Devotional 10-26-18

John 11: 32-44     Raising of Lazarus

³²  When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴  “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see they replied. ³⁵  Jesus wept.  ³⁶  Then 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 have kept this man from dying?”  ³⁸ Jesus ,once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.  “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”  ⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”  ⁴¹ So they took away the stone, Then Jesus looked up and said “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice,”Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The story of Lazarus is a well know scripture for most Christians. It serves as a reminder that true faith can sustain and heal us no matter the situation.  I like this scripture for several reasons. First- it is an example of genuine faith on Mary’s part!  There was no doubt in her mind that had Jesus been with Lazarus he could make him well.  Another reason I like this passage is because it tells us that Jesus wept!  What could this be?..... the son of God has feelings?  Being fully human entails enjoying all the good that can exist in our lives. Likewise, there will be days where we will experience pain, suffering, loss and regrets.  Lazarus demise can represent our own spiritual death for a short time. It could come with the ending of a relationship, the sudden, unexpected  loss of a loved one or a change in a medical diagnosis.  Each event in and of itself leaves emotional scars.  But todays’ reading reminds each of us that Jesus is with us.  He too sheds tears when we cry out asking “WHY did this happen?”  The good news is that Jesus will call out to each of us to “Come out” from our self-imposed spiritual cave and remove that which burdens us as we await that house not made with hands but eternal to the Heavens. May it always be so!

Prayer: Father- help us as we struggle with pain and loss. Give us strength to carry on and be bold in our spiritual walk with you. Forgive us when we get angry or withdrawn and forget that you are with us always. Turn our tears of sorrow into tears of joy for all you have given. In Jesus name we pray-Amen

Marv Jones