Reflection - Jesus raises Lazarus

From our Lent Resource:  Jesus raises Lazarus (John 11:1-45)

Have you ever lost someone you loved? It might have been a family member, or it might have been a pet? It is so sad when that person we love dies. And we can understand why Mary and Martha were so sad. Their brother Lazarus who they loved so much was dead. Not only was he dead, but they were friends with Jesus. They had heard stories of how Jesus healed people when they were sick, they had probably seen Jesus heal people. And so, when Lazarus had got sick, they sent a message to Jesus. They asked him to come, so that Jesus could heal Lazarus, and all would be ok.

But Jesus took too long, and Lazarus died. When Jesus turned up the two women expressed how they were sad and a little annoyed with him. If he had been there, then Lazarus would not have died. You can understand their frustration. They had a plan, they had a solution to their problem, but the plan hadn’t gone the way they thought.

But Jesus had a plan. He had told his disciples before he left that Lazarus was dead, but he would be made alive again. Jesus knew what was going to happen, there was a happy ending coming up. So you can imagine that as the two sisters came up to him, he could have said: “Hey it’s alright, there’s no need to cry, everything is going to be ok.” He could have ignored their sadness and just brought Lazarus back to life. But that’s not what happens.

As Jesus sees the sadness of his friends, he is brought to tears. How sad that they were so upset. I don’t know about you, but when I am talking with someone who is crying and upset, I start to feel the same too.

This reading shows us that Jesus feels and shares our pain and sorrow. He knows what is going to happen, but he still has the feelings that we feel. When we are sad Jesus is not there telling us to get over it, but he sits in the pain with us. Jesus cries when we cry. Jesus calls us to sit with those who are sad, to comfort them or just be a presence with them. Life is not always going to be perfect, but God will always be with us in the sad times. If you are in a sad time at the moment, know that Jesus sits with you in the pain and sadness. He wants to comfort you, but also wants to help you to move to greater things.