Life is full of mystery. Some of the mysteries are trivial. For example: 'Why do biscuits soak up cold tea faster than hot tea? Or 'Do you weigh the same holding food as you do after eating it?' There are also bigger issues: 'How can the universe be so huge and still be ever-expanding?' Or:'What will happen to me when I die?' The American Chinese poet, Li-Young Lee, pondered this last question in his poem: The Hammock
Between two unknowns, I live my life.
...
And what’s it like?
Is it a door, and a good-bye on
either side?
A window, and eternity on either side?
Yes,
and a little singing between two great rests.1
Today we hear again the story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44). A story that is under-girded by Jewish belief that life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. To use Li Young Lee's words, this life is“a little singing between two great rests”.
For the Jewish people the moment of the departure of the soul (yetziat neshamah) was a most significant moment, "Greater is the day of death," declares King Solomon "than the day of birth."2 And in the Jewish Talmud, which supports the view that the soul of a person is present for up to three days after death, mentions: 'The presence of others who, through their respect and prayers, show that they care, is very comforting to the soul.'
However, even after the fourth day there still remained an eternal soul-connection between the deceased and those they loved and it wasn't unusual for family members to talk to their deceased as if still living – which is not usual in our culture as well. Perhaps that is why the author of John's Gospel has Jesus arriving on the fourth day when the soul of Lazarus had left but he was still able to hear and respond and wake from his rest when Jesus called him. And then we come to the first 'punch line': the result of this 'miracle' was that many believed; some were concerned, and the religious leaders of the day were afraid. I wonder how we would have responded if we had been there?
The fear of the Jewish leaders, though, was understandable because the relationship between the Roman authorities and the Jews was quite fragile. They would want nothing to upset this uneasy stability. And this is the reason the author of John's Gospel suggests the religious leaders started to plot Jesus' death – it was all too risky and the Jews had too much to lose. And this sets the stage for Jesus' journey towards Jerusalem and for his passion, crucifixion and resurrection.
Lazarus is never mentioned again in the New Testament after his return to life. However, several other traditions arose suggesting what might have happened to him. The Eastern churches suggest he travelled to Cyprus, and became a bishop and finally died of natural causes and the Church of Saint Lazarus in the city of Larn'a'ka is said to have been built over this resting place. In the West, the Roman Catholic Church suggests he went to Marseilles in France and spread the gospel and eventually became a bishop.
In whatever importance we place on these traditions, and however we interpret the story, we do so in the knowledge that John's Gospel is full of metaphor and symbolism. What is significant is that the death and raising of Lazarus prepares the reader for the narrative of Jesus' death and resurrection. And for that reason, this Gospel story is often read at the beginning of Passion tide because both narratives hold the promise of our transformation – whether in this life or in a life to come.
For example, Robert AcAfee Brown was a US Chaplain during WW2. On his voyage home at the end of the war, he was happily surprised when a small group of soldiers asked whether he would hold a Bible Study discussion group. Towards the end of the voyage, they discussed the Gospel reading we had today. One of the men responded by saying the story of Lazarus described an experience in his life. When he joined the Marines at the beginning of the war he was immediately posted to Japan. At that stage of the war, there was little for them to do and he soon got bored. He got into serious trouble and ended up feeling very guilty and depressed. So much so he considered suicide. Then he heard about this story of Lazarus, and it was enough to cause a shift in his life that made a difference for him and for his future.
Often the challenges life brings us, hold the most potential for our personal growth. And just as the burial cloth that bound and restricted Lazarus in the Gospel story, we also can have experiences that leave us feeling tied and restricted.
In whatever way we treat this story – as fact or fiction – it does raise questions: 'Are there areas in our life that need to be unbound?' 'What aspects of our true self have we buried in the course of our life that are waiting to be set free? Who are the ‘life-giving’ people, or what have been the life-giving occasions in our life? And who is God inviting us to support, so they might wake up?
Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga
May you find peace and good will on your journey.
Phil
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1Ecclesiastes 7:1
2 https://poets.org/poem/hammock
