Reflection on John 11:1-45

I need to start with the scene in the chapter of the Bible immediately following the raising of Lazarus.  It is a scene that shows Lazarus and Jesus sitting at the table together.  But, the image of tables and chairs created in our head is not quite accurate.  In the Greek, it says that Lazarus is reclining on Jesus. 

You see, in the ancient world they did not use tables and chairs as we do today.  Rather, people ate at low tables or on large, fancy rugs, and they lay at these tables filled with food next to one another, with their feet facing out and their heads toward the food. 

So, the image that I want you to have in your head is one where Lazarus is leaning against Jesus; lying as close to Jesus’ heart as one can get. 

It is an image of close friendship.  It is an image of compete trust.  It is an image of being as close to someone as that person can possibly get.

I like that image.  More to the point, I need that image.  It is an image of trust, and rest, and hope in the middle of crisis all around. 

Lazarus is reclining on Jesus, even though religious leaders are plotting to take this newly raised man’s life.  Jesus is holding onto Lazarus, unwilling to depart from him, even though the cross looms in the near future.  Like a flower that clings to its lily pad even in the roughest of seas, Lazarus clings to his savior as the waters rage and roar around.  And, as he does so, he is at peace.  He is at peace as he reclines at the table, his head on his savior’s chest.

This week the waters have definitely raged and roared.  The future of one of my family member’s life who suffered a traumatic accident, and the life of his family, is still in a stage of uncertainty.  It is a wave of uncertainty and fear. 

The threat of the COVID-19 virus is right here, in our area.  Those who are in the healthcare field need to weigh the risks of threatening their own lives and those of their families and doing their jobs for the sake of others.  It is a wave of uncertainty and fear. 

Jobs have been put on hold and incomes are stagnant or worse, non-existent, as we await this dangerous tide to pass.  Children and spouses who are in abusive situations are now stuck at home with their abusers; no reprieve is allowed.  There is so much more than I could list.  The tension and anxiety of these days are straining even normally polite relationships.  We have seen it even among us in the church.  And, it is all threatening to drown us as the water rise and crash around. 

Yet, Lazarus is a peace, resting on his Lord. 

How?  How can he be so at peace?  Maybe, it is because he has been raised from the dead.

Apparently, knowing that you will be raised changes things. 

Remember, at the beginning of the story, Lazarus was deathly sick.  A message was sent to Jesus, telling him that he needed to come quickly.  However, Jesus did not come quickly.  He stuck around where he was even longer.  Lazarus was not healed.  Lazarus died. 

And, this would all seem to go against my point, that Lazarus trusts the Lord, because it sounds like Lazarus would learn from this that the Lord does not care.  It is the conclusion of many who do not have their prayers answered as expected.  But, that is not what Lazarus learned.  Apparently, God had better things in mind that Lazarus and his family could not possibly know about at the time.

When it was the right time, Jesus does come.  Jesus actually chooses to enter into a region that is dangerous to him and his disciples.  The authorities are already onto him, and they are waiting for a chance to capture him.  Jesus’ decision to come and work in a region that is dangerous to him and his disciples will end up having tragic and amazing cross related consequences, but not yet.

First, Jesus meets up with his good friends, Mary and Martha.  The anxiety and sadness of the days explode onto Jesus as they both accuse him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” 

They know that God the Father gives Jesus whatever is asked.  He has healed a blind man.  He has changed water into wine.  He and the Father are one.  God the Father will do whatever Jesus asks. 

So, why was he not there? 

Why was Jesus not present when he was needed? 

Why did Jesus refuse stop the tide from washing rising up and drowning them all?

To this anger…to this rebuke of Jesus’ ministry…Jesus answers the women’s accusations, not with anger, not with words of rebuke, and not with words defending what he is up to.  Rather, Jesus answers Mary and Martha with a promise, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  And, he answers with tears. 

Jesus is not unaware of the pain. 

Jesus is not unmoved by the loss. 

Jesus is not distant. 

Jesus shares in the pain.  And, Jesus will soon share the world’s pain on a cross, but not yet.  First, he will give life, and give it abundantly.

Coming up to the tomb, Jesus calls out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 

The dead man came out.  But, he was not dead.  Lazarus was given life! 

As those around him unwrapped Lazarus from the scraps of cloth that held him down…from the death that had claimed him…Lazarus’ eyes were uncovered and he saw Jesus, and at that moment was given the gift of trust. 

When the waters rage and roar, there is no gift that is more special than trust.  We in the church call it faith.  But, it is not the sort of faith that believes in a set of dusty doctrines or musty smelling beliefs.  Rather, it is the sort of faith that trusts in a person.  It is the sort of faith that trusts in the one who brings resurrection and life.  It is the sort of faith that trusts in the one who accomplishes the right thing at the right time, especially when the waters rage and roar. 

Why is Lazarus so peaceful in a time where his very life is threatened?  Jesus.  He trusts Jesus, the one who came and raised him from the dead. 

After-all, if the Lord cares enough to raise you from the dead, then what else is there to fear?  What amount of drowning waters could cause you concern? 

As the Apostle Paul puts it in Romans, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (NRSV, Romans 8: 35). 

Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  Life is found in him.

So, as the chaos of the world threaten and crash and rage, I hope to take a moment to picture that flower clinging to its lily pad in the raging waters.  I hope to take a moment to think of the peace on Lazarus’ face as he rests his head against the Lord while at a table filled with good things.  I will ask Jesus to hold me close. 

When we do that, Jesus will remind us, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Reflection on John 9:1-41

What a week.  What a week! 

As several people have said, “This week has been the longest month ever!” 

As you are all well aware, we have this virus spreading across the world that is acting like the class bully, picking only on the weakest of us.  So, in order to protect the weakest of us (the elderly and the health compromised) we have all decided to rise up together…I mean sit on the couch together…I mean sit on the couch at least 10 feet apart so that the virus cannot spread and hurt those we love. 

But, that is the rub right there, because it is already hurting the ones we love.  We cannot visit grandma in the personal care home, the children cannot go to school and see their friends, parents had to learn how to be teachers in under 24 hours when teachers get at least four years of training, employees have been let go from jobs temporarily, hospitals are fearful of what is to come with dwindling supplies, small business owners have been forced to shut down, money is tight, senior classes do not know if they will get to finish out the year…or have a prom, we are all quarantined to our homes, and on top of it all, we ran out of toilet paper…and bread…and flour…and yeast…and inexplicably I could not find toothpicks.  I mean, how many toothpicks do you need to test bread anyway?  Seriously. 

I would love to tell a joke to make it all a little better for you, but unfortunately, due to the quarantine I will only be telling inside jokes.

I have kept it light because some of this stuff is quite serious in reality.  People have lost loved ones.  A local family lost their home in a fire.  And, someone who is close to our family is fighting for his life in a hospital because a tree hit his head while it was being cut down.  On top of it, his wife cannot go into the room to hold his hand because of the prevalence of COVID-19.  She cannot even stay in the hospital for fear that she will contract the little ball of doom. 

Like I said, “This week has been the longest month ever.”

And, it all makes you wonder, “Why?” 

Why all the struggle? 

Why is this virus spreading? 

Is it punishment from God? 

Did God decide that He was going to knock off Grandpa because of the immorality of people three countries down the road and across the sea? 

Why is this happening?

The disciples ask this very question as they take a stroll down the street with Jesus.  They see a blind man and ask Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” because there must be a reason that the guy is blind.  I mean, it is not like eyes just fail to work on their own.  It is not like reading glasses are common after age 43…wait a second.

But, the questions do not stop there, even after the blind man is healed by Jesus.  People want to know, “How were you healed?” 

“Who healed you?” 

“Where is the guy that healed you?” 

“Where are your parents?” 

“How is it that he sees?” 

“How can a sinner heal someone?” 

And, in all of the questions that start piling up on one another just as a football team piles a huge mound of human flesh on the one who caught the interception, someone is lost in it all. 

The piling on happens today too as people question the integrity of the scientists, and the integrity of political figures, and the integrity of the data, and in all of the questions something gets lost.  Or, more to the point, someone gets lost.

Under the pile of the questions, the blind guy gets lost.  He is looked at and talked about, but he is not ever truly seen or talked to…not in any significant way anyway.  He is the football player at the bottom of the pile.  He is the poor guy on the side of the road.  He is the needle in the haystack that no one ever bothered to find because it is just a needle after-all.

In all of the questions and ponderings, the actual man is lost in the shuffle.  In fact, he is driven out of the city as the people continue to question and conspire, their voices trailing away as the guy leaves civilization.  He is now the quarantined guy.

But, he can see.  At least there is that.  At least one person took note for a brief moment in time, truly saw him, did not ask “Why?” or talk about him, but instead looked him in the eye, took the time to create a healing mud, put it in his eyes, and now he can see.  At least he can see! 

Unfortunately, there is no one around any longer to look at, now that he has been thrown out of town and all.  What is the use of seeing if you are invisible?

But, it is not true.  He is not invisible.  Jesus sees him on the edge of town, alone. 

Jesus approaches slowly and asks, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 

The man answers, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." 

Jesus looks him in the eye and says to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."

The man is not forgotten. 

The man who can now see, is the man who is seen by God.

God sees you too, you know.  I know life has been a lot, but you are not lost among the questions and quarantines.  You are seen.  You are seen by Jesus. 

And, I do not know how exactly Jesus is going to bring healing to all this mess.  I do not know how he is going to bring healing to you.  But, what I do know is that Jesus can take some dirt, make some mud out of it, put it in a blind man’s eyes, and that guy can see.  That guy is healed. 

And, if Jesus can take some plain old dirt and do that, then he probably knows how to heal your situation too.  Because, you are seen.  You are known.  Jesus does not get caught up in the questions and distractions.  He cannot.  You belong to him.

Reflection on John 4:5-42

“The woman left her water jar.” 

Did you notice that?  It seems like such a small detail, but sometimes it is in the small details where we find the greatest significance. 

After her encounter with Jesus, the woman left her water jar.  How could she do that?  How could she forget to take what is probably one of the single most important items in the household?  She forgets to take the water jar that will provide the water for the day at her house.  You don’t just forget that. 

That is like needing to buy a new refrigerator before your food spoils, going up to Lowe’s to buy it, and forgetting to load it in the truck before you head out.  You do not just forget the one thing from the house that will make certain that you live!  But, this woman did. 

“The woman left her water jar.” 

There is something about Jesus that has affected her deeply.

Maybe, it has something to do with the fact that he catches the eye of a woman at the well and engages the woman in conversation.  After-all, everyone knows that a man, plus a woman, plus a well in the ancient world equals romance. 

Think of your old testament stories.  Where do romantic relationships start nearly each and every time?  Where does Jacob’s romance story begin, the man to whom this well belongs?  You got it: a well.  The well is where the women are.  And, if a man strolls up to the well, looks at a woman, and asks for a drink, we can safely say that the man is interested.

The twist in this story is that Jesus is a Jew and he starts this romantic scene by asking a Samaritan woman for a drink.  Jews would never seek the attention of their hated enemies, the Samaritans.  They would never even touch the same drinking ladle.  The Samaritan woman knows it too.  She questions Jesus’ intentions right away.

In the end, Jesus is not seeking romance with the woman, but he is intensely interested in her.  It is almost as if he knows her.  It is almost as if she is one of his own.  It is almost as if he cares.  It is almost as if he has a stream of water that flows down from heaven, seeks the lowest points, finds all of the hidden cracks, and fills them in with heavenly grace.  How could that be?

"If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." Jesus says.

The woman, still keeping her distance from this man, states the obvious to Jesus, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?"

Jesus is undeterred by the woman’s attempts to push away.  Jesus understands the need to push away.  Jesus understands the pains of the past.  Jesus understands the times that love has hurt rather than heal.  Jesus understands.  Just because we push away, does not mean we are forgotten. 

Jesus continues to draw ever near saying, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."

The woman will respond with one more attempt to push away; one more attempt to shield herself; one more attempt to stay hidden in a world that, in the end, does not care anyway.

Throwing a bit of humor Jesus’ way woman quips, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."  You have to realize, getting the water daily was the bane of women’s existence in the ancient world.  It was a task loved as much as doing the laundry is today.

And, it is at the point in the story where the turning point comes.  Right here in the story is where Jesus shows his cards.  Right here is where Jesus takes a step closer to the truth.  Here is where Jesus steps into the woman’s pain. 

Jesus said, "Go, call your husband, and come back."

The woman, startled, answered him, "I have no husband."

Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!"

Jesus knows her.  He knows all about her.  He knows about the pain of her broken and lost relationships.  Whether she has lost her husbands tragically to death or divisively through divorce we do not know, but Jesus knows.  He knows it all.  He knows how broken she is. 

And, that is precisely what makes the beginning of the story so remarkable. This man, knowing her pain and brokenness, knowing it all, chose to stop and talk to her.  He talked to her, in the intimate setting of a well no doubt!  He intentionally invited himself into her life…her broken, heated, Samaritan woman life. 

Jesus is water.  Jesus is a stream of water that flows to the lowest point, finding you in all your brokenness.  Jesus is living water that surrounds you, wrapping watery arms around, and encasing you in heavenly grace.  He is the water that finds you, no matter how low you go, no matter how deep the cracks, no matter how much you try to hide. 

That is the way of God’s grace.  God’s grace is water that flows down, envelops you, and springs up again in an enormous gush to eternal life.

There is no need to worship on a mountain or in the holy city in order to find God.  If God is water, then God will come down off of the mountain like melting now in the spring, or will run out of the temple, flowing under the cracks of the doors and flowing down the streets to find you.  Grace is an action of God that moves outward without your invitation. 

That is why it is grace.  It comes without any work or invitation on our part.  It is a gift of God that simply shows up at the well and shows interest even in the most uninteresting of people.

Jesus said to the woman, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."  There it is.  There is the holy “I am.”  It is the name spoken to Moses at the burning bush.  “I am.”  It is the most holy of God’s names.  “I am.”  It is who God is, “I am.”  “I am” he.  God is with her. 

God is with you.

No matter how broken, God is with you. 

No matter how messed up, God is with you. 

No matter how much you try to push away any notion that someone cares, God shows up. 

No matter how much love has ruined you, grace floods your soul and fills you up with springs of living water; water that heals and forgives and gives you life.

Lord, give us this water always!

So, why did the woman leave behind her water jars?  Why did she forget these essential items of daily life?  Maybe it is because she found something of even more worth; Jesus Christ our Lord.