In the second half of the story Jesus arrives in Bethany. He finds Lazarus dead, and friends gathered with Mary and Martha. We see the conversation unfold as follows:
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Martha comes out, while Mary stays at home, and confronts Jesus. She knows that Jesus could, and indeed would, have saved her brother – however, she also knows that Jesus can ask God for anything and receive it. Her statement is an implied demand for action. She knows Jesus has the power, and implicitly she asks him to act.
Jesus’ answer is straightforward at one level. “Your brother will rise again.” Martha, though already believes this – as a 1st century devout Jew, she believes in the resurrection of the dead, as a real, physical, future event. The “last day” will come, and the dead will be raised. But that knowledge does not help here at this moment, standing by the gravestone of her brother, knowing he is gone and she and her sister must face the future without him.
So Jesus continues the conversation. He is the resurrection and the life. The resurrection is not simply an abstract future concept. Rather Jesus himself is this event. In himself he sums up all that it means to live, and to be raised. He is the source of life, and the way to certainty in regard to the resurrection is to believe in him.
The challenge to Martha is: does she believe this? Will she trust in Jesus. Her is a declaration of faith. She does believe that Jesus is the coming Messiah – God’s anointed king, who comes to bring God’s life to the world. And yet, we are still standing outside Mary and Martha’s house. Lazarus is still in the grave. And Mary has not even been able to come outside to see Jesus.
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Martha decides it is time to make sure Mary sees Jesus. So Mary goes to meet Jesus. She falls at his feet and says exactly the same thing as Martha did – although in the Greek text the word order is slightly different for Mary’s speech. I’m not sure if this is significant or not, although maybe the word order in Mary’s speech is slightly less ‘normal’ and might be a way of indicating the intense emotions Mary is feeling.
Certainly the emphasis is on Mary’s weeping. While Martha’s challenge has been direct and very obvious – perhaps even angry, Mary’s challenge is through tears. When Jesus sees her pain and that of the mourners he is deeply moved in spirit and troubled. The wording is strong. This scene, and the emotions of these people move Jesus – the word for “moved in spirit” can in other contexts have the idea of rebuke, even anger. Jesus sees the scene and he feels turmoil within at the impact death has on his friends.
When Jesus sees the tears he asks the mourners where the body is. And Jesus weeps. The shortest verse in the Bible. But vital to get hold of in our hearts. When we experience the pain and suffering of this broken world we need to know that Jesus weeps. In our suffering and pain, the God of all creation steps in and weeps with us.
Yet, the challenge of v37 is stark. Jesus weeps, and that is all very well. But if he really is who he says he is, then why on earth does he not keep Lazarus from dying?Why does he not heal our loved one? Why does he not stop that conflict? Why does he not bring reconciliation? Why did he allow that earthquake? Why? A God who is upset at suffering, and a God who sympathises in suffering is good – and better than a callous unmoved serene remote deity – but if he cannot do anything about it, then what use is he?
Reflect on the story so far. Jesus’ disciples have been confused by his actions. Jesus’ friends are now on their way to the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus after a confusing delay has affirmed that Lazarus will rise again – but Martha seems to think he refers simply to the last day.
Mary has wept before her Lord, and Mary has seen Jesus’ tears. The mourners have seen Jesus’ tears. They have seen Jesus anger and sorrow at the effect of death. They know he has done miracles. But if he can do miracles, then why in this case did he not? The story continues…
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Once again we are told of Jesus’ inner turmoil. Then the reality of death is reinforced. Lazarus is in the cave. The stone is across the entrance. But Jesus says “Take away the stone.” Martha, confirming her characterisation as the one concerned for practicalities, points out that there will be a bad smell. Jesus ignores that concern and address the heart issue of belief. If she believes, she will see the glory of God.
Note. Not “if she believes he will raise Lazarus.” No, Lazarus is about to be raised, and Martha’s unbelief does not affect that at all. Jesus is not one of the cruel “healers” we sometimes see who would leave someone blaming their own lack of faith for their still unhealed state. No, Jesus heals out of grace, and out of love. But if Martha is to see God’s glory in this miracle then she must believe. Seeing is not believing in John’s gospel. Instead, believing is seeing.
The stone is taken away, and Jesus prays. His prayer is a short of one of thanks to God – so that the people will know Jesus has taken this to his father. And then comes the voice of command. “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus – the dead man – comes out alive. Because Jesus is the Word of God that spoke creation into life. And he speaks once more and a dead man comes out from the tomb.
This miracles prefigures what will happen on the last day. When Jesus speaks and destroys the evil one with a word from his mouth. When Jesus speaks and every storm is stilled. Every miracle of Jesus points forward to that day. There is no explanation given for the evil that we see. We do not know the ‘why’ of very many things that befall us.
Yet we live knowing Jesus is the resurrection and the life. That if we believe we will see. We know that Jesus cares deeply about the sorrow. We know Jesus has the power to deal with it, and one day will. And yet we do not know when, and we do not why he choose to let so much suffering linger.
What this story does is give us the things we know in the midst of this lack of knowledge and deep concern. Jesus cares, and has power. We can go to other parts of the bible and find the words that we can say to God in the times of suffering. The Psalms, the book of Job, Lamentations, and many other places contain words that express the cry of God’s people “How long O Lord?” The book of Revelation has the saints crying “How long O Lord?” We cry and we call out for relief.
In the midst of the difficulties we know Jesus hears us, and we know the Spirit, given at Pentecost, lives in us and groans with us, in groans too deep for words at the reality of living in a broken world. We live now in an almost unbearable tension of a world that is not readily explainable – a world in which, with us, we have a good God who hears us and feels our pain – and yet who waits to act to fully deal with the brokenness. We have a God who holds, and who we can hold on to. A God who is with us, even when the darkness seems more real and stronger. I think is summed up in this Rich Mullins song:
“And I know that it would not hurt any less, even if it could be explained.” The mystery of this is real. The joy of a Sunday like Pentecost is that we remember the giving of the Spirit, of God’s life going to all nations, and of the very sense of God’s presence with us now. And yet the gift of the Spirit does not remove this tension. Rather it helps us keep going now in the midst of the tension. Sometimes tangibly we sense God’s presence in the dark and are reassured. But sometimes we can’t see, sometimes he doesn’t provide tangible comfort in the here and now. And in these gospel stories of Jesus miracles we are given glimpses of the confusion that even those who knew Jesus in the flesh knew at different points. From that confusion we can be encouraged to hold on to the one who is holding us.
Ultimately it is not our faith that wins the battle. It is the faith of the one who went to the cross for us. Who died, but who strode forth from the grave victorious. Who ascended and lives to intercede for us and to pour out his life into the world. It is him we trust, and him we seek. It is his life and what his life means to a world of death that we seek to show by the power of his life giving Spirit this day.
Joshua's Tree Rooted 