![]() Good morning. As y’all may know the lectionary has been guiding us through the Gospel of Mark. We’ve been through many familiar teachings and accounts of Jesus, today's selection is no different. However, I hope to bring light to some interesting aspects of the passage and give us some things to reflect upon. Where has Jesus been prior to this moment captured in the Gospel of Mark? Up to this point, Jesus has established himself as a teacher who brings enlightenment and is savvy in his confrontations and challenges. The latter is especially true when he is dealing with the religious leaders of his time. He has demonstrated having divine power displayed through healings and miraculous acts. He’s done all these things in and around Galilee, and thus has a growing fame that has brought on the ire of the religious leaders. Today’s selection from Mark is the last account before the gospel shifts its focus to Jerusalem and Jesus’ predicted death and resurrection. Here in October, our lectionary journey has taken us through Chapter 10 of Mark’s gospel. We’ve heard about the religious leaders questioning Jesus about divorce and the disciples denying people from bringing children to Jesus. We’ve heard of the man with many possessions asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. And last week the Zebedee brothers were asking to be Jesus’ right-hand men. In this chapter of Mark we’ve bounced between stories of the selfish, those looking for personal gain, and those in faith, and possibly desperation, coming to Jesus. Now we are here at this passage at the end of chapter 10 where a blind beggar encounters Jesus, or perhaps Jesus encounters the blind beggar, but before we get into the encounter I would like to take a moment to have us consider two thoughts about the beggar. First, the beggar is identified as “Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus.” This is interesting because there is a repetitive nature to the identification. “Bar” in Aramaic means “son” or “descendent”. We have what looks like an Aramaic phrase, Bartimaeus, being attributed to him as his name, followed by a Greek description “son of Timaeus”. It essentially reads “son of Timaeus, son of Timaeus”. All this to say, we may not know who this beggar was but he was connected to Timaeus, and those with early encounters with Mark’s gospel may have known who Timaeus was. Second, the man was not just a beggar, but also blind which adds other layers to his situation and the encounter. We don’t know how he became blind, but we do know that he previously, at some point in his life, had sight. We gather this from his response to Jesus. Blindness, and other physical ailments in ancient times came with stigmas - maybe he sinned and was made blind as a punishment, or he angered some deity incurring their wrath. However, I don’t believe this is how God, who is love, operates but rather ancient people trying to make sense and explain life occurrences. Either way, there are ramifications for the man. In his commentary on this passage, Luis Menendez Antuna states, “Although he is the ‘son of,’ men in his situation would not be able to form a family, work to sustain himself and his dependents, or fulfill some obligations proper to civic and religious life.” You see, he was a beggar because he was pushed to the margins of society due to his blindness; how could he live normally in the community? He’s forced to be a beggar because of a systemic problem and he therefore gets placed in the category “other” where he is left to beg in order to survive. Alright, now let us dive into the encounter between this man and Jesus. I am going to break this account into 6 parts. The first is The Pleading. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” While this man is described as a “beggar”, the action he takes is different from begging. He’s not asking for food, or money but something soul worthy; he’s asking for mercy. He is calling out in desperation with the knowledge of something deeper, and I suggest it is something deeper due to how the man refers to Jesus. The gospel writer identifies Jesus “of Nazareth”, while the man calls him the “son of David” implying a royal lineage and perhaps acknowledging prophetic statements about Jesus. I wonder how he came to this conclusion. Does he hear others talking about Jesus before He comes through? Can he hear others murmuring in the crowd their suspicions that Jesus is the Son of David? What does he know of Jesus? What has Jesus done so far that this man knew of? Regardless of how the man knew, his proclamation is a bold and potentially dangerous, political statement in Roman occupied Judaea. Perhaps it is this statement that leads to the second part, The Rebuking. Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Could it be that the crowd tried hushing him because of his statement? Or because he is being loud and they are annoyed? In his blog post about this passage, D. Mark Davis, describes the crowd’s actions as an “anti-healing: the crowd was trying to make the blind man mute.” We’ve seen these types of actions before in the Gospel of Mark - People trying to runinterference or “assist” Jesus. In the beginning of chapter 10 the disciples try to stop people from bringing children to Jesus, and at the end of chapter 9 we saw a similar thing when the disciples complained about someone other than them casting out demons in Jesus’ name. These instances remind me of a line from the U2 song "Stand Up Comedy" where Bono sings, “stop helping God across the road like a little old lady.” I think we humans think that we need to protect God as if God is fragile, or maybe we are the fragile ones, protecting societal standing and ideologies by excluding those that are different. Either of these could be the case for the crowd. However, for the man of desperation he shouts all the more and louder. He will not relent. He is determined to get Jesus’ attention. Part 3, The Stopping. Jesus stood still Do you remember the last time there was shouting in Jericho? While the physical walls of the city do not fall down, the same city walls this man is probably accustomed to resting against, what does happen is Jesus, the son of God, is stopped in his tracks by the man’s pleading cries. In the entirety of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is continually on the go, so this man’s actions have done something extraordinary. His cries have also overcome the “gatekeeping” crowd to get Jesus’ attention, opening the opportunity for the encounter with Jesus. Part 4, The Calling. ... and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. We humans are fickle. One minute the crowd is rebuking the man and now it’s gentle and encouraging. Those that were denying him just moments ago are now the ones being directed to engage with him in a positive way; “Call him here.” Once the man hears the encouragement of the crowd he is up and on the move. There’s so much faith happening here. Imagine what this looks like. He tosses his cloak, most likely his sole and cherished possession. If you are blind you do not toss your possessions. You are deliberate about where you place things - you need to be able to find them again. This is reckless. He sprang up indicating that he was eager and moving quickly towards Jesus. Most likely arms out in front of him to feel for obstructions and to brace himself for impact. Realizing that in this instance something grand was about to happen, perhaps the crowd parted, giving him an unobstructed path to Jesus. Maybe, they helped him along with a gentle touch or encouraging directions, “straight ahead”, “watch out for the hole”, “a little to left”, “almost there”. If you are blind you don’t move quickly, you are tentative with your movements, otherwise you’ll likely injure yourself. This is reckless. This blind man stands in stark contrast to Jesus’ encounter with the man with all of the possessions seeking eternal life earlier in chapter 10. The blind man tosses his cloak, whereas the other man couldn’t part with any of his possessions. One man with reckless faith, the other perhaps with faith that has been wrecked. Part 5, The Asking. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus’ question is the same question he asked the Zebedee brothers earlier in chapter 10. However this man’s request stands in juxtaposition to theirs. The Zebedees wanted a place of privilege and power, this man just wants to see again. There are times when we humans operate as if God is a cosmic vending machine, or perhaps a cosmic genie. We put our prayers in and out pops an answer to our desire, or we “rub” sacred objects - the Bible, the book of common prayer, the communion cup, and ask, “oh god give me my wish”. Yet here is a situation that seems like it might be true. Jesus asks “what do you want me to do for you?”. The door of possibility is opened for the blind beggar; he could’ve requested anything. He could have asked for eternal life. Or to be elevated to a place of power. Or wealth. Or strength. He could have asked for revenge on his enemies. However, he does none of those things, he pleads for mercy and chooses to ask to see again. Part 6, The Granting. Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. We’ve heard Jesus say these words before - the woman with the hemorrhage in Chapter 5 of Mark, and the encounter with the 10 lepers in Luke chapter 17. The blind man’s faith as demonstrated through his actions: calling out, throwing off his cloak, leaping to his feet, running to Jesus, and his humble request - has brought healing to his body. I would also suggest that he not only gained his physical sight, but he deepened his spiritual insight, because encounters with Jesus seem to do just that - change the person, and with this man it is no different. After regaining his sight he follows Jesus “on the way”. On the way to where? Jerusalem. Now what? How should we reflect on this encounter between the blind man and Jesus? I’ve got three things for us to consider. The first is that faith is powerful, it brings healing in different ways, be it physical healing, intellectual healing, social healing, spiritual healing, or emotional healing. It can assure us in moments of trial and stress. Faith can carry and sustain us. It can give us courage to do the audacious - like throwing off our cloaks and running blindly towards hope. The second thing to consider is what is our “cloak”? What do we need to “throw off”? What is keeping us from a deeper encounter with God? We may not need to be as reckless as the blind man, but we all have places in our lives where we could use some liberation and freedom from the things that are hindering us. We all have areas where we can be and do better. The last thing, which is more of a proclamation than a consideration, is that all can come to God. Jesus demonstrated this when he stopped and called the blind man to him. He demonstrated it with the children who were brought to him and through many other accounts in the Gospels. Despite what religious gatekeepers and holy quality control managers might say, despite what doctrine various church denominations ascribe to, despite the crowds that try to mute and the disciples that try to interfere - everyone is welcome is approach and experience God’s love, and in that, God’s healing. Amen. ![]() I first want to acknowledge today’s readings. We have a passage from the New testament, a couple of verses from a mystic in the Islamic tradition, an excerpt from an Arab-American poet’s essay about her father’s relentless hope that there would be peace - the absence of conflict- in the holy land and Jerusalem, and a blessing from the Carmina Gadelica a collection of works from the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland. It is wonderful that truth and enlightenment can resonate from all types of literary works, whomever the author and wherever the origin. I also want to recognize a peculiar intersection today. Here we are in the midst of a Taize focused on peace, where moments ago we rang our bell in a call of action against gun violence, we are wrapping up a month of recognition and celebration of our LGBTQIA+ siblings, and I am going to attempt to provoke our thoughts about peace. I’ve observed that the term peace in the English language is used in a number of contexts. ● Peace of mind ● Rest in peace ● At peace ● Laid to peace ● Keep the peace ● Hold one’s peace ● Make peace ● World peace ● Peace on earth ● Peace of Christ ● God of peace ● Nobel peace prize ● Peace officer ● Peacekeeper ● Peacemaker So I think it is fitting to start with defining peace. A dictionary definition identifies peace as a noun stating that it is: ● “freedom from disturbance” ● “mental calm” ● “harmony in personal relations” ● “a time or state in which there is no war”, or ● “a ceremonial handshake or kiss exchanged during a service in some churches” From today’s reading from Philippians, we get a sense that peace is an inner calm that is derived from God, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). The reading from Rumi also echoes the sentiment of an inner calm. We have the dictionary definitions and some contextual clues from today’s readings, but to further our understanding of peace, I think it is important to think about what might be the opposite of peace. For some fear is the opposite of peace. For others, losing control is the opposite of peace. Or it is conflict. And yet for others violence is the opposite of peace. Consider images that do not represent or are associated with the opposite of peace - intimidation, blasting groups of people with a firehose, a sword(point to altar), burning an effigy, war, flags(point to the flags above), missiles, riot shields, tanks in the street. No doubt the images listed have caused a number of you to flinch or to have some sort of visceral reaction, just as I have had in reading them. However, I believe that we need to acknowledge the darkness that resides in our world now and in the collective human history, in order to move us toward the light, and in the case of our focus today - peace. So, how do we move ourselves towards peace? I would suggest there are two ways. The first is prayer. Now, you’ll need to bear with me as I discuss “prayer” as I think it is more than simply talking to God. I’m also not talking about (air quotes) “thoughts and prayers” being extended in times of horrific violence and tragedy. What I am talking about is spending time petitioning God to help us renew our minds, recognize our privilege, and empower us to be better human beings; reflecting on our thoughts, actions, and intentions; meditating and making mental shifts in our views of others, their value and our collective place in the world. Our reading from Philippians speaks of some things that could be meditated upon - . In the Gospels, Jesus continually presents new ways to think about how we go about life - “you have heard it said, but I tell you…”; and likewise, the apostle Paul speaks of “renewing our minds” (Romans 12:2). We all have mental work to do, in and through prayer. And for those of us who are not the praying type, or perhaps don’t believe God takes action through human prayers, I would still say an exercise in self-evaluation and reflection will make us better human beings. The second way we move ourselves closer to peace is through action. For this I want to draw upon Jesus’ teachings. In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells those that are gathered with Him, “Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognized as the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) As you may know, this verse is part of the Beatitudes which is a 10-verse section that begins Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, a lengthy teaching, in which he lays out radically different ways to live and conduct one’s life. In this verse Jesus uses the word “peacemaker” as opposed to the word “peacekeeper”, a word I mentioned a few moments ago. I think there is a stark difference between a “peacekeeper" and a “peacemaker”. A peacekeeper protects what is already established, some sort of peace. The position of peacekeeper is that of defender, one who is on alert to repel forces that might disrupt the “peace”. If you were to do an internet search for “peacekeeper” you would quickly find the results populated are links to weapons, including a US manufactured intercontinental missile named… yup, the “Peacekeeper”. I think Jesus' use of the word peacemaker is very intentional. Jesus lived under Pax Romana, Roman peace, and from what we know of history that “peace” came at a price - war. So for Jesus to speak of peacemakers, he is indicating a way of living our lives in direct opposition to the governmental powers and the norms of society. In his book Jesus’ Alternative Plan, Richard Rohr states, “...Jesus defines peace in a different way. We call this the Pax Christi, the peace of Christ. … The Pax Romana creates a false peace by sacrificing others; the Pax Christi waits and works for true peace by sacrificing the false self of power, prestige and possessions.” Jesus wants us to make peace not keep peace. Being a peacemaker means we take action, we don’t wait for change to happen, we work to initiate it. We do this by drawing from our inner peace developed in prayer and passing it along to those we encounter. I know that this might seem like a large task, something that is unsurmountable, especially in light of the anti-peace examples I’ve stated so far and the turmoil that is currently in our world, but I don’t think Jesus is calling us to large-scale peacemaking, at least not on our own. His examples for peacemaking change were all individually based - turn the other cheek, carry the backpack an extra mile - they were from one person to another. So, passing our peace to others, how might we do that? What has Jesus demonstrated for us? In following Jesus’ examples of peacemaking we love one another, demonstrating value to those we encounter. We do this by supporting others in difficult times in their lives. We grieve with each other. We seek understanding rather than retaliation when we feel we are wronged. We learn about our micro and passive aggressions, and change the way we think, speak and act. We work to be active listeners, a less of “me” approach to those we interact with. We respect the differences in others even when their truth may not be our truth. We work to reconcile conflicts between ourselves and others. As a community we draw awareness to the plague of gun violence. We become inclusive and accepting, turning none away - all are welcomed at God’s table, no exceptions. We affirm our LGBTQ siblings, loving them and recognizing their value. We recognize that Black Lives matter and we work for racial justice and true equality. We work towards social justice and creation care. We might exercise our voting rights. We might sign petitions for legislation, change or protest. We might write to or call a government representative calling upon them to take action. We might peacefully march in protest for social change, for justice, and for peace. We might invite others to share a meal, sharing time and space together. We might choose to wear orange on the last Sunday of the month when we make a statement about gun violence. And in a few moments we will get a chance to practice “passing the peace”, so greet a person you don’t know, give a hug to a dear friend, a kiss to a loved one, move around the sanctuary to pass your peace. Becoming and being a peacemaker is not a popular choice in our society, but it is the way of Jesus. Having inner peace and passing it on - it is the way. As Rumi says, “Be a precious donor of peace and hope. Give love to all you meet, for so many in this world are being torn apart.'' The blessing from the Carmina Gadelica calls for “deep peace… to you”. Let me leave us with one more quote about peace and peacemaking, this comes from the journal of Etty Hillesum a murder victim at Auschwitz, “Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.” Amen. By Dan Carew, Lay Preacher ![]() Thank you God for the faith of Saint Andrew and through his actions we can see a way. When I read these scripture passages together I see a number of references to commandments, decrees and edicts. It gets me thinking, what commandments are we talking about, why are they important and how are we to respond with our lives? Since humanity’s awareness of God, it seems we have sought and heard from God about what it is we are to do, how we are to live, and what is required of us - in essence how do we obtain righteousness before God. Some of that history is referenced in today’s readings, and while I see this as a bit of an evolution, I don’t believe that God has changed their nature or character one bit, but rather we, as humans, throughout time, have missed the point, poorly understood the guidance we have been given, or let our personal thoughts and biases about the world around us get in the way. In the passage from Deuteronomy, we hear Moses referencing a commandment in his words to the people of Israel. However, from today’s selection we do not have an indication of what it is. To know the context better we need to go back to the beginning of Deuteronomy 30, where Moses tells the people that when they “return to the Lord your God, and you and your children obey him with all of your heart and all of your soul” then God will do a number of things such as “restore fortunes”, “have compassion”, “gather the people” and bring them to “the land of their ancestors”. Verse 10 specifically states: Obey his commandments and statutes written in the Book of the Law, … because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul. The people of Israel have heard similar words from Moses before in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, where nearly the same thing is stated to them. “Keep all his decrees and his commandments” (6:2) and “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”(6:9). For the Israelites, turning to God with your whole being, meant that one would also adhere to the decrees and commandments in the “Book of the Law” - their right standing before God was directly related to their rule following. So here in today’s lesson, Moses is petitioning the people to follow God with their whole being, heart and soul, and now knowing some of the previous context we can understand more of Moses' angle. This thing that Moses is asking the people to do, surely it “is not too hard”, “too far way”, or requires one to “cross to the other side of the sea”. I imagine Moses taking on one of two roles in this instance. The first is that of a coach during the halftime of a sporting match, he’s giving the people of Israel a pep talk. The other role is that of a sarcastic, and perhaps cynical, sage who in anticipation and understanding knows how humans respond when they are asked to take action toward something they know that they should do – they create excuses to avoid doing that thing. The commandment that he is speaking to the people is “very near” to them. It is in their mouths. It is in their hearts. It's right there. They’ve observed it before. They’ve followed the commandment before. They’ve had right standing with God previously through the Law. Moving to the selection from the psalms, we see language referencing statues, commands and decrees and the benefits of adhering to them.
What has brought on these phrases? The psalmist is describing the natural world around them and it invokes an awareness of and actions towards something bigger than they are - the LORD, God. Much like Moses pleading with the people of Israel, the psalmist lays out a case for following and keeping the commandments of God. They are proclaiming something marvelous and powerfully life changing. They conclude with petitions for their purity (“cleanse me”), protection(“let them not get dominion over me”), restoration(“then shall I be whole and sound”) and their righteousness (“let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight”). They find their right-standing with God, through their adherence to God’s commandments. In the selection from the Letter to the Romans, we hear of a new way. To understand this better we need to be aware of the verses that precede today’s reading. In this section of Paul’s letter, and what I mean is Chapter 10, he talks of Moses’ writings about righteousness based on the Law, and juxtaposes it with Christ, who Paul states “is the end of the law so there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”(verse 4). He continues and speaks of “the righteousness that comes from faith” (verse 6). Then we arrive at the beginning of today’s selection “the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart”, a direct reference to our reading from Deuteronomy. In the reading from Deuteronomy, the word was referencing the Law; here, as Paul clarifies, it is “the word of faith”. Paul goes on, “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” There is an internal and external representation to the faith - heart and mouth. In verse 12, Paul continues with ageless words for the folks of all time - past, present and future - “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The “Jew” and “Gentile” indication should not leave us thinking all about Jewish people; we have two distinct people groups with their own history in the Bible - the Jewish people, chosen people of Yahweh, and everyone else. The promise that Paul is talking about is that while for many years God seemed to only favor one people group, Jesus’ incarnation has revealed that God's salvation is available to all people “Jews and Gentiles”. Elizabeth Shivley, summarizes this new revelation nicely in a commentary on Romans Chapter 8. She states, “The ease of God’s redemption is that people are justified (made righteous, given right standing) not by keeping the law, but by faith. The extent of God’s redemption is that this expression of faith apart from the law makes salvation accessible to both Jew and Gentile” The Romans selection this morning ends with Paul posing some hypothetical questions for his Jewish audience to consider in regards to those that may be outside of Jewish understanding of God. Paul responds to his questions and assures his audience that the good news is being proclaimed and that it is how those who don’t know God become aware of God. It, the opportunity of faith, comes to us “through the word of Christ” because we have heard. In the last verse of the selection today, “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world”, you’ll notice that these are the words of the psalmist from verse 4 of today’s psalm selection. The generosity and graciousness of God has been proclaimed, is being proclaimed and will be proclaimed. Lastly, in our Gospel reading today we see a call and a response; an opportunity to have faith and an action expressing faith. We read of one of our namesake saints and his brother being given an opportunity to follow Jesus the Christ, and their immediate action of following. Now, here is something interesting to consider: Andrew could have been Greek. He has a Greek name. Born in Bethsaida, in Galilee where the Greek language and culture were very present at that point in history. However, it is more likely that he is Hellenized, coming from a family that adopted Greek culture, hence the two brothers, one with a Greek name, the other with an Aramaic name. In either case, Jesus’ actions, not just here in Matthew but throughout the Gospels, foreshadow Paul’s statement of salvation for all - “Jew and Gentile”, thus cracking open the door of enlightenment that God is the God of all people, not just a selected group of people group. At the beginning of this sermon, I mentioned an evolution of how we obtain right standing before God. If we think about this in chronological order, we start with the Old Testament and the adherence to the Mosaic Law as a form of obtaining right standing with God. We then get a glimpse through the life and ministry of Jesus - his words and actions towards people of various backgrounds - that access to God is beginning to change. Lastly, we have Paul making the proclamation that there is “no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.” Right standing before God is accessible to all people. If we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts, salvation is ours. May we all take advantage of God’s generosity and grace by proclaiming our belief in Jesus Christ. Amen. Nearly a week ago Spring officially started here in the Northern Hemisphere signaling the time of year where new life and new growth begin for the created world around us. Flowers begin to bloom, trees bud and many of the living creatures are participating in new life. When we look at this morning’s lessons and Gospel we can see that God is very Springlike, and Spring mimic’s the Creator’s nature in bringing about new life.
In the passage from Ezekiel, the prophet’s vision is ultimately of God’s renewal. Ezekiel receives a vision of a valley full of dry bones, which symbolizes Israel’s disconnect from God(verse 11). Israel has “died” and is without God’s spirit. Israel is in a dark place, in death, in the grave(verse 12). However, despite the disconnect from God, as symbolized in the vision - the bones separated from the sinew, sinew from the flesh, and the flesh ultimately from the breath - the Spirit will be put within them. God will restore Israel, bringing a newness to their state(verses 13,14). In Psalm 130, we see again a renewal take place, in this case a change in mindset. The psalmist is in the depths and looking for deliverance. The psalmist is in “darkness” and waiting for the light, specifically the morning light, a light at the end of a time of darkness. The psalmist seems to reflect on God’s nature and while waiting is reminded that there is redemption. The psalmist knows that this redemption, this newness is not just on an individual level but also collective and corporate as they call on Israel to acknowledge God’s mercy and “plenteous” redemption. In the lesson from Romans, we see a juxtaposition of flesh and spirit. This has similar imagery to the passage from Ezekiel, but Paul brings slightly different connotations. For Paul the flesh, while metaphorically connected to the body in this case, equates to living selfishly in sin and apart from God, not focused on Godly things. We might liken this to Israel’s condition in Ezekiel and the separation the Psalmist feels at the beginning of Psalm 130. Whereas the spirit in Paul’s description indicates living righteously, focused on God and Godly things, with God’s Spirit dwelling inside of us. God brings new life to our fleshly state through the Spirit. We have access to newness because the Spirit of God raised Christ from the dead. In following the order of the lectionary today, we are brought to the passage from the Gospel of John. I would like to take a moment or two in order to acknowledge some of the complexities with this passage. I do not wish to cheapen or simplify it by nonchalantly connecting it to the theme that I see present today. At this current moment in time, here today March 26th, 2023, we are one Sunday away from celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and approximately two weeks away from the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In the chronological context of John’s gospel, which is different from the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, this account with Lazarus, which also does not appear in the Synoptics, is a week before Passover and the crucifixion of Christ. In the literary construct, this passage is smack dab in the middle of John’s Gospel. 10 chapters before, 10 chapters after. Within the first half of John’s Gospel, the author highlights 7 “signs” of Jesus, one of which was part of the lectionary last week, and a few of the others appear in other lectionary calendars. This account is the last of the seven “signs'' recorded in John’s Gospel. It is the sign that broke the camel’s back; pushed the religious leaders over the edge; it is the breaking point. Today’s Gospel selection stops a few verses short of the religious leaders escalating their plot to kill Jesus. (Uh, didn’t Jesus just raise Lazarus from the dead and now the leaders want Jesus dead?!?) So now the raising of Lazarus. On first take, Lazarus is sick, Jesus is sent for, Jesus comes (cough “late”), gets an earful from Martha and Mary, and then raises Lazarus. New Life! This depiction of God, in Christ, bringing new life has some further implications for us as we dig deeper. First, the sisters’ pleas. If Jesus had just come quicker he could have healed Lazarus of the sickness and he wouldn’t have died, yet they express faith that Jesus could do something. Jesus is met on the road to Bethany first by Martha and a discussion ensues about Lazarus’ resurrection. Martha assumes it is a delayed event saved for the day of the resurrection, but Jesus, in His cryptic way, seems to imply that it will not occur as Martha envisions. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, as He was on that day with Martha and as He is today with us. God’s resurrection is accessible in this life. Second, this event gave God glory, and Jesus, who was and is one with the Father, knew this to be the case. He stated to the disciples when they received word from the messenger, when they were running “late” and He reminded Martha right before calling Lazarus out of the tomb. Furthermore, according to Jewish belief the spirit leaves the body three days after death, so here on the fourth day when Jesus showed up, Lazarus was dead, like dead dead. To those that traveled from Jerusalem to mourn and pay their respects, many if not all, would’ve counted Lazarus a lost cause. God is the giver of new life, which, for human expectations may seem delayed but right on time for bringing glory and leading people to an encounter with God. Lastly, we see that Jesus is affected emotionally by this situation, as it is described that “Jesus wept.” The emotions of Jesus are minimally represented in the Gospels. In the garden at Gethsemane found in the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke; the clearing of the temple found in all of the Gospels, and now here in John chapter 11. We don’t know exactly why Jesus is weeping. Perhaps he is an empathetic crier. He sees the sisters and others grieving and mourning, he feels the weight of the situation, and in empathy, in solidarity, he too weeps. Or perhaps, as it is stated in the Gospel, Lazarus is one whom Jesus loved and Jesus is heartbroken and wrecked at this momentary loss, and I say momentary because Jesus has already indicated that Lazarus has “fallen asleep”. Or perhaps, Jesus knows that what he is about to do will set in motion his betrayal, execution and resurrection. Whatever the reason, the image of Christ, God’s son, incarnate deity, embracing the emotional state of humanity is powerful, reassuring and hope inducing. God the giver of new life has experienced our life. So what might all of this mean for us, here today? For some of us here today, we are looking for and want to encounter the newness that God can give. We may be waiting like the Psalmist for the morning light. We may be like the dry bones of Ezekiel, needing the components of life to be regenerated so the breath of God can inhabit our being. Or perhaps we are feeling more like Lazarus - dead dead and need God to resurrect us. Whatever it might be, may Jesus’ words to Martha bring us comfort, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” For others of us here, we have experienced God’s newness. God’s Spirit dwells in us. We are sharing that newness of life because we have encountered God at some point in our lives. We are like the psalmist calling others to “wait for the LORD”, to find that “there is mercy” and “plenteous redemption”. And there are some of us that are in between. Neither dead, nor feeling full of God’s newness. However, if in faith we send for Jesus’ healing touch like the sisters did, or go to meet Jesus on His way to us, we will find “the resurrection and the life”. Amen. |
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