Within
the cast of characters we meet in the resurrection of Lazarus, the ensemble
includes the disciples (who don’t get it and are a bit dense – which I resemble
that remark) and the fierce faithfulness of Martha and Mary. We also have Lazarus, who I will reflect on
more next week and whether he was unwillingly casted into the role of “Dead
dude Jesus could rise from the dead”. I
am struck by how the disciples really don’t get what Jesus is talking
about. Notice verse 8, the disciples
don’t even want to go anywhere near Judea to visit the grieving family. They essentially say, “Um last time we were
there Jesus, people were examining rocks to throw at you! Do you really think we should
go back there?!” Then, when Jesus says
that Lazarus is sleeping, the disciples essentially look at Jesus like a deer
in highlights. If I hold the Bible
close, I can hear the disciples thinking, “Do we look like an alarm clock,
Jesus? He can wake up on his own!” I imagine Jesus rubbing his temples, mutter
and mumble to himself about why he called these guys to follow
him, then bluntly saying, “Lazarus is dead.”
Insert lightbulb over disciples’ heads.
Then, Thomas, the twin says, “Well, I guess we should go and die with
Him.” Is this said with certainty or
confusion or fear?
I
wonder, who is the “Him”? Is it
Lazarus? Or does Thomas imagine like
Daniel in the Lions’ den that there is a stone with his name on it waiting to
be thrown when Jesus steps back into the Judean city limits? Is there regret or resignation or
apprehension or acceptance of what could happen in Thomas’ voice? Or maybe all the above and more emotions
sitting in that comment.
When
have you echoed Thomas? When have you
this last week thrown up your hands in exhaustion or exasperation? When have you tossed in the towel thinking,
“I just can’t do it anymore,” where the “it” is stress or strain of life
sitting on your shoulders?
Now
compare the disciples to Martha who when she hears Jesus is near; she goes out
to meet him. Conjure that conversation
in your heart. Is Martha perturbed or
perplexed by Jesus? Do her words have
some anger sprinkled in when she says, “If You had been here,
Jesus, Lazarus would still be alive.” Or
is there a passionate pleading? I love
how fiercely faithful Martha is, she names and claims her pain rather than
pushing it down. She tells Jesus what is
in her heart.
What
do you need to say to the Sacred today?
Do you have Martha-like words you need to share with God?
Then,
Martha names and claims a faithfulness that death and life have always mixed
and mingled together. Too often in our
world we see death as an ending. Yet,
science tells us that there are the same number of atoms in the universe today
as when all this first began. Creation
is always recycling and renewing and restoring and re-storying the world. You are made up of the same soil and star
dust as the dinosaurs and your great grandparents. You have atoms from the beginning within
you! Sit with this holy truth today.
Finally,
notice how Mary echoes Martha in her first words to him, “Lord, why weren’t you
here?” Those moments when we let someone
we love down or disappointment hangs heavy in the air between us and someone we
care about. Do you connect with this
part of the story today? Step into the
roles of disciple – that we see in a mirror dimly and that our point of view is
a view from a point. Step into Martha’s
sandals with fierce faithfulness of God’s presence and promise. Step into Mary’s sacred disappointment about
where our souls sag and hearts lag.
These parts and pieces of the story connect to my story and I pray to
yours as well today.
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for narratives that open us to truths about the human condition
that have been, are, and will be found in our lives. Help us hear our moments of confusion,
confession, and concerns that this narrative awakens this day. In the name of the One who brings life to the
atoms where we only see ashes, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
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