquiry is not made in resignation but with resolution. As Jesus stands outside the tomb, he is deeply moved. The phrase is intense in the original language, communicating sorrow combined with indignation and anger.
___Jesus confronts the tragedy of sin's consequences, the tyranny of the evil one over the human race, the collective grief of the crowd around him and his own personal grief at the loss of a friend. He is brought face to face with his own impending death. He will go to the cross to die as a sacrifice for the sins of all people.
___He calls for Lazarus to come forth from the grave with authority. The life of God abides powerfully within the Son because the Son's life abides inseparably in the Father.
___The raising of this dear friend from the dead is a sign of the personal resurrection Jesus will accomplish on the third day following his death. On that day, no human will need to roll away the stone of the tomb, to loose the grave clothes, or call him from the dead. He will rise by the life of the Father that indwells him.
___Robert Nest in "A Third Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul" shares instructions for the day of his death in a selection titled "To Remember Me." His desire is for his body to be used to give life to as many people as possible.
___"Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play. Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week. Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk."
___Through organ donation, humans can sometimes temporarily prolong the life of another person. Christ holds the power to give eternal life to all who trust in him.
___Life as political incorrectness
___The raising of Lazarus immediately creates a rift in the assembled crowd of mourners. Some find their sorrow turned into joy and place their faith in Jesus. Others rally the Sanhedrin in opposition to this miracle worker from Galilee.
___In the meeting that follows, the members of the council are fearful Rome will strengthen its grip on the nation in response to Jesus' miraculous signs. Caiaphas, the high priest, concludes it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to perish. From this time on, the membership aggressively plots to take his life.
___The high priest's words are truer than he knows. One man hanging from the cross will atone for the sin of all humankind. Although the debt of sin is paid, some will find it impossible to believe Jesus is the life-giver sent from God.
___On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the moon. In the early morning hours, families huddled around black-and-white television sets to witness Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon. Pride swelled in American hearts as Armstrong spoke the words, "That's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."
___Many who witnessed the event on television refused to believe American ingenuity could accomplish something as complicated as landing on the moon. While the rest of the nation rejoiced, they concluded the event was a cruel and elaborate hoax perpetrated by the government. Good news is sometimes hard to believe.
___Let the journey begin
___Harry Emerson Fosdick once said, "He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end."
___Once an individual places faith and trust in Jesus, he or she begins the journey that leads to everlasting life. That journey can begin right here, right now.
___Questions for discussion
___ Why did Jesus wait two days after hearing that Lazarus was sick before going to Bethany? If you were in Martha and Mary's position, how would you feel about Jesus' late arrival?
___ What are some of the questions that confront us when a loved one dies?
___ What does Jesus' grief outside the tomb teach us about death and dying?
___ How can death be viewed as a period, a question mark or a comma at the end of life?
___ What makes the concept of resurrection so difficult to accept?
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