If you have ever wanted to have a glimmer of what the resurrected life might look like, if you have ever wanted to see what eternal life and peace could be, then we need look no further than the story of Lazarus. The story of Lazarus gives us a glimmer of what eternal life is all about, just as it gave Lazarus a glimmer of that life with Jesus.
But, to show you that life, I want to start by looking at the scenes immediately following the raising of Lazarus. We see scenes that show Lazarus and Jesus sitting at the table together. But, the image of tables and chairs created in our modern heads is not quite the image for which the writer of John was going. In the Greek, it says that Lazarus is reclining with Jesus at the table. 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 low tables filled with food, reclining next to one another, with their heads facing the middle, facing the food. So, Lazarus is lying close to Jesus at the table. In fact, during one of these meals, the disciple that Jesus loved (the man who I am convinced is Lazarus, ask me to do a Bible study with you to show you why later) that beloved one is lying with his head against Jesus. 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 ancient image of close friendship. It is an image of compete trust. It is an image of being as close to a person as you can possibly get. It is an image of what the resurrected life is all about.
I like that image. I need that image. It is an image of trust, and rest, and hope in the middle of a dark and threatening world. Lazarus is reclining at peace near 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, close to his savior.
I just happen to know that the waters of many of your lives have definitely raged and roared recently, if not raging and roaring right now. For some of you, illness is creating a wave of uncertainty and fear. Death also knocks on the door of some of your lives, creating a wave of uncertainty and fear. Some of you have seen long time relationships fail in mere moments, threatening to drown you with sorrow. It all makes me think of a man that I worked with who used to say, “If there was nothing to worry about, I would worry about that.” I suppose he has a point, you never know when the next wave is going to crash. The dark waters are always there, threatening to drown us.
Yet, Lazarus is a peace, resting near 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 sick and a message was sent to Jesus, telling him that he needed to come quickly. However, Jesus did not come quickly. Jesus stuck around where he was even longer. Lazarus was not healed. Lazarus died. And, this would all seem to go against the point I am trying to make: that Lazarus trusts the Lord. It actually seems like Lazarus and his family would learn from this that the Lord does not care. But, that is not what Lazarus and his family 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. We should be surprised by this because Jesus is choosing to come to a region that is dangerous for both he and his disciples to enter. The authorities are already onto Jesus, and they are waiting for a chance to capture him. Jesus’ decision to come and do signs 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 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 he not present when he was needed? Why did Jesus not stop the tide from raging in and drowning them all? The anger that comes with grief crashes upon them all.
And, I want to stop right there for a moment and just allow that anger to exist. Because, it is real. Sometimes grief crushes us and we do not understand why it happened. Why were you not there Jesus? Why did you not stop a terrible thing from happening? I do not have answers for you, but I just want to point out that the Bible shows us that it is OK to be angry and it is OK to ask those questions.
To Mary and Martha’s anger…to their rebuke of his ministry…Jesus answers their accusations, not with anger of his own, not with words of rebuke, not with words of defense concerning what he is up to; rather he answers with a promise, “I am the resurrection and the life.” And then, he answers with tears.
Jesus is not unaware of their pain. He feels it too. Jesus is not unmoved by their loss. He grieves his friend too. Jesus is not distant from them. He is right there, sharing their pain. And, Jesus will soon join the rest of the world’s pain on the 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!” And, Lazarus comes out! Lazarus is given new life! And, as the scraps of burial cloth which are reeking of death are unwrapped from his eyes, Lazarus gets to see Jesus, his savior. Lazarus sees the one who can overcome pain and death. And, those first glimpses of his savior give the most important gift on this earth, the gift of trust.
When the waters rage and roar, he can trust that through it all, he will see the Lord. We in the church call this 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. He trusts 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 water 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 threatens and crashes and rages, I will take a moment to picture that flower clinging to its lily pad in the raging waters. I will 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. And, when I do, Jesus will remind me, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
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