I thought we were friends.
I thought I had done everything you asked for… but I just kept getting
sicker – and you never showed up. How
could you do that to me?! Where were
you!?
Haven’t we all felt the same way at some point of our
life? It seems some people get more than
their fair share of suffering in this life.
We pray – we ask others to pray.
We send messengers to find Jesus – please – come to our aid! Make Haste to help me! But it seems sometimes that he’s not
answering. Like he’s delayed or maybe
he’s just not out there at all! Maybe we
put our faith in the wrong guy! Jesus –
where WERE you?!
Fortunately, the Church gives us this reading today – the
story of the raising of Lazarus. This is
the ultimate story of hope – for more than one reason. There’s so much packed in here, we need to
take a few minutes for a little “scripture study” to unpack it.
Not long ago, Jesus barely escaped being arrested or killed
in Jerusalem, and he fled across the Jordan into Gentile territory. Then today he gets word that one of his best
buddies, Lazarus is sick. He KNOWS that
if he goes back there – only two miles from Jerusalem – that this is the
end. There is no turning back. Could that be why he waited around 2 more
days before heading back? Was he just
procrastinating? No – he said something
which is our first source of hope: “this
illness is not to end in death, but is for the Glory of God”. Remember that line – it’s going to be
important.
So finally he decides to go back – and even the apostles
recognize that he is going to his death.
Jesus says something else which sounds an awful lot like a riddle – or
maybe it’s just nonsense? “He who walks
in the light does not stumble”. What’s
that got to do with going to your death, Jesus?
One way to interpret that is Jesus saying – I know the path I’m on is
the will of God – and as long as I’m on that path, then I cannot stumble. God is lighting my way for me.
There’s a lot more to the story – but the other part I want
to focus on is when Jesus wept. It’s the
shortest verse in the Bible, but it’s loaded with meaning. Now most people interpret that he was crying
because he was sad that Lazarus had died… we have proof of that right here in
the reading… but he knew that Lazarus was about to be raised, so I’m not sure
that explains it. See – I think he wept
because - well – it wasn’t supposed to
be like this. Death and suffering and
weeping were not supposed to be part of the human plan… but evil had entered in
and messed up everything. I think at
that moment, Jesus’ humanity did feel the pain of losing his buddy Lazarus –
but that sparked a deeper feeling in him of utter sadness that Evil had caused
so much pain. He also might have been
thinking about the fact that as soon as he raises Lazarus from the dead, he is
sort-of signing his death-certificate.
The Pharisees are already worried about him and really worried that
people are believing in him because of all the miracles he was working. Once he raises Lazarus, people start flocking
to believe in Jesus. People from all
around travel to Bethany to see this miracle man Lazarus who was dead, but is
alive again. And for that reason, the
Pharisees actually looked for a way to kill LAZARUS – because he was LIVING PROOF
of Jesus’ power.
So – that’s the scripture study…. Now – why is this such a
reading of hope for us?
First – “this illness will not end in death, but is for the
glory of God”. Jesus makes it clear that
he recognizes that suffering is taking place – and in fact, Jesus allows the
suffering to go on for even longer – for one good reason… to give glory to
God. See, if he had just cured Lazarus,
people could write that off - like –
well, he was going to get better anyway… Jesus is nothing special. Or – if he had raised him from the dead one
day earlier, they also would have said, ‘well, he wasn’t completely dead
yet’… But – in the Jewish belief, the
soul doesn’t leave the body until the fourth day after the person dies. So, by waiting, Jesus was able to prevent
that argument. There was simply no way
to deny the magnitude of THIS miracle.
This gives US hope, because we can always have faith that
our sufferings are prolonged for some good reason. When it seems that God is delayed or just not
answering, We have to believe that Somehow, God is going to use our sufferings
for his glory. Don’t believe it? Think about some of the most inspirational
stories you’ve heard: stories of people
dealing with unbelievable suffering, but maintaining a positive view of God
through it all. Somehow it is IN our
suffering that we actually come closer to KNOWing God. We see that in our own parish here – people
who have suffered more than any human should have to suffer – but they grow
closer to God in that process.
The second reason this reading gives hope is that short
phrase: Jesus Wept. It gives us a unique insight into the mind of
God. Jesus, our brother, suffered just
like we do. The emotional trauma he
endured far surpassed anything we endure, since he sees the bigger picture –
and knows what was lost when mankind fell to the lies of the serpent in the
garden.
Jesus Wept. In a way
– that answers the question from the beginning of my homily. JESUS – WHERE WERE YOU?! Jesus’ answer is simple…. I’m right here…
I’ve been here all along… suffering WITH you.
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