The story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is unique. Jesus had raised others, but not in the way he raised Lazarus. And the story is recorded only in the gospel of John. One wonders why such a powerful event was left out of the other gospels. In his other miracles of this nature, Jesus restored life to those who had just died, and relatively little was made of it. Those were miracles of opportunity, local in nature.
But the raising of Lazarus was planned, with a broad effect. I feel badly for Lazarus. It started this way: “A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, ‘Lord, your dear friend is very sick.’”
Jesus had a friend. I find that comforting. Throughout the gospels story we see Jesus constantly giving through word, miracle, food, and leadership. That’s a lonely life. But Lazarus was his friend. Weren’t the apostles his friends? No. They were his apprentices, and he was their master. Their relationship with him was not one of easy friendship.
So the sisters sent to Jesus for help. I wonder who they used as messenger? Jesus was no longer in Jerusalem. Escaping the desire of the Pharisees and leaders to take his life, he had gone to Ephraim, a remote village on the spine of the country, commanding a spectacular view of Samaria and Galilee to the North and the desert wilderness t the east.
The messenger delivered his message to this response: “But when Jesus heard about it he said, ‘Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.’ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go back to Judea…Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.’ The disciples said, ‘Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better.’ They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.’”
Planned. Was the whole drama for the purpose of strengthening the belief of the disciples? It is clear that Jesus knew exactly what was up with Lazarus, and that he chose not to respond until Lazarus had died. He took his time. He had a clear mission. He knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish.
When they arrived in Bethany, home of Lazarus and his sisters, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days, so the journey to reach his home took some time. He arrived to a crowded scene and was met before he got to the home by Martha. I’ve always thought her greeting reflected her distress and disappointment he didn’t arrive sooner and come to his friend’s aid.
“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.’” And then this odd interchange, reflecting the mission and purpose of Jesus more than the distress of his friend: “Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise again. ‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘he will rise when everyone rises, at the last day.’ Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this Martha?’”
And that was the point of the entire action surrounding Lazarus. To make that point, and to make sure everyone got that point, Jesus was willing to allow his friend’s death and burial. Everything that follows in this story is only supportive to that point. Jesus is the life. He does not just know about the life, He is the life. He does not know the way to eternal life; He is the way to eternal life.
In our contemporary age we comfort our spiritual needs by studying about Jesus, often growing quite expert in the message of the Bible. Many of us are very busy with church work, doing good and keeping the institution viable. Some of us gain comfort by giving generously and regularly to the church and other non-profits.
While those habits are comforting and good, they are a side issue. He is the resurrection and the life. It doesn’t matter how good we are, how busy we are, or how expert we are in the Boble. At the moment of faith we realize that he alone is the way home; that we do not follow an institution or a life-style for our faith, but a person.
The story is not over yet. Tomorrow we’ll get Lazarus restored.
Prayer: “Great Father, you have sent Jesus to be our resurrection and our life. Save us from any preoccupation with lesser things. Grow a simple faith within us that will lead us home. Help us to become willing followers. In Jesus’name, amen.”