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Standalone Sermon | The Crowd Had Hope and Belief

September 22, 2024
John 11:38-44

³⁸Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

Lord, we pray that your grace may always uphold and encourage us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Psalm 16

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Summary and Connection

This study walks us through the question “What gives us hope and belief?” The Book of John points to the answer by showing us Jesus’ last and greatest sign: the raising of a dead man named Lazarus. All of Jesus’ miracles in the book of John are called signs, and each one teaches us about Jesus’ mission and the future that he brings. Raising the dead is a sign showing us what Jesus has come to do and what is ahead for those who believe in Jesus: death itself will die. This week’s sermon, “The Crowd Had Hope and Belief,” invites us to look at what this sign means for us as we think about death, belief, and future hope.

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

• Look at the four characters in this passage: Jesus, Martha, the crowd, and Lazarus? What is the posture of each toward Lazarus’ death?
• Look at all the emphasis on Lazarus being dead. What would underlining his death have meant for early readers of the Bible? What does it mean for us?

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

Look at verses 40 and 42 and what Jesus says about “belief.”

• How does belief allow you to see “the glory of God”? What is God’s glory?
• How does Jesus give belief to the crowd around him? How does this sign give us belief?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

• How often do you think about your own death? Is it too often, or not often enough?
• What does it mean for us that Jesus has power over death and life? 

4. Looking at Our World

• If Jesus is committed to raising Lazarus — and one day raising us — what does this mean for our physical world? 

Sending

• View Study Guide Notes

  Question 1: This short passage is loaded, realistic, and dramatic. When we see Jesus, he is both in touch with his emotions (“deeply moved”) and yet incredibly sure of God’s power through him (“Father … you have heard me”). Jesus appears to be the only one in this scene who knows how things will turn out. Martha is a realist (“he has been dead four days”) and a concerned friend (“there will be an odor,” which may imply, “This is impossible! Don’t embarrass yourself for me.”). Martha is also a tough enough character for Jesus to know that it’s okay for him to rebuke her, even at her brother’s grave. The crowd is somewhere in the middle, between Jesus and Martha. The crowd listens and removes the stone, yet Jesus also prays out loud for their benefit. Finally, Lazarus obeys, even from the grave. Not even death can stop the powerful word of God.

  Speaking of death, it is helpful to highlight where John goes out of his way to emphasize the fact that Lazarus was dead. He was in the grave. The grave was blocked. He was dead for four days. He stank. The passage describes him as “dead” twice. He came out in his grave clothes. In the early church, this was an important reminder that this is reality, not fantasy. And even today, this passage declares the same thing. Without a real death, there is no real sign.

  Question 2: “The glory of God” is a common motif throughout the Bible. His glory is his résumé, his reputation, what he has done, and what he is known for. This is why the Bible says that God’s glory is also his name. We know God by knowing his glory. So of course, we have to believe in God in order to know him. And dwell here on what Jesus is asking Martha: not for herculean efforts, not for dramatic gestures, not for extravagant sacrifice, but just for belief. Mere trust in her friend, Jesus, is all that she needs in order to see God’s glory. And God’s glory — what he is chiefly known for — is loving and saving sinners, and raising the dead to new life. 

  And this is what Jesus is showing the crowd around him: God’s glory working through him to raise the dead, so that the crowd would believe that Jesus is the sent one, the messiah. But it is Lazarus’ raising that convinces the Jewish leaders to kill Jesus (John 11:53). So, Jesus wants the crowd to believe and be saved, but it means that Jesus will be killed. Jesus cries, “Lazarus, come out!” anyway. Then, on the cross, Jesus took the curse we deserve, which is death itself, so that his death takes away our death. God gives us grounds for belief when he raises Jesus from the dead, never to die again. And God gives us hope that in Jesus we will defeat death and be raised to new life like him.

  Question 3: The question of our own death is often one that we would rather avoid, but of all people, Christians ought to be able to address it. Some people never think about their death, about seeing God, about leaving loved ones behind. And some people think and worry about it all far too much. As a leader, be gentle with this question and be prepared to share an answer yourself so that others feel permission to share. Use these answers to ask what it means, or should mean, for us that Jesus has power over life and death. If Jesus has died, he knows what it’s like. If Jesus is alive, he is with us as we die. And if Jesus is ascended, he welcomes us into his presence and will one day reunite us with our perfected bodies to live in a new creation where death is no more. You may want to read Revelation 21:1-5.

  1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

  Question 4: There is a Platonic view of the world, common even in Christian circles, that this world does not matter. Our bodies are insignificant. What matters is saving souls and going to heaven when you die. However, the Bible says that in God’s future, there is so much more. We are resurrected, our world is renewed, heaven comes down to earth and the two are joined forever, and all creation is made holy from the garden to the city. If our future is a world of matter, it means that matter matters to God, and it should matter to us as well. Discuss how this changes the way we work, love neighbors, and live in the city.