Month: March 2026

Lent 5: I am the Resurrection and the Life

Van Gogh’s ‘Rising of Lazarus’

Lent 5
22/3/26

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45

This is a rather long and well-known passage of John’s Gospel; it is good that we should hear the entirety of it. There are many threads to pull especially in Lent as we get closer to Easter. We will soon be confronted with the death and resurrection of Jesus through Holy Week and on Good Friday. What does it mean to be resurrected?

It is more than simply popping back to life again. Often the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus gets reduced down to a miracle story of Jesus. An impressive miracle story of course. However some of the more important parts get left out. The rising, resurrection of Lazarus shows us something of Jesus’ character.

Jesus is our friend. I baptised two brothers a couple of years ago and I asked the older one what does it mean to get baptised? He paused for a moment. Then with the biggest smile on his face, he said, ‘it means that I am Jesus’ friend forever and Jesus is my friend forever.’

Jesus is the friend that will never leave us. Jesus loved his disciples and Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He spent his life travelling around and teaching them so they could pass on the message to others. Mary, Martha & Lazarus appear to have been particularly close friends as Jesus is known to have stayed with them and they are mentioned by name.

Jesus does not always do what we want him to, when we want. The fact that Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick and did not immediately rush to his bedside, but waited for two more days is awkward. We have this idea that God should act and react whenever we summon him to meet our needs and wants.
When this does not happen people get angry and God takes the blame for all failures and misfortune.

There were reasons why Jesus did not rush off: the disciples were afraid that the Jews were going to stone Jesus and they were far away from Bethany at the time. Jesus tells the disciples that, ‘this illness does not lead to death, but rather it is for God’s glory, so the Son of God may be glorified through it.’

There are things that we will never understand about how God and Jesus work on this side of death. We do not know how God’s glory fully works. It is good to be curious so that we can begin to understand and that comes through learning about Jesus by looking at this life.

Everyone who trusts in Jesus will live forever. The pinnacle of John 11 is in the words of Martha as she knows that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Despite her distress, sadness and that request that seemed to go unanswered; Martha understands, at least on some level, that death is not the end of the story. Pitiful is that word that comes to mind for those who think that there is nothing beyond this life.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus says to Martha, ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ Martha believes this. I happen to believe this. I am confident that other people in church today believe this. Do you?

The resurrection is the central event that everything about Christianity hangs on. We will all experience physical death in this life; the death of those that we love and our own. How do we make sense of it? Unfortunately most of the popular narrative around death today is painfully lacking and brushed over. That it is nothing, no big deal. Death is something to be embarrassed about, not to be burdened by or be too expensive.

One of my cousins died last week after a short bout of cancer. It is really awful for his wife, children and grandchildren. I had not seen him for a long time but he was part of the family ever since I can remember. Those ties go back a long way; we also shared our Christian faith. A belief in the resurrection is the only thing that has brought any comfort at all. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. I have no questions or qualms over the fact that as bad as it is right now, my cousin Greg is now living in the light of the resurrection.

Jesus wept. People sometimes get the impression that God is somehow removed, distant from us or worse, not particularly interested in what is going on down here. If we want to know what God is like, then we need to look at the person of Jesus. In Jesus we see love and compassion, forgiveness for those who want it and boundless patience. Jesus was so moved by the broken hearts of those around him, he cried. The Greek translates it as he ‘burst into tears’. That is much stronger than a few tears sliding down his face.

Jesus is not afraid of bad smells. Nothing is beyond God’s reach. Nothing we can ever do or not do, say, think, act is too much or too bad. We are loved by God unconditionally forever.

Jesus can raise people from the dead. Jesus can and did raise people from the dead on a few occasions. Miraculous! However, they went on to die again another day. Jesus also raises people from spiritual death who do go on to live forever. This is out of love, the most extraordinary love we will ever know.

The resurrection of Lazarus is about love, God’s glory and his willingness to send Jesus into the mess and sorrow of our lives and deaths. We too will be resurrected one day if we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. God gives us this life in the resurrection of Jesus. Dry bones can live again with the breath of God and so can we.

Lent 3: Well well well!

Annibale Carracci ‘Christ and the Samaritan Woman‘

8/3/26
Lent 3
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42

There are many studies, psychological and otherwise, that try to measure willingness to change. It takes a lot of effort and intention to make changes in our lives; this is when we are willing too! We only need to watch the news from the Middle East to witness the massive and generally unwanted changes that are occurring to millions of people. For some it might be short-term and others it will be irrevocable. It can put into perspective the changes we might be facing.

The stories of the Israelites and the woman at the well are about change. Moses had led the people out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land. They are struggling to connect with God’s past actions with their present needs; the default position is to panic and complain.

The woman seems unlikely to believe that her life will ever change. She is being offered salvation in the course of a single conversation; can’t be that easy can it?!

God’s mercy is all around them even though they cannot or will not see it. God’s mercy is all around us too. Mercy comes in many ways and in these two stories I want to talk about it coming physically, socially and spiritually.

Physically

Moses had only recently led the Israelites across the Red Sea to escape slavery in Egypt. On arrival into the wilderness of Shur, the lack of water is a big issue. The first water found at Marah was bitter and undrinkable. The Israelites’ reaction is to complain to Moses who in turn cries out to God. God does what God does and provides Moses with a piece of wood to be thrown into the water to make it sweet.

God then leads Moses and his people to Elim, where they camp by 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. Lots of water and life is good. But they have to move on and lack of water again becomes a problem. Same response: complain to Moses with even more anger than last time; blame him for the exodus because he wants to kill them, their children and livestock. Woe is us!

God responds again by providing more water. This time Moses must strike the rock at Horeb. Water comes out and the people drink. Problem solved, for now.

What does this say to us today?

God provides. In a world of war and uncertainty this is still true. God provides all that we need. We do need to cry out though to make our needs known to God and to others. Mercy is all around. God uses other people to answer our prayers and uses us to answer the prayers of others. He gave us family, friends and our church family. Look at the people sitting around you, they could be the answer to your prayer. They can certainly help to meet any needs you might have right now but they do not know what they do not know.

Socially

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well is fascinating. She too has a physical need for water but her social circumstances dictated collecting her water when no one else was around. The well would have been a place of social gathering for the women of Sychar. Kind of like the modern-day equivalent of the workplace water cooler or village cafe.

But not for her. There was a lack of mercy and understanding.

The collection time is significant. Noon is the heat of the day. Who would want to schlep heavy jugs of water at the hottest point in the day? No one else would be doing this. She was on the margins of society. There is nothing to suggest she was a prostitute or promiscuous although that gets read into this story. There may have been many reasons for her five husbands. Maybe she married young. Her first husband could have died, and she was passed along to his brothers. She could have been infertile as there is no mention of children. She had no power to divorce her husband as that power was given only to the man.

Whatever the reason for her 5 husbands it might not have had much to do with her.

Then one day, she meets Jesus at the well, at the loneliest and hottest point of the day. There are huge social implications for Jesus and the disciples. In the wider story, Jesus and disciples are travelling around Judea and Galilee to teach, preach, heal, and cast out demons. They have arrived in Samaria, a place traditionally hostile to the Jews.

Jesus is not only in Samaria but talking to an unaccompanied, social outcast female Samaritan. Jewish men did not speak to lone women in order to avoid any form of sexual temptation or impropriety. Jesus is not bound by these conventions and the longest recorded conversation he ever has with anyone begins. This is an astonishing thought.

This woman on the margins, judged and looked down upon, with virtually no control over her situation gets the most face time with Jesus at the most socially active place in the city at the most deserted time.

What does this say to us today?

We were made to live in a community. We are born into them with our families. Think back to the isolation of Covid – a mere 6 years ago; the social and mental health implications of that time hangover many people. Some people live in isolation under normal conditions. There are people for whom any social isolation is the worst thing they can imagine.

There are some practical things we can do. There are people in the village who are isolated; if you know them, have you visited recently? If you are feeling isolated, make a list of things you could do around your house, a list of people to call, email or write to, a list of books to read or films to watch. Build a schedule – might sound silly but we all need purpose. I will be so crass as to suggest more prayer and Bible reading, it is Lent after all.

Despite our circumstances, Jesus will meet with us when we want to meet with him. The Samaritan woman was getting on with the business of everyday life when she met Jesus. He was waiting for her. He is waiting for us too.

Spiritually

There are many times when reading Gospel stories I would love to hear the original tone of voice. One commentary suggested that the woman comes across as cheeky, brave, vulnerable and a bit flirtatious. Jesus responds to her with warmth and humour yet continues to push her beyond the superficial. You can see a quick wit in her responses. Jesus responds on that level but everything he says has a serious point to it.

Jesus tells her that everyone who drinks the water from the well will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water He offers will never be thirsty ever. This water will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14). This is of course the water that the Samaritan woman wants. She wants it because it will stop her from coming to the well by herself in the heat of the day to avoid the other women who judge and condemn her.

Jesus responds by asking her to call her husband, another external problem she has. By asking her to call husband six, Jesus shows that He knows what is going on internally too.

From a previous Lent study: ‘She longs for a more satisfying life. From freedom from the shame that made her go to the well when she expected no one else to be there. Jesus treats her with respect and dignity.’

The woman does admit that she knows that the Messiah is coming (verse 25) as an attempt to create even more distance. Yet again she is matched by Jesus. The Messiah she has in mind is safe and impersonal and won’t interfere too much in her daily life. That is not the Messiah she met though. She met the Messiah who very much wants to be involved in our lives and knows every detail.

What does this say to us?

Anyone else try to do that with Jesus? Try to distance and distract? Not letting Him get too involved in your everyday life and business. He wants to be with us – if we will let him! It is helpful to remember what Jesus doesn’t do: He didn’t tell her to sin no more, blame her, condemn her. Works with her where she is at.

She went away changed; the small but not insignificant detail of the left-behind water jug tells us that. She went for water as in H2O and came away having experienced some of the living water Jesus offers. She still had some doubt, ‘He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ We are told at the end of the story that many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus because of her story.

It is a time of great uncertainty across the world. We may feel isolated, but we are not alone. Jesus is merciful; He is the living water we need to satisfy our thirst. He will provide for our physical needs as he did for Moses and the Israelites. He will provide for our social needs if we find ourselves alone at the well in the heat of the day. Jesus will meet our spiritual needs with his living water in whatever way we find ourselves isolated.

I will leave you with this final explanation for what the Samaritan woman found in Jesus that day. She had five husbands, was living with man number six, when she met Jesus, number seven. Seven, is the number associated with perfection. In Jesus, that woman met perfection. We too meet perfection in Jesus. Perfect grace, perfect mercy, perfect love.