Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Today’s gospel story follows directly after Saint John’s account of Jesus’ raising of Lazarus. We often hear part of the story during funerals. The account usually ends with:

The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go."  Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

But even if you don’t watch soap operas you know real life never end so neatly. If only our adventures were as simple as story tellers would like it to be. John 11 continues for another twelve fateful verses.

Some of the people were awed by Lazarus’ stumbling from the grave and Jesus’ command. But others saw only a spectacular news item. Since they had no cell phone cameras to capture the event and send them directly to the local television channel they had to hot foot into Jerusalem to say, “He’s back! And you won’t believe what he’s done now!” which led to an impromptu meeting of the Sanhedrin and heated discussion about this latest crisis.

This closing paragraph of John 11 tells us that Jesus’ fidelity to Lazarus led directly to his crucifixion. Of course he knew that as he had said earlier:

“This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." John 11:4

So the story of Lazarus lends credence to Jesus’ words in John 15: 13:

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Jesus’ healing ministry and his death on the cross are inseparable. Whenever we read any of the healing stories in any of the four gospels, we should understand what it costs. The political tensions described in these narratives make that abundantly clear. Every time he heals someone the resentment and resistance to him rise.

Likewise, every time we ask God for any favor, be it a healing, a raise, or the finding of a lost puppy we’re asking Jesus to go for us to Calvary.

But that should not cause us to hesitate. He is eager and willing and glad to do that for us. He loves us so much both out of human compassion and out of obedience to his Father. He tells us repeatedly, “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be open to you!” and “Anything you ask in my name the Father will give you!”

So we should ask.

And we should be ready to go with Jesus to Gethsemane and Jerusalem and Calvary during this coming Holy Week. We will stand with him in silent, sorrowful petition as he agonizes in the Garden. We hardly dare to say, “You must do this for us!” but in our silence we will stay with him.

And we will watch in wonder mixed with sorrow and joy as he proves his intense love for us.