Sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45
By Revd Gordon Thomas
DEATH TO LIFE
Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 he hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." 7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11 Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD." [NRSV]
1 he hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." 7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11 Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD." [NRSV]
Romans 8:6-11
6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. [NRSV]
6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-
John 11:1-45
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. [NRSV]
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. [NRSV]
DEATH AND LIFE
They are very dry it says. But God still asks the prophet mortal, can these bones live? It's a strange question. And I guess Ezekiel gives the only answer anyone could: O Lord God, you know!
DRY BONES
It's imagery of course but let's take it simply, perhaps simplistically at first. The scene may remind us of what we see around us in the winter. We see dead trees and shrubs: sticks, no use for anything much but the fire. But we know that soon life will come: we will see some growth. And new life will be all around us. But there has to be death too.
The bones represent the people of Israel. This isn't a story of individuals: this is a community, to all intents and purposes dead. In the Old Testament we read its story: God's chosen people as slaves, in exile, at war, in failure and even in rebellion against God Himself, until only a remnant of faithful people is left. Sometimes we read of God's burning anger but never outweighing His love for them. He is their Father and they are His children. Or He is their God and they are His people, and that never, ever changes.
It's a story fundamentally of hope and love: of God's purposes worked out until they are fulfilled in Jesus. And here we see what lies in store. What is lifeless; useless; dead is transformed by God's Spirit into new life. From disaster, chaos and death, God will bring restoration and life through Jesus.
LIFE THROUGH JESUS
The gospel reading is about an individual: a friend of Jesus. There are some interesting conundrums: why does Jesus take his time? Why does he put Mary and Marta through all this? They're good questions but the Bible tends not to focus much on "why" questions. It's more interested in setting before us the facts so that God can speak then and now.
Martha believes, as she should, that at the end of time the dead will be raised to new life in the resurrection. But that's not enough to still her grief for her brother. She doesn't want her brother to die! She wants him to live now. And in her grief Jesus gently challenges her to recognise him. I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. It's fascinating that it's after Martha makes her wonderful statement of faith and trust in Jesus Yes, Lord I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God; it's after that, that Jesus alongside Mary and the others, weeps for his dead friend. Only then greatly disturbed does he call Lazarus from the grave. Here we see a great paradox: Jesus shows God's power of life and love and hope over death. That is why he was born, lived and died as one of us. And that is when he weeps with the others. From the manger to the cross Jesus identifies Himself totally with humanity at the same time as he proclaims his Lordship. Here we see that so clearly in the raising of his friend Lazarus.
LIFE IN JESUS
All today's Bible readings today are concerned with death and life and I want to touch on this little extract from Paul's letter to the Romans. Just one word of explanation: when Paul uses the word flesh here, he is describing a way of life which is motivated by human selfishness and wordliness. When he uses the word Spirit, he means the Spirit of God: the Holy Spirit. That's important if you are to follow his point that being alive physically doesn't necessarily mean you have life. For Paul that is when God's Spirit lives in you; otherwise you are dead. And it's not even neutral: Paul claims that life focussed on the flesh, not God is not only dead but is actually hostile to God.
For him the way to life is clear: through faith in Jesus. To opt for life, not death, means making one decision: to put our faith and trust in Jesus: to stop trying to be better people fighting wrong in our own strength, bit instead allow God's Spirit to work in us; to experience his love for us and let Him transform us. Paul had experienced this for himself and his life was never the same again.
CONCLUSION
The gospel reading ends on a hopeful note: many of the Jews who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But perhaps we should read on another verse: But some of them (the Jews) went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. Because this miracle: this unequivocal act of goodness; this partial (but only partial) anticipation of Easter directly leads Jesus to the cross and the empty grave when he himself claims the victory over death; over sin. And it is how we in turn can claim his gift of new life. Now we know what it means to be not in the flesh but in the Spirit. Now we know what it means to walk with him to the Cross and beyond, into new life.
That is the meaning of the baptism promises; that is the meaning of Easter. This is what we shall reflect on next Sunday; on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and on Easter Day. That is what we shall reflect on in the baptisms and confirmations over this next month. Let us celebrate together the life we have through the death of Jesus.
AMEN
They are very dry it says. But God still asks the prophet mortal, can these bones live? It's a strange question. And I guess Ezekiel gives the only answer anyone could: O Lord God, you know!
DRY BONES
It's imagery of course but let's take it simply, perhaps simplistically at first. The scene may remind us of what we see around us in the winter. We see dead trees and shrubs: sticks, no use for anything much but the fire. But we know that soon life will come: we will see some growth. And new life will be all around us. But there has to be death too.
The bones represent the people of Israel. This isn't a story of individuals: this is a community, to all intents and purposes dead. In the Old Testament we read its story: God's chosen people as slaves, in exile, at war, in failure and even in rebellion against God Himself, until only a remnant of faithful people is left. Sometimes we read of God's burning anger but never outweighing His love for them. He is their Father and they are His children. Or He is their God and they are His people, and that never, ever changes.
It's a story fundamentally of hope and love: of God's purposes worked out until they are fulfilled in Jesus. And here we see what lies in store. What is lifeless; useless; dead is transformed by God's Spirit into new life. From disaster, chaos and death, God will bring restoration and life through Jesus.
LIFE THROUGH JESUS
The gospel reading is about an individual: a friend of Jesus. There are some interesting conundrums: why does Jesus take his time? Why does he put Mary and Marta through all this? They're good questions but the Bible tends not to focus much on "why" questions. It's more interested in setting before us the facts so that God can speak then and now.
Martha believes, as she should, that at the end of time the dead will be raised to new life in the resurrection. But that's not enough to still her grief for her brother. She doesn't want her brother to die! She wants him to live now. And in her grief Jesus gently challenges her to recognise him. I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. It's fascinating that it's after Martha makes her wonderful statement of faith and trust in Jesus Yes, Lord I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God; it's after that, that Jesus alongside Mary and the others, weeps for his dead friend. Only then greatly disturbed does he call Lazarus from the grave. Here we see a great paradox: Jesus shows God's power of life and love and hope over death. That is why he was born, lived and died as one of us. And that is when he weeps with the others. From the manger to the cross Jesus identifies Himself totally with humanity at the same time as he proclaims his Lordship. Here we see that so clearly in the raising of his friend Lazarus.
LIFE IN JESUS
All today's Bible readings today are concerned with death and life and I want to touch on this little extract from Paul's letter to the Romans. Just one word of explanation: when Paul uses the word flesh here, he is describing a way of life which is motivated by human selfishness and wordliness. When he uses the word Spirit, he means the Spirit of God: the Holy Spirit. That's important if you are to follow his point that being alive physically doesn't necessarily mean you have life. For Paul that is when God's Spirit lives in you; otherwise you are dead. And it's not even neutral: Paul claims that life focussed on the flesh, not God is not only dead but is actually hostile to God.
For him the way to life is clear: through faith in Jesus. To opt for life, not death, means making one decision: to put our faith and trust in Jesus: to stop trying to be better people fighting wrong in our own strength, bit instead allow God's Spirit to work in us; to experience his love for us and let Him transform us. Paul had experienced this for himself and his life was never the same again.
CONCLUSION
The gospel reading ends on a hopeful note: many of the Jews who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But perhaps we should read on another verse: But some of them (the Jews) went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. Because this miracle: this unequivocal act of goodness; this partial (but only partial) anticipation of Easter directly leads Jesus to the cross and the empty grave when he himself claims the victory over death; over sin. And it is how we in turn can claim his gift of new life. Now we know what it means to be not in the flesh but in the Spirit. Now we know what it means to walk with him to the Cross and beyond, into new life.
That is the meaning of the baptism promises; that is the meaning of Easter. This is what we shall reflect on next Sunday; on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and on Easter Day. That is what we shall reflect on in the baptisms and confirmations over this next month. Let us celebrate together the life we have through the death of Jesus.
AMEN
Rev Gordon Thomas © 2008