The belief in the resurrection of the body had been introduced a couple of hundred years B.C.E. He replies, "Your brother will rise again." She thinks he means at the last days. She runs out to meet him and lays her guilt trip on him. When Jesus approaches Bethany, another convoluted, miscommunicated conversation awaits him, this time with Martha, Lazarus' sister. "Let us also go, so that we may die with him." (Him refers to Jesus, not Lazarus.) He gets that Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead will speed his own death. After all, if Lazarus is sleeping, they figured that that's a good sign that the worst of his illness has past, and, besides, doesn't Jesus realize the danger that awaits him in Judea? (Jn. When Jesus suggests a journey to "wake him up," the disciples question his judgment. When Jesus says that Lazarus is "asleep," they don't get that he means he is dead. Like most of the people in John's gospel, they operate at the physical, literal level. The disciples respond to news of Lazarus' illness with indifference. His raising of Lazarus from the dead will speed his own death, which will lead to his resurrection, in which we all participate. "God's glory" is a reference to Jesus' own resurrection. He is not expressing his hope that, because of the miracle he is about to perform, he will be admired and praised. He says that "this illness does not lead to death rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (Jn. Jesus responds to Lazarus' illness with equanimity. This story, then, is the story of our coming to life from death in this present moment, not just in a future event. Lazarus is the "one Jesus loves" he represents all those whom Jesus loves, which includes you and me and all humankind. John takes a friendship between Jesus and this family and an event that has the quality of reminiscence and shapes it to his theological purpose (Brown, 431). We are to see ourselves in Lazarus, whose name, a shortened form of Eleazar, means "God helps." He is from a town whose name, Bethany, means "House of Affliction." So God helps one who suffers from affliction. We are invited to see ourselves in them and him in our lives. 11) show us Jesus giving light and life to particular human beings. 9) and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn. The giving of sight to the man born blind (Jn. The sequence of the Gospel of John is the opposite of the children's game "Show and Tell." It is "Tell and Show." The Prologue tells us that Jesus is the light and life of the world (Jn. The epiphany is that we are to see ourselves in Lazarus and see the miracle of his restoration of physical life as the beginning of our entry into eternal life that begins the moment we accept Jesus' offer of relationship with us. It is probably one you the reader have already had, and if so, I apologize in advance for pointing out what has long been obvious to you. So for many years, I have read this text and thought hmm, this is odd. He is, at the same time, seldom more disturbed by the sights and sounds of a specific scene: the sound of mourners wailing and the stench of death. Lazarus' illness will not end in death, and it will be for the glory of the Son of God. "Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died."Īs for Jesus, he is never more certain about the panoramic big picture than here. Then, when he approaches their town, they each, separately, run out and lay the identical guilt trip on him. It just informs him of their brother's illness. Their initial note doesn't ask Jesus to come. His sisters, whom we have met in Luke's gospel, seem a little passive aggressive. All we know about him is that Jesus loved him and he got sick and died. Lazarus is not fleshed out as a character. Until recently, I have seen this story of the raising of Lazarus as an inaccessible and, in some respects, unappealing story.
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