Of Life and Death

 

John 11:1-45

 Jesus is I AM in John’s Gospel.  He is from the beginning at the creation, and now because of that power of the Creator, Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

 This drama is around Lazarus (al – God; yatzar – help; eleazar in Greek), “God has helped.”  This story is not just about the Jesus’ resurrection or the final resurrection, but about Jesus having power over resurrection NOW.  As I AM walks on earth, the Kingdom is exhibited in ALL it’s power. 

 I believe this a study in grief.  The euphemism “fallen asleep” is used, sometimes to soften the sound of someone dying because of our inability to fully grasp or face the reality, but here to set up the dramatic resurrection as a demonstration of the power of I AM. 

 The anger, bargaining statement of “had you been here he would not have died,” is quite common in voicing regret over the circumstance that no one has asked for and certainly no one wanted.  It is beyond our control and it feels like it is being done to us.  Attaching blame is a vain attempt at wishing it away after the fact, or an expression of anger at an aspect that might have been avoided medically, emotionally, psychologically or physically.  Here it is spiritual for Martha, who would have expected I AM to intervene on Lazarus’ behalf and save him, had He been there, because He loved Lazarus and his sisters.

 Jesus was quite disturbed over their grief.  He showed compassion and empathy in taking on some of their feelings over this loss.  It was His loss, too.  He wept, even after informing everyone that this event would just be used to show the power of God by raising Lazarus, Jesus still wept in an expression of natural, genuine grief.  He wept for Lazarus’ sisters, but also for the crowd of people and for Himself.  He wept at the loss of one He loved.

 Lest anyone think that Lazarus had some condition that appeared like death, but that he was really still alive, they warned Jesus of the stench of his decaying body, because he had been in the tomb for four days.  This was not a failure of primitive doctors’ inability to pronounce death properly.  He was dead for a long time already.  Lazarus was really, really dead.  Jesus’ power at resurrection with someone really dead was not to be questioned.

 Jesus, with the power of Creator, commanded Lazarus to COME OUT.  He came out, still bound in the strips of clothe used to bind his body.  UNBIND HIM AND LET HIM GO.  Thus the story ends, except the part about how people believed in Jesus as Mary and Martha and Lazarus had believed in Jesus.

 COME OUT

UNBIND HIM AND LET HIM GO

   Come out from Death to Life, Unbind Him from the things of death and let him live.

 Lazarus would be free of death and all the things of death. 

If that could happen for Lazarus, it could happen for anyone else.

To be raised from death to life gives us a certain vicarious power over death, we who are linked to Jesus.

We can be unbound from death and the things of death, including the fear of it as the end.

 Now, Lazarus did eventually die again.  He is not still walking around to my knowledge.

But this is not just a foretaste of the resurrection of Jesus.  It is the hope of our resurrection as well. 

We know the Great I AM, who is all about Resurrection and LIFE, Life Abundant and Life Forever.

 Now, with that out of the way, we can focus on living that “Love one another as I have loved you” command.

We can trust in the Grace, Mercy and Love of the God of resurrection and strive to truly LIVE in that God here and now.  We are unbound from death and the things of death to focus on life, but not only our spiritual lives, the lives of those around us who are bound by things that threaten them with death. 

 Jesus wept for Lazarus, even knowing that He would raise Lazarus from the dead.  I believe that if the Lord wept over someone who has died, even knowing He was about to raise him, it is certainly alright for those of us who follow the Lord to weep over those who have died, given the same knowledge of His resurrection.

 Jesus had compassion and empathy for those who wept, and I believe our best course is to express that same love when others die, for ourselves and those who have loved them. 

 This God we worship and serve is the God of LIFE, LIFE ABUNDANT and LIFE FOREVER.  For that we can give thanks.  To that God we can offer our lives in loving service on behalf of our sisters and brothers in the world who struggle with the things of life and death.