March 22, 2026 – Pastor Christopher Warneke
Scripture: John 11:1–45
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text for our meditation this morning is our Gospel reading from John chapter 11. Jesus is told that His friend Lazarus is ill, and it seems strange what Jesus does. He doesn't immediately go to His friend Lazarus to heal him, but instead waits two days. The reason given for His waiting is stated as His love for Lazarus. He loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary; therefore, He waited for two days where He was and did not go there immediately.
Why does Jesus do this? He states very clearly that His purpose in what He does is so that people would believe in Him and that God would be glorified and the Son of God would be glorified in Him. As He said to 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” (John 11:4).
Jesus allows Lazarus to die and then raises him from the dead so that all might believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, that whoever believes in Him will not perish even though they die. This is the whole purpose behind everything Jesus does in this chapter.
Everything that He does in this sequence is done in light of His resurrection. Jesus chooses to act how He will act because He knows He will raise Lazarus from the dead. He raises Lazarus so that we might know today that He is the resurrection and the life and that He will raise us on the last day. Everything that you hear Jesus do and say in this chapter must be looked at through the lens of His resurrection—raising Lazarus on that day, raising us all on the last day.
Since you have been claimed as Christ's own, called God’s child, and joined to Christ in Holy Baptism, everything in your life has changed. Nothing is random or haphazard. Everything is looked at through the lens of the resurrection on the last day, so that we know whatever we face—even death itself—Christ will raise us. He is glorified in the resurrection on the last day and therefore is glorified in our life and even in our death on earth.
The message of John 11 is clear: your life, your death, your resurrection are for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Every aspect of your life, from your baptism to your holy death to your resurrection on the last day, is for God’s glory. This can only be seen when we look at every aspect of our lives through the lens of what Christ has done for us in His suffering, death, and resurrection.
At the beginning of the story, Jesus is told of Lazarus’ illness. He immediately says:
“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” (John 11:4).
This frames the entire sequence: it’s all for God’s glory, all so that people might believe in Jesus and know that He is the resurrection and the life.
Now consider this: Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, yet He waited two days. Logic might suggest He should have hurried to Bethany and healed Lazarus immediately, but Jesus’ love includes allowing Lazarus to die in order that He could raise him and that God would be glorified. This may not be what we would have chosen, but it is Christ’s will, and He is glorified in it.
His resurrection glory brings victory and life even in the midst of Lazarus’s death and the sorrow of Mary and Martha. We feel their sorrow when they cry:
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, 32).
Martha even knows Lazarus will rise on the last day. She knows Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, but He still needs to teach her to identify Him with the resurrection:
“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” (John 11:25–26).
The resurrection is not just a concept; it is found in the person of Jesus. Through His blood and resurrection, we have forgiveness, life forever, and victory over death. If you are looking for resurrection, you look to Jesus; in Him alone we find life.
When Jesus approaches the tomb, everyone is sorrowful. He is deeply moved and weeps (John 11:35). This shows how much He cares for us. Death is an enemy, a foreign invader, and mourning is valid. Jesus’ weeping validates our sorrow when we face the death of loved ones.
Yet the story does not end there. Jesus orders the stone to be rolled away and prays:
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe You sent Me” (John 11:41–42).
Then He calls:
“Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43).
The man who had died walks out. We see Jesus’ glory, authority over death, and deep compassion. He raises Lazarus to life and points all to Himself, the resurrection and the life.
Our suffering and weakness also glorify God. Saint Paul writes of his “thorn in the flesh” and God’s response:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Even our mortal bodies fail, yet the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus dwells in us, and He will raise us on the last day (Romans 8:11). Our illness, suffering, and death proclaim God’s glory because Christ lives in us and will raise us.
“The Spirit of Christ that raised Him from the dead dwells in you and will give life to your mortal body.”
Every trial, every sorrow, every weak moment is an opportunity for God’s glory to shine.
John 11 reminds us to see life through Christ’s resurrection:
Baptism unites us with Christ in His death and resurrection. Everything—life, suffering, death—is for His glory. The Spirit that raised Jesus lives in you and will raise you. Our lives, deaths, and resurrection testify to God’s glory and mercy.
Christ is glorified in your life, death, and resurrection. He weeps with us, strengthens us, and promises eternal life. Let us:
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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