Ezekiel 37:1–14 / Psalm 130 / Romans 8:6–11 / John 11:1–45
This is the written version of the
homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania, on Sunday, March 22, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“FIXING THE UN-FIXABLE”
(Homily
text: John 11:1–45)
Ever face a situation in which
something you own is no longer fix-able?
It might be an old car, say one that
belonged to your grandparents, or some other friend or relative, something that
dates from a completely different time, where cars are concerned.
Or it might be an old sewing machine.
(I have in mind one of those sewing machines that you had to pump with your
foot to make it work…my grandmother had one of those.)
In each case, you have something that
is dear to you, something that’s been a part of your life for a very long time.
Something you’ve enjoyed not only having, but something you’ve enjoyed using.
But now, the repair shop is telling you
that there’s no fixing that beloved thing in your life…there are no parts to be
had for it, and, in fact, the repairs are such that they can’t be done.
The scenario just laid out pretty much
sums up the predicament that two sisters, Mary and Martha, faced: Their beloved
brother, Lazarus, had died.
They sent a message to Jesus, hoping
that He would come and dispel the sickness that had been the cause of his
death. But Jesus hadn’t come in time. (In fact, it seems that He had
deliberately delayed coming to help them.)
The two sisters knew of Jesus’ healing
powers. They had heard of the miraculous things He was doing, and so they were
certain that He could help with their brother’s illness. But they apparently
didn’t believe that that power of God, at work in Him, could raise the dead to
new life.
But now, they stand at the tomb and
weep. There is no fixing this situation: Lazarus is dead, for he had been in
the tomb for four days now. Those in the community of Bethany, where Mary and
Martha lived, held to the belief – common in those days - that Lazarus’ soul
would linger around the body for three days, in hopes of being reunited with
it. Four days in the tomb meant, to them, that there was no further hope for a
new chapter in their brother’s life.
As is common in John’s Gospel account,
Jesus knew the situation with Lazarus. He also knew the solution to the
situation.
But Jesus has work to do to get His own
disciples to see what that solution would be.
As He tells them that they need to go
to Lazarus, He begins by telling them that Lazarus has fallen asleep. The
disciples say that, if Lazarus has fallen asleep, he will surely recover. But
Jesus then says that Lazarus has died. Then He adds that He was glad that He
wasn’t there when Lazarus died. He says that the reason is that what will
happen with Lazarus will be the cause for them to believe in God’s power.
Just as Jesus has work to do with His
disciples, He also has work to do with Mary and with Martha, more so with
Martha than with Mary.
As He nears the village of Bethany, He
encounters Martha, who says to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died.” But then, she adds, “But even now I know that whatever
you ask from God, God will give you.”
Jesus says, “Your brother will rise
again”. She replies, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the
last day.” Jesus replies with one of those wonderful “I am” statements we find
so many times in John’s account, saying, “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 mind shall never die. Do you believe this?” She can’t
quite get her mind around this idea, so she says, “Yes, Lord, I believe that
you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world”.
With the conversation with His
disciples, and His conversation with Martha, both complete, Jesus then brings
all of them to the point of a new understanding of the power of God, at work in
Him.
At the tomb, Jesus calls out to
Lazarus, saying, “Lazarus, come out”. The dead man comes out of the tomb.
God’s power is most often seen in that
divine ability to create, and to re-create. Kind of like resurrecting that old
machine or old car that seemed un-fixable.
God’s power, at work in the raising of
Lazarus, at work in the raising of Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday, is at
work in your life and in mine.
In what way has God fixed the
un-fixable in your life, or in mine? In what way has something that seemed to
endure, been dealt with in a way that led to a new and fuller life?
God’s deepest desire is for each one of
us to come to the knowledge of God’s power to fix things, things that – to our
normal sensitivities and life experience – seem to elude any solution.
Our Christian faith encourages us to
believe that this unique power of God is at work in the world and in our lives
today, so that when it happens, we will recognize it and give glory to God.
AMEN.
