When The Really Dead Are Really Raised

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Reading: John 11:38-44

Reflection: I apologize to all of you who have been following this blog for not having an entry yesterday. I was, dare I say, dead to the world. I didn't feel well, and I suppose similar to Lazarus in our text today needed the voice of Jesus to rouse me from my condition. I am feeling better today, and am back among the living. Now, to Lazarus and Jesus' work in his life. One thing I notice here is that the death of his friend did not take Jesus by surprise. Jesus knew it was coming...and in fact allowed it not because Jesus enjoys seeing the pain of others but that through this event God might be glorified. So even death, in some strange way, can bring God glory.

Here in our reading today, it is noted that Lazarus had been dead for four days. That's a critical detail to a Jewish person of Jesus' day. You see, the Jews believed that the spirit of a dead person remained in the area for three days. During that time, it would be possible for a miracle worker...though rare in deed...to raise the person back to life. However, when a person had been dead for four days, it was believed that the spirit was gone, hope was gone, and the person was really, beyond all hope, dead.

And yet, when there was no hope...when Lazarus was really dead...when no miracle worker could bring him to life...Jesus steps up and restores the life of Lazarus. What this means is that the religious leaders need to say that Lazarus was not REALLY DEAD...which would deny their faith, or that Jesus must be God because only God could do this. So while it is great that Lazarus regained life, this story is not really about Lazarus at all. In this story the really dead is really raised in order that the Son of God might be seen for who He really is...God with skin on. Praise God that we serve not just a human example, but a divine savior.