Lazarus and Thomas

April 6, 2014

Lent 5a

John 11:1-45

Four days.

Four days they waited.

He didn’t show up.

He was supposed to have been a beloved friend.

Where was he?

What was taking him so long?

Why wasn’t Jesus there for them when Lazarus needed him?

You cannot go back into Judea, Jesus, they said

They have already tried to stone you once.

If you go back, they will try to do it again.

And this time, they might be successful.

Don’t go.

You just said that Lazarus is just sleeping, he’s fine.

You don’t get it.

My hour has not yet come.

We can go to Judea without incident.

Lazarus needs me now.

You need to see what I am about to do.

When you see it, you will believe.

And maybe you will finally get it.

Let us also go, that we may die with him.

Is anyone else startled by this random comment by Thomas? It just seems to be from out of nowhere.  To be honest, this is not unusual for Thomas, he tends to interject comments at bizarre times.  This time, though, it’s more noticeable. As if Thomas wasn’t really listening…or maybe he was, he just didn’t get it. Time and time again, however, we are so quick to glance over this exclamation to focus on the main plot of the story.  And the main plot is important.  Without the story of the raising of Lazarus, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.  But this secondary plot, this conversation between Jesus and the disciples, is also important.  Once again we see Jesus inner circle so caught up in other things that they miss the point. 

Up to this point Jesus has delayed his venture back into Judea, but now it is time to go.  Mary and Martha need him.  Lazarus, though now dead, still needs him.  And it’s not totally inappropriate that they would be skittish about going back into Judea.  As they said, the Jews had just tried to stone him in Judea, why would he want to go back and risk that happening again? As many times as Jesus had told they that he was going to die, the reality of it seemed to be something that they didn’t want to deal with yet…if at all.  No one wants to see a mentor die. 

But Thomas, who was called the twin, who has been saddled with a bad rep as being the one who doubts, the one who lack faith…when Jesus tells the disciples that it is time to go back to Judea, to Bethany, to Lazarus…it is Thomas who steps up and says “let us also go, that we may die with him.” And to me that is not a lack of faith, but a boldness of faith that puts aside pride and self-preservation and just goes with the moment, whether he gets it or he misses the point.  And, yeah, he is a little off the mark...but he also shows a level of understanding of Jesus’ mission that no one else is willing to voice. 

Jesus needed to go back to Judea.  He needed to go to Bethany for Mary and Martha.  He needed to go back for Lazarus.  He needed to go back for those who had come to mourn for Lazarus.  He needed to go and weep for the one whom he loved. 

Jesus had lost a beloved friend, his best friend from how John describes Lazarus.  There was a funeral to attend and Jesus wanted to be there.  He wanted to be with others who were grieving so that he could grieve, too. 

They had been waiting for Jesus for four days.  According to Jewish custom at that time, the fourth day after death was considered to be the day in which the soul left the body.  There was no doubt that Lazarus couldn’t be revived at this point.  At least from a human perspective.  Jesus has another plan.  A plan that would put the pause button on death and show the glory of God to those who watched as the stone was rolled away from the tomb and out came Lazarus, a corpse come back to life. 

From there they would go to Jerusalem, they would gather at a table for a meal, feet would be washed, a garden would prayed in, an arrest would be made, and another death would take place.  Only this time, when the stone was rolled away it would not be a pause button pushed on death, but a defeat of death itself forever. 

And Thomas would ask to know how they would know how to follow Jesus where he was going.  And Thomas would demand to see the hands and feet of a resurrected Christ. 

And we speak of Thomas as one lacking faith, instead of one possessing the honest boldness of someone with great faith and courage.  When he didn’t get it, he asked.  When he wanted a piece of what everyone else got, he demanded.  But when no one else would speak up, Thomas did. And eventually, Thomas would make good on his declaration…he died for the sake of Christ and his gospel. 

Thomas should be lifted up as a model disciple. 

He lived and thrived within the mysteries of faith. 

He owned it when he didn’t get it

He wasn’t afraid to ask the questions…eve n if he looked silly while doing it.

And he was so devoted to Jesus and his mission that he was not going to let something like a simple stoning get in the way of Jesus going to be with his friends in their time of need. 

And it should be the same way for us

We shouldn’t be afraid to not get it

We should own our doubts

We should have the boldness and the courage to step up and ask the questions, even if we look silly when we ask the wrong question

We should have the faith of Thomas and be so devoted to Jesus and his mission that we won’t let anything get in the way of getting Jesus to people who need it.

But when we do get in the way

When we don’t own our doubts

When we are afraid to not get it

Know this

With or without our help God is active in the world

With or without our help God is going to keep bringing life in the midst of death

With or without our help, God is going to keep bringing light in the midst of the darkness

With or without our getting it right or asking the right questions or understanding everything, God is at work here and there, now and later and to eternity.