Lazarus

John 11. A man is sick. He dies. Jesus says, “This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God’s glory by glorifying God’s Son.” The man is buried and Jesus waits four days to come and raise him up. Yeah; God seems more than last minute, doesn’t He? When Jesus arrives the skeptics show up in droves, but this is so the glory of God can be manifested. It’s supposed to happen this way. Then Mary, the woman who loved and believed on Him shows up. Her emotion is deep and sincere. “Why? Why Lord? If you’d been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus weeps, and I ask myself what His tears are about. Then, it says, “a deep anger welled up within him.” What is His anger about?

I believe His anger is about what we can’t see and therefore don’t believe. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, and we let him have the whole store because we don’t see to believe. “Open the eyes of their hearts Lord…” Righteous tears. Yeah. Glorious. Righteous anger. Powerful.

“Hey Lord, you can’t raise up a person who has been dead for four days.” Well, all I can say is I was dead for years but now I’m alive–really alive. I love what Jesus said to Mary. “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.”

Jesus came to my tomb and asked me to walk away from my heavy grave clothes. Little by little they fell, and they’re still falling away as my eyes are opened. Now I’m watching the fabulous glory of God unfold day after day after day. But this isn’t just so I can see; I hope the skeptics are watching and learning to believe.