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there isn’t a story in the Bible (or outside of it, for that matter) that has effected my life more than the story of Lazarus’ death. One day i was reading it, and I realized for the first time that Jesus didn’t weep at Lazarus’ tomb.
Jesus isn’t crying at Lazarus’ tomb, upset over his death. He’s still in town, with Mary. Mary collapses at His feet, weeping- and He weeps *with* Mary. Not alone, at a situation He had control over and easily could have fixed- He weeps with Mary.
So then i paid attention- He comforts Martha with teaching. He asks if she still believes He’s the resurrection- and Martha dodges. She says she knows He’s the messiah. Not the resurrection. Jesus doesn’t hound her, here. He gives her space.
I sat with the different ways Jesus comforted these women in their opposite manifestations of grief. Anger & sadness don’t scare Him away. Then, all of a sudden i realized that there was a person in this story i had always neglected.
freaking Lazarus! Lazarus- the one who Jesus loved. John repeats this in v5 after the servants say it to Jesus- it is the very context of the story. Jesus’ love for them is why the story plays out this way, and that’s true for all three of them- including Lazarus.
This story seems to take place shortly before Jesus’ death. what must it have been like to be Lazarus- to know the stories of Jesus, your friend, who had raised ppl from death to life and had healed diseases with just a WORD- what must it have been like to lay dying?
so Lazarus lay dying, and with every breath he took he knew Jesus could speak and heal him. And so he knew, Jesus- his friend who had healed others, who had eaten at his table, who loved him- was choosing not to heal him.
How heartbreaking. How hard. Especially because at some point (maybe before Lazarus’ death, maybe not), the servants returned and said “Hey! Jesus says this doesn’t end in death!”
Talk about feeling like Jesus is a fraud, like He violated what he promised.
Talk about feeling like Jesus is a fraud, like He violated what he promised.
It’s why it’s so hard to read the sisters say “Lord, if you had only been here, he would not have died.” They all three knew it. Martha and Mary lost their brother, and with it, any definition of faithfulness from the Messiah.
The story of Lazarus is amazing not just (imo) because Jesus raises Him from the dead. It blows me away everytime because of what it says about Gods faithfulness, about His empathy, and about His love.
This happened because of His love. That’s hard to fathom, and hard to understand. But when Lazarus walked out of His grave and saw Jesus, his friend, the one who loved him, standing there waiting for him? When Lazarus heard his name called even into death?
I have to believe he wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I have to imagine it was a mix of “i knew you’d come” & “what took you so long?”.
anyways. sometimes i feel like Lazarus- like i am captive to my situations and i’ll lose to them, soon. sometimes i question if He’ll show up before it’s too late. And then i remember it’s never too late for Him. And He always shows up.
