Jesus is the king of nonsequitors. But can there be a nonsequitor when God speaks? There is no other conversation going on besides his conversation. Anything we say that isn’t in the flow of what he is saying is the actual nonsequitor. And since Jesus is the Word of God, everything he does is the God conversation. His silences and his sermons are exactly what God is saying. His works and his words. Martha isn’t hearing the story yet. Jesus tries again to get her on track. She’s thinking later glory and God is talking present glory. I am like this. I look for glory out of step with Jesus. I think he’s doing something now and it’s not yet or I think he’s telling me about the future when he’s telling me about my now. The thing is, we never can be completely sure about timing because he may mean both things at once. Perhaps this is evidence of the eternal nature of God who lives outside of time. For him, everything happens in the “now.”
Didn’t I tell you? I love Jesus’s reminders. I’m not a good reminder. Somehow I expect when I’ve said something once that all concerned should receive it, understand it, and execute my commands or commit my thoughts to memory. Jesus is always reminding people.
See. Is this a key word in this conversation? If you go back and look at it, there’s no place in this chapter where Jesus says anything to Martha or Mary about seeing God’s glory. Is it left out? Or is he referring to previous times they’ve talked? The people he’s told about God’s glory in relation to Lazarus’s death are the disciples. He told them plainly,before they set out for Bethany, the man was dead, he was going there to “wake him up” and it was about God getting glory. They’ve moved into the background. Have you even given a second thought to them since Jesus got to Bethany? I haven’t. I’ve been focused where the camera is pointed: Jesus, Martha, Mary, and now the tomb. But they’ve been here all along. Step back and watch from their vantage point, with their inside information. Why isn’t Jesus telling Martha and then Mary the same things he’s told them? Did he really mean what he said back there? They got to Bethany and found that Jesus was right about Lazarus. He was dead. What about waking him up? Who talks like that? Who would ever say they were going to wake up a dead person? Again, picture yourself sitting around with your friends. A call comes in from another friend some distance away saying they have a life and death situation - yet another friend is about to die. Yet you wait around two more days before the person you most respect in your group says it’s time we all go and offer some help. He says he knows the sick friend has died, but I’m going to wake him up. No. Just no. Are you up for that trip? I’ve been to plenty of funerals. If somebody suggested to me two or three days later we were going back to the cemetery to wake up the person we just buried, I think I’d sit that one out. Even if I went along I don’t know what I’d do if the dead man’s sisters met us at the cemetery gates crying with a crowd of people also crying. I don’t think I’d want to be at the head of the line with Jesus. I’d keep my distance. He’s the one saying crazy stuff and I love him but it’s still crazy talk. I’m basically here in case things get out of hand. If he says this crazy stuff and it gets him in trouble I’m here to pull him out and keep him from getting hurt. Imagine the scene unfolding. Each stop feels like it’s electrified. Is he really going through with this?? The Martha stop. The Mary stop. Go to the grave? I thought he’d just go back to their house and console them. No. On to the grave. Walking through the cemetery it’s getting more and more surreal. Other gravestones. It’s quiet. Ok. Maybe we just go to the graveside and show our respects and say a prayer. Maybe God gets glory because we all get there and agree that the dead man won’t always be dead. That he will rise on the last day like everybody else who knows God. We don’t have to push it beyond this, right? Jesus, just, let’s go. This is enough. Get a shovel. Did he just say to get a shovel??! All the disciples look at each other. He’s going through with this! Martha is talking to him. Maybe she can save this embarrassing moment - change it from a disastrous moment when Jesus loses all glory - all weight will drain out of his name if he goes through with this ridiculousness. There’s an awkward pause and then the shovels are out. Who put the first hand to the stone? Who put the shovel in the ground? Who do you think? Was it a believer or a doubter. Could anyone believe this was actually happening? Can you? Can I? I’m in a graveyard now. I’m seeing this. I’m afraid. I’m sad. I’m anxious. I’m a little angry that I’ve been put in this situation. I might grab a shovel and start digging just to get this over with. I’m not believing even though I’ve seen Jesus do some pretty amazing things. But I’m over the edge with Jesus. I slowly realize I was over the edge when I followed him here. I’m not leaving without him. I may as well suffer the embarrassment with him. I dig. I shove the stone away. Then I get back. Am I looking at the open grave? Or am I looking at Jesus? I flash back and forth one to the other. I settle on Jesus. What he does next is what I need to see. I know what the grave holds. What does Jesus hold?
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