Sermon: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

         The Gospel of John is filled with profound encounters with Jesus
—stories of the extraordinary
—being ministered to by the invisible God made visible.

         Nick met Jesus at night, 
the Samaritan Woman meets him at high noon, 
the Man Born Blind has his night transformed into day.

         And today, it’s a family affair. 
Three siblings, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
—have their lives transformed by Jesus.

Prayer

 

         Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
—the famous family who live in Bethany, 
a suburb of Jerusalem… 
They serve as Jesus’ home base when he goes down south, out of Galilee.

         When I lived in South Plainfield my couch was sometimes a home base for folk who wanted to travel in to New York City
—a 40-minute train ride from Metro Park Station to New York Penn Station… 
So too the sibling’s home.

         They have an ongoing relationship with Jesus
—they’re friends of his
—they are the core of his disciples near Jerusalem.

         Mary and Martha are sometimes lifted up as symbols of two types of Christians. 
Mary the good Disciple, one who follows…
Martha the good Deacon, one who serves…
For that matter, Lazarus is thought to be the mysterious “Beloved Disciples” of John’s Gospel.

         What I’m saying is their faith in Jesus is deep, 
and, rightly, so is their disappointment with his late arrival.

 

         After Jesus’ back and forth banter with Thomas about 
night and day, 
light and darkness, 
sleeping and waking, 
life and death… 
Jesus travels to his home away from home. 

         Martha expresses her grief
“if you’d been here, then Lazarus would not have died.

         Sure, he’ll live again when God makes all things right… 
but today? 
Today! 
What an astonishing claim, Jesus! 
But yes, I believe it!”

         Then, just like Andrew goes and calls his brother Peter to come and meet Jesus, 
so too, Martha goes and calls her sister Mary to Jesus’ side… 

         Mary runs to him, 
and the crowd follows after her (remember she’s known for her discipleship
—her following Jesus skills, 
so this is true to type)
         She repeats the same disappointment and grief her sister felt
—If you’d been here, then he would not have died…

         And this is some real stuff
—this is the grief of so many of our hearts, 
the disappointments we keep bottled up, 
some of us because we think such lines of logic are unfaithful… 
         Well Mary asks this fairly universal question, 
and then calls Jesus to her side, 
to the hollowest valley of her grief… 
her brother’s tomb: 
“Come and see!”

         “Jesus come and see my sorrow! 
Come and see your dear one’s pain and loss and despair.

         To this, Jesus weeps…

 

         Jesus wept, 
and then prays aloud for our sake, 
so that we can hear God’s heart revealed to God’s whole self… 
see God’s tears on God’s cheeks.

         God revealed as coming down into this world for us. 
God entering into the tomb with us that we might come out. 
That we might be unbound, freed.

 

         The one weeping with us, Teacher, Lord, Messiah, 
our friend Jesus!
is the Son of God, coming into the world, 
who has God’s ear 
and who raises from the dead
—God’s beloved son. 
Who is the Life Beyond Life, 
the I AM… 
so close to God that when you look, you can’t separate one from the other…

         He too will go down further still into the tomb, 
will identify with us so fully that he will die, 
and will draw us so close to him that he will rise so that we too shall rise.

 

         The one weeping with Mary and Martha for Lazarus, will see them again—so soon… 

         Their lives touched tenderly by divinity, 
will be clearly seen, 
clearly transformed, 
their ordinary lives now extraordinary
—at the Last Supper.

         On Maundy Thursday we’ll enact, however imperfectly, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus’ transformed lives. 

         Martha will serve at table, and will catch Jesus’ eye and become THE example of Christian Love, 
the concrete example of Jesus’ command, “Love one another.” Serving one another as the ultimate act of love. Disappointment gives way to loving service.
         Mary will anoint her friend Jesus’ feet with a grand abundance of glad and joyous oils
—oil originally meant to cover the stink of death, 
will spread the scent of life instead. 
Mourning smelling of abundant joy.

         Lazarus very much alive, leaning upon his Lord at table, eating with Jesus. 
In the ancient world that was how you’d know a person was flesh and blood and not a ghost—if they ate… 
and he will eat, with his Lord, 
at his final meal before Good Friday. 
Death transformed into life.

Thanks be to God. Amen.