Thoughts for the Day

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary live, is a small village about a mile to the east of the south wall of Jerusalem as the crow flies. The village is now called el Aziriyeh, and is close to the wilderness of Judea. Walking from there, as I have done in the past (though it's not possible now) you go through small orchards of olive trees and the path takes you down the side of the Mount of Olives to the Kidron valley and so up the steep hill to Jerusalem. This was the place Jesus made his home when he came to Jerusalem from Galilee.

In the weeks before his death Jesus has been outspoken about being the Messiah, to the extent that John recounts in his Gospel that the authorities were wanting to arrest him for blasphemy and some wanted to stone him. So the disciples are appalled that Jesus wants to return to a place so close to Jerusalem. Notice, they misunderstand Jesus' word "asleep", and also note Thomas' words to the disciples, about wishing "to die with him". This is Thomas who will doubt Jesus' resurrection unless he puts his hands in his wounds (John 20.24-29).

Lastly also notice Jesus' words that Lazarus' illness will lead to "God's glory". Isaiah 6.3 says 'The whole earth is full of His glory', and Psalm 19.1 that 'The heavens are telling the glory of God'. 'Glory' is a word like 'beauty' - it's impossible to describe. The best we can say is that the resurrection of Lazarus after four days in the tomb will show the manifest holiness or majesty of God to the world. Perhaps people today would want to say "Totally awesome!" but this simply does not do it justice!

Lord God Almighty,
whose Glory is beyond all things,
and whose Holiness is inestimable,
we come before You this day
in humble praise and worship.
We thank You for Your goodness
to us and to all creation,
and especially as shown through Your Son,
Jesus Christ who is our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.