True Life

The Rev. Joseph Winston

March 9, 2008

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
Over one hundred and fifty years ago, James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps penned
the following poem for children:

Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

1
 That was the end of
Solomon Grundy.

These thirty-three words organized into ten short lines give us the entire story
of Solomon Grundy. After learning his name, we hear that he was born on a Mon-
day. The rest of this little poem continues with this same alarming trend. Life is
rapidly handed out to Solomon. Without asking what he thought, his family gives
him the name “Solomon Gundy” on Tuesday. Wednesday comes with a spouse.
The world gives him an illness on Thursday. Now, everything is taken away from
Solomon just as quickly as it was given to him. His health rapidly goes down the
hill on Friday, he dies from his illness on Saturday, and now that his life is lost, no
one remembers him at all after his burial on Sunday.
After all these years, this poem continues to have an amazing ability to accu-
rately describe our own lives. None of us made any request to come into the world.
Likewise, no one here asked to be given their name. Today, we might select our
own husband or wife, but the fact pointed out by the poem still remains. Life goes
by all too fast. The ending to the story has not changed either. We also will grow
sick, weak, and finally we all will die.
Given this dreary description of what life holds for each of us, is there any
wonder why people are looking for answers that explain their lives? We want to
know, “Is this all to life? Are we just born to die? Or is there something more?”
Maybe this is why we have been given today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus wants to
tell us that we have been called to live a life that is different from all the Solomon
Grundies of the world.

2
 Before we take a look at what Jesus has commanded us to do, we need to clear
up a common misconception that we often hear. All around us are people who
tell us that when one is an authentic Christian then God will give them what they
ask for. It might be health, it could be wealth, or it is possible that they ask for an
authentic relationship with someone. While God can and does give us these types
of gifts, today’s Gospel lesson also states something that stands in stark contrast
to the idea that God gives us what we ask for.
At the beginning of today’s lesson, Mary and Martha send Jesus a short mes-
sage, “Lord, he whom you love is ill. (John 11:3).”2 Their request is really a prayer
for Jesus to come and give them what they want most in the world for their brother.
Mary and Martha want Lazarus to be well.
The answer that Jesus gives to this request may surprise you. He stays away
from Lazarus and due to the deliberate delay on Christ’s part Lazarus dies.3 Not
only does this decision by Jesus cause extreme pain for Mary and Martha, some-
thing that they did not ask for, but it also points out why we are not called to be
yet another Solomon Grundy.
Jesus then states to His followers that, “This illness does not lead to death
(John 11:4a).”4 The disciples do not understand what Jesus is trying to say. This
point is illustrated a bit later in our text. Jesus states, “Our friend Lazarus has
2
Since the sisters were not married, they depended on the care of other men in their lives such
as Lazarus.
3
Out of love, Jesus stayed where he was. ?, . This shows us that we cannot measure Jesus or
His actions using our limited knowledge. ?, .
4
This entire verse is a summary of this lectionary lesson. ?, .

3
fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him (John 11:11).”5 Confused by
why Jesus would go and wake a sleeping person in an area that has already been
hostile to Him, they respond with, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all
right (John 11:12).”
It is crystal clear that Christ’s followers do not yet see what it means to believe
in Jesus when He tells them, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was
not there, so that you may believe (John 11:14b-15).” The first part of Christ’s
response to this group is fairly obvious. Jesus plainly tells everyone that Lazarus
is dead.
It is the second part of this quote that often causes us problems. Since we al-
ready know that Jesus will raise Lazarus from the dead, when we hear that the dis-
ciples do not believe, we might assume that Jesus means that faith comes through
the witness of miracles. And if we are honest with ourselves, we might grieve that
we have not seen our share of miracles. But this is not what Jesus is telling us at
all.6 We know this for a fact because the disciples have already seen their share of
miracles and they still do not believe. There were with Him when He changed the
water into wine, when He fed the five thousand, and when He healed nobleman’s
son, the lame man at the pool, and the bind man. What will one more miracle do
for them? Instead of relying on all of these extra-ordinary signs, Jesus wants us
to have faith because we see the ordinary, everyday light that He brings into the
world.
5
Some scholars think that Lazarus was the beloved disciple. ?, .
6
Faith in Jesus is not faith in one who works miracles. (John 2:23-25; 1:49-51; 3:1-11; 4:25-26;
6:25-27; 7:31.) ?, .

4
 Jesus brings the light into the darkness surrounding the death of Lazarus when
He states, “I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25a).”7
We do not understand this phrase for two reasons. First, the translators of
today’s text have done us all a disservice by having Jesus say “I am” in English
when that is not what He said at all. The other two instances in today’s Gospel
where Jesus says “I am” are not times where Jesus is stating that He is the Lord
God. Instead, He is doing something in that sentence. Jesus does not say “I am
going there to awaken him.” Rather the Greek tells us that, “I go wake up Lazarus
(John 11:11).” Nor does He say, “I am glad I was not there” instead Jesus states
“I rejoice that I was not there (John 11:15).” Secondly, because we do not speak
Greek, we cannot listen to what Jesus is really saying. By uttering the words, “I
am,” He is making the argument that He is God. In fact, He is the same God that
gave His name as “I am” at the burning bush. He is the One named “I am” who
puts flesh on the dead bones in the first lesson (Ezekiel 37:6b; 37:13a).
When we know that Jesus is making the argument that He is God, this phrase
reads, “God: the resurrection and the life.”
There is something rather strange with this group of words. There are no verbs
in this phrase. All we have are three nouns, two direct articles, and a conjunction.
Because of this fact, we do not know when the attributes of “resurrection” and
“life” are to be applied to God.8 We have to make this decision using faith.
7
This is the only ἐγώ εἰμι formula in the chapter.
8
There is something else odd about this formula, which appears in John. Resurrection only
occurs after death. Did God’s attributes change after sin entered into the world? If we answer yes,
this gives concern for those individuals who speak of God’s “immutability.” If we answer no, then
we have to deal with fact that God created us even though God knew we would sin and need

5
 Did God give resurrection and life in the past? Yes. God is currently the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Does God give resurrection and life today? Yes. Look
around and see how God is working in this place. Will God give resurrection and
life tomorrow? Yes. We trust that God will continue to save us.
This is how we are to understand, Christ’s Words to Martha, “Those who be-
lieve in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in
me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25b-26a).” What Jesus is telling
you is, “Even though all believers close their eyes in death, God, the resurrection
and the life, never forgets them. They will live due to Christ’s relationship with
them. Do you believe this?”
This way of describing God as the One who has always given resurrection and
life, who currently gives resurrection and life, and who will always give resurrec-
tion and life means that we are freed to do other things with our lives. This is what
makes us different from Solomon Gundy. We have been called to live life to the
fullest by taking care of others. We need not care what the cost might be to us
because we believe in the God who gives resurrection and life.
Unfortunately, this often does not happen. Some of us refuse to see the God
who gives resurrection and life. We are the ones described in Solomon Gundy. We
are born, we live, and we die without any impact on our neighbors. Others of us
take advantage of God’s attributes. We trust in God’s grace but refuse to do God’s
will. We are the ones who stuff ourselves with all the pleasures that this life has to
offer while ignoring those people who need our help.
resurrection.

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 These problems of ignoring God or God’s laws are not new. Even the disciples
who lived with Jesus suffered these same illnesses. This knowledge did not stop
Jesus from trying to show us the God who gives us resurrection and life. This is
beautifully illustrated in this chapter from John. Jesus goes to help Lazarus even
though everyone knows that this action will potentially cause problems and it does
(John 11:8). The text that follows today’s readings states:

46
but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus
had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the coun-
cil, and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
48
If we let him go on thus, every one will believe in him, and the
Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.”
49
But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to
50
them, “You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is
expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole nation should not perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own
accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should
die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but to gather into one
the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on
they took counsel how to put him to death. (RSV)

If you want, you can be just like:

Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,

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 Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end of
Solomon Grundy.

There is another way that you can take. Use the life that Jesus has given you, gives
you, and will give you by going into the world. There amid all of the troubles
that the world has to offer do His work, knowing that you cannot loose your life
because Jesus has always held it for you.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”9

References

Francis J. Maloney, S.D.B.; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John,
Volume 4, Sacra Pagina Series, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical
Press, 1998).

9
Philippians 4:7.