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March 14, l999 Things are seldom as they seern is a saying which helps us to accept if not always explain, the inevitable gaps, ironies and mysteries of life, It is, as we shall see, an apt maxim for interpreting today' s long, dramatic and perplexing text from John 11. NOW A CERTAIN MAN WAS ILL, LAZARAUS OF BETHANY, THE VILLAGE OF MARY AND HER SISTER MARTHA. MARY WAS THE ONE WHO ANOINTED THE LORD WITH PERFUME AND WIPED HIS FEET WITH HER HAIR; HER BROTHER LAZARUS WAS ILL. Mary and Martha and Lazarus were among the closest of Jesus' friends. For her anointing of Jesus' feet as John records in chapter 12 following , Mary is remembered as a woman friend on intimate terms with Jesus. It is again evidence of Jesus' humanity that he not only enjoyed but needed a few intimate friends. The threesome lived in the village of Bethany only an hour's walk outside Jerasalem so Jesus must have gone ofien to relax and pass a day and evening with these three intimate soul mates. Fortunate are those among us who make such close friends, And now the brother, a dear friend of Jesus, is ill. SO THE SISTERS SENT A MESSAGE TO JESUS. "LORD, HE WHOM YOU LOVE IS ILL." The message is short because the sisters must have expected Jesus would read between the lines and come immediately to assist. That's what friends do. But Jesus replied to those who carried the message to him, and to others around him who also he heard the news, in an unexpected way. BUT WHEN JESUS HEARD IT, HE SAID, "THIS ILLNESS DOES NOT LEAD TO DEATH; RATHER IT IS FOR GOD'S GLORY, SO THAT THE SON OF GOD MAY BE GLORIFED THROUGH IT. This response from Jesus is odd. First, his risky medical diagnoses at a distant proves to be wrong for we know Lazarus will die before Jesus arrives. Second, it does not seem a compassionate response to the anxiety of the sisters back in Bethany. Are we to read Jesus response as a prophecy that Lazarus, though dead, will be revived; is Jesus forecasting his own death and resurrection? I'm not certain. It sounds like Jesus is setting his followers up to interpret what follows as evidence of God's power of life over death and as an anticipation of his own power over death. Things are seldom as they seem! v.5 ACCORDINGLY, THOUGH JESUS LOVED MARTHA AND HER SISTER AND LAZARUS, AFTER HAVING HEARD THAT LAZARUS WAS ILL, HE STAYED TWO DAYS LONGER IN THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS. THEN AFTER THIS HE SAID TO THE DISCIPLES, "LET US GO TO JUDEA AGAIN." About time, wouldn't you agree? We have no idea what Jesus did during those two days of delay. But some of his more protective followers attempt to delay him further; Vs 8: THE DISCIPLES SAID TO HIM, "RABBI, THE JEWS WERE JUST NOW TRYING TO STONE YOU AND ARE. YOU GOING THERE AGAIN?" JESUS ANSWERED, "ARE THERE NOT TWELVE HOURS OF DAYLIGHT? THOSE WHO WALK DURING THE DAY DO NOT STUMBLE, BECAUSE THEY SEE THE LIGHT OF THIS WORLD. BUT THOSE WHO WALK AT NIGHT STUMBLE, BECAUSE THE LIGHT IS NOT IN THEM." I hear a little of John's anti-Semitic orientation here. The followers of Jesus during his lifetime might have referred to the Pharisees as the enemies of Jesus, but they would not have used the phrase "the Jews" because they were all Jews. The reference to the Jews wanting to stone Jesus does point to a hostility toward Jesus among some Jews, but the phrase assumes a much later time when the Jewish Christians had experienced so many sharp theological and physical clashes with the Jewish religious establishment that Jewish Christians had come to distinguish themselves from the Jews. Things are not always as they seem. Why does John insert this strange saying from Jesus at this point and what in the world does it mean? Was Jesus reassuring his disciples that they need not fear for him because he and they worked and walked in the daylight and Jesus' enemies would need the cloak of darkness to do them any harm. Indeed, we remember that when the betrayal finally came it was at night. And we know that John loves to contrast Light and Dark and since Jesus was very Light, he would have nothing to fear in the daylight. V.11: AFTER SAYING THIS, HE TOLD THEM, "OUR FRIEND, LAZARUS HAS FALLEN ASLEEP BUT I AM GOING THERE TO AWAKEN HIM." THE DISCIPLES SAID TO HIM, "LORD. IF HE HAS FALLEN ASLEEP, HE WILL BE ALL RIGHT." JESUS, HOWEVER, HAD BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT HIS DEATH, BUT THEY THOUGHT THAT HE WAS REFERRING MERELY TO SLEEP. THEN JESUS TOLD THEM. PLAINLY, "LAZARUS IS DEAD." I wonder about this word play between Jesus and the disciples. He says that "Lazarus has fallen asleep" using a euphemism for death. The disciples with their usual sharp insight say that if he has fallen asleep he'll be just fine. Nothing like a refreshing nap to lift the spirits! You get the impression that Jesus is speaking a foreign language….another instance of John's use of irony. Then Jesus cuts through the confusion with the bluntest of statements; LAZARUS IS DEAD. V.15 FOR YOUR SAKE I AM GLAD I WAS NOT THERE, SO THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE. BUT LET US GO TO HIM. THOMAS, WHO WAS CALLED THE TWIN, SAID TO HIS FELLOW DiSCIPLES. "LET US ALSO GO, THAT WE MAY DIE WITH HIM." Following the guideline that THINGS ARE SELDOM AS THEY SEEM, Jesus explains to his followers that he has delayed attending to Lazarus because he knows he is dead but he also knows, or believes, or hopes, that God will give him, Jesus, the power of life over death Jesus alone seems to realise at this point that his own death is certain. He, also, alone is trusting God to produce new life from the death. Is the raising of Lazarus a test proof for Jesus' own faith and for his followers? The bold declaration by Thomas does not ring true; Thomas was not even present in Jerusalem at Jesus' death. But we all are capable and culpable of making promises which we turn out not to keep. V 17: WHEN JESLUS ARRIVED, HE FOUND THAT LAZARUS HAD ALREADY BEEN IN THE TOMB FOR FOUR DAYS. NOW BETHANY WAS NEAR JERUSALEM SOME TWO MILES AWAY, AND MANY OF THE JEWS HAD COME TO MARTHA AND MARY TO CONSOLE THEM. ABOUT THEIR BROTHER. WHEN MAkTHA HEARD THAT JESUS WAS COMING, SHE WENT AND MET HIM, WHILE MARY STAYED AT HOME. MARTHA SAID TO JESUS, "LORD, IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE, MY BROTHER WOULD NOT HAVE DIED. BUT EVEN NOW I KNOW THAT GOD WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK OF HIM." Martha is clearly mad at Jesus, reproaching him for his delay. Though angry with Jesus, Maitha retains confidence that Jesus can do do something to ease the tragedy. BUT THINGS ARE SELDOM AS THEY SEEM and Martha's expectation now from Jesus are not very great as we now see. Vs. 23: JESUS SAID TO HER "YOUR BROTHER WILL RISE AGAIN." MARTHA SAID TO HIM. "I KNOW THAT HE WILL RISE AGAIN IN THE RESURRECTION ON THE LAST DAY." Martha misses Jesus' point for here she is merely repeating a general Jewish beliief in a general ressurection at the end of time. "Of course,' she sighs, "We all will on that glorious day." "That's not what I mean" says Jesus. \r5 25: JESUS SAID TO HER, "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIE, WILL LIVE, AND EVERYONE WHO LIVES AND BELIEVES IN ME WILL NEVER DIE. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?" SHE SAID TO HIM, "YES, LORD,I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD THE ONE COMING INTO THE WORLD." It seems to me we hear John speaking as much as Jesus. Jesus must have said sornething like: 'Martha: That's not what I mean. What I mean is that I arn God's Resurrection and New Life. Do you believe that?" With John'b editing some 50 years or so later, and with all the accumulated faith experience of the early church, we hear adoctrinal statement from the mouth of Jesus. But the idea is right on for Jesus is suggesting to Martha that she can have a great deal more than temporary solace if she will exercise her faith in Jesus' power to fight death on her behalf and that of her late brother. Vs. WHEN SHE HAD SAID THIS, SHE WENT BACK AND CALLED HER SISTER MARY, AND TOLD HER PRIVATELY, 'TEACHER IS HERE AND IS CALLING FOR YOU. AND WHEN SHE HEARD IT, SHE GOT UP QUICKLY AND WENT TO HIM. NOW JESUS HAD NOT YET COME TO THE VILLAGE, BUTWAS STILL AT THE PLACE WHERE MARTHA HAD MET HIM. THE JEWS WHO WERE WITH HER IN THE HOUSE CONSOLING HER, SAW MARY GET UP QUICKLY AND GO OUT. THEY FOLLOWED HER BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT SUE WAS GOING TO THE TOMB TO WEEP THERE. WHEN MARY CAME WHERE JESUS WAS AND SAW HIM, SHE KNELT AT HIS FEET AND SAID TO HIM, "LORD? IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE MY BROTHER WOULD NOT HAVE DIED.' Mary, like her sister, reproaches Jesus for his poor sense of timing! Vs. 33: WHEN JESUS SAW HER WEEPING, AND THE JEWS WHO CAME WITH HER ALSO WEEPING. HE WAS GREATLY DISTURBED in SPIRIT AND DEEPLY MOVED. HE SAID, "WHERE HAVE YOU LAID HIM?" THEY SAID TO HIM. "LORD COME AND SEE." JESUS BEGAN TO WEEP. SO THE JEWS SAID, "SEE HOW HE LOVED HIM!" BUT SOME OF THEM SAID, "COULD NOT HE WHO OPENED THE EYES OF THE BLIND MAN HAVE KEPT THIS MAN FROM DYING?" THEN JESUS, AGAIN GREATLY DISTURBED CAME TO THE TOMB. When Jesus was hit with all this weeping, he, too, grew teary butt I suspect his deep emotion was that of anger, anger like the sisters and their friends had felt when death robbed them of Lazarus, the death that we all must know when we have to come to terms with death of a loved one. This is an important incident because Jesus did not often lose his cool: at the temple when he saw the commercial trading sullying the divine place of worship, he showed intense anger. In Gethesenie when he prayed that His own death might be delayed, he sweated with dread. Not often do the scriptures say he was deeply moved except with compassion. But here I think he is mad at death. Not just the singular death of Lazarus, because he had already accepted that death back in Jerusalem and he now knew that Lazarus might be revived, but his tear's are against Death with a capital D, Death which cancels everything that is living, lively and good. THINGS ARE SELDOM AS THEY SEEM'. Jesus emotion is at a much more profound level. He was deeply upset because Death had snatched his friend and held the whole human race in its' thraIl through fear, The great dog Death needed to be muzzled. Vs. 38b: (THE TOMB) IT WAS A CAVE, AND A STONE WAS LYING AGAINST IT. A hint here of Jesus' own tomb in a cave with a stone blocking the entrance. Vs. 39: JESUS SAID,"TAKE AWAY THE STONE." MARTHA, THE SISTEROF THE DEAD MAN SAID TO HIM., "LORD, ALREADY THERE IS A STENCH OF DEATH BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN DEAD FOUR DAYS." The text pulls no punches here. This is real reporting on the smell and revulsion of real physical death. BUT THINGS ARE SELDOM AS THEY SEEM. Vs. 40: JESUS SAID TO HER, "DID I NOT TELL YOU THAT IF YOU BELIEVED, YOU WOULD SEE THE GLORY OF GOD?" SO THEY TOOK AWAY THE STONE. AND JESUS LOOKED UPWARD AND SAID, "FATHER,I THANK YOU FOR HAVING HEARD ME. I KNEW THAT YOU ALWAYS HEAR ME, BUT I HAVE SAID THIS FOR THE SAKE OF THE CROWD STANDING HERE, SO THAT THEY MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU SENT ME." Once more, while hearing Jesus, we also hear the faith of John and the early church appealing through this story to non-believers to understand that God in Christ was bringing new life to them. Vs.43: WHEN HE HAD SAID THIS, HE CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE,"LAZARUS, COME OUT!" THE DEAD MAN CAME OUT, HIS HANDS AND FEET BOUND WITH STRIPS OF CLOTH, AND HIS FACE WRAPPED IN A CLOTH. JESUS SAID TO THEM, "UNBIND HIM AND LET HIM GO." And when Lazarus crawled his spooky way out of that tomb, stinking, and bound up in death's clinging cloths, death had met its match The sting of death was withdrawn, and the poisonous wound healed. We know that death did not disappear. Lazarus did die and not too much later. Death did not disappear that day in Bethany for any of us. We will all see his inexorable maw one day. But the fear of him was removed, the horror of his supposed kingship was shown to be no ultimate sovereign rule at all. And the result? The plot to kill Jesus intensified, because if life is the final word and not death, then those who specialise in death will find themselves out of work. In the desperation that the warriors of death feel when they come even a hundred feet close to the power of Jesus, they will surely intensify their feverish work: All the agents of death - the torturers and maimers, the murderers and the governments who execute the murderers, the advocates and rationalises of injustice, prejudice and greed. Yes. the army of Death is munerous and nothing so upsets Death as Life. Jesus had to die to quench the anxiety of Death. BUT THINGS ARE SELDOM AS THEY SEEM. He got up.He was the resurrection and the life, and death is always on edge, always aware that the God of life is supreme.
Pastor Gene Preston
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The Rev. Gene R.Preston14th Floor, Blk 36, Lower Baguio Villa Tel : 25516161 Fax: 25512114E-mail : gpreston@netvigator.com |
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