Lazarus and the Choice: Who Is Jesus?

The service opened with practical invitations: a local Crop Walk to raise funds for Lutheran Social Services, a schedule of Holy Week gatherings (contemplative prayer, Maundy Thursday communion, Good Friday stations, a corporate fast, and an early-morning Easter sunrise service), and a call to support building and beautification projects through giving. Worship and prayer framed the morning, centering gratitude for Christ’s willing sacrifice and the everyday gifts of life. Attention then turned to the shape of the gospels: an intentional movement from invitation into confrontation, where parables, miracles, and teaching invite curiosity, but deeper claims about identity force a choice.

Scripture scenes traced that arc. Early ministry imagery shows Jesus offering invitations through parables, compassion toward outcasts, and childlike access to the kingdom. Confrontation emerges when claims about authority collide with religious expectation: forgiving sins, declaring himself the bread of life, and demanding discipleship test listeners’ commitments. Mark’s healing of the paralytic and John’s bread-of-life discourse illustrate how words and signs push people from comfortable admiration into decisive belief or rejection.

The Lazarus episode becomes the climax of confrontation. Delay, the four-day tomb, and the public call “Lazarus, come out” expose authority over life and death rather than mere miracle-work. The resurrection of Lazarus compels belief for some and triggers a council plotting execution for others; the sign both gathers followers and hardens opposition. That moment threads directly into Holy Week’s narrative: the clarity of who Jesus claims to be requires a response.

The sermon closed with an appeal to respond practically: move off the fence, participate in Holy Week, and recognize that following Christ costs everything yet yields true, lasting life. Grace invites imperfect, baby steps toward obedience, and the community of faith exists to walk alongside those who begin. Prayer and pastoral care stood ready for anyone who needed help taking that next step.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Invitation gives way to confrontation Jesus’ ministry moves deliberately from open invitations—parable, compassion, teaching—to moments that demand a decision. When claims touch forgiveness, authority, and the nature of God, curiosity must become commitment or rejection; spiritual curiosity without confrontational clarity eventually yields only fandom rather than discipleship. The gospel asks more than admiration; it requires a reorientation of trust and allegiance in light of Jesus’ identity. [43:40]
• 2. Resurrection asserts authority over death Raising Lazarus after four days demonstrates control over life and Hades, not merely a miraculous touch. That public reversal of decay and burial confronts common assumptions about mortality and exposes divine sovereignty in the face of finality. Such a sign functions less as spectacle and more as a demand: reckon with who calls life back. [63:34]
• 3. Following Christ demands everything and more Discipleship carries cost—count the cost, take up the cross, consider the tower before building—because true allegiance reshapes priorities and possessions. Material prosperity can accompany faith, but spiritual maturity often requires loss, testing, and the stripping of idols so that eternal realities take root. The invitation to follow remains simple; the cost, total. [52:13]
• 4. Grace meets hesitant, imperfect steps Grace does not wait for full competence before responding; it meets small acts of faith and the fumbling first steps of the uncertain. The community’s role is to accompany, not shame, recognizing that growth proceeds by persistent, imperfect following rather than polished piety. Courage to step forward unlocks ongoing transformation. [78:24]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [06:46] - Crop Walk & Announcements
• [07:24] - Holy Week Schedule
• [09:10] - Building Projects & Giving
• [10:28] - Opening Prayer and Worship
• [37:33] - Gospel Shape: Invitation
• [39:11] - Parables and Childlike Faith
• [44:12] - Confrontation: Mark 2 Healing
• [47:14] - Bread of Life Teaching
• [52:13] - Cost of Discipleship
• [56:41] - Lazarus: The Turning Point
• [78:24] - Call to Decide and Follow

1. In the story of Lazarus, what specific reason does Jesus give for not going to him immediately when he first hears he is sick?
2. What does Martha say to Jesus when she first meets him, and what does this reveal about her belief at that moment?
3. What is significant about the fact that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, and what was Martha's practical concern about moving the stone?
4. How did the people who witnessed this event respond? What were the two different reactions described?

1. Jesus states that Lazarus's illness is "for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." How does a seemingly tragic event ultimately serving God's glory change how we might view our own difficult circumstances?
2. When Jesus sees Mary and the others weeping, he is "deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled" before he weeps himself. What does this tell us about the nature of Jesus and his heart for people who are grieving, even when he knows the good outcome he has planned?
3. The resurrection of Lazarus was the event that finally prompted the religious leaders to plot to kill Jesus. Why would a miracle of life cause such a violent reaction and a decision to bring about death?
4. The sermon described a pattern in the gospels where Jesus moves from "invitation" to "confrontation" [43:40]. How does the raising of Lazarus serve as the ultimate confrontation that forces a decision about who Jesus is?

1. Invitation gives way to confrontation, moving from curiosity about Jesus to a decision about his identity [43:40]. Where are you currently on that arc? Are you in a season of comfortable curiosity, or are you feeling confronted by a specific claim Jesus makes about who he is and what he requires?
2. Following Christ demands everything [52:13]. What is one thing—a comfort, a dream, a relationship, a habit—that Jesus might be asking you to surrender to him as you count the cost of discipleship?
3. The call to "get off the fence" was given because spiritual curiosity without confrontational clarity eventually yields only fandom rather than discipleship [43:40]. In what practical area of your life (e.g., time, finances, relationships) does your current level of commitment look more like a "fan" in the stands than a "follower" on the field?
4. Grace meets hesitant, imperfect steps and the community’s role is to accompany, not shame [01:18:24]. What is one "baby step" of obedience you feel God is inviting you to take, and who is one person in your community that you can share this with for encouragement and accountability?
5. The power displayed in raising Lazarus asserts authority over death itself [01:03:34]. What area of your life feels like a "four-day tomb"—a situation that seems beyond hope, decayed, and final—that you need to trust Jesus can still speak life into?
6. Participating in the life of the church and having other believers to walk with you is described as essential, not optional [01:28:00]. How are you intentionally investing in and being invested in by your spiritual community? Is this an area of strength or an area needing growth for you?