3/22/2026 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

Ezekiel 37:1–14 | Romans 8:1–11 | John 11:1–45

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It was in Eden that humanity first heard of death. And at the time it didn’t make much sense. It was just a hypothetical consequence for a sin that had never yet been committed.

Still the Lord warned Adam, that “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17 ESV).

But soon that hypothetical sin became a reality. Eve and Adam listened to the voice of the serpent. They were tempted and believed the lie. And they ate of the tree.

And from that day until now, sin and death have plagued the children of Adam and Eve. Like a drum beat of pain and sorrow and despair, death comes for those we love and for us, too.

There are seasons in life when we know this and feel it intimately and profoundly. For me one of those seasons started around 2018. It seemed at that moment, that one member of my family after another died. First Beth’s grandparents, then my uncle, my brother-in-law, my father. And of course somewhere in the middle of all that was the COVID pandemic. Say what you will about our society’s response to that…but being in New York City in the middle of it was a chilling experience with reports of morgues filled to capacity. So it seemed to me that year after year, one after another, death was knocking on the door. A drumbeat, reminding us all that this world is broken by a curse that began long ago, when our first parents sinned against God.

Of course we always try to pretend that our problem is something else. Not sin and death, but the government, that’s our problem! If we could only get the right kind of government, everything would be so much better. Well, perhaps it would be a little better for a little while, but still, our basic problem would remain. And the corruption of sin and the curse of death would still trouble us, still overtake us.

Or, maybe our problem is ignorance. If we could only get a better education, and be informed and guided by the foremost experts and the very best science and technology, then we would finally rise above our limitations, and our problems would, one by one, be conquered…Right. These days, I guess we’re all a little more skeptical of that utopian claim after having seen in proven false so very often.

And rightly so, because while diseases like the flu, or diabetes, or heart disease may all hasten death, and while the wisdom of experts and scientists may, in some cases, prolong and improve certain aspects of our lives, yet the truth is that even with all the expertise in the world, we all still face the same destiny, the same end, as life is made bitter by our sinful ways and is finally extinguished by the curse of death.

And we may pretend that we can defeat all our enemies, and rise about every challenge we face, but that’s just not true. The curse is too much for us. It will defeat us. And we are powerless to prevent it.

So it is that Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones cuts to the chase and removes the pretense. The Lord takes the prophet to the valley. And it is not the valley of the shadow of death. No, it is a valley of death itself. It is full of bones. All around him, for as far as he can see, is death, death, death.

And the Lord says to Ezekiel:

“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ (Ezekiel 37:11)

Here, finally, is an honest assessment of the human condition. If we take away all the window dressing, all the pretense, and are just honest about the reality of our lives, then we see and hear the drumbeat. Like Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones we look around our lives, around this world, and we see it. Death. Death. Death.

And we see also that, even in life, we are dead. Because, by nature, we lack hope, having been cut off from fellowship with God by our sin and its curse.

For the people of God in Ezekiel’s day, this was evident in their life situation. Because of their rebellion and sin against His Laws, God had allowed their enemies to conquer them. The Babylonians were now in charge, and many of God’s people had been carried off into exile. The got exactly what they deserved. And only now do they realize how hopeless their situation is and how powerless they are to do anything about it:

It is the house of Israel who says:

‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ (Ezekiel 37:11)

Maybe this resonates with you. The people sinned against God’s Law and they got what they deserved. What about you? Have you ever looked around at your life and taken stock of all the mistakes you’ve made, all the people you’ve hurt, all the sins you’ve committed against God and your neighbor? Have you found that you’ve really made a mess of things…so much so that you feel hopeless?

Now, if not, it may be time for you to take a good long look at your catechism. Read the 10 commandments and their meanings. Because there you will find the truth. You have sinned against God and your neighbor. You have made a mess of things. And if there is great suffering in your life you cannot say that it is undeserved. After all the wages of sin is death. Death and hell is what we all deserve.

Now when you come to that conclusion, as a result of hearing God’s Law, then you can make these words of God’s people your own, saying, ‘My bones are dried up, and my hope is lost; I am indeed cut off.’ (Ezekiel 37:11)

All because of sin.

But perhaps Ezekiel’s perspective on death is a little too big and impersonal, and maybe the imagery is a little too much for us to really grapple with. OK, Then let’s go stand with Mary and Martha as they mourn the death of their brother, Lazarus.

As Lazarus lays in the tomb, lifeless, first Martha approach Jesus, saying to Him,

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21)

And then later, Mary also approaches Him and says,

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32)

Isn’t that interesting? The exact same words are spoken by these women. They are convinced that the presence of Christ would have prevented their brother’s death. They know that fellowship with God, their Savior, means life.

But the fellowship between God and man was destroyed in the Garden. And Jesus was not present when Lazarus was sick. And now Lazarus is dead. And alongside his death, there is great sorrow:

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”  [And] Jesus wept.  (John 11:33-35)

Mary and Martha are heartbroken, along with countless others who are there with them. And now Christ, our Lord, is heartbroken too. This is one of the few times that the Bible tells us that Jesus cried. And it is the most specific, tied closely to a moment, an incident, a personal loss. And what is that loss? Death. The death of a dear friend and brother and the sorrow of the dead man’s friends and family.

You see…Death is utterly heartbreaking for people like Mary and Martha and you and me; and death is utterly heartbreaking for God, too.  Because it was never part of His plan. As we confess in the Nicene Creed, God is the Lord and giver of life. And death is an offense to Him. Death is His enemy as much it is ours. It is an enemy which steals away our joy and adds suffering and sorrow and bitterness to life.

This enemy is what Ezekiel saw in the valley of dry bones; and it is what Mary and Martha experienced in the death of their brother. And this enemy is what Jesus came to defeat.

But to defeat death, Jesus must go to very root cause of all this. Because the wages of sin is death. Death is what we deserve. And so Jesus does not simply use His great power to undo the death that we deserve. In Christ, God does not simply say, its ok. Nevermind about your sin and rebellion. No! Instead, in Christ God takes responsibility for our sin, and He Himself dies the death we deserve…for us.

As Paul writes,

By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh… (Romans 8:3)

By His death and resurrection, we who were without hope, now have hope. We whose lives are bitter because of the curse of sin, now taste and see the sweet goodness of forgiveness and life in God’s kingdom.

So Ezekiel says,

Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:12-14)

And so also Paul says

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

And so also Jesus says,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 ESV)

You see, where the grief, the suffering, the loss is greatest — there in the valley of the shadow of death — the valley of death itself, we find Jesus, who comes to be with us, to mourn with us, to comfort us with His presence, and to give us a promise that He will make all things new. He, Jesus, forgives our sins and destroys death. And He will raise all those who believe in Him to everlasting life.

Do you believe this? That’s the question Jesus asks Lazarus’s sister. And that’s the question he has for you today.

For Christ our Lord is here today comforting you as He comforted Mary and Martha; and He is here calling to you as He called to Lazarus.

Yes, your bones were dried up, and your hope was lost; you were indeed cut off.’ (Ezekiel 37:11) according to your sin. Yes, even in life, you were dead in your sins and trespasses.

But now you hear His voice calling to you. Dry bones, live! … Lazarus, come out. Come out of the tomb alive. Alive because Jesus has come to you this day to forgive your sins. Alive because you are baptized into Christ. Alive because His Word dwells in you richly. Alive, because He feeds the very food that brings you from death to life, His true body and blood.

Come out…Come out of the prison of sin and death, because your Savior is the Lord of Life who has taken your curse, and has forgiven all of your sins, and has promised and given you life and a place in His kingdom, which has no end.

Amen.