If You Had Been Here!

John 11:1-6; 17-27

        I think most of us are familiar with the story of Lazarus. Ironically it receives no mention in Matthew, Mark or Luke, but it is a critical turning point in John’s Gospel. In John there is little mystery surrounding the identity of Jesus or why Jesus came to be among us. He is the Son of God. The death and resurrection of Lazarus are a precursor to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Each lifts up the rallying cry, “Fear Not”, which dominates John’s gospel.

        I want us to look at two statements that are highlighted in the telling of this story. The first is spoken by Jesus. Word arrives that Lazarus is deathly ill and Jesus is encouraged to hurry to Bethany. His response is, “This illness does not lead to death”.  Jesus then waits two days before making the trip to Bethany. He not only does it on purpose, he informs the messenger he will be delinquent in his arrival.

Such a caviler attitude today is impossible thanks to popularity of cell phones. I can be instantly connected with my family by simply pushing a button. If someone is on the way to the hospital I get a call and often get to the Emergency Room as quickly as the ambulance. But for all their beauty, cell phones will be the death of me. If I am visiting with someone or in a meeting, I turn it off. That is usually when Deb calls. If I am out of town I always leave the phone on because its ring can often mean a change in plan. Not often, but on more than one occasion, Deb and I have been on vacation and a phone call informs me that someone is not expected to live through the day. This creates quite a bit of turmoil in my moral universe. Everyone deserves to get away for some rest and relaxation, yet in my business, when someone dies I am expected to drop everything and rush to the family’s side. Death interrupts life. Confusion and grief often are suddenly thrust upon the family. In the midst of this confusion the family tries to reorient their lives plus plan a service for their love one.  I fully understand the expectation that I drop everything and hurry home. So imagine if my response is, “Oh don’t worry, the illness will not lead to death.” Then after making this kind of response, I extend my vacation by a couple of days just to make sure the point is made. Theologically, this is a tremendous affirmation confirming we believe that death is not the end of life. We as Christians consistently celebrate the resurrection of Jesus paved the way for our eternal existence. But if a member of your family was dying and I responded, “Don’t worry about it, God has a plan”, and then went back to the golf course, I am not so sure you would be in the pew the Sunday I returned.

Four days after the death of Lazarus, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He was well rested and now ready for that last push toward Jerusalem. The burial of his friend had already taken place and it appears Jesus was dropping by to make a sympathy call. Martha was not in the receiving mood. She lashed out a Jesus, “If you had been here my brother would still be alive.”

Ever get mad at God? If you haven’t, you should give it a try. It is a lot safer than yelling at a family member. You might think our holy insubordination would get us turned into a pillar of salt, but that is not the case. Hollering at God produces a silent rage that comes from a deep void that is about to be filled with an overwhelming sadness. How strange and yet how refreshing that God allows us to weep. God transcends anger with pathos. Then, in sorrow, we discover we are not weeping alone. God seldom offers answers to our turmoil. Instead God surrounds us with a holy presence that will not leave us alone. 

But Martha was still boiling mad. She heard about the miracles. She had seen Jesus cure the blind and heal the sick. If Jesus had dropped everything and come straight to Bethany all of this could have been avoided.

Ever wish God would step in and make your life better? Ever wish God was Superman. Whenever a problem is too big, Superman steps in to save the day. Are you familiar with the origins of Superman? Two artists, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster got together and created the story of an alien, Kal-el who arrives as a baby from the planet of Krypton. He grows up to save the world from a tyrant. Both writers were Jewish, the year was 1938, and the name Kal-el in Hebrew means Voice of God. Coincidence? Hardly. How often do we call on God to set our crooked path straight?

Martha believed Jesus could have saved her brother. Jesus tells Martha she is missing the big picture. Certainly this is a story about a pending resurrection but it is also a story about coming to terms with more than just death. Martha was holding on to the past. Jesus wants us to live in the now. I am not dismissing the power death has over us. All of us have experienced death. Our faith does not suggest we are beyond the grief it brings. But our faith does proclaims God will not be jerked around by death. When Jesus said to Martha, “There are worse things than dying”, I am sure she gave him the look. I suspect everyone here has been the recipient of a stare that communicates everything you never wanted to hear. But Jesus wasn’t finished. He promised resurrection for both Lazarus ……. and Martha.

What on earth does that mean? How difficult it has come to speak about resurrection in the 21^st century. For some, particularly those who visit us only on Christmas and Easter, resurrection is all about punching that last ticket on the heaven bound train. For them resurrection leaps across eons of human wretchedness and then without tears triumphantly declares, ‘the strife is oe’r the battle won, this is a triumphant day.” And this is understandable, but is it also not a betrayal of the crucified and risen one?

To limit resurrection only to death limits the power of the love of God. Jesus saves us from becoming the dead being that fails to notice the wretchedness of life. Jesus saves us to see life and death differently. Jesus saves us to be compassionate, caring and responsive. Jesus saves us for a commitment of giving ourselves over to life’s joys and sorrows, life’s predictable and unpredictable moments, life’s routines and surprises. Jesus even saves us from the awful habit of saving ourselves.

Jesus saves us in order that we might become part of God’s eternal drama of caring, loving, and being reconciled to each other. Within this vocation we discover what life was truly meant to be and what life was truly meant to offer. God created us to care and love, and heal each. Martha said to Jesus, “If only you had been here.” Jesus could have responded, “Martha, I never left you.”

My friends, right here, as we prepare to enter Holy Week, right here, in the midst of our own death, chaos and confusion, God promises a new creation. The story of both the Old and New Testament is that God has always promised that salvation more than freedom from death. It is liberation into life, a promise that living continues, today, tomorrow, and even beyond our imagination. But not God’s!    Come to the table and remember. Come to the table and be revived.  For God’s sake, come to the table and live.