John 11: 1-45 Lazarus
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
I love to think about whose eyes we might be looking out of when we have a group of people in a Bible passage. Where we stand, who we imagine ourselves to stand with in each story might tell us more about ourselves than we care to imagine or admit! Today’s dramatic reading gives plenty of scope for us to do this. Let’s see what we can discover together.
Let’s start with Mary. John identifies her as the woman who washed Jesus’s feet and dried them with her hair. Jesus calls for her and when she sees him she falls to her knees, weeping. She states what we know, what everyone in the story knows – if only Jesus had been there, Lazarus might have been saved. Her reaction to her brother’s death chimes with what we know of her as a woman of compassion, and she creates a space for us to have an emotional response to death. Mary’s conversation with Jesus stands in contrast to his earlier exchange with Martha. Although both express the wish that Jesus had been there earlier, it is Mary who weeps. Here she allows Jesus a space in which to grieve for his friend. Her tears grant permission.
When we stand with Mary we see how important it is to look with compassion on those who suffer. We see how vital it is to put our difficulties, our moments of despair into Jesus’s hands, for he is the one who understands rejection, fear and loneliness.
When we look through Martha’s eyes we see the tasks that need to be done, and who else will do them? While everyone weeps and wails, will no-one see the things that need to be tended to? And who is going to state the obvious, if not practical, sober Martha. If the stone is rolled away there will be a terrible smell, Lazarus has been three days in the tomb, his body, by custom, has not been mummified, but wrapped in linen cloths. Yet Jesus reprimands Martha, drawing her away from her preoccupation with earthly things. He reminds her that she needs faith to see clearly. She must believe, in order to see the glory of God, to understand the real meaning of the words he has spoken to her in verse 24, that Jesus is ‘the resurrection and the life’.
Sometimes we tell ourselves that it is kindness and practicality that prompts us to protect ourselves and others from the more painful realities of life. But maybe we need to ask ourselves a difficult question. How much, rather like Martha, am I trying to control this situation? What would happen if I had the courage and the faith to place this difficulty—this tragedy—into the hands of God? Sometimes, when we busy ourselves with the tasks of the day, when we hide away from silence, when we hide away from God, we are like Martha, cleaning the house or worrying about the smell from the tomb. Yes, these are important tasks, yes these are concerns, but maybe they act as a substitute for the real work, the work of the faithful, loving heart which trusts, and which rests in a deep and intimate knowledge of God.
And so now we look at the crowd. Imagine standing amongst them, imagine the tension. What was Jesus going to do? And, what would be the consequences of his actions? Maybe you can hear a murmur of questions and comments, or even hear a grunt of approval when Jesus weeps. Some of the crowd remark on his love for his friend. Others seem hesitant and demonstrate how little they understand Jesus, commenting that if he could cure blindness, he could have healed his friend.
Finally we turn to Jesus who stands at the grave of his friend. He has been crying, and he is greatly disturbed. Perhaps he is frustrated by the mourning all around him. He has loved these people, taught them in parables and performed miracles and yet, they still do not seem to understand.
Jesus knows that death is not the end of this story, for life is within the gift of the Father and it is to him that Jesus appeals. In love he speaks to the Father, who already knows the prayer of his heart as they are in constant communion. But he speaks it aloud so all can hear, so that all can share in this relationship of tender love. And in love the Father responds, his love flowing through the Son to Lazarus in the power of the Spirit. We see the endless circle of love between Father, Son and Spirit, the restoration of hope when hope has fled.
And Lazarus comes forth, called by name, as we are all called by name. The power of the grave is overthrown. Lazarus is called forth by Jesus the Good Shepherd who will lay down his life for the sheep. He is called forth by the Lamb who will be slain for our sins and who will rise again. And in this, sin is overthrown.
For in the end we all stand with Lazarus, called forth by Jesus to life eternal. ‘Unbind him and let him go’, Jesus says. Lazarus is freed from the trappings of the grave, just as we are freed from sin. The raising of Lazarus points us towards Christ’s triumphant bursting from the tomb and our awakening into life with Christ.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen