Scripture
Readings: Jeremiah 29.1, 4-13 and John 11.1-27
The story of the raising of Lazarus is one of the most powerful narratives in the entire Bible. It showcases the Jesus of John’s gospel who IS the embodiment of the new reality of the Kingdom of God present NOW.
When Jesus first hears of the serious illness of his friend
Lazarus, he does NOT go running to Bethany. Rather, he remained 2 days where he
was before going to address the situation. Just think about that for a moment!
How often do we allow in breaking news to totally rip us out of our pre-planned
schedule and result in a “keystone cops” gallivanting about. One of the
lessons I learned in pasturing a church is that it is all right to do ministry
on terms that are most effective for the church. I “batch” similar types
of tasks (administrative, pastoral, evangelism-hospital visits, sermon
preparation) on assigned days so that I can optimize my time and productivity.
Obviously, there are times when the dire nature of a given situation warrants
immediate attention but even then it is not helpful if I jump into a car and
run to someone’s house only to discover I should have brought a hymnal or Book
or Worship to plan a service or I should have waited for another family member
to be present. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing and he fully expected to
care for Lazarus all along….he just did it his way.
When Jesus finally did make it to Bethany, Lazarus was
already dead. For this reason, Martha and Mary greet him with accusatory tones:
“lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died!” Ouch! Can
you feel the searing pain caused by this statement. The sisters are expressing
their sense of betrayal and disappointment in their friend Jesus because he did
not do what they expected him to do. There is a temptation when our motives
are misconstrued or we encounter scathing criticism to want to lash out at the
source of our pain. Jesus could have said, “Well, fine, if you’re going
to be that way about it, forget it!!” After all, after confronting Mary Jesus
is “deeply disturbed in spirit.” But he didn’t. Instead, Jesus embodied agape
love and loved raised Lazarus because it was the right thing to do. His
motivation was not approval or some psychic reward. And when he did raise
Lazarus, Jesus did so to make clear that he (Jesus) had been sent by God.
You can’t earnestly seek to serve people – whether in the
context of ministry or one’s vocation- and not encounter criticism or
complaint. Often customer/client/parishioner satisfaction is tied to
people’s own sense of self-worth and satisfaction. If they are chronically
unhappy chances are they will at times be displeased with you. The operative
question becomes, “So is that a deal breaker for you? Was the reason that you
tried to provide assistance that you wanted approval or some reward or did you
simply seek to do what needed to be done?” If your answer is the latter, you
can save yourself a lot of angst.
Finally, John’s realized eschatology (the presentation of
the fullness of God’s Kingdom as a present possibility) is a powerful wake-up call
for those of us who would procrastinate or accept the unacceptable.
Perhaps you have seen the whimsical wooden coin known as a “tuit.” It was
created as a response to when we chronically put things off by saying that we
will perform that task when we “get around to it.” Well…upon receiving
the “round tuit,” that excuse goes away. Inventory your life for those
tasks important that you have periodically neglected and make them
happen…..NOW.
Dr. John F. Fiedler, Senior Minister
