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What would you do if someone walked into a funeral and told all the mourners to leave? What if the same person requested the body of the departed to be taken out of the grave? This is actually what Jesus did when He attended a funeral.
Pastor Chris Fluitt shares with us 3 shocking stories of Jesus ruining funerals.
Welcome back to Redemption Church in Plano TX! My name is Chris Fluitt. I am thankful for all the people who could meet with us in person. And I am also thankful for everyone who is meeting with us digitally. I have heard from people from my hometown of Waco, TX this week saying that they have been enjoying doing the 3 things with us. Welcome to everyone as we (1) worship God, (2) receive God’s Word, and (3) talk to God.
Dearly beloved we are here today to lay some things to rest… We are in the 3rd week of our sermon series called Funeral.
Funeral
Losing a loved one is stressful, and planning the funeral of a loved one is even more stressful.
Funerals are not easy to plan. There is a lot to take care of in preparing a funeral. You need to find a funeral home to help you take care of the body. You need to pick out a casket and find a speaker. You need to write an obituary and have it sent to the local paper. You need to pick the cemetery and the spot of the last resting place. And then you need to let people know the news that there is going to be a funeral.
You must invite people to the funeral.
Never invite someone to a funeral who will not honor the purpose of the funeral. The purpose of the funeral is to honor the dead as you lay them to rest. Anyone who can’t honor the purpose of the funeral should not be invited.
If the purpose of the funeral is to honor the dead as you lay them to rest, I have to warn you about inviting a certain someone.
Jesus ruins funerals
I love you Jesus, but you sure know how to mess up a funeral.
Think about it. You have paid the flower people, the funeral home, the cemetery plot… you have issued the obituary and invited the guests… you have bought the casket… everyone dressed up ready for a eulogy and then this guy named Jesus comes and just wrecks the whole plan.
Today I want to read you 3 stories in your Bible where Jesus ruined a funeral.
Luke 8:41 (NIV) Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house
Luke 8:42 (NIV) because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
Luke 8:49 (NIV) While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
Luke 8:50 (NIV) Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
Luke 8:51 (NIV) When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother.
Luke 8:52 (NIV) Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
Luke 8:53 (NIV) They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
Luke 8:54 (NIV) But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!”
Luke 8:55 (NIV) Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
A religious leader, a leader of the synagogue, fell at the feet of Jesus and begs Jesus to come to his house and heal his little girl. Even while Jesus is speaking news came that Jairus’ daughter is now dead. Someone says “don’t bother the teacher,” as if to suggest that because his daughter had died he was now wasting the time of Jesus by speaking of his daughter.
Jesus encourages Jairus. Jesus says “don’t be afraid, just believe, and she will be healed.”
As Jesus arrives at Jairus’ home, it is apparent that a funeral had already begun. Luke 8:52 says people were wailing & mourning for the little girl.
It is not surprising to see crying at a funeral. It is not a shock to see people overcome with emotion at a graveside. We would even consider it normal to hear people sob at the recent passing of life. The surprise here at Jairus’ home is NOT the wailing & mourning, the surprise is that Jesus tells them to “stop wailing.”
Jesus ruins funerals
Jesus ruins funerals. Jesus Christ will show up to a funeral and dismiss the mourners.
Jesus will dismiss the mourners at your funeral
In Matthew’s telling of this story, Jesus says to the mourners to “Go away!” And then the funeral ruiner, Jesus Christ, actually has the mourners put outside the house. (Matthew 9:24-25)
Stop and picture this moment! Jesus walks into a funeral and dismisses the mourners and puts them outside. What is going on here?
Bible scholars have pointed out the ancient tradition of mourners for hire. When someone had died or was close to death, professional mourners would show up to play a pipe flute & wail lamentation. They would stay and cry and play a sad song… even if they did not know the family and the deceased…as long as they were paid.
These mourners were not genuine, but simply an opportunistic crowd, ready for hire. They cared more for their own pocketbooks than the little girl and her family. The professional hypocrisy of these mourners for hire becomes transparent when their less-than-sincere lament turns to scorn & laughter at the suggestion by our Lord that the girl was only sleeping.
Some people profit on your loss. Mourners for hire can surround you and play a sad song & wail for several reasons…
-To discourage you and cause you to quit.
-To profit emotionally.
-Some may actually think they are helping.
-Some are positioning themselves for gain.
-These same mourners who seem to care will scoff & mock an attempt to bring life back into your situation.
If you want to throw yourself a pity party where you grow more and more depressed until you give up forever… DO NOT INVITE JESUS. If you just want to lay down and die, DO NOT invite Jesus to that ceremony.
Jesus turns mourning into dancing!
Psalm 30:11-12 (NIV) You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
When Jesus said to Jairus “Your daughter is not dead, only asleep” the mourners for profit hated this. They can’t make a wage off a living daughter.
You watch Jesus come and bring life, hope, & healing, and then you watch so called friends fight it, ridicule it, discourage it. These are not real friends; these are buzzards looking for a death to feast on.
Jesus will dismiss the mourners at your funeral
Jesus will walk into a funeral and dismiss the mourners. The scripture says that Jesus chased everyone away except the mother & father, and 3 disciples – Peter, James, & John. He then goes into the room with the little girl, takes her by the hand, and says get up. The girl is brought back to life.
Jesus chased off the fraudulent mourners. Jesus is not against true mourning, but I have a caution for “true morning.” Mourning should not last forever.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NIV) a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Jesus will dismiss the mourners, and also Jesus will disrupt the expectation.
Jesus will disrupt the expectation
You kind of know what to expect at a funeral. People move like clockwork at a funeral. Entire rows of people will stand up and march like a regimented army… you don’t just see that everywhere, but at a funeral we know what to expect.
John 11:1 (NIV) Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
John 11:3 (NIV) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
John 11:5 (NIV) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11:6 (NIV) So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,
Verse 5 & 6 are unexpected. Jesus loves Martha, Mary, & Lazarus… so he stays away?
Wait, Jesus, aren’t you supposed to come quickly when I have a need? Because you love me you will keep me from experiencing loss, right?
There is a lesson here in these 2 verses… Because He loves you, sometimes Jesus will stay away. I have not begun to fully understand why there are times Jesus delays; Jesus withholds His miracle, and allows me to struggle… BUT I believe it is because He loves me and that He knows what is best.
When you read this story in John 11, Jesus is not caught off guard. He says up front that Lazarus’ sickness will not end in death… And Jesus is far way away from Lazarus, but is aware when Lazarus dies. Nothing seems unexpected to Jesus.
John 11:17 (NIV) On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
John 11:19 (NIV) and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
John 11:20 (NIV) When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
John 11:21 (NIV) “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
John 11:23 (NIV) Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
John 11:24 (NIV) Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Lazarus is dead for 4 days. Everyone had expected Jesus to show up, but he delayed.
When Jesus shows up he says “Your brother will rise again” and Martha hears these words of Jesus but allows her expectation to define the meaning of the words. To be fair, we can’t help but do this ourselves.
Our perception becomes our reality. If you have the perception that no one likes you, then that becomes YOUR reality. Even if everyone loves you in reality, you won’t perceive it. Your perception forms your reality & expectation.
Jesus comes and speaks to Martha, and He speaks to us, but instead of letting His words form our reality, our perception takes his words and conforms them to our expectation.
The expectation that it is too late… that ship has sailed… People called me a loser and it must be true… I can’t… I am not strong enough, smart enough, and talented enough… Jesus can walk right up to and proclaim THE TRUTH and your expectation causes you to hear something else, and you end up taking THE TRUTH and conforming it to YOUR OWN TRUTH.
Jesus will disrupt the expectation
John 11:39 (NIV) “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Jesus we already had the funeral. It is too late. By now putrefaction had taken place and what was alive is now more than dead… it is decomposing… it will smell… it will be gross.
John 11:43 (NIV) When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
John 11:44 (NIV) The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
John 11:45 (NIV) Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
What did they expect? They expected rotting dead smell…
BUT what did Jesus say? He said “Lazarus’ sickness will not END in death…” He said to Martha “your brother will rise again!”
I am telling you that Jesus will disrupt your expectation.
Jesus ruins a funeral that had already taken place. He was already buried; they had already had the graveside and said a final prayer, and rolled the stone in place…
Some of you have already had the funeral for your future… you have already given up on your health, career goals, happiness, God’s calling for your life… You have resigned yourself to always being alone…
I don’t know what you expect today… I don’t care what you expect today… Jesus has come to disrupt your expectation.
Jesus spoke and a dead man with his hands and feet bound and a cloth over his face starts wiggling & jiggling out of the tomb, and Jesus says these powerful words… “Take off the grave clothes and let Him go.”
Take the grave clothes off today. Your marriage, your children, your relationships… don’t adjust to a new normal… rip grave clothes off it and let it go free!
Jesus ruins funerals
He dismisses the mourners; he disrupts your expectation, and finally, He defeats Death.
Jesus Defeats Death
The whole purpose of a funeral is death. You can’t invite Jesus because He will ultimately defeat the purpose of the funeral.
We have no record in scripture of Jesus going to a funeral and not resurrecting the guest of honor. Jesus even had his own funeral…
Jesus was nailed to the cross. His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. He willingly gave himself to death so that we could live. After dying upon the cross, Jesus was quickly and hurriedly prepared for his burial to beat the sundown. His funeral was rough, no one really spoke and paid their last respects. …But on the other side of the funeral He was fighting, and Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave.
musician
You must invite people to the funeral.
We told you about preparing for a funeral. You must invite people to the funeral. So why not invite Jesus? Funerals with Jesus present always end up as resurrections.
Invite Jesus to your funeral
Where ever there is death and loss in your life, that is where you need to invite Jesus. Let Him come and defeat death in your life.
We are getting ready to come talk to God, but I promised you 3 stories where Jesus ruined funerals and I have only given you 2. Here is the 3rd.
Luke 7:11 (NIV) Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.
Luke 7:12 (NIV) As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
Luke 7:13 (NIV) When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
Luke 7:14 (NIV) Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
Luke 7:15 (NIV) The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke 7:16 (NIV) They were all filled with awe and praised God.
Jesus walks into a city and comes upon a funeral. He did not know these people. He had not been invited to the funeral; Jesus invites Himself to the funeral.
You don’t have to invite Jesus, He invites Himself
Upon looking and hearing the cries of a widowed mother about to bury her only son, Jesus decides to invite Himself to the funeral. Jesus walks up and brings this dead boy back to life.
You can invite Jesus today… but Jesus does not need an invitation.
Jesus might just decide you need a resurrection today. He does not need to ask for permission. He is the resurrection and the life.
He might just kick down the doors today… roll the stone away… and ruin a funeral.
One day when we least expect it, a trumpet is going to sound and Jesus Christ is going to raise people from the dead and they will rise to meet the Lord in the air. He doesn’t need permission… He is the resurrection and the life, it is who He is!
He invites himself to funerals…
That is why some people are healed while they worship…
That is why some people are just hearing a sermon, when life enters into them.
That is why a sinner can be born again…
That is why as you pray in this altar today there is no telling what Jesus may do…