Lazarus Rises: A Homily

5th Sunday of Lent -- Cycle A

Bishop Tony recently showed me one of his favorite books titled: 99 Annoying Attributes of God: Why God is God and You’re Not (by Ray Albrektson, Gary Stanley, and Janet Kobobel Grant). Isn’t THAT the truth! The book is exactly what it sounds like it is -- a list of ways that God annoys us and it has scriptural references to prove the point. I started looking through the book and saw myself in it in so many ways. Here’s one that is so true: “God is annoying because he allows me to struggle and fail at the very things he can accomplish in the twinkling of an eye.” Indeed there are so many examples of that!

And of course, it got me thinking about other ways God annoys ME. Here’s one that I came up with: “God is annoying because just when you think you know what God is going to do – God does something totally different.”

Today’s Gospel is a perfect example of that. Jesus is away from Judea with the apostles – presumably preaching the Word; perhaps preparing his disciples for what was about to come. It is there that he receives word that the brother of Mary and Martha – Lazurus – is gravely ill. Of course, I would expect that Jesus – who has healed the blind and the sick before – would rush on back to Bethany and heal Lazurus whom he loves so dearly. No, instead he says: “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the Glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” And he stayed where he was for two days. Okay – so that’s a little unexpected. So Jesus…being God…had a plan. It was clear he was going to use this. But here’s the rub: if we look at scripture and the timing – by the time Jesus received word that Lazarus was ill – Lazarus had already died. Remember, after two days, when Jesus returned to Bethany – Lazarus was in the tomb for at least four days.

Imagine what that messenger was thinking after giving Jesus the bad news about Lazurus’ illness, being told by Jesus that Lazurus was not going to die, but then the messenger returned to Bethany only to find that Lazarus was already dead. Talk about a test of faith.

So two days later Jesus tells the apostles that it is time to return to Judea and the apostles wonder out loud if it’s a good idea to do that because Jesus’ life was threatened by the Jews. And Jesus challenges them to have faith. It’s easy to walk during the day when it’s light out – but we need to use our faith to guide us in the dark so that we don’t stumble. And he tells them – “I have a job to do. I have to awaken Lazurus.” But the disciples don’t get it – maybe Lazurus is better-off sleeping. “No, no” Jesus says, “Lazarus is dead.” And here’s something you wouldn’t think Jesus would say: “And I’m glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” In other words he is saying that he’s glad that he didn’t go back to Judea to intervene; he’s saying he’s glad that Lazurus had died. HUH?

Obviously the message here in the Gospel is about resurrection theology. But it is more than that. It is about having a real faith in Jesus – the Son of God – that He is the Life and the resurrection. That through him all things… all things are possible; Through Him is eternal life.

Now if you are like me, you are a slow learner. To really hear and understand something, I have to be told something….then read about it…and then be told about it again and again, then be shown an example of it, and then it still doesn’t really sink-in until somehow I live it. If that doesn’t happen, it’s soon forgotten about.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 11 is not the first time that Jesus spoke of the resurrection and eternal life. Jesus knew that his time in the flesh was soon coming to an end. And he wanted to make sure that the disciples – that all of us – especially us slow learners really understand what it means to believe in Him…to believe in the promise of eternal life.

So when Jesus returned, Martha met him saying, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And later Mary restated the same thing. Some might look at this as an accusatory statement, “Where have you been?! Why didn’t you save my brother?” But remember, Martha and Mary both knew that Lazarus had already died before Jesus was told. Rather they were making statements of regret – like “I wish you were here.” And how does Jesus respond: with a promise that Lazarus will rise. Mary and Martha have heard Jesus time and time again. They thought they knew he was talking about the resurrection – that Lazarus had risen and was given eternal life. But they forgot – in Jesus all things are possible: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

And when Jesus was shown the tomb where Lazarus was laid, he did the most amazing thing. He wept.

I often wondered why he wept. He knew Lazarus was going to die before anyone. He also knew that Lazarus was going to be raised-up in the flesh and again later into eternal life. There was no reason to weep, so it seemed. I thought that maybe this was part of the mystery of Jesus – the Son of God: God in flesh on earth -- the dichotomy of God and humanity in one. And perhaps the expression of human emotion was the manifestation of weakness from the human part of him that was grieving the loss of someone he loved.

But now I don’t think that’s it. No doubt, Jesus loves Lazarus. Jesus loves Martha. Jesus loves Mary. Jesus loves all who believe in him and those who don’t believe. Jesus loves us so much that when we grieve, he grieves with us. He wept because so many were suffering. He wept in empathy.

Paul wrote in Romans 12, “…weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.” Jesus weeping was a true expression of His love for us.

So when he raised Lazarus from the dead he was giving us a gift. Not just the small gift of providing respite from bereaving a loss; but with the much greater gift of faith that our love for Jesus will indeed create a home for us in the Kingdom of God. “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

We should never give up that faith.

By the way, another reason why God is annoying: “God is annoying because God doesn’t want me to give up either.”

From Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Peace.