Peace be with you.............

John 20.19-29  NRSV    courtesy of www.biblestudytools.com

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Jesus Appears to Thomas

24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."


A second important thing about Easter:  not everyone reacted the same.  Most of the disciples needed some help understanding what had happened and what the implications of this 'resurrection' were for them, for the world, and for Jesus. 

We who count ourselves as believers and who are connected to the church often take cover in 'religious speak.'  We talk about matters of faith in the 'inside' language of the church, the code words of believers.  Two dilemmas result:  first, others who are just 'coming to the tomb' so to speak don't speak this religious language; second, it is too easy for us to take refuge in the language and not compose our own personal message of Easter's importance.  (You can apply that second dilemma to any 'church' or religious topic that arises.)

Thomas, in our story, has no trouble saying what he thinks.  Earlier in the chapter 11 he blurts out , "let us go with Jesus so we can die with him"   In chapter 14 he responds to Jesus'  words by saying , "Lord we don't know where you are going, how can we know the way?"  So, I'm thinking that the excitable disciples get a 1st century 'whatever' when they try to tell Thomas about the Lord's appearance.  Thomas hears their words, but clearly is in need of a different kind of experience.  Jesus gives him just that - as a gift - not in recrimination.   And if you watch, you will see that Thomas never does put his finger in Jesus' wounds, he simply sees Jesus and announces, "My Lord and my God."  This powerful acclamation points to Jesus not just as Lord of Thomas, but also as God.....you aren't going to find that strong a confession of faith many places in the four gospels.

Jesus has two agenda items as he appears in that upper room.  First, he comes to bring peace.  Second, he comes to give the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Why bring peace?  When you think about it, having your dead leader reappear in a locked room is a good occasion for terror.  Locked doors and apparently risen dead leaders are NOT supposed to happen, ever!   Along with this other worldly phenomena, you have before your face the very leader the disciples had abandoned.  Just what was Jesus going to do to them?  Just what was Jesus going to say?   Add to that the Romans who executed Jesus and were most likely looking for his followers (to execute them as well was the thinking).  There was a lot of peace needed in that upper room.

Many believers have experienced just this kind of peace in the midst of great catastrophe or distress.  It is called 'the peace that passes all understanding.'  It is a sense of calm, of shelter, even a bit of strength....at least it has been for me.  What a gift....Peace I give you.  

Have you experienced this peace?  How would you describe it to others?  Is this not a word that everyone needs to hear, a peace that could bring so many into relationship with Jesus? 

So Jesus' first gift was peace - a peace that presumed forgiveness, acceptance.  Then the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps one cannot become aware of the Spirit's presence without the opening that God's peace affords us.  One cannot focus on the power and life giving possibilities that are the work of the Holy Spirit if you are all tied up in worry and concern. 

But here it is.  God's great gift of power bestowed on the disciples.  A power that moves on its own and yet a power that believers can call upon to do the Lord's work.  A power that brings life where death was before.  A power that makes things happen that we could not even imagine.  The power which called forth the church into being.

Two gifts.  So many will focus on 'doubting' Thomas and miss the wonder of peace and spirit.

He is not here! He has been raised!

Matthew 28.1-10  NRSV     courtesy of www.biblestudytools.com

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

We have entered the Easter season.......beginning with Easter morn when, with a shout of joy (and occassionally a trumpet) we announce He is not here!  He has been raised! just like the angel did.  Of the many important things to remember about this amazing story, here is the first.  Easter is not just a day, it is a season, a way of life, a guiding star, a gift that never ends.

Easter is more that just that dawning of the first day of the week.  It is the dawning of the first day of the rest of our lives as human beings, as a world, as children of God.  No wonder there was an earthquake; something new was being born.  Or, if you remember Nicodemus (John 3)  the whole world was 'being born again from above.'

In Matthew's recounting of the Easter discovery, we hear the angel say,  "Come and see.  Go and tell"   As was the theme of my Easter morning message, these four words help us to wrestle with the significance of this day/event/gift in the world and in our lives.  I always look at these opportunities to revisit my faith commitments as a gift from God - a chance to 'change my oil' (getting rid of the old, worn out useless stuff in my life) and refresh my relationship with God. 

Come and See.  A good question is What did you come expecting to see?  The women came to the tomb expecting to see death, and as sad as they were at Jesus' death, they were not surprised that death awaited them.  It was the natural course of things.  Thus their shock at the angel visitation.

What are we looking for when we approach God?  Are we consumed with our own pre-conceived notions and agendas? 
Do we come to the tomb expecting that God will erase all that brings sorrow into our lives (not being bold enough to expect this to happen for the whole world)?  Do we come to the tomb expecting to experience something mystical, life changing, all warm and impressive? 

How willing are we to accept the message that the angel carries?  Are we truly willing to accept a mystical life changing experience, or have we come to the tomb only to find that the stone has not been rolled back from our hearts and so we see and hear nothing of importance?    What do we 'see' when we come to the tomb?

Now, what message do we carry to others?  I believe this is the great point of challenge for most of us.  What do we say about what we have heard, believed, hoped for?  Even I have had to work to find words that are heartfelt, easy to understand, personal and true to the importance of the relationship between Jesus and me and my life.  (Hard to believe, huh.  Me being at a loss for words).

So this may be the exact place for us to stop and consider.  What message do we carry?  Do we carry a message of 'must', as in 'you must believe in Jesus.'?   Do we carry a message of exclusivity, as in 'you need to be in church '?  Do we carry a message about laws and rituals and requirements that WE must follow?

Or do we carry a message of God's gift?   Do we carry a message of love, as in 'even when I am at my worst, I can turn to God and find the divine presence that forgives.'   Do we carry a message of life overflowing, as in 'each day I discover a new way that God is working in and through my life.'?

Come and see.  Go and tell.  Let's be working on that 'tell' part so we get better at sharing this joy in Jesus with others.

My God, my God................

Matthew 27.45-56   NRSV     courtesy of www.biblestudytools.com

45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." 48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" 55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

 

 

"My God, my God why have you forsaken me?"  This is known as the cry of dereliction - a cry of despair when Jesus is "abandoned by God."  Or so many theologians contend.   I disagree.  (Of course, I am not internationally known, paid for my insights nor a PhD. but such as it is, I disagree).

 

The passage from life to death .....and then into the unknown of life again in Jesus......particularly when you are crushed with pain and mocked by those who stand safely on the sidelines, betrayed by a close disciple and denied by your chosen leader, when too many of those who shouted Hosanna are nowhere to be seen..........that passage from life to death for our beloved Jesus  is too painful to consider.  There would be no easy sleep for him; no mind and pain numbing drugs; no loving family gathered around sharing memories and singing hymns.  Jesus' death is a good example of the old saying, "You are born alone and you die alone."

 

But do you die without God?  Does the God who gave you life turn away the divine face just as you move into this abyss of the unknown?  Does the God who guided you, spoke to you, formed and loved you leave you to your own devices as the pain becomes unbearable?  Does the God whom you served.....whose purpose has been your purpose....who has given meaning to your life, your work.....simply disappear at this, the moment of your greatest need?

 

I believe the answer is No.  A God who would send a part of his own heart into this world to live and work and die as a human would not take a vacation at the moment of a human's greatest need. 

 

That doesn't mean that we humans are not so crushed that we can no longer hear God's voice.  I can imagine that Jesus no longer had the strength to reach out to God and to feel God's presence.  In fact, if Jesus was at all human I can easily understand that he felt abandoned by the one who called him into this ministry.  I do not fault Jesus for these words of grief and longing for God's presence, for some comfort in these moments of utter distress. 

 

But I also believe that God was there with him - sweating, grieving, weeping for this beloved one who the world would not accept, could not love, refused to follow.  I believe that God's love for the lowest, most oppressed of all humanity was made manifest in Jesus' death: a death reserved for the lowest, most despised of this world. 

 

It is the horror that we inflict upon our own in this world that Jesus carried to the cross and into his glory.  It looked as if he was all alone, but the angels of God, the powerful Spirit of life were told to stand back.  This thing had to be done for the sake of all humankind whom God loved as much as the beloved Son Jesus.

 

Or so I believe.  What about you?

That pesky rooster

Matthew 27.69-75  NRSV    courtesy of www.biblestudytools.com

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70 But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." 71 When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

Before we begin, please note that I have located a website that will provide the scripture text in New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) which is the translation we use during Sunday worship. 

Now some reflections on this classic scene filled with terror and unforeseen, but anticipated consequences.  If I were to picture a cinematic correlate, it would be a scene involved organized crime and their untamed violence towards others.  That threat hangs in the air and it is hard to fault Peter for being afraid.  We know what we would have done in his shoes.

This scene takes place in the darkness - the time when evil can do its work unseen.  It is interesting that Matthew does not have a warming fire in his description.  It is all dark except for whatever torches would have been present in the courtyard.  It is not a friendly or inviting scene.

Peter is taken down by a servant girl.  Notice Peter denies knowing Jesus 'before all of them.'  He tries to escape from their sight (going out on the porch) but there is no place he can escape to.  So he intensifies his speech, denying Jesus 'with an oath.'  Next it is an anonymous bystander who notices Peter's accent (Galilean) and so accuses him.  Ironic, isn't it, that it is Peter's own speech that betrays him - and by his words he betrays Jesus?

Then that pesky rooster crows and Jesus' prophesy is fulfilled.  Peter 'remembered what Jesus had said' - now here is an interesting point for preaching.  What was it exactly that Peter remembered?  Did he just remember that Jesus had predicted the 3 fold denial?  Or did he remember lots of other things Jesus said?  When Jesus called him and Andrew to follow?  When Jesus cast out the demons?  When Jesus spoke of those who are blessed by God?  Could this brief verse on remembering be a shorthand for the entire experience Peter had had with Jesus - which he had now denied and discarded.

And Peter wept bitterly.  Thus we are privy to deep awareness of sinfulness and a confession of tears. 

Some random thoughts:  Could this moment of bitter weeping be Peter's 'born again' experience?  Could this be the moment when his relationship with Jesus shifted that last necessary amount so Peter could cling to Jesus as Savior and press his personal relationship with the man Jesus back in priority?

Why did the Gospel writers and those who compiled the Bible include this story?  Peter was a sufficiently important person after the resurrection that a story this embarrassing could have been left out.  The mere fact that we have this story says something about the reality of being human, a reality that the gospel writers wanted to include.   Peter, as a leader of the new community of faith that gathered around Jesus' name, had to confront this truth about himself each time the story was told. 

Why are we so bent out of shape with Judas and there is little negative feeling about Peter?  When the disciples gathered for the last supper and Jesus indicated that someone who was eating with them would betray him, we all assume Jesus meant Judas - but the description could apply to Peter as well.  The betrayers, the deniers, the doubters, the confused, the frightened - disciples of every make and model were not only present, they were welcome at that table.  Because that is where forgiveness is found.  Forgiveness available in this one called Jesus.

We've all been in Peter's shoes - well, not exactly, but we've been confronted with a situation which will be at least awkward if we professed our faith......and so we side step the question, or make a joke, or turn a deaf ear.  Peter's story turns up the heat on us as well.

Spring cleaning?????

Jesus at the Temple  Mt. 21.12-17  NIV    courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

 ¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.'”  ¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
 ¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
   “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
   “‘From the lips of children and infants
   you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
 ¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Straight from the procession of palms to the temple, Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter.  Is that how we should interpret this portion of scripture?  Jesus enters Jerusalem in a political act yet his first stop is not the governor's palace but the temple.  Either our interpretation of the palm entry is wrong, or there is something bigger going on here.

Remember we ended the procession of palms with the question, "Who is this?"  Apparently the temple figures in the answer to that question.  What is Jesus' point in this so-called 'cleansing of the temple'?

Is this about the invasion of sacred space with secular business?  This story appears in each of the gospels but with variations.  John situates this scene at the beginning of Jesus' ministry (chp2)  In fact, it is the first thing Jesus does in John.  So John is already using this scene in a different manner, offering a different interpretation.

The synoptic gospels all have this scene occur after the procession of the palms but with a different emphasis in each gospel.  A gospel parallel (a book which prints the corresponding texts from each gospel in parallel columns for easy comparison) would be helpful here.

All 3  synoptics use the same quote, "My house shall be [called] a house of prayer  {for the nations} but you make it a den of robbers."  Scholars would tell you that this consistency points to this being an accurate recording of the incident.  Is this just a statement regarding commerce, or could this house be robbing people in a spiritual way?

Realize that the temple and its courts was very big.  Jesus' action as described would not have made a dent in the activity taking place; he would not have shut down the commerce for even a few moments.

Mark and Luke do not mention the children, or Jesus working to heal.  That alone leads us to believe Matthew has something different to say here, and the children point us to it.

The blind and the lame were already in the temple when they came to him; so this is not about inclusion/exclusion.  Notice that the chief priests, etc, 'saw the wonderful things he did' and the Hosannas the children were crying out.  Then they became indignant. 

Seems that Jesus is determined to aggravate everyone.  He walks right into the middle of holy space, to the 'home field' of the religious leaders and their control over religious life, and demonstrates his counter approach to faithfulness.  He rejects the commerce in the sacred space; he replaces it with healing the outcast; he is praised by children.  

The praise by children reminds me of the children's story The Emperor's New Clothes  where it takes a child to cry out the truth about the emperor's nakedness when all the adults are too fearful to speak the truth.  Thus the children speak the truth in the center of the religious power structure.    The children offer, 'perfect praise'  - not the people with sacrifices, not the religious leaders' rituals and rules. 

So far, Jesus has challenged the political rulers and now the religious leaders.  One might conclude that Jesus is wiping the slate clean,  rejecting the existing reality so to establish a new reality.  Those who support him are the blind and lame, and the children.  These are the foundation of his kingdom - and so you can see how weak he looks. 

The end of the reading does not feel like the end of the story - it is not the climax, that is yet to come.  Therefore, one's interpretation must be conditional, for this is just one part of a building story.  Since we are privy to the end of the story, we might look back on this episode as Jesus 'burning his bridges' - there is no going back, no room for mis-interpretation.  Jesus is building something bigger than what the characters can see before them - and by the end of Holy Week we will see how fear rules their actions. 

We might want to ask, "What are they afraid of?"    Economic deprivation?  Loss of status?  Disorder and chaos?  Discovering that they are wrong?   Embarrassment?   I think this might be a key question as we move through Holy Week.

Why not embrace the kingdom that Jesus is offering?  Why not live out a life of love, grace, forgiveness, genrosity and connection with the divine?  Why not?

The palms, the palms......

Matthew 21.1-11   NIV    courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

 ¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
 ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
 ⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
   ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
   and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
 ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
   “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
   “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
 ¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
 ¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

A familiar story to most of us, this Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem (so it is thought of) appears with only slight variations in each of the four gospels.   It is one of the few scripture texts (probably the only one, but I don't want to go out on that limb) that we participate in liturgically through the re-enactment of the Procession of the Palms. 

My experience as a pastor has taught me that the children love the palms, although mostly as a weapon to use on their siblings, and the adults are reluctant, maybe even embarrassed to participate in the liturgical procession.  What a shame!  There is a different kind of learning that occurs when we are physically involved in the learning; the doing of the procession helps us identify with those in Jerusalem that day. 

Beyond that little issue (and the issue of whether we sing The Palms that day) and the issue of what kind of palms we use.......we can move to the heart of the story...."Who is this?"

The whole city was stirred.....   The word 'stirred' has the same root as the seismic phenomena of an earthquake.  I like the image of a deep rumbling - like far off thunder - but coming from under our feet.  The earth is about to be moved.  We can't rely on the very ground we are standing on....that kind of image.   The city was stirred....shaken.....found itself a bit off balance. 

And they asked, "Who is this?"  This question should catch our attention.  They don't know.  We are so impressed with this outpouring of adulation....[which we probably exaggerate in our minds.  The crowds entering Jerusalem at Passover would have been enormous and so only a small percentage of these folks would have been aware of this commotion.]... it is easy for us to overlook the reality that the truth of who Jesus was/is was veiled.

This goes beyond the confusion around the concept of the Messiah.  Jews were aware of long standing prophesies that a Messiah would come, God's anointed (that is what Messiah [Hebrew] and Christ [Greek] both mean).  There are pointers to a Son of Man - a poorly identified figure in the prophesies who would come on the Day of the Lord. 

Was this to be a political figure?  It was a reasonable expectation.  Israel was an occupied nation and if God was to rule (in any sense of that word) it was reasonable to expect that this anointed one would take away Rome's power.    Of course, there was a strong expectation that in deposing Rome, Israel would be lifted up to the position of power.

Was this Messiah to be a religious figure?  Of course, but of what nature isn't clear.  Israel was the chosen nation of God who held to the teachings of Torah and the prophets in faithfulness to God.  Now, of course, they weren't perfect in this and there was a fair share of corruption and self-interest just as we'd expect, but the ascendency of Israel was always a matter of worship of the right God, YHWH.

Was this Messiah to be the one, only, begotten, Son of God, God in the flesh, among us in the world?  Well, I doubt that anyone truly expected that to be the answer to the question 'Who is this?"  If you think that is a hard reality to hold to today, don't think it was any easier then. 

And furthermore, if the folks really believed that....they would never have anticipated the death that lie ahead for Jesus.  The cross is the most incomprehensible part of the Jesus story.

So the Procession of the Palms leads us to the pivotal questions of the Christian faith:  Who is Jesus?  [What does it means to be the Messiah of God?]   What are the benefits of Jesus for me and the world?

We must confront the cross before we can even begin to form an answer to that one.

The week of worship between Palm Sunday and Easter morn is a gift to believers.  The extra worship services, each focused on a particular portion of that historical week, give us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the presence of God, in the story of Jesus, and in our relationship with the divine.  It is too easy for us to jump from the Hosanna* of Palm Sunday to the Alleluias of Easter morn.    Take the long walk this year; you will be blessed.

*Hosanna, BTW, means Save Us, although several commentaries suggest that the cry had become sort of a pep rally religious shout out, thus diminishing it intrinsic meaning.

If you had only been here......

John 11.1-45   NIV     courtesy of www.biblegateway.com
Part I
 ¹ Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
 ⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
 
 
****Let's start here.  All of this is intended to establish the relationship between Jesus and Lazarus and Mary and Martha.  They were intimate friends (Mary anoints Jesus in chapter 12.  Jesus loved them.  Although Lazarus is sick enough for Jesus to be sent for, Jesus insists that this illness will not end in death.  Rather it has something to do with God's glory in the Son.  (whatever that might mean.  Notice the disciples are not clear).  Whatever Jesus was trying to communicate, he felt comfortable staying where he was for two more days.  In an age before antibiotics, two days could easily be critical.
 
 
Part II
 ⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
 ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
 ¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
 ¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
 ¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
 ¹⁶ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”


****The disciples are sufficiently assured that Lazarus' illness will not be to death that their concern is the hostility which Jesus has already experienced in Judea.  Jesus' response is confusing, but I think points us to an interpretation that Jesus' hour has not yet come, meaning, as dangerous as it seems, Jesus will be safe.  Jesus needs to go to Lazarus to 'wake him up.'

Now, the disciples know that if Lazarus is simply asleep he will eventually wake up on his own.  Jesus has to tell them Lazarus is dead.  But is he?  Since we know the end of the story, isn't it true that Lazarus is simply sleeping - in some form of suspended time?  I am not arguing that Lazarus is breathing, but rather that Jesus is foreshadowing what is about to happen for Lazarus - he will come awake again.


Part III
¹⁷ On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
 ²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
 ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
 ²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
 ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
 ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

****Notice we are told the relationship between Bethany and Jerusalem.  Bethany is close to Jerusalem, but not in the city itself.  Jesus will not die outside of Jerusalem.

Martha speaks as any of us who were crushed with grief would speak, "If you had been here....."  Many times a grieving relative will say, "if the ambulance had been quicker.."  "if only the doctor....."  "if we had recognized the symptoms...."  However, she leaves a door open for Jesus to change the reality she is forced to face.

Now the conversation turns toward an understanding of the resurrection:  on the last day?  right now?  Martha affirms faith in resurrection on the last day.  Jesus is trying to teach her that HE IS the resurrection.  Where Jesus is, the resurrection is possible.

Martha agrees with this in a towering confession of faith: " you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is come into the world."   I am not convinced, however, that Martha grasps what it means for Jesus to be the resurrection in the here and now.



Part IV
²⁸ After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” ²⁹ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
 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, Lord,” 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?”


******Two things grab my attention in this portion of the story.  First, Mary echos Martha's grieving cry to Jesus (so there is not difference in their faith????) is accompanied by weeping, hers and the weeping of the mourners who had gathered.  You can almost feel the weight of grief in the story.  The weeping becomes an additional character/presence.

Second, Jesus wept.  Why?  First, some interpretations on a literal plane

#1  You and I have all wept at a story on TV or the movies.  We don't have to know the person who died; we recognize the power of the loss as portrayed and can share in the sadness.  Jesus not only know Lazarus as a friend, but finds himself a  part of a scene where many are weeping and the grief of all is front and center and perhaps he was moved as we often are.

#2  Jesus has great sorrow that he needed to allow Lazarus (and Mary and Martha) to go through this (in order to accomplish things that will glorify God).  It needed to be done, but he is coping with the great pain it is causing.

#3  Jesus weeps because he knows that will be calling Lazarus out of the tomb......only to have Lazarus die yet again at another time in another place.  Jesus weeps because he knows that Lazarus is in the better place, moving into a new life with God, and now he must come back.

If we look for theological interpretations, we might find reassurance in God's Son Jesus weeping with the sisters, grieving with them in the face of their enormous loss.  Jesus might be weeping at their poor understanding of the gift of life with God that Jesus offers to them.

Final note on this portion:  the witnesses bring up the healing of the man born blind.  That healing pointed to a power that exceeded anything anyone knew.  Never in the history of man has anyone healed a person born blind! (look back at that story).  What Jesus displayed there was the power evident at creation - to change what the great creator had created!  These witnesses were right to ask, 'Could someone who had that kind of power have kept Lazarus from dying?"  Yes, of course he could, but the witnesses didn't go far enough.  The authority Jesus has over creation goes beyond a pre-emptive healing, Jesus can actually bring back the breath of life in a man in the tomb 4 days.


Last portion tomorrow.  All of this back story does not explain the final scene with Lazarus walking out of the tomb.  However, it helps us to digest the implications of faith in this Jesus and what it might mean to be the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world. 

Lord, only you know

Today I simply want to explore the implications of Ezekiel's contention that "Lord, only you know."  Without a doubt, I am a person who wishes to project the image of knowing what I am talking about.  Trap me in a conversation about which I know nothing and I will experience some serious discomfort, which will turn either to hostility or boredom.  I know that the world is filled with millions of folks who are both brighter and/or better read or more learned than I am, and yet, I will feel that sinking feeling of not measuring up when confronted with even a very small group of such learned folk who leave me in the dust.

So, Ezekiel's "Lord, only you know" gives me pause as I consider how often I am willing, perfectly willing, to acknowledge God's superior comprehension without first offering up my accumulated knowledge and list of suggestions. (answer:  rarely)  Perhaps this is the curse of the almost smart, but maybe everyone has a similar point of discomfort. 

A professor of mine at seminary was due to take his sabbatical in research and conversation with other theologians at Oxford.  This was a man with a vocabulary that often sent me racing to the dictionary so to keep up with his lectures.  I remarked how much he must be looking forward to conversation with his peers, with folks who truly understood him and could challenge his thinking. (instead of we second year theology students who didn't even know the ABCs of theology).  He said, "Never underestimate the insecurities of another."

And he was/is smart!  Add to that group particle physicists, folks who can do theoretical math, the proverberial rocket scientists, economists, car mechanics, and I have a few others too who are knowledgeable and skillful in areas that are quite truly Greek to me!

This is what I was thinking about when I read Ezekiel's "Lord, only you know."  I don't like it when I am in the dark about something!  Yet, if I have to be in the dark, I am glad that God is in the know.  It gives me permission to be all that I can be, but not to expect myself to be the fount of all knowledge.  I can embrace my own humanness in the face of God's god-ness expressed in love for creation.  

Finding that balance between giving all that you have, and allowing God to be God is one aspect of the faith journey I think.  I know that if God had asked me whether those dry bones could live, I would have offered an opinion.  Ezekiel was the smart one.  The future belongs to God and only God knows what can happen. 

The future belongs to God.  I know I will be making use of that perspective a lot in the months ahead.
Shalom.

Them bones, them bones, them dry bones

Ezekiel 37.1-14    coutesy of www. biblegateway.com

The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
   I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”
 ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
 ⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
 ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
 ¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”



This is an exquiste and powerful portion of scripture, a rare moment of grace and hope in the book of Ezekiel.

First a little background.    Ezekiel is a charismatic prophet - that is, a prophet who has been individually called and anointed with the spirit of God to speak on behalf of God.  He is also of the priestly class and would have been serving at the temple in Jerusalem during a decisive time just preceeding and following the destruction of Jerusalem, its temple and the exile of its people.  (The exile was over 10 years 597 BC - 587 BC). His is an extraordinary call narrative  (chapters 1&2) and he describes behaviors of his own that would lead a modern reader to wonder whether he should have gone to see a psychiatrist. 

The overall tone of his prophesy is harsh, rejecting Israel as a faithful follower of God and approving harsh punishment for the nation of Israel for its actions.  Israel has been exiled and  Ezekiel is offering the people of Israel an explanation for their exile (into foreign lands, away from the temple) and prophetic explanations are always grounded in the behavior (faithless, idolatrous) of the people.

Yet into the midst of his harsh announcements comes this exquisite description of the Valley of Dry Bones - an oracle of hope and restoration for the people of Israel.  Ezekiel describes not just miraculous changes in the landscape of the people but in the people themselves (as they are brought back to life). 

The people in exile have repeatedly expressed their lack of hope (Our bones are dried up and our hope is cut off).  There was, at that time, no general belief within Israel of a general resurrection from the dead.  However there would have been agreement that the God who forms life can give life to dry bones.  Thus we get Ezekiel's answer to the question whether the bones can live,  “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”   If anyone could bring these bones back to life, it was God and God alone.

So God agrees with Ezekiel - the nation of Israel is dead (this does not preclude people being alive, but is saying that the Israel that followed YHWH is no more).  Is it possible that this lost nation  can be brought back to life in God?  Ezekiel says,  'only you (God) know'.  And so it is .....the future belongs to God.  In that future is the power to bring life to places where only the dead were present.

You can understand why this is a favorite text, often assigned for Pentecost Sunday.  The most powerful summary of its promises to us is this  "The future belongs to God."  When all else is failing in this world; when we are stretched beyond our limits, when death is at our door, what a powerful thought to hold before us, 'the future belongs to God.'

This text is linked with the story of the raising of Lazarus, which likewise tells us much the same thing.  Yet it is this story of dry bones, strewn in an empty valley, lost, forgotten, of no importance to anyone that holds great spiritual power for me. 

The future belongs to God.  That does not eliminate bad times or unforseen consequences.  Rather, it places my trust in the future that God has in store for the world and me in it. 

What difference could it mean in your life to have the assurance that the future belongs to God?  How does that differ from your expectations surrounding resurrection and eternal life?  How might this kind of trust in God change your life today and tomorrow?