The disciples don’t understand why Jesus is willing to risk returning to Judea, where people were trying to stone him and arrest him.
They are afraid.
And, when he finally arrives in Bethany, four days after Lazarus died, the sisters don’t understand why he didn’t come more quickly.
They are stricken with grief.
Like the others who encountered Jesus, they pepper him with questions, trying to trace the logic and rationale of his actions and words, looking for explanations.
But faith isn’t about having the right answers or explanations.
Faith is believing God’s Word and trusting in the promises given to us by God. In John’s Gospel, especially, believing means being in relationship, or knowing, God.
The starting point for relationship is getting to know the “other.”
Throughout the fourth gospel, Jesus uses “I am” statements to point back to the God of Israel, known to his disciples and community, who declared himself to Abraham and Moses with the words, “I am.”
Jesus has already said, “I am the bread of life”; “I am the light of the world”; “I am the gate” and “I am the good shepherd.” (The last two “I am” statements – “I am the way, the truth and the life” and “I am the true vine” – will be spoken in the days before his crucifixion.)
Each statement reveals more about who Jesus is, about his character and nature.
Here, Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)
Martha is still confused, thinking that Jesus is talking about a future event, but in John’s Gospel, it is the incarnation of God’s Word - in the person of Jesus, in the life of Jesus - that brings salvation to us.
In Jesus, here and now, we find resurrection and the restoration of hope.
Resurrection is seeing God’s activity hidden in our heartache.[i]
It is hearing God call to each one of us, and say, “Come out” from under the weight of what binds you. Throw off the bondage of pain or illness, of exhaustion or anxiety, of addiction or apathy, and be freed to live again.
In the resurrection life, we set our hope in Jesus, and find rest, worn out by fighting to hide from fears, to understand the incomprehensible, to live in brokenness, day in and day out.
Despite the promises of resurrection and life Jesus gives us, too often, we retreat back into old patterns of sin and brokenness, unable to experience joy and freedom in Christ. It is as though we have the grave clothes wound around our feet and around our hearts, painfully binding us.
But Jesus invites us again and again to participate in this life of freedom as Christians. Holy Communion is God’s invitation to us to enter into life with God. Jesus invites us to the table for the gifts of wine and bread, his body and blood, given for you, for me, for the world.
We can linger at the fringes, or drag our feet. We can even turn away, in anger or disappointment, but God’s invitation remains steadfastly for us.
We are invited to not merely witness what God is doing, but to participate. It’s the difference between watching the Final Four on a tv at Hickory Tavern, or sitting behind the bench on the stadium floor in Phoenix.
Last night, there was a man at the semifinal game who’s experiencing that difference first-hand. He’s well-known at USC, going to most of the Gamecock basketball games and a lot of the volleyball and softball games, too. Dressed in crimson, he waves the USC flag, cheering on the athletes, and rallying the other fans because he earnestly believes that he, and the rest of the fans, make a difference. His long hair and his zeal for all things Gamecock has earned him the name “Baseline Jesus” or “Gamecock Jesus” and last week, someone created a GoFundMe to send him to the Final Four, so he was in Phoenix last night.
God doesn’t need us to be his cheerleaders, but the rest of the world does need our presence, as his hands and feet.
So we come to the table, to be nourished and strengthened, and then we are commissioned and sent out, that through our lives, others may know Jesus as we know him. Like Lazarus, we are unbound from sin and let go into the world.
As we approach Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and encounter him on the cross, may we remember that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and our very present help in all circumstances.
Let us pray….[ii]
Holy God,
Thank you for your life-giving promises.
Teach us to trust in Your Son who is the resurrection and life.
Strengthen us by your Spirit to stand firm before the forces of death and speak words of life, that all would know your love and forgiveness.
Amen.
[i] David Lose. In the Meantime. http://www.davidlose.net
[ii] Adapted from Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources, www.laughingbird.net/
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