2002.10.20. Rev. Young Jin Cho

"Lazarus, come out."

John 11:33-44

In the New Testament there are four gospels that show the life and teachings of Jesus. Biblical scholars call the book of John the fourth gospel, as it is different from the other gospels. One of the characteristics of the gospel John is the understanding of the miracles that Jesus performed. They understood miracles as signs that prove who Jesus is rather than as events that show the power of Jesus as a Son of God. Therefore we often find long sermons after he performed miracles.

In John 6, he preaches a sermon that testifies he is the bread of life, after he performed the miracle of feeding five thousand people. In John 9, he presents himself as a healer who opens our eyes after he healed a man who was born blind. He proclaims himself as the resurrection and the life and a being who makes us live while he raises Lazarus. It emphasizes that miracles are the signs that show who Jesus is.

I

In today's scripture, in Bethany near Jerusalem we can find Maria, Martha, and Lazarus, whom Jesus loved dearly. On the way to Jerusalem he was hiding away from the Jews. Maria and Martha sent someone to let Jesus know that Lazarus was sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified through it." Two days later he went to Bethany.

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. After his funeral service was over, Maria and Martha were living in sorrow. Lazarus was laid in a stone tomb, after his hands and feet were wrapped in strips of linen according to Jewish funeral methods. It has important meaning that he had been dead for 4 days. At that time, Jews believed that the souls of dead people hung around for 3 days after they died. When they said that he had been in the tomb for 4 days, it meant that his soul had already left and couldn't return. Jesus arrived at Bethany, in this hopeless situation. Unfortunately it was too late.

This morning we may find ourselves through Lazarus who lay in a tomb.

(1) First, there was a bad odor, for he had been there four days.

Around us there are a lot of people who have a bad odor as they lost real lives. Even though their bodies are live and healthy, they are already dead because their souls left God. When a tree is separated from the root and it cannot receive the water and the nutrition from the root. The tree is already dead. Likewise, when a man leaves God who is the source of life, even though his body is alive his soul is already dead.

And when a man leaves God, his life is getting into the corruption. If he seeks his desire and contentment rather than seeking God's will, and if he seeks corruptible things instead of seeking everlasting things, his life already begins to decay. Therefore the prophet Jeremiah pointed out that the heart was deceitful above all things beyond care in Jeremiah 17:9. The Apostle Paul said that men didn't think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God and they had become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. The image of Lazarus who had a bad odor from the tomb could be found in images of ourselves today.

(2) Second, Lazarus' hands and feet were wrapped. Of course he didn't need to move because he was dead, but he was wrapped, showing that he had lost freedom.

These days a lot of people live like this. According to psychological research, men can have wounds in their minds and their emotions as well as on their bodies. Wounds from their parents during their childhoods can become shackles later in life. Internal wounds and pains that were received during adolescence push us into inferiority complexes and make us lose self-confidence, or they give us superiority complexes and make us hurt other people. Deep-seated, bitter experiences like sexual harassment cause problems and pain between husbands and wives.

Internal wounds like these obstruct the life of true freedom. It could cause a lack of self-confidence and wrapped lives in hands and feet. The image of Lazarus wrapped 2000 years ago could become our image today.

(3) Third, Lazarus was laid, his hands and feet wrapped in the stone tomb, and people closed the entrance to the tomb with the stone. While Lazarus' body was decaying inside, no changes were made outside.

We can find our real image in this. We can't find any problems from other people outwardly. But deep inside they may lose real freedom and real happiness, and could suffer from loneliness without sharing their pain with others.

Koreans especially think that dignity and appearance are important. Therefore someone pointed out that Korean culture is the culture of appearance and dignity. Because of this influence, we hesitate to share our pain and suffering. We precalculate the consequences after revealing problems. When I was in middle school, a teacher used to tell us that we should break the culture of appearance for a bright future. Perhaps this kind of behavior could be influenced by the situation that we can't find accountable neighbors we can share our inner pain and agony. Considering the undesirable consequences of sharing painful secrets, some of us are afraid of sharing. And they would choose to live with closed mouths and minds.

During vision conference, a story that a sister shared challenged and shocked pastors. She confessed that she experienced internal pain and tiredness while she worked hard for our church without showing any problems. When we pastors heard this story of pain, we asked ourselves, "Where were we when saints felt pain? Where were other saints?" If we can't share pain in our church, what is our church doing? How much do we understand saints deeply and share their lives?'

There are a lot of neighbors who close the inner pain with stone because of the culture of appearance. We have a lot of lonely brothers and sisters who can't find neighbors who can share with them. Therefore the image of Lazarus who laid in the tomb closed with stone 2000 years ago, could be my, and our image today.

II

Jesus arrived at the house of Martha and Maria later and comforted them. He consoled those who said, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died." He went to the tomb of Lazarus after he told them that Lazarus would live. He felt sad and wept over his death with Maria. Two words, "Jesus wept," give us the warmth of his love. He was not cold because he was complete. He was not a person who was indifferent towards our pain as he was extremely holy. Jesus wept with people who were crying. He wept with the sorrowful heart of Maria and Martha.

Brothers and sisters, because of the love of Jesus, we have hope in it. He didn't reprimand or curse men who were corrupt, being separated from God. He feels sad over our wrong choices and our stubbornness. He feels pity for our self-made bondage. He never turns away his face from our painful sigh from the lack of freedom. He weeps over our sense of appearance and deceitfulness, expecting that we can experience a new life when we open our hearts.

We have hope in the love of Jesus. We cannot give up ourselves because he never gives up in spite of our rebellion and insufficiencies. Jesus of love comes into our lives and sorrow and failure and the sigh of frustration. He is weeping over our wandering.

III

Jesus visited Lazarus, who was confined in the tomb, and comforted Maria and Martha with important words.

(1) First, in 11:39, he said, "Take away the stone." Martha tried to dissuade Jesus from doing this, explaining that after four days, there would be a bad odor. But Jesus asked them to move the stone, telling them that if they believed, they would see the glory of God.

Brothers and sisters, I ask you who have experienced the pains of confinement like Lazarus to pay attention to these words. You have to move the stone and open your mind. Revealing our wounds and sores is painful and can cause a bad odor. It can cause shock and pain for others. However, we have to follow the order of Jesus if we want to live new lives. Come to Jesus after taking away the stone of appearance, asking his help. If you open your heart, God will show you the way.

Of course God can heal us for himself. But in God's work, we have to do our share. Opening our hearts is our share. Taking away the stone is our work. Opening the way for God to revive our lives is our portion to do. The Bible says that our Lord is knocking on the door of our mind outside of the room. If you look into the painting of Jesus knocking on the door, there is no door handle on the outside of the door. The door is supposed to be opened from the inside. If we open the door, our Lord will come in and revive us as the Lord revived Lazarus.

(2) Second, in 11:43, Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out." Jesus prayed in front of an opened tomb. He looked up and said that he thanked God that he had heard him and he said this for the benefit of the people standing there, that they might believe that God sent him. And he called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The Lord is talking to us this morning. To those who have a bad odor and who have lost freedom because of wounds and past chains and to those that don't know that they are dying of the sense of appearance and studying another's face, he said, "So and so, come out," of a painful situation and of vanity and a falsehood and of the lack of freedom and of frustration and fear and of despair and wandering and of seeing corruptible things and empty contentment and of the illusion of achievement.

Brothers and sisters, this morning do you hear the Lord's calling? We should listen to him in order to live. There is the way in the Lord. We should follow the Lord's words in order to be liberated from the wearisome life like a tomb. When we come to the Lord, I and my family and my spouse and my children can live. The Lord who called, "Lazarus, come out," is calling us today. He is calling us to new ways of life.

(3) Third, in 11:44, he said to them, "Take off grave clothes and let him go." According to his words hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen and his face was covered with cloth. He said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." These words are given for us and KUMC, the community of faith. The church is the place that makes those who come to Jesus take off and let them go. The church is the place of freeing uncomfortable and disabled new converters. We have to untangle problems for each other and encourage each other to enjoy authentic freedom after setting them free. The church should lead saints to true freedom and blessed life. The Lord built our church for this purpose.

Nobody is perfect. Everybody has some kind of problems. Everybody has some different degree or kind of problem. There is no one who doesn't have pains and agony. Nobody has guaranteed peace of tomorrow because he or she is peaceful now. The Lord built the church which helped us unwrap and build each other and live the life of true freedom while overcoming harsh lives. He founded KUMC for this purpose. And now he says, "Take off and let him go."

I read a story from an article of Rev. Chung Tae Ki. One day he received a call from a woman with a feeble voice. When he was ready to leave after a lecture for graduate students, she practically begged him to meet her. He rejected her request, telling her that he should go to church. But she insisted. She told him that it was a matter of life and death, that she was ready to take pills and kill herself. He asked her to come to his office. The woman looked very old in spite of her 42 years of age. She told him that her husband left home with another woman 10 months ago, and that he occasionally came home to ask for money. She was a deacon, but she didn't know God or Jesus and relied on her husband. She lost the hope to love after her husband deserted her.

In the meantime, even though she was a deacon, she had "goot," an exorcist ritual, with $4000 dollars and bought a Boo-Juk, a exorcist symbol, with $3000 dollars and attached it to the ceiling. She even burned a pair of her husband's suits at one o'clock in the morning. But there was no use. The pastor told her, "You have only one place to ask." "Where is it?" she asked. "It is Jesus," he replied. "Starting tomorrow, go to early morning prayer service and pray with this vision. First you visualize that Jesus carries your husband to your house. Second, you believe that it will be realized. Third you thank God as your prayer is already achieved. Please call me if you feel that you want to take your life, and call me once a week."

Deacon Ku called me regularly as promised. Gradually her voice became brighter. Three months later, she called him. "Pastor," she said, "This morning my husband came to my bosom." "Finally, your husband returned to you!" the pastor replied. "No," she said, I felt such a conviction in prayer." Within one month, her husband came back to her. Her husband started to attend early morning prayer service with her. At the beginning she couldn't believe that she wondered if he pretended to be sincere in order to ask for money. But the decision of her husband was not changing. At last he began to shed tears of repentance. He often thanked her with tears in his eyes, that she accepted a bastard like him. She was excited at his amazing change. She exclaimed to her neighbors, "Friends, if you believe in Jesus, believe in living Jesus like me. I assumed that I would meet Jesus after death, but living Jesus brought my husband back."

Some time later deacon Ku paid a visit to the pastor. At the beginning he couldn't tell who she was because she had changed a lot, from looking like an old lady to a beautiful young lady. The pastor joked, "Deacon Ku, have you been using a special wrinkle-free cream?"

Our Lord who set deacon Ku free says to us today, "Take away the stone." "Lazarus, come out." "So and so, come out." "Take off and let him go."