“His Final Steps Led To A Tomb”
Text: John 11:1-53
3-5-2025
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Would you want to know the time, place, and way in which you were going to die? Some people may find that appealing and say yes. They figure if these details were known, then they could hurry up and get the stuff on their bucket list done. But that’s dumb. Why wait until you know you’re dying? Why not do them now? If you ask me that question, my answer is: “Absolutely not!” Do you know why? If I knew I had “x” number of days or years left, I might get lazy about doing the things that I ought to have a sense of urgency about. For example: I should regularly tell my wife and family how much I love them. I should strive to tell as many people as I can about Jesus as our Savior. I should do as much as I can to help people in need. I should live each day like it was my last. However, if I knew I had “plenty of time left” I may be tempted to put these things off. Furthermore, if I knew how and when I was going to die, I might wrestle daily with the burden and worry of that knowledge. It would be on my mind every waking hour. So, I’m glad I don’t know the time, place, or manner in which my heavenly Father will take me home.
Thinking about our deaths and the future in this way makes what our Savior did even more astounding. He knew exactly what lay ahead of Him as He took His final steps here on earth. Every twist; every turn; every plot of his enemies; every hateful word thrown at Him; every lash of the whip; every tortured breath He would take on Calvary’s cross until He said, “It is finished!” As the all-knowing Son of God, Jesus could see that His path ahead would lead to horrific pain and agony. And yet He took His final steps anyway. Why? Because His unselfish love for you and me pushed Him forward every step of the way.
Tonight, on Ash Wednesday, we begin a pilgrimage of faith during these 40 days of Lent, as we watch our Savior take His final steps. This evening we’ll start by examining the event that was a catalyst for our Savior’s final steps. Jesus’ mightiest miracle to date set the stage for God’s gracious plan to be completed. As you heard in our Gospel reading the beginning of Christ’s final steps led Him to a tomb. So, let’s look more closely at this pivotal moment in the last days of Jesus.
Make no mistake, Christ knew exactly what He was getting into by going to Bethany. This village was only 2 miles from Jerusalem, which was the headquarters for the chief priests, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. These Jewish leaders had been dogging every step of Jesus for 3 years, watching and waiting for Him to make a mistake. They were hoping for an ill-advised word that they could rip out of context, like maybe a crabby response caused by the crowds pressing in around Him, looking for help when Jesus was exhausted. They were hoping for anything they could use to discredit Him or, better yet, to accuse Him of blasphemy because the punishment for that crime was death. And yet there was no misstep, not a single word that could be used against Jesus. His enemies grew so desperate that they were about to take our Savior by force, but He eluded their grasp by withdrawing back across the Jordan River, out of their reach.
But now Jesus’ appointment with the cross was at hand. So, when Mary and Martha sent word that Lazarus was sick, Jesus told His disciples, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Then, He waited 2 extra days. As you might expect, that puzzled the disciples. Why wait those additional days? The simple answer is that He was preparing to teach a valuable lesson about His power over death. In a statement that confused the disciples, Jesus told them that Lazarus had “fallen asleep” and He was going to go wake him. Right away, those guys thought of natural sleep or a coma caused by illness. So, under that assumption there was no need to go to Bethany because Lazarus would wake up and be fine without Jesus risking His life by going there. But Jesus patiently explained that Lazarus’ sleep was actually death.
You see, Jesus waited two days before he took these final steps to Bethany because He knew what needed to be done for the faith of the two grieving sisters as well as everyone else there. Martha expressed the deep sadness and hopelessness that was in the hearts of many of the mourners. So, Jesus said exactly what she needed to hear, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha realized He was talking about the resurrection of the dead on judgment day. And that was good. But she, and Mary, and all the rest of us who mourn the death of loved ones, needed to hear more. We need Jesus to identify the source of that resurrection hope. I suspect that He literally pointed to Himself as He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
I’d like you to notice something here. Even though Jesus had just spoken words of the truth and hope of the resurrection there were still tears. When Jesus saw and heard the weeping, He wasn’t cold or unsympathetic. No, our text says He was “deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled.” So much so that Jesus Himself wept. Not in sorrow. Rather, He wept over the pain that death had brought into the lives of the people He loved. Please remember that the next time you attend the funeral of a loved one. Jesus certainly does care about your loss and the sadness it brings. His divine heart is touched by it. And He wants to ease your pain with not only the knowledge of the resurrection but also with the sure and certain hope of it which we have through faith in Him.
That’s why He had to take those next steps to the tomb of Lazarus. He needed to provide a glimpse of His power of the resurrection. When He arrived, Jesus ordered them to roll the stone away that was used as a door to the tomb. Martha legitimately objected because there would be an awful odor from the body after 4 days. You see, the Jews didn’t embalm their dead, so by this time there would have been a very bad smell from the decaying flesh. The scene inside the tomb would be ghoulish, but not for the one who is the resurrection and the life. Jesus had to remind them of this when He calmed their fears. He said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” In an act of faith and trust, they removed the stone. And with a commanding voice, Jesus spoke new life into that dead man and Lazarus emerged from the tomb, alive and well.
Jesus took His final steps to a tomb that needed to be emptied for the sake of the two grieving sisters who miraculously got their brother back. He took those steps for Lazarus who could then testify to the power of Christ over death. Jesus took those steps for His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the Savior’s power and glory, the same men He commissioned to be His witnesses throughout the world (Acts 1:8). And Jesus took those final steps for all the rest of us who would trust in Him by faith. We also need to hear His words, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Here at the tomb of Lazarus is proof that nothing is impossible for God. Our faith is strengthened in Christ’s promise of salvation and eternal life. Here is our comfort when we mourn a loved one who has passed away. Here is our hope and confidence when we struggle to take our own final breath. Trusting in the words of Jesus, we know that for a believer, death is nothing but a sleep which Jesus will gently wake us from on judgment day.
A few moments ago, I mentioned how Jesus’ enemies had been trailing him wherever he went, hoping to hear Jesus say something inappropriate or insensitive; maybe to see Jesus lose his patience at the end of a long day. They were sure that He would eventually fall into their trap because, after all, nobody is perfect. Ah, but Jesus was and is! So, despite their best efforts, they never got any dirt on Him. But then He raised Lazarus. Arguably it was the greatest miracle Jesus’ ever did—other than his own resurrection on Easter. Lazarus was raised from the dead after four days in the grave. That’s totally against nature and it sounds impossible. But the Jews who witnessed it were even more shocked and surprised than we would have been. Why? Because according to Jewish thinking, they believed that the human soul hovers around the body for three days after death. For three days the soul is lost and confused, hoping to be reunited with their body. But they were taught that this only lasted three days. After that, the soul finally goes home to the Lord, and a resurrection can no longer happen.
Now do you see why Jesus waited two days before going to Bethany? To overcome their silly superstition and to also show the reality of His power over life and death, He made sure that four days had passed since Lazarus had died. It was totally unheard of and an indisputable miracle. News of it spread everywhere like wildfire. Ironically, the raising of Lazarus became the catalyst that caused the last stage of God’s plan of grace to be set into motion. St. John informs us that many of the Jews who witnessed this miracle believed in Jesus as a result. But not everyone did. Especially not the Jewish leaders who despised Him. Even though they heard eye-witness accounts of this incredible miracle, that only fanned the flame of their hatred for Jesus. So much so that Caiaphas, the high priest, instructed them that it would be better to kill an innocent man than for the status quo of their political power to be upset. Keep in mind, this “innocent man” was none other than the holy Son of God! And yet, that’s wheat blind hatred does.
Jesus’ final steps led Him to a tomb that needed to be emptied so that the hatred of His enemies would boil over into an insane, diabolical plot to capture Him, put Him through a mock trial, and then force His crucifixion on Calvary’s cross. All of this would happen on Passover, the time God had set from eternity for His Lamb, the Son of God, to die for you and me.
You know, we started out talking about why it’s good that we don’t know when, how, or where we’re going to die. But Jesus did. And He knows when your time will come too. That’s why He took His final steps: So that our sins would be washed away by His blood and we wouldn’t have to be afraid when it’s our turn to die. That’s why He pointed Martha and all of us to Himself as the resurrection and the life. But do you remember what He asked Martha after that statement? He asked her, “Do you believe this?” And really, that’s the question Jesus asks of every other soul on this planet. Only you can provide your answer. I pray that you can answer along with Martha and confess your faith in Jesus as the Savior of the world. If so, then those words that were spoken when you received the ashes on your forehead won’t be frightening. Instead, with confidence you can say, “Yes, from dust I came and to dust I shall return. But I firmly believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He conquered death on the cross for me. He will raise the dust of my body and make it anew. Then, He will reunite it with my soul. Like Lazarus, He will call me forth from my grave to live with Him for all eternity.” May that be the sincere prayer of all who believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior. And may the Lord bless our journey of repentance and faith throughout the rest of our Lenten journey. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!