![]() Long after Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended, Lazarus hung around Bethany with his sisters living to die again. I’m not sure that’s the miracle we think it is. Dying isn’t fun, especially if you’ve watched a loved one in a hospice journey from life to death. “You’ll stink to high heaven when you leave the tomb in a moment." God has a wicked sense of humor. Lazarus asks, “If I go back, that means I’ll have to die again one day and do this all over again?” “Yes,” says God. Remember 1 st century Palestine, a place with no indoor plumbing, a life expectancy of 37, massive poverty, slavery, and Roman oppression. He’s checked in, got his white robe, been through orientation, and enjoying the all-you-can-eat brunch when suddenly he’s summoned to the manager’s office and told he’s returning to Earth. Lazarus didn’t have a near-death experience. The stone was removed, and he called Lazarus out of the tomb. Jesus blamed himself for Lazarus’ death despite understanding the “plan.” Amidst his hurting friends and disciples, not to mention his pain, the grand plan seemed like the least of his worries. Mary and Martha were overcome with grief. Yet, his close friend had to die for the world to witness that power. Here is an opportunity to show God’s power. We read the shortest and most poignant verse in the New Testament, “Jesus wept.” Jesus, we know, is conflicted. In these moments, John allows us a glimpse of Jesus’ raw, unfiltered humanity. His presence could have made a difference. By this time, the man was dead, and the sister’s grief was raw. For reasons they could not grasp, Jesus waited until Lazarus died before he came to Lazarus’ side. In Lazarus’ last hours, they sent word to Jesus, begging him to come and heal their brother. The dead man’s sisters, Mary and Martha, were also close friends of Jesus. He had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus and the disciples arrived in Bethany. Did he think his readers, whether in the late 1 st century when he composed his gospel or in the early 21 st century as we reread it on the 5 th Sunday of Lent, would be so amazed by the miracle of Lazarus’ resuscitation that we wouldn’t notice that it’s tragic for a man to die once it’s downright troubling to make him die twice. I wonder if John thought no one would ask this question. ![]()
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