With God, You Can Always Get a Fresh Start
Commentary
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The First Lesson is the work of a prophet from a priestly family whose ministry to his fellow exiles during the Babylonian captivity extended from 593 BC to 563 BC. Some oracles pre-date Jerusalem’s fall. The original collection of prophecies was rewritten and expanded by an editor.
This text recounts the famed vision of the reviving of the dry bones. These bones represent the exiles and the hope of Israel’s resuscitation (vv.11-13). For use of the image of dry bones as a description of physical malaise, see Psalms 31:10; 35:10. Ezekiel’s response to whether the bones can come back to life bespeaks an affirmation of God’s power (v.3). The Word of the Lord is the means of giving new life (v.4). References to the “breath” to be put on the bones (vv.5,9-10) use the same Hebrew word ruach as is translated “the Lord’s Spirit” (v.14), bringing the bones to life. The Spirit of God gives life. Note how the Hebraic holistic view of persons, not a Greek view of the immortal soul, operates here. It is promised that the Hebrews will return to the land (v.14; cf. 36:27-28). There is a continuity here with the old covenant, as a reference is made to obedience to the law even after the resuscitation of the people (v.24). The lesson also prefigures anticipation of the resurrection from the dead embodied by Jesus in holy week.
The lesson is so familiar to many that it demands fresh (actually historic) modes of preaching in order to get the congregation’s attention. One can start by comparing the sense of hopelessness of the Jewish exiles in Babylon to the experience of living in the 20s of the 21st century in America. A 2022 study conducted by One Poll found that two out of three Americans don’t believe they will see positive social change in their lifetimes. This is matched among Black Americans as a 2022 poll by Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found two in three African Americans are pessimistic about the direction of America. Think of the Black condition and its centuries of being marginalized. Consider the poor among us whose families have remained poor generation after generation. Such hopelessness cannot but dry up your bones, make you brittle and hopeless. Little wonder that the Black community has taken solace in this text. The Black church’s characteristic preaching style is just right for this text. Then consider the special trials in the community in which the sermon is to be preached. Explore how resignation to a bad situation is just as much a condition of hopelessness. With some bumps the suicide rate in America is on the increase, from 10.4 per 100,000 in 2000 to 13.4 in 2020.
Have the congregation see their hopelessness in relation to the exiles’ hopelessness. This might be done in the style of the Black church (but also of protestant reformers like Luther), by expressly identifying members of the community addressed with the dry bones. Then the proclamation of the reviving of the dry bones in the lesson can be made a bit more vivid and memorable if the resurrection is about members of the community or relevant people they know. Be vivid in the details about the rebirth, noting some contemporary rebirths in the community which might transpire through God’s Word of hope. No matter how seemingly hopeless, fresh starts are made possible by the Easter Word.
Romans 8:6-11
The Second Lesson is a text in which Paul is beginning to conclude his discussion of life in Christ for his readers in Rome to whom he was introducing himself. His specific topic in this lesson is a consideration of life in the flesh [sarx] and in the spirit [pneuma]. The term “flesh” connotes sinfulness, living under the domination of selfish passions, not merely the bodily character of human beings, when the term is contrasted with “spirit” in order to imply that humans set their minds on the things of the flesh and live in a way that is only oriented by the things of the created world (Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, Vol.1, pp. 239ff.). Paul teaches that to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (v.6). It is helpful to note again as we have previously that insofar as Paul was Jewish it seems appropriate to understand his comment here to align with the Hebrew equivalent shalom, so that the peace brought about by justification is a state of well-being and thriving, including social justice. The apostle adds that the life set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it cannot do so and so cannot please God (vv.7-8).
Paul reminds the Romans that they are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit since the Spirit of God dwells in them. Reference is made to the Spirit of Christ. Anyone without the Spirit does not belong to God (v.9). If Christ is in us, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness [dikaiosune] (v.10). If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus lives in us, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies through the Spirit which dwells in us (v.11). It is important here to keep in mind that righteousness for Paul, like most Jews, had to do not with justice but right relationships (Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, Vol.1, p.271). To have the Spirit of Christ living in us entails that our relationship with him is secure.
At least three possibilities for sermons emerge from this lesson. It provides an occasion for preachers to explain how righteousness in Paul’s epistles and in the Old Testament is not just about justice, but about right relationships. Another track could be to explicate the true meaning of references to the “flesh” in the New Testament, making clear that here and elsewhere these are not references to the human body as God created it, but to our sinful flesh, an inclination to be so preoccupied with earthly pleasures that such a lifestyle puts us on a death-track, dedicating our lives to what ultimately perishes. Focusing on life in the [Holy] Spirit, having Christ live in us by contrast gets us off that downward spiral into lives of peace, well-being, and even a concern for justice and our neighbor. For with Christ living in us, his “goods’ become ours. The Spirit truly provides a fresh start. The third option is to reflect on death and fear of death. Life in the Spirit gives peace of mind and comfort. For our final ends will just be beginnings in Christ.
John 11:1-45
The gospel is the story of the raising of Lazarus, another account unique to this, the last of the four gospels to be written. Probably not written until late in the first century and so not by the disciple John, some speculate that one of his disciples was the author. Hints of that possibility are apparent in a document of the early church by Eusebius of Caesarea who claimed that the gospel was written on the basis of the external facts and so the book is a “spiritual gospel” (not based on eye-witness accounts of the author) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol.1, p.261). If we can assume this spiritual character, then it makes sense that the narratives would have a deeper meaning, pointing to other realities. This seems evident in this lesson; the raising of Lazarus by Jesus points us to his own resurrection. The result of Jesus giving life in the story is a reference to Jesus’ own death and resurrection (vv.45-53).
The account begins with a report that Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Martha and Mary (who had anointed Jesus with perfume [Luke 10:38-42]), was ill. (This is not the Bethany across the Jordan River where John had baptized, but a town just east of Jerusalem.) Lazarus was their brother (vv.1-2). One of the sisters sent Jesus a message and receiving it he noted that the illness does not lead to death but is for God’s glory that the Son of God may be glorified through it (vv.3-4). Consequently, though He loved the family, Jesus stayed two days longer in His location (vv.5-6). As elsewhere in this gospel, Jesus acts on his own time (2:3-4; 7:1-10). But Jesus then decided to return to Judea even though the disciples warn him that the Jews were trying to stone him. (He is referred to as “rabbi.”) Jesus responds that those who walk in the day do not stumble, because they see the light of the world, but they who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them (vv.7-10). This distinction between darkness [skotos – obscurity] and light [phos – radiance] is characteristic of John’s Gospel.
Jesus then tells the disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep, but he resolves to go to revive his friend. The disciples do not understand that this meant Lazarus had died. Then Jesus tells them plainly (vv.11-14). He expresses gladness that he was not present for the death, so now the disciples can believe. Thomas the twin tells his fellow disciples that they should all go, to die with Jesus (vv.15-16). Arriving in Bethany, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for days (v.17). The city was only two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them (vv.18-19). When Martha heard Jesus was coming she went to meet him while Mary stayed home. She lamented that had Jesus been present Lazarus would not have died, noting she is sure that God will give Jesus whatever he asks (vv.20-22).
Jesus promises that Lazarus will rise again (v.23). Martha responds that she knows that he will rise on the last day (v.24). (This was a common Pharisaic teaching.) Jesus identifies himself as the resurrection [anastasis] and the life [zoe, motion or activity], that those who believe in him will live though they die, and everyone who believes in him will never die. Jesus asks Martha if she believes this, and she confesses him to be Messiah, the Son of God (vv.25-27). Martha returns home to report to Mary, who goes with others to meet Jesus before he had come to the village, telling him when they meet that had he been present Lazarus would not have died (vv.28-32). Jesus was disturbed by the displays of grief, asks where the body has been laid and weeps (vv.33-35). Jews remark about Jesus’ love for Lazarus, but others claimed he could have kept Lazarus from dying (vv.36-37). Arriving at the tomb (a cave with a stone lying against it), Jesus has the stone removed. Martha reports there was a stench from the corpse (vv.38-39). (Rolling a stone in front of a cave was a common burial practice in Jesus’ lifetime.) He responds that if she believes she would see the glory of God. The stone was removed, Jesus looks upward, thanking the Father for hearing him (vv.40-41). He calls Lazarus to come out and the dead man came out with his hands bound and face wrapped in cloth. Jesus commanded he be unbound (vv.43-44). (Such binding an wrapping the corpse was a common burial practice.) Many of the Jews who had come with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed (v.45).
Preachers do well to note how this story prefigures the Easter-event. Jesus takes a risk travelling through hostile territory (v.8) to give life and execute his mission. Thomas’ role in the account is not insignificant. And of course, Lazarus rises from the dead like Jesus does on Easter. One possibility for the sermon might be to explore the Johannine distinction between darkness and light (see above). Another possible option is to focus on Jesus’ compassion, His weeping, which gives us a glimpse of God feeling our emotions. This is another text offering an opportunity to reflect on death and how Jesus overcomes death, foreshadowing the Easter-event to come. But in the spirit of the Second Lesson and the awareness that life in the flesh (in darkness [see the definition above]) leads to death, to hopelessness. But as Lazarus received a fresh start in his resurrection, so Jesus’ resurrection provides us with fresh starts, a chance to break out of the cycles of hopelessness and meaninglessness.
All the lessons and concluding weeks of Lent provide us with a sense of a new day is coming, that wrapped up in Jesus and the resurrection, nothing is hopeless, that there are always fresh beginnings on the horizon.
The First Lesson is the work of a prophet from a priestly family whose ministry to his fellow exiles during the Babylonian captivity extended from 593 BC to 563 BC. Some oracles pre-date Jerusalem’s fall. The original collection of prophecies was rewritten and expanded by an editor.
This text recounts the famed vision of the reviving of the dry bones. These bones represent the exiles and the hope of Israel’s resuscitation (vv.11-13). For use of the image of dry bones as a description of physical malaise, see Psalms 31:10; 35:10. Ezekiel’s response to whether the bones can come back to life bespeaks an affirmation of God’s power (v.3). The Word of the Lord is the means of giving new life (v.4). References to the “breath” to be put on the bones (vv.5,9-10) use the same Hebrew word ruach as is translated “the Lord’s Spirit” (v.14), bringing the bones to life. The Spirit of God gives life. Note how the Hebraic holistic view of persons, not a Greek view of the immortal soul, operates here. It is promised that the Hebrews will return to the land (v.14; cf. 36:27-28). There is a continuity here with the old covenant, as a reference is made to obedience to the law even after the resuscitation of the people (v.24). The lesson also prefigures anticipation of the resurrection from the dead embodied by Jesus in holy week.
The lesson is so familiar to many that it demands fresh (actually historic) modes of preaching in order to get the congregation’s attention. One can start by comparing the sense of hopelessness of the Jewish exiles in Babylon to the experience of living in the 20s of the 21st century in America. A 2022 study conducted by One Poll found that two out of three Americans don’t believe they will see positive social change in their lifetimes. This is matched among Black Americans as a 2022 poll by Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found two in three African Americans are pessimistic about the direction of America. Think of the Black condition and its centuries of being marginalized. Consider the poor among us whose families have remained poor generation after generation. Such hopelessness cannot but dry up your bones, make you brittle and hopeless. Little wonder that the Black community has taken solace in this text. The Black church’s characteristic preaching style is just right for this text. Then consider the special trials in the community in which the sermon is to be preached. Explore how resignation to a bad situation is just as much a condition of hopelessness. With some bumps the suicide rate in America is on the increase, from 10.4 per 100,000 in 2000 to 13.4 in 2020.
Have the congregation see their hopelessness in relation to the exiles’ hopelessness. This might be done in the style of the Black church (but also of protestant reformers like Luther), by expressly identifying members of the community addressed with the dry bones. Then the proclamation of the reviving of the dry bones in the lesson can be made a bit more vivid and memorable if the resurrection is about members of the community or relevant people they know. Be vivid in the details about the rebirth, noting some contemporary rebirths in the community which might transpire through God’s Word of hope. No matter how seemingly hopeless, fresh starts are made possible by the Easter Word.
Romans 8:6-11
The Second Lesson is a text in which Paul is beginning to conclude his discussion of life in Christ for his readers in Rome to whom he was introducing himself. His specific topic in this lesson is a consideration of life in the flesh [sarx] and in the spirit [pneuma]. The term “flesh” connotes sinfulness, living under the domination of selfish passions, not merely the bodily character of human beings, when the term is contrasted with “spirit” in order to imply that humans set their minds on the things of the flesh and live in a way that is only oriented by the things of the created world (Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, Vol.1, pp. 239ff.). Paul teaches that to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (v.6). It is helpful to note again as we have previously that insofar as Paul was Jewish it seems appropriate to understand his comment here to align with the Hebrew equivalent shalom, so that the peace brought about by justification is a state of well-being and thriving, including social justice. The apostle adds that the life set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it cannot do so and so cannot please God (vv.7-8).
Paul reminds the Romans that they are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit since the Spirit of God dwells in them. Reference is made to the Spirit of Christ. Anyone without the Spirit does not belong to God (v.9). If Christ is in us, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness [dikaiosune] (v.10). If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus lives in us, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies through the Spirit which dwells in us (v.11). It is important here to keep in mind that righteousness for Paul, like most Jews, had to do not with justice but right relationships (Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, Vol.1, p.271). To have the Spirit of Christ living in us entails that our relationship with him is secure.
At least three possibilities for sermons emerge from this lesson. It provides an occasion for preachers to explain how righteousness in Paul’s epistles and in the Old Testament is not just about justice, but about right relationships. Another track could be to explicate the true meaning of references to the “flesh” in the New Testament, making clear that here and elsewhere these are not references to the human body as God created it, but to our sinful flesh, an inclination to be so preoccupied with earthly pleasures that such a lifestyle puts us on a death-track, dedicating our lives to what ultimately perishes. Focusing on life in the [Holy] Spirit, having Christ live in us by contrast gets us off that downward spiral into lives of peace, well-being, and even a concern for justice and our neighbor. For with Christ living in us, his “goods’ become ours. The Spirit truly provides a fresh start. The third option is to reflect on death and fear of death. Life in the Spirit gives peace of mind and comfort. For our final ends will just be beginnings in Christ.
John 11:1-45
The gospel is the story of the raising of Lazarus, another account unique to this, the last of the four gospels to be written. Probably not written until late in the first century and so not by the disciple John, some speculate that one of his disciples was the author. Hints of that possibility are apparent in a document of the early church by Eusebius of Caesarea who claimed that the gospel was written on the basis of the external facts and so the book is a “spiritual gospel” (not based on eye-witness accounts of the author) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol.1, p.261). If we can assume this spiritual character, then it makes sense that the narratives would have a deeper meaning, pointing to other realities. This seems evident in this lesson; the raising of Lazarus by Jesus points us to his own resurrection. The result of Jesus giving life in the story is a reference to Jesus’ own death and resurrection (vv.45-53).
The account begins with a report that Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Martha and Mary (who had anointed Jesus with perfume [Luke 10:38-42]), was ill. (This is not the Bethany across the Jordan River where John had baptized, but a town just east of Jerusalem.) Lazarus was their brother (vv.1-2). One of the sisters sent Jesus a message and receiving it he noted that the illness does not lead to death but is for God’s glory that the Son of God may be glorified through it (vv.3-4). Consequently, though He loved the family, Jesus stayed two days longer in His location (vv.5-6). As elsewhere in this gospel, Jesus acts on his own time (2:3-4; 7:1-10). But Jesus then decided to return to Judea even though the disciples warn him that the Jews were trying to stone him. (He is referred to as “rabbi.”) Jesus responds that those who walk in the day do not stumble, because they see the light of the world, but they who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them (vv.7-10). This distinction between darkness [skotos – obscurity] and light [phos – radiance] is characteristic of John’s Gospel.
Jesus then tells the disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep, but he resolves to go to revive his friend. The disciples do not understand that this meant Lazarus had died. Then Jesus tells them plainly (vv.11-14). He expresses gladness that he was not present for the death, so now the disciples can believe. Thomas the twin tells his fellow disciples that they should all go, to die with Jesus (vv.15-16). Arriving in Bethany, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for days (v.17). The city was only two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them (vv.18-19). When Martha heard Jesus was coming she went to meet him while Mary stayed home. She lamented that had Jesus been present Lazarus would not have died, noting she is sure that God will give Jesus whatever he asks (vv.20-22).
Jesus promises that Lazarus will rise again (v.23). Martha responds that she knows that he will rise on the last day (v.24). (This was a common Pharisaic teaching.) Jesus identifies himself as the resurrection [anastasis] and the life [zoe, motion or activity], that those who believe in him will live though they die, and everyone who believes in him will never die. Jesus asks Martha if she believes this, and she confesses him to be Messiah, the Son of God (vv.25-27). Martha returns home to report to Mary, who goes with others to meet Jesus before he had come to the village, telling him when they meet that had he been present Lazarus would not have died (vv.28-32). Jesus was disturbed by the displays of grief, asks where the body has been laid and weeps (vv.33-35). Jews remark about Jesus’ love for Lazarus, but others claimed he could have kept Lazarus from dying (vv.36-37). Arriving at the tomb (a cave with a stone lying against it), Jesus has the stone removed. Martha reports there was a stench from the corpse (vv.38-39). (Rolling a stone in front of a cave was a common burial practice in Jesus’ lifetime.) He responds that if she believes she would see the glory of God. The stone was removed, Jesus looks upward, thanking the Father for hearing him (vv.40-41). He calls Lazarus to come out and the dead man came out with his hands bound and face wrapped in cloth. Jesus commanded he be unbound (vv.43-44). (Such binding an wrapping the corpse was a common burial practice.) Many of the Jews who had come with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed (v.45).
Preachers do well to note how this story prefigures the Easter-event. Jesus takes a risk travelling through hostile territory (v.8) to give life and execute his mission. Thomas’ role in the account is not insignificant. And of course, Lazarus rises from the dead like Jesus does on Easter. One possibility for the sermon might be to explore the Johannine distinction between darkness and light (see above). Another possible option is to focus on Jesus’ compassion, His weeping, which gives us a glimpse of God feeling our emotions. This is another text offering an opportunity to reflect on death and how Jesus overcomes death, foreshadowing the Easter-event to come. But in the spirit of the Second Lesson and the awareness that life in the flesh (in darkness [see the definition above]) leads to death, to hopelessness. But as Lazarus received a fresh start in his resurrection, so Jesus’ resurrection provides us with fresh starts, a chance to break out of the cycles of hopelessness and meaninglessness.
All the lessons and concluding weeks of Lent provide us with a sense of a new day is coming, that wrapped up in Jesus and the resurrection, nothing is hopeless, that there are always fresh beginnings on the horizon.
