1 A man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Master, the one you love so very much is sick." 4 When Jesus got the message, he said, "This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days. 7 After the two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea.
17 When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. 20 Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house. 21 Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. 22 Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you." 23 Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up." 24 Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time." 25 "You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. 28 After this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you." 29 The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. 32 Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. 34 He said, "Where did you put him?" 35 Jesus wept. 36 The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him." 38 Then Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."
“The pronouncement (“I am the resurrection and the life”) not Lazarus’s rather ludicrous stumbling out of the tomb, is the climactic moment of Jesus’ visit to Bethany.”
This is a story about the pain, disappointment, and suffering Jesus endured to effect human salvation; to show how much God loves us even when bad things happen to good people. It reminds us how powerful God’s love is to raise us up and give us hope - no matter what. It is both an intimate and theological story. It touches the depth of human suffering and bewilderment with God and reminds us that even in the severity of life, God is faithful. God is good. God is worthy of all trust and praise..
"It is when things go wrong,
when the good things do not happen
When our prayers seem to have been lost,
that God is most present.
We do not need the sheltering wings
when things go smoothly.
We are closest to God in the darkness,
stumbling along blindly." Madeleine L'Engle

Prayer thought for the week: “Lord, walk with me when darkness keeps me from seeing You,”
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