“A total and absolute upheaval of the expected order”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, January 5, 2021

John 11:17-44 (Forward, p. 68) CEV p. 1116

There is no small wonder that the authorities were rivetted by these events, stirred into action, such that they began to plot the death of Jesus in earnest (see John 11:45-57). No one had ever heard of this kind of thing having taken place previously. When Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the death had taken place earlier that very same day, and with the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43), it had only ‘just’ happened. But with Lazarus he had already been in the tomb for four days. According to Joe Amaral, this was one of the irrefutable signs of the Messiah, so no wonder that everyone was amazed. No wonder many of the people who had come to visit Mary and who had seen what Jesus did, began to put their faith in Him (verse 45). No wonder the authorities felt threatened. This was a total and absolute upheaval of the expected order—and, by the way, of the civil order, their order, as well. There was a widespread expectation (see verse 24) that the dead would be raised at the Last Day, but not now! This changed everything, absolutely.

So, what are we to make of this? There have been occasional instances of the dead being raised to life in the history of the church. Even the Acts of the Apostles have a couple of examples, albeit with the raising of Dorcas/ Tabitha (Acts 9:36-42) and Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12), but nowhere is this kind of thing widespread and nowhere is it considered normative for the church or for Jesus’ disciples.

I think that there are several things that we can take away from this account. Firstly, that grief and sorrow are okay and normal, and should not be repressed or shooed away. After all, Jesus Himself entered into it and wept. And neither is the casting of blame or feelings of reproach, even against God, to be considered abnormal or out of line. It is normal to ask, “Why God, why didn’t you do something?” Questioning and blaming are part of the grieving process.

Secondly, we see that Jesus stood with them in their grief, their sorrow and their loss. Lazarus had been His friend as well, and his loss affected Him deeply. This says to me that Jesus is never absent or unaffected by what we are going through, but that He is ever present with us and feels our sorrow and loss as deeply as we do.

Thirdly, that God’s intervention, while it may well seem to be random and unexplicable, does have a purpose, a purpose which often seems to be hidden from our eyes. How often, then, we question why this house was spared by a flood or wildfire or tornado and this one wasn’t. Or why this person was hit by covid or cancer or by a traffic accident, and another person wasn’t. Often it seems totally random, totally without rhyme or reason, but we need to believe that there was a purpose and a plan, at least in the mind of God. In the case of Lazarus, there was indeed a more obvious purpose, namely, to show forth God’s glory and give people a further reason to put their faith in Him (sees verses 40, 42) but far too often it is not so apparent. We need to believe in Him, and in His plan and purpose, nevertheless.

And, finally, that God’s intervention, regardless of what form it takes, is always a foretaste, a harbinger, of that glorious future we will enjoy together with Him when Christ returns. And so, each intervention, each answered prayer, each healing or miracle, is a sign and indication of what is still to come. Halleluiah. And so, there is all the more reason to trust in Him, to have faith. Amen.

Forward notes: “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’” (verse 40)

“Martha tries to warn Jesus: ‘Lord, already there is a stench,’ but Jesus isn’t bothered by the smell of a man dead four days. Instead, his concern is in setting a bound man free with a new life.

“Like Lazarus, we have been dead too long. When it comes to matters of social justice, our complacency downright stinks. But Jesus doesn’t dwell on what-has-been but rather on the freedom that he offers for the future. Even then, sometimes it takes others in a community to believe we can be liberated from the shackles of injustice. Lazarus did not raise himself. His sister asked Jesus to make him well.

“Are we the type of brother, sister, or friend to petition Jesus in the lives of our Lazaruses? Do we believe enough to see the glory of God work through a bound person? While Martha appears to doubt that Lazarus could come back to life, Jesus fulfills his promise anyway. What may seem impossible can radiate with possibility, if we just believe.”

MOVING FORWARD: “What stinks in your life right now? Do you trust Jesus enough to see the glory of God?”