St. James Episcopal Church
Greeneville, Tennessee
Year A - Lent 5 - March 29, 2020
When I hear the lesson from the Gospel about the story of the raising of Lazarus, it always strikes me as a story with many layers… Layers of the actions of the disciples and the action of Jesus… the tension of Jesus’ humanity and divinity… and probably the most apparent to us in this day and time… the layer of grief.
The grief over the loss of a brother and friend… grief that causes Jesus to have a visceral human reaction as he is deeply moved by the spirit. Brothers and sisters, we are grieving… We are grieving not being able to gather together, isolated in our homes, being removed from the normal rhythms of our life.
This Pandemic continues to take its toll on us, yet we are creative enough to continue to gather as we should. It may feel a little strange, and maybe a little unsatisfying, but we are still praying together... still trying to give God the glory. Jesus says that he will use the illness of his friend Lazarus to give God the glory.
We know that God is glorified through Jesus in the most unexpected of situations. Why should this one be any different? The situation with Lazarus becomes a vehicle for that glorification, and the opportunity for the disciples to fall into a deeper belief.
We know that Lazarus is the brother of Mary & Martha, and he is sick. Jesus doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to get to them after they receive the message and stayed back for 2 days. All of a sudden, Jesus is ready to go to Judea again. The disciples are quick to remind him that the Jews were ready to stone him the last time he was there.
Jesus tells his disciples that Lazarus has died, and implies that he will use this death to help them believe. Thomas still doesn’t understand but appears to be thinking about Jews that are ready to stone Jesus. He tells the other disciples, “let’s go and die with him.” Thomas is ready to go... to follow Jesus, regardless of the consequences.
Jesus has spent practically the whole 10th chapter of John narrowly escaping the ones that want to kill him. But Today, Jesus is ready to go back into the danger zone for the chance to use the death of his friend to glorify God. Even in his deep grief, Jesus is ready to take the risk to help his followers believe.
But Jesus isn’t the only one who is grieving… Mary and Martha are devastated that their brother, Lazarus, has died. So much grief that they lash out at Jesus, saying that if he had only been there, their brother would not have died. Jesus tries to assure the sisters, that if they believe that they would see the glory of God.
Most of the folks recognize that Jesus himself is crying… and have compassion for him in his grief... But it seems like many in the story question Jesus' ability to reveal the glory of God… Some of them said things like, “couldn’t he who gave sight to the blind man have kept this man from dying…”
Once they get to the tomb, Jesus requested that the stone be rolled away. Martha is concerned because Lazarus has been dead for 4 days… and there would already be an odor as the body was beginning to decay… Nonetheless, the stone is removed and after Jesus prays, he calls Lazarus forth in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
And the dead man comes out with his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus tells the folks who have just witnessed this display of God’s glory to unbind Lazarus and let him go. Lazarus, once bound in the confines of the tomb, is freed to be a living testimony to the power of God.
Many who were there, who witnessed this miraculous act believed that Jesus was the Son of God… the one coming into the world. We can assume that Lazarus was never the same after that encounter with Jesus… Nothing can ever be the same for anyone who has an encounter with Jesus…
It’s been said by scholars that several events occurred which led to the crucifixion of Jesus… This story is one of the major turning points, as Jesus and his followers head toward Jerusalem… Head toward Jerusalem to encounter more confrontation, and the torture of the cross and death… But we know that even that isn’t it… we know that the story doesn’t end there…
Ezekiel reminds us that even out of a valley of dried up bones, God can raise up the Children of Israel. Only God has the power of life and restoration… And Jesus evoked that power in the presence for all to see as Lazarus came forth from the tomb… The question for us is, “what should we do?” What does this story call us in this place and time?
Personally, I think that the secret to understanding lies with Thomas… Thomas… the one who says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas acts like he would follow Jesus to the ends of the earth regardless of what they ran into. This implies a deep trust of Jesus and a belief that Jesus is who he has proven himself to be. Proof that Jesus is who the scriptures claim him to be…
Jesus told the sisters, Mary and Martha, “If you believe, you will see the glory of God.” We are in times that are changing faster than we can comprehend… We are facing things like this virus that no-one in our lifetime has ever encountered. We continue to do the things that we need to do to stay connected while being physically distant… but, we feel isolated and we are grieving…
Yet, we learn from this story, that in our grief, Jesus grieves with us… Our faith and our trust in Jesus gives us the strength to continue to keep going… keep going through all the uncertainty and all the confusion... keep going and being creative…
We need to trust God… yes, we need to wash our hands and stay apart for now, but we need to trust God… We need to follow the advice of our medical professionals so we can take care of each other and we need to trust God…
I read this statement about trust in God from an unknown author this past week – I found it fitting:
I trust God...and I wear my seatbelt. I trust God...and I wear a motorcycle helmet. I trust God...and I use oven mitts with really hot dishes. I trust God...and I lock my house at night. I trust God...and I have smoke detectors in my house. I trust God...and I take my prescribed medicines.
If we can trust God… and be willing to follow Jesus, like Thomas, then we may actually see God glorified in this world.
Morning Prayer - Rite II
@ St. James Episcopal Church in Greeneville, TN
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