Bible Text: John 11:17-44 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes |
Devotional:
Friendship has been on the top of my mind of late. Each week I have made an effort to reach out to my church friends- to ensure that they are well and that they have what they need. In turn I have received numerous offers of support and prayer. It is clear to me that navigating this surreal time of social distancing and self- isolation requires friendship. In fact, I firmly believe that the only way we are going to get through this is by being friends, friends with our neighbours, whether you knew them before all this happened or not, friends with the cashiers, friends with our small business owners, friends with our medical staff. I don’t mean for this to sound trite, yes I mean we should be friendly but also companions, because we are walking through this darkness together. I hope that this comes across as being vital- the friendships we had and form now will be what gets us through this.
In today’s Scripture passage we see how Jesus builds friendships. If I was to do a children’s story on the passage I would ask who are your friends. And I would say how I’m pretty lucky to have a friend named Mike who, when I’m sad he helps me laugh, when I’m mad he helps me remember what is really important, when I’m hysterical he patiently waits until my temper tantrum is over before saying a word. I hope we all have a friend like that. But in today’s reading Jesus’ display of friendship helps us to understand not only the glory of who Jesus is but also that we have a friend in him.
Jesus’ friendship with Lazarus and the miracle that follows foreshadows his own death and resurrection. This story is helping us prepare for what we will read and study in the coming weeks. However, one of the most striking verses in this fairly lengthy story is the short verse 35. In the NRSV it says, “Jesus began to weep” other translations shorten it even further and tend to say, “Jesus wept.” Notice how, Jesus does not begin to weep until he sees Mary and the other Jews weeping also. Now, I’m the type of person who will cry at a commercial if it’s sappy enough, so I can appreciate that when witnessing grief it is difficult not to weep. But in this story Jesus knows what he can do, Jesus knows what he will do- earlier on he essentially gives Martha a hard time for not believing in his abilities. He knows that things are going to work out and yet, he still weeps. Many psychologists and mental health professionals are warning us that the strange feelings we have over our social distancing is grief. We are grieving the lack of physical contact-but we know that these are necessary measures to helps us reach the time when things will work out. I don’t think Jesus is weeping because of his own grief over Lazarus but because he sees the grief in Mary and the others and he knows what is in store for him. Jesus is weeping for us.
Along with Jesus’ weeping there are two other aspects to the story that, this year, seem to jump out at me. First is the bewilderment that takes place and the second is how disturbed Jesus is. Notice how Mary has a crowd who follows her- a crowd that is also grieving. Then as they see how deeply moved Jesus is, some say it is a demonstration of how much Jesus loved his friend Lazarus and others begin to question Jesus’ ability. They are confused or bewildered. Rev. Angus Mathieson examines the meaning of this bewilderment, “[this story] is about the reaction of people to the events related in this passage. Martha and Mary both state that if Jesus had been there, then Lazarus wouldn’t have died. And into that situation, into their bewilderment, and faltering understanding, Jesus brings himself. He brings clarity, and the light of the world will bring an end to their stumbling in the dark. His voices calls Lazarus forth from the grave, and calls us today.” We are bewildered and stumbling right now yet just as Jesus shouts out Lazarus’ name into a dark void and calls Lazarus forth into the light of his presence, Jesus is calling us. We are experiencing some dark times right now- but we must have faith.
Perhaps this is also why it refers to Jesus being “disturbed” throughout the passage. It is unclear whether Jesus is disturbed over the death of his friend or disturbed by the lack of faith in his friends. But also since this foreshadows his own death it must have been deeply disturbing to witness. You know, for the past couple of weeks I haven’t really felt like it is the season of Lent- in part because this experience is unlike any I could have ever imagined. But this passage brings me back to what the season of Lent is about. It is a time to recognize our own frailty- something I think we are all aware of right now. It is a time to acknowledge our need for God- also something I think many of us are aware of right now. But Lent is also a time to prepare ourselves for the glory of the Easter story. It has been really hard to think of Easter this year. However, here we have a precursor story that points to what is right around the corner. New life is identified in this story in the power of Jesus over the forces of life and the consequences of death.
I don’t know how we prepare for the next two weeks. It’s disturbing to think of an Easter Sunday without being surrounded by the usually rejoicing and celebration. However, what I do know, is that no matter our circumstances- we have a friend in Jesus who weeps with us, who walks with us in our bewilderment, who calls us forth from our darkness. And if there is some silver-lining in this whole experience it is that now is the time when we can display what friendship means. Now is the time to be the companions we have been called to be. Amen