John 11:3-45
3 So the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
4 But when Jesus heard it, He said,
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So, when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples,
“Let us go to Judea again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
9 Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the Light is not in him.”
11 After saying these things, He said to them,
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus told them plainly,
“Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17 Now when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met Him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give you.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Several empty tombs are associated with Lazarus. The one tomb causing believers of the world to trace that particular tomb in Larnaca is the one with the message, "Lazarus the friend of Christ".
25 Jesus said to her,
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though He die, yet shall He live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, Who is coming into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met Him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His Feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved [indignant] in His Spirit and greatly troubled.
34 And He said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
39 Jesus said,
“Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His Eyes and said,
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out.”
44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them,
“Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what He did, believed in Him.
We had a family funeral this week.
I know for my mother's generation, they loved to attend funerals. Particularly because it was a large Church, and these are gatherings to assess who is left and to gather. After the Pandemic, when funerals had to be staged for public gatherings, funerals changed. People are more apt to make loss statements. Family is held more dear. Talk is more about a stated loss. People are far more real.
Our family's loss this week, was someone loved and cherished who had suffered ill health showing up ten years ago. It was the memory of what was cherished and time to lay aside the portion we saw of suffering.
For my part, I find funerals both encouraging to remain to the last in the Light of comfort. And to brace myself for finding comfort to give, in the challenges.
Out of full lives, gracious comments are comforting. Out of emptiness, more of a barb. And we are to help out the gracious comments by adding to the warmth of recovery and the emptiness to provide comfort. Light shines. Brightly. When the dark is present, that which shines, shines forth more brightly. To be the strength we find, not just choosing joy, but to be Joy Providers.
Loss of Faith in what was before Strong. Prior to Pandemic, we knew what was lagging. Less joining. One person laughed out loud at the idea of the family improving to love and heal during the prayer.
If we want to see negativity, we can indeed and with great certainty find negativity.
We found old relationships arrive to touch base and say you mattered. What we experienced together mattered. We find those who nourished want to remember what was exceptional.
Yes, different days. People are genuinely seeking to see what is Meaningful. They want to see groundwork moving into jogging. They want not to find something diminished. But then again, sincerely, not to find out Only Lazarus has the attention of Jesus Christ.
So what was the Lazarus finding? When these funeral goers, who all feel somewhat diminished and in need of repairs, due to life circumstances no one has been immune to. The Collective and Worldwide need for goodness and real growth.
To be as we all long to find Jesus' Love and Goodness,
Faith is Alive.
Healing is happening. Optimism is present.
Even when funerals do make us tired. But now, Christmas from here to Eternity.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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