I am the resurrection and the life

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  

 

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."   Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  

 

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."   

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  

 

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

 

- John 11:1-27 

 

In the first few verses of yesterday's reading, Jesus was still in a dialogue with the religious leaders in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.  These verses follow the sixth sign of seven given in John's Gospel, the gift of sight to a man who was blind from birth.   Yesterday we read that therefore there was a division again among the religious leaders because of Christ's sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), "do you say of Him who the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in Christ's words.  The Son of God being glorified must not be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying.  What this indicates is rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of his death (which occurred from a natural illness) and his being raised from the dead.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  My study Bible explains also that Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which literally means "God helps."  Note also that there is a reference here to Mary that notes an event not recorded in the Gospel until the following chapter (John 12:3).  

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."   Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."   Christ delays in order for Lazarus to be dead long enough that the corruption of his body could set in.  In this way, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord, my study Bible says, would be clearly seen by all.  The disciples reference an attempt to stone Jesus which occurred at the Feast of Dedication, reported in yesterday's reading (see above).  Jesus says, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps" -- compare to Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.

 

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."   My study Bible says that Thomas' statement here is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It is also an illustation of the path that all believers need to take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.   My study Bible indicates that mourning began on the day of a person's death.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days, it says; lamentation lasted one week; and general mourning lasted thirty days.  Here we see that, similar to the story recorded at Luke 10:38-42, these two sisters respond differently to Christ's arrival.  Martha is inclined to active service, and she rushes out to meet Jesus.  Mary, by contrast, remains in mourning until she is called by Jesus (John 11:28-29).  Sitting was the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14).  

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  While Martha possesses great faith, my study Bible comments, her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Jesus.  She says, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died," revealing that she doesn't fully understand that Christ is God, as she thinks He needed to be present to effect healings.  (Contrast this with John 4:46-54.)  When she says, "I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You" it shows that she lacks understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills.  

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life."  In order to correct Martha's misunderstanding, Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day, as well as here in this world.  My study Bible notes that such is the power of these words that Martha is immediately led to her great confession of faith.  "Do you believe this?" is not a question directly only to Martha, it says, but to all of us.  

 

Christ has the power of life and death.  Even before Holy Week, which we will celebrate next week, before His Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection, here in what is about to happen with Jesus' friends Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, we will witness this power of life and death.  He tells us (and Martha) plainly, "I am the resurrection and the life."  Note how already, prior to the events that are about to take place, Jesus' emphasis is on belief, on faith.  He says, "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."  Faith, then, allows us to participate in His life.  That is, in His life, death, and Resurrection.  But this is His power to share, to convey, to bestow.  And this is what will be on display in the seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus.  In this story, we will see several things on display about Jesus.  Of course, we hear this monumental, staggering news:  that the One who is the resurrection and the life is present to us as one of us in this world.  But at the same time, what is on display in this story is also fully human.  He is the special friend to this family, to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus -- and we will see that much further along in tomorrow's reading in Christ's fully compassionate response to their sorrow.  In a certain way, the seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus, will give us the fullness of the Incarnate Christ.  He will manifest the profound sympathetic depths of His humanity and the transcendent ineffable power of His divinity.  The seventh and final sign in John's Gospel will also be the one that decides the religious leaders once and for all that they must rid themselves of Jesus, and it will lead to His death on the Cross.  The fullness of His life as Jesus the Incarnate Christ will lead to what He will call His hour of glory (John 12:23).  Let us, through our faith, abide in Him, and He in us, as the resurrection and the life. 

 

 

 

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

 

- John 11:1–16 

 

Our recent readings have focused on Jesus' attendance at two festivals in Jerusalem; one was the fall Feast of Tabernacles, and the other in winter, the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah).  He has been disputing with the religious leaders, and performed the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel, the healing of a man blind from birth.  He has evaded arrest and stoning, and has been accused of blasphemy, for making Himself equal with God.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in our law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  In this chapter, we will read of the seventh and final "sign" given in John's Gospel, the resurrection of Lazarus.  We have been reading of Christ's disputing in the temple with the religious authorities, but this seventh and final sign will seal their decision to put Jesus to death.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  My study Bible tells us that Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which literally means "God helps."  

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha in order to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in the words of Christ.  The Son of God being glorified, it says, mustn't be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying.  This indicates rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of Lazarus' death (which occurred from a natural illness), and being raised from the dead.  

 

 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Christ delays His departure for Bethany so that Lazarus will be dead long enough that the corruption of his body sets in.  In this way, my study Bible explains, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all.  

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."   The disciples, warning Jesus, are referring to the events in Jerusalem covered in John 10:29-39.   During the Feast of Tabernacles, against the backdrop of celebrations of light (such as the giant lamps which illumined the whole city of Jerusalem on the last night of the festival) Jesus repeatedly spoke of Himself as the light of the world (see John 8:12; 9:5).  

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  Regarding Christ's comment that Lazarus sleeps, my study Bible asks us to compare it with Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.  It adds that Thomas's statement in the final verse here is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  Moreover, it also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24). 

Jesus begins the journey to the accomplishing of the final "sign" of His ministry, the raising of Lazarus.  We can take into consideration the powerful courage and character it shows about Christ at this time.  First of all, it's interesting that John more or less opens this chapter by introducing Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair.  This is an event which will be described in the chapter that follows this one, and so what we understand of this verse is that it makes clear that Mary was an important figure in the early Church, and known enough regarding this event of anointing Christ that the Gospel's first hearers would already be able to identify her (see John 12:1-8).  Then John identifies Lazarus as her brother, and emphasizes the closeness of this family to Christ by making explicit the message of the sisters to Jesus:  "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  There is a great bond of love between these sisters and brother and Jesus, and this chapter's events will make that very clear.  So while John goes out of his way to establish the love of Christ for this family, we can take a deeper understanding of Christ's boldness and courage in delaying His trip to Bethany, so that Lazarus will be dead for long enough that his body is corrupted when Jesus arrives.  We only have to consider what confidence in the word of God the Father Jesus has in order to do so, since He clearly knows what He is going to do, affirmed by His words telling the disciples that "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  All of this is deliberate, and yet done, at the same time, with those whom He deeply loves.  This shows a type of detachment and strength of character most thoroughly perfected in Christ, but also belonging to the saints and the faithful throughout the history of the Church.  There is an interesting understanding of the words "meek" or "gentle" as used by Jesus.  For example, when He says, "Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5), or "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).  If we wish to understand meek or gentle as Christ uses these concepts, we're to perceive that it means strength under control.  This is a deep facet of strength, a strength perfected in its necessary dispassion for difficult times or actions.  In this case, the final sign of the Gospel, which will be so stupendous it will decisively lead the religious leaders to plot to kill Jesus.  Jesus shows that great strength of character that allows Him to fully feel His love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and yet remain dispassionate enough to delay His journey, and confident enough to follow the Father to this greatest and most unexpected of miraculous works.  At the same time, He knows it will be the thing that convinces the religious leaders that they must kill Jesus, so that they plot for His crucifixion.  All of these attributes of Jesus, taken together -- love, courage, dispassion, strength, absolute confidence and faith in God the Father -- combine to teach us something about the fullest acquisition of character we might aspire to.  That is, we seek to be "like Christ," and here He exemplifies all the ideals we might aspire to for ourselves, and might acquire through faith and grace working in us to fulfill this image and potential.  There is a deeper echo of the courage involved here in the unwitting prophecy spoken by Thomas, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  For this also portends not only for Christ but for His followers, for the nascent Church that will be left in the world after Christ's Ascension.  So let us consider these aspects of what today's passage reveals to us, because they all tell us poignant things about faith:  about where it leads, the choices one may have to make, the strength of character that goes into the image of Christ to which we not simply aspire, but which faith and grace will hopefully make in us.  Let us not forget that these are forged in relationships of love.

 

 

 

This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  

 

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." 

 

- John 11:1-16 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has continued His disputes with the religious authorities in Jerusalem.  Chapters 7 through 10 were taken up mostly with events which took place at the autumn Feast of Tabernacles, but now the Gospel has moved to winter and the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah).  We are being taken through the final year of Christ's earthly life.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders with whom He disputed took up stones again to stone Him,  after He told them, "I and the Father are one" (see Monday's reading).  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there. 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."   Today we begin chapter 11, in which the seventh of the seven signs in John's Gospel will take place, the raising of Lazarus.  It is the final year of Christ's earthly life, and the effects of this great sign will be profound indeed, including the response by the religious authorities.  Bethany, my study Bible says, is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Here, Christ sends back to Mary and Martha a message to strengthen them, so that when Lazarus dies, they will take confidence in Christ's words.  Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar," which means "God helps."  My study Bible explains that the Son of God being glorified must not be understood to be the cause of Lazarus' death.  Instead, it indicates that Christ will be glorified as a result of Lazarus' death (occurring from natural illness) and his being raised from the dead.  Note the similarity between Christ's response to His disciples' question about the man born blind from birth ("Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him" - see Thursday's reading) and His response to Martha and Mary regarding Lazarus' illness.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." My study Bible explains that Christ delays in order for Lazarus to be dead long enough for the corruption of his body to set in (see verse 39).  In this way, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all.  

The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."   Jesus again iterates that He is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5).  The disciples protest because of events which took place at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), which we read in yesterday's reading (see above). 

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Compare Christ's use of the word sleeps here to Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.  

Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study Bible calls Thomas' statement an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24, 1 Corinthians 15:31).  

In today's reading, Jesus states that the "sickness of Lazarus is not unto death, but rather for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  What is nominally a human tragedy becomes an occasion for the glory of God -- and that the Son of God may be glorified through it.  If we consider the events that will come as a result of the raising of Lazarus, we understand a deeper and more profound meaning to the term "glorified" for Christ, the Son of God.  The death of Lazarus will be the occasion that spurs on the religious leaders to put Christ to death, sending Him to His Passion and the Cross, the hour of glorification.  This occasion reminds us that what seems like a terrible tragedy by human standards may be the occasion for the glory of God -- and possibly more, an occasion for us to rise to God's vision for us and for our own lives.  It makes for a kind of exchange:  our visions and hopes in exchange for a life that God may have in mind for us, for a kind of glory that we can't get from our limited perspective or what a more earthly idea will build for us.  God's "long game" has different goal posts, different rules than our conventional lives and goals might encompass.  Who could imagine that the Cross -- the worst instrument of Roman punishment -- would come to symbolize the glory of God and the power to transform and transfigure even the worst event of human life, and power over life, death, and Resurrection?  It is the defeat of the final enemy, death -- and the power of evil in opposition to God.  So Jesus begins this journey with the illness of Lazarus and the seventh sign to come in the Gospel, the one that will lead the religious leaders to decide once and for all they must rid themselves of Him.  Let us consider Jesus' words when we are in the middle of our own crises, our own tragedies.  Is there occasion for the glory of God where you are?  Or for the glorification of the Son of God?  At the worst of times, we have occasion for prayer, for calling upon the most powerful force that transcends all things, to give us His light and show us a path we might not expect.  We may be asked to give up something precious to us, but what we seek is something deeper and greater and which pervades everything.  We just might wake up to something that is greater than our own preferences, better than our own ideas for the way things "should" be.