Living - Dying - or somewhere in between?

There are days when we just don't think we have much purpose in whatever journey it is we are called to undertake, but let me be the first to assure you nothing could be further from the truth! Whatever it is we are called to do, we are to do it with intent, commitment, and love. Jesus had one of those days when it seemed like he was just 'on his way' from one place to another. He found himself coming into Bethany, a town a had frequented on many occasions. It was kind of common place for him to 'cycle' through Bethany on his travels. He even had friends there. One very special event had transpired there that made Bethany a notorious place - Lazarus had been raised from the dead. Not just the dead, but the smelly, not so inviting tomb. Already wrapped in burial clothes and scented with the herbs of burial, he laid there for three days prior to his coming forth from death. His unmarried sisters were grief-stricken at the loss of their brother - their male head of the home - the one who would have been their provider.

Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. (John 12:1)

No words are recorded for us by accident. They aren't in the Bible just to give the story some sense of "plot" or to "add character" to the passage. They are each there by intention - the record of this account of 'entering in' is there because God wanted us to see something in it. Therefore, when we see the words, "Jesus entered into Bethany where Lazarus, SO RECENTLY RAISED FROM THE DEAD, WAS LIVING," we need to pause to notice what that really says. Bethany is noteworthy now for this miracle, but it also had a rich heritage. As a small town about 1.5 miles outside of Jerusalem, it was best known prior to this miracle for being a city with an "almshouse" - a place for the collection that would be distributed among the poor and sick in the region. Bethany was also a town that catered to the needs of the sick. It was kind of like a place to go when one was not doing well physically or financially. One other event in this town got people riled up - the dinner Jesus had in the home of Simon the Leper. As a town that welcomed lepers, it would have been considered an "unclean" place for most of the religious crowd to gather.

Lazarus lived there with his two sisters. It was a town populated by many peoples from various regions. It was notable as the last in a row of cities just prior to entering Jerusalem. Many pilgrimages were taken each year into Jerusalem from all over the land of Israel - in honor of Jehovah and for the purpose of the keeping of the feasts he had established. Many would pass through this region of Bethany on their journey elsewhere. As was the custom of the day, Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, would have opened their doors to many as they sojourned there for a rest prior to entering into the holy city.

The most important thing we might recount about Bethany is that Lazarus, once dead, is now living! So recently raised from the dead - now living. What a wondrous statement of fact! What a tremendous message of hope! In fact, if we really look at this, we can ask several questions that might give us insight into why this simple opening statement was penned for us. What is the purpose of resurrection? We might say it is to give evidence that God exists, that his power is over everything and everyone that would attempt to destroy his people. We might also recount that it the purpose of resurrection was to manifest his grace and to display his glory. What is the evidence of resurrection? It is the opposite of the death - life. There is a shift from one state of being into another. The tomb is empty, the grave-clothes have no further purpose, and even the stench of death no longer exists.

 
What is the outcome of resurrection? A changed life. No longer the same - Lazarus was transformed by the miracle of his resurrection. We are also transformed by the miracle of our resurrection. Don't get too literal here on me - I know you were not raised from a crude tomb, wrapped in grave-clothes, and sprinkled with herbs of burial. Yet, you were raised to newness of life in Christ. The outcome is the shedding of all that is old - the "putting on" of all that is new. The evidence is that the old no longer has a purpose in our life - we are living a new life - no longer to be associated with the trappings of the old life. Lazarus, who was one dead, was now living - not bound by the past, but freed for the present. 

That is the result (outcome) of resurrection. We sometimes attempt to "live" still bound by the grave-clothes of our past. Not only is this impractical (as they bind us pretty tightly), but they reek of the past sinful lives we were living before Christ. They carry the evidence of the old life into the present. The work of resurrection for Lazarus was complete when he put on the fresh clothes and took dinner with Jesus. He "put off" the thing that had him bound, and "put on" that which gave him freedom. If we are walking around within the bonds of the "tomb", we exhibit the evidence of the hopelessness of the tomb in our lives. If we are freed from the tomb, why would we want the "tomb-clothes" as our garments any longer? Just sayin!

The burden he carried

As I sat at dinner last night, celebrating with my oldest grandson his twelfth birthday, my youngest grandson wanted to tell me what he had written in his journal at school yesterday.  As he spoke, it become apparent to me this little guy was actually listening in his Sunday School class!  I am not going to do this justice, but here is pretty close to what he wrote:  "Jesus died on the cross.  Jesus died on the cross and was buried in a grave.  Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave to separate us from our sin and death."  Those aren't the exact words, but he was so articulate, not veering one word as he restated it from family member to family member around the table.  Obviously, this little guy got the message - we are no longer separated from God because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ!

So he was despised and forsaken by men, this man of suffering, grief’s patient friend. As if he was a person to avoid, we looked the other way; he was despised, forsaken, and we took no notice of him. Yet it was our suffering he carried, our pain and distress, our sick-to-the-soul-ness. We just figured that God had rejected him, that God was the reason he hurt so badly.  (Isaiah 53:3-4 VOICE)

I re-read passages in scripture which come to new life for me on occasion - the above passage was that moment for me this morning.  As I frequently do, I look at scripture in different translations, simply because there can be a kind of "freshness" to the same passage.  A couple of things really stood out to me from this passage:

- Jesus was grief's patient friend.  I don't know how you handle things which bring you grief in life, but on more than one occasion I have simply walked away from them. Whatever it was became "too much work" for me to continue to "nurse along", so I just gave up on it.  It may have been a hobby - like when I tried to learn to play the flute.  It could have been that second language I endeavored to master - like when I tried to learn Spanish while driving to work in the morning.  These things brought me more "grief" than I actually wanted to endure.  Grief is often something which brings us discomfort - so we want to avoid it at whatever cost. Jesus was grief's patient friend - he may have wanted to turn his back on the pain he felt repeatedly when his purpose and plan was rejected by mankind, discovering just how deep man's hatred could be toward others in their place of deepest need.  Yet, despite the pain of grief, he endured - not because he "had to", but because his love is so intense toward us that he "wanted to".

- Many took no notice of him.  In some areas of my community, there are homeless lining the streets, often just "hanging out" with their carts and belongings in tow.  Some lounge on grassy areas, keeping cool under the boughs of an elm or just enjoying the shade afforded by the shadow of a building close by.  Others sit on benches at the local bus stops, no intention of catching the next bus, but simply lounging their to catch a few moments of rest.  I am caught by the stark reality of just how many pass by in their cars and trucks, oblivious to their existence, their intense need never even crossing the minds of these passers-by as they make their journey from one place to the next.  Sometimes it is easier to "take no notice" than it is to actually pay attention to those God brings across our path.  I wonder how different it would have been for Jesus had some who "took no notice" actually stopped long enough to deeply consider what he said, how he acted, what he was doing?

- It was our suffering he carried, our pain and distress, our sick-to-the-soul-ness.  He didn't just carry his own pain and distress over being rejected and despised, forsaken by mankind.  He carried OUR pain, OUR distress, OUR sickness of soul.  I don't know many in this world who step up to carry the burden of another without thought to the intensity of their own burden they are also carrying.  He wasn't put off by our pain. Our distress of mind, emotion, body - none of it kept him from picking up that burden and carrying it as his own.  Our soul-sick, sin-full, and stubborn spirits - he carried them all.  Herein is the example of love we can emulate - to carry the burden of another, even when the weight outweighs anything we have carried before.  

WE were the reason he hurt - though we might want to have shifted that blame to God - something we do all too well. If we ever doubted God's love for Jesus in allowing him to die on the cross those many years ago, think again.  It was his intense love for us that allowed him to die in our place, but it was also his intense love for Jesus (and us) which allowed him to not remain in the grave!  Just sayin!

Getting his "cowboy" on

People can take portions of scripture, hang their hat on them, and take them totally out of context.  Whenever they do this, they are in danger of missing the intent of the passage in which the portion of scripture resides.  The issue is not so much that scripture isn't able to stand on its own, but that we cannot make scripture stand for what we "believe" it should stand for.  An example of this is when Jesus used a whip to drive the money-changers out of the Temple one day toward the beginning of his ministry.  Many find this a fascinating passage simply because it seems to support some type of "flaw" in the character of Jesus - that anger was indeed something he "struggled" with. In reality, they miss the context of the passage.  It is the words which come as a result of his actions which are the issue in the passage - not his actions. His actions merely support prophecy and show the intention of his heart to have God's gathering place cleansed - the place where all of Israel knew they could come to commune with the One True God - now made a mockery of by those who sought to make money off of those who would come to offer sacrifices.  His chasing them out of the Temple was not a show of anger, but an impassioned plea to keep God's Holy Place holy!

Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” That’s when his disciples remembered the Scripture, “Zeal for your house consumes me.” But the Jews were upset. They asked, “What credentials can you present to justify this?” Jesus answered, “Tear down this Temple and in three days I’ll put it back together.”  (John 2:15-19 MSG)  

These men had set up shop in the courtyards of the Temple - essentially to line their coin purses with the hard-earned cash of those coming into the Temple to worship.  They counted on those who had come from far off and their inability to actually carry their lambs, turtle doves, and the like all the way from their homes in the region to the Temple.  We have to remember that there is but one Temple and at specific times of the year, the people made their pilgrimage to the city of Jerusalem to visit the Temple.  Their presence on these holy days were money making opportunities for those with a means to buy and sell those items required in the sacrificial offerings.  Jesus knew they weren't there to "make life easier" for the worshipers, but to make life more lucrative for themselves.  In this very action of driving them out, he was showing us the presence of God and the seeking of God is not to "line the pockets" of an individual.  Perhaps today's ministry leaders would do well to remember this when they make their pleas for monies and then expect to line their pockets FIRST.

The actions of Jesus in cleansing the Temple courtyards of these many who had swooped in like opportunistic vultures were not missed by the religious crowd.  The first set of questions began to arise as to the "credentials" of Jesus and why he thought his actions could override what the Temple leaders had allowed for all these years.  I think Jesus was after their challenge to his authority in order to begin to share the "elements" of truth he would establish all along the way in order to fulfill all of what scripture had said about his coming.  Their challenge - who do you think you are and what gives you the right?  His response - you will tear down this temple (my holy body), but in three short days, it will be restored (resurrected).  

His "credentials" were a foretelling of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior.  The Jews would crucify him for what they believed were actions challenging the very holiness and authority of God.  His response to them was that his actions support the holiness and authority of God - both today in the Temple courts and three years from now when you will crucify the one you will not call Messiah.  As is often the case, they cannot understand his intentions, see his heart, or connect with God's plan and purpose through his life.  This is what it is like to take only a portion of scripture and forget about the context in which it is written.  In order to connect with God's plan and purpose, we have to connect with him in totality.  Nothing can be left out - otherwise, we just get a glimpse of purpose, but miss out on the totality of what he offers.

He had just turned six huge stone jars of simple water into the finest quality of wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.  He goes to the Temple to worship along with the rest of his countrymen only to find the Temple desecrated by all this "salesmanship" of the money-changers and "sacrifice dealers". Imagine it for a moment.  You come into church and find the foyer cram packed full with men hocking their wares.  They each have inflated prices for what you know you could have brought from home at a fraction of the cost you will pay there.  You cannot enter into the congregational area until you have secured your "sacrifice" - no matter how small your means - you need the sacrifice. Bound by the "rules" of worship, you are obligated to buy.

I think Jesus may have been dealing with this sense of "obligation" to approach God in only one manner - through these prescribed sacrifices.  In just three short years, all that would change.  The "obligation" to have a spotless sacrifice would be met - not in what they could purchase, but in what he could provide.  His body would meet every need for atonement - none would need to feel obligated to approach God in the same manner again. Maybe if we focus more on his heart and less on his having made a whip out of leather, we might just see what he was revealing by his actions.  The Temple courtyards were filled with animals.  Do you know how most ranchers get animals moving?  Isn't it with the use of a prod or whip of sorts?  Why would Jesus be any different?  Do you think he should have just come in and shooed them out?  I wouldn't!  I would get my "cowgirl" on and be slapping my hand on my thigh, yelling for them to get up and move, and the like!

In order to see Jesus as the Messiah, those who had come to trust in the religious "duties" of worship had to begin to see him as upsetting their practices - changing them forever.  This wasn't popular to those who rigidly adhered to them or made a profit off of them.  So, they resist and they ask for his "credentials".  We may resist at times and ask for his "credentials" to require certain things of us, but if we stop long enough to consider his actions, we might just come to the conclusion he is really doing what he is doing for US and not him!  Just sayin!

Grave clothes and tomb living

Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. 

John 12:1

It would be easy to read over this passage and just miss entirely what John recorded for us about Jesus' entry into Bethany.  One very special event had transpired there that made Bethany a notorious place - Lazarus had been raised from the dead.  Not just the dead, but the tomb.  Already wrapped in burial clothes and scented with the herbs of burial, he laid there for three days.  His sisters were grief-stricken at the loss of their brother - the male head of their home.  Now, we'd miss the intention of these opening words if we were to just gloss by them on our way to learning about how Judas would betray Jesus.  

No words are recorded for us by accident.  They aren't in the Bible just to give the story some sense of "plot" or to "add character" to the passage.  They are each there by intention.  Therefore, when we see the words, "Jesus entered into Bethany where Lazarus, SO RECENTLY RAISED FROM THE DEAD, WAS LIVING," we need to pause to notice what that really says.

First, Bethany is noteworthy now for this miracle, but had a rich heritage.  A small town about 1.5 miles outside of Jerusalem, best known prior to this miracle for being a city with an "almshouse" - a place for the collection that would be distributed among the poor and sick in the region.  Bethany was also a town that catered to the needs of the sick.  It was kind of like a place to go when one was not doing well physically.  One other event in this town got people riled up - the dinner Jesus has in the home of Simon the Leper.  So, we also know this is a town with leprosy prevalent in it.

Second, Lazarus lives there with his two sisters.  It was a town populated by many peoples from various regions.  The last in a row of cities just prior to entering Jerusalem.  Many pilgrimages were taken each year into Jerusalem from all over the land of Israel - in honor of Jehovah and keeping of the feasts he had established.  Many would pass through this region.  Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, would have opened their doors to many as they sojourned there for a rest prior to entering into the holy city.

Third, and the most important thing, Lazarus, once dead, is now living!  So recently raised from the dead - now living.  What a wondrous statement of fact!  What a tremendous message of hope!  In fact, if we really look at this, we can ask several questions that might give us insight into why this simple opening statement was penned for us to learn from:

• What is the purpose of resurrection?  To that we might say it is to give evidence that God exists, that his power is over everything that would attempt to destroy his people.  We might add that it is to manifest his grace and to display his glory. 
• What is the evidence of resurrection?  It is the opposite of the death - life.  There is a shift from one state of being into another.  The tomb is empty, the grave-clothes have no further purpose, and even the stench of death no longer exists.  
• What is the outcome of resurrection?  A changed life.  No longer the same - Lazarus was transformed by the miracle of his resurrection.  We are also transformed by the miracle of our resurrection.  Don't get too literal here on me - I know you were not raised from a crude tomb, wrapped in grave-clothes, and sprinkled with herbs of burial.  Yet, you were raised to newness of life in Christ.  The outcome is the shedding of all that is old - the "putting on" of all that is new.  The evidence is that the old no longer has a purpose in our life - we are living a new life.

Lazarus, who was one dead, was living - not bound by the past, freed for the present.  That is the result (outcome) of resurrection.  We sometimes attempt to "live" still bound by the grave-clothes of our past.  Not only is this impractical (as they bind us pretty tightly), but they reek of the past sinful lives we were living before Christ.  They carry the evidence of the old life into the present.  The work of resurrection for Lazarus was complete when he put on the fresh clothes and took dinner with Jesus.  He "put off" the thing that had him bound, and "put on" that which gave him freedom.

If we are walking around within the bonds of the "tomb", we exhibit the evidence of the hopelessness of the tomb in our lives.  If we are freed from the tomb, why would we want the "tomb-clothes" as our garments any longer?