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Good Monday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
This is a very special week on our calendar each year. It’s Easter week and we walk through each day reflecting on what awaits us at the end of this week, the weekend which changed the world, Easter! I left you yesterday standing outside a tomb near the town of Bethany about 2000 years ago. Jesus was there with His disciples and the sisters whom they all loved very much Martha and Mary, who were grieving the death of their brother Lazarus. His body had already been in the tomb for several days. Tears was all that seemed appropriate.
Yet those tears were accompanied by deep, soul-searching questions about this man Jesus whom they thought they knew, but His recent behavior was really stretching their minds and hearts.
First, Jesus had delayed any response when He first heard of the serious illness of His friend Lazarus. Jesus had waited long enough before doing anything, that Lazarus had died and been buried.
Second, Jesus had told His disciples that Lazarus’ death was actually a good thing for God would be honored and glorified by it.
Third, Jesus had finally arrived in Bethany, certainly way too late, but now, standing at Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus had said something no human being could say much less fully understand: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die.” (John 11:25,26) And if all that wasn’t enough to cause His disciples, Mary and Martha to seriously doubt Jesus’ sanity, He next did the unthinkable, the unimaginable.
Jesus asked them to remove the large rock that closed up the hillside tomb where Lazarus was buried. And when they did, Jesus said “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) and then Jesus shouted at the tomb opening: “Lazarus, come out!” I doubt any of us can imagine what Jesus’ disciples, friends and all who were standing there thought, in that moment.
Surely Jesus had lost His mind. Who stands outside the tomb of a man dead nearly a full week and shouts for him to come out? But John the disciple who was an eyewitness records this: “The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face.” (John 11:44) Everyone stared, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. What looked like a mummy just stood there. No one knew what to do, everyone was paralyzed in wonderment or fear. So Jesus said: “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
I wonder who stepped forward first? Who was courageous enough to touch the mummy, to unwrap a dead man standing before them? Did they begin with his arms or feet or head? How long did it take them to unwrap him and how long before Lazarus finally said something? And what do you suppose were his first words? John doesn’t tell us, and I’m grateful he left it to our imagination.
What John does tell us is that the reaction was significant, of course… great celebration in Bethany, especially in the home and neighborhood of Martha and Mary, but also great concern, especially with religious leaders in Jerusalem, when they heard the report of this unexplainable resurrection of Lazarus.
John’s record says: “From that day on they plotted to take His life. Therefore, Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people. Instead, He withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where He stayed with His disciples.” (John 11:54)
Let’s not misunderstand. Jesus was not discouraged and hiding for fear. Jesus was spending some strategic days away from the crowds with His disciples, something like a coach with his team before the championship game. Jesus needed to help them understand all they had seen in recent weeks, especially the past few days in Bethany, while at the same time preparing them for what Jesus knew, but they could not imagine, was awaiting them in Jerusalem at Passover!
While they didn’t know it, John tells us: “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the countryside to Jerusalem…they kept looking for Jesus. But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so they might arrest Him.” (John 11:55-57)
We have no record of how many days Jesus and His disciples spent in this wilderness Ephraim. What we do know is after a few days Jesus told them: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, insult Him and spit on Him; they will flog Him and kill Him. On the third day He will rise again.” (Luke 18:31-33)
The disciples could not comprehend what Jesus meant. They’d just watched Jesus raise a man dead nearly a full week, back to life. Certainly no one in their right mind would want to harm Jesus and if they did, certainly Jesus had the undisputed supreme power to defend Himself. If He can raise a dead man to life, He surely can protect Himself from idiots who might try to harm Him, right? So they walked along toward Jerusalem shaking their heads in wonderment trying to grasp the meaning of it all.
A few miles ahead of them was the town of Jericho and perhaps the disciples thought a good meal and good night’s rest might clear away the fog, the confusion of what Jesus had said. But there was a blind man in Jericho, sitting on the roadside as he always did with his tin cup, hoping for a few Sheckles, and as Jesus entered the city gate a crowd came around Him almost instantly. His curiosity peaked; the blind man called out what was happening. ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by’ someone shouted back. In an instant the blind man shouted “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:35-38)
Of course, some people told the blind man to be quiet, but he shouted again, and this time Jesus stopped walking, held up His hand calling for quiet, and invited the blind man to come! The crowd parted, the blind man stumbled his way to Jesus, everyone held their breath and watched and listened. “What do you want me to do for you? Lord, I want to see!” (Luke 18:40,41)
Can you imagine the smile on Jesus’ face and the look of expectation with those in the crowd, especially the disciples? Jesus only said a few words: “Receive your sight, your faith has healed you.” Immediately the blind man could see, and his first sight was his Healer, Jesus!
Let’s just pause right here in the crowd and watch… what do you think he did or said? What would you have done? And let’s join the celebration with this song, my friends, and I’ll meet you here again tomorrow. . .
Today’s Scripture: John 11:38-57.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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