Lent 5A
"The Raising of Lazarus" by Rembrant, The Raising of Lazarus, Rembrandt. Oil on panel. 37 15/16 x 32 in. (96.36 x 81.28 cm). Late 1620s or 1630-32. Los Angeles County Museum of Art
533: Lent 5A (3/26/2023)
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist,Patreon
Karla Seyb-Stockton, Words to Live By Blog
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist,Patreon
Chris Strickland, Twitter: @ChrisStrickla
Musician - “Dem Bones” covered by Phish at Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA [6/29/16]
John 11:1-44
Initial Thoughts
This is another typical monster passage with a lot to cover, and I may argue it is stopped too soon.
46-53 is an important part of the story. In the Gospel of John, the raising of Lazarus is the moment when the leaders decided that they needed to kill Jesus (it is better for one to die than the whole nation). This act made them realize just how dangerous Jesus is.
Robb’s Blog: Lazarus was a Miracle and a Motive.
Bible Study
Lazarus is ill
10:40 “Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had baptized at first, and he stayed there” This was the “Jordan at Bethany”
Which Mary?
probably not Mary Magdalene, or she would have been called by name.
At the cross in John 19:25 “Jesus’ mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.” Is this Mary the wife of Clopas?
John is only gospel that names the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil, thus making it less likely historically to be the same person.
In John, Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet comes in the next chapter, and it is tied directly to Judas’s betrayal. The anointing takes place immediately before Jesus enters Jerusalem.
In Matthew, this scene takes place immediately before the Passover meal, and is only tacitly connected to Judas.
In Mark it takes place at Simon’s the leper’s house, and is the last thing before the Passover meal.
Jesus delays two days
Warn against going to Judea because the “Jewish Opposition”
Word Opposition is an important addition - makes the controversy a particular dispute, not a generality to be harbored across time
Jesus moves toward the danger
Jesus acts “for the glory of the Lord.””
The whole gospel was written “so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ… and that believing, you will have life in his name.”
In fact, “For the glory of the Lord” is a good lens through which to read the entire gospel of John. Everything happens “For the glory of the Lord,” or “so that you [the reader] will believe and have life.”
Thomas (Didymus) rallies the other disciples “Let’s go too so that we may die with Jesus.”
Jesus with Martha and Mary
Lazarus had been dead four days (but Jesus waited two)
“[The timing] is significant because of the Jewish belief that the soul lingers near the body for three days until the soul leaves the body for good.” Ashley Wilcox, The Women’s Lectionary, p.87.
He came from Bethany at Jordan to Bethany near Jerusalem, this is not a distant journey, less than 20 miles - one day’s journey.
Martha’s faith.
She believes Jesus could have healed Lazarus.
She believes in “resurrection on the last day.”
She believes “you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”
Mary falls at his feet, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Martha and Mary both tell Jesus, “my brother would never have died.” “The same “never” is included by Jesus in his response, ‘Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’...[Lazarus] is raised to life in the same old world. Life in Jesus happens here among the brokenness, failings, and limitations of the physical world.” Wilda Gafney, A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, year W. p. 185.
11:33-35 Jesus “deeply disturbed”
This scene is best seen through lens of Jesus and “The Jews” now, instead of Jesus and the sisters.
“These verses are among the most difficult to understand in the Gospel. From the earliest patristic interpreters of the text, commentators have struggled to interpret the words about Jesus’ emotion in these verses.” (Gail O’Day, “John”, New Interpreter's Bible, v. IX, p. 690)
“Deeply disturbed” connotes anger, not compassion.
“Translations suggest that the verbs … have to do with the depths of Jesus’ compassion. However, they are more interpretation than translation, because the Greek verbs do not have these meanings. The first verb (embrimaomai) connotes anger and indignation, not compassion… The primary meaning of the second verb is “agitated” or “troubled” and is used here to underscore the intensity of Jesus’ emotion.” (O’Day, p. 690)
Jesus is described as “angry” at Mary and the Jews.
Anger at death itself
Anger at their unbelief
The Jews say “Come and See”, which is the same invitation Jesus gave to his disciples.
Jesus’ invitation to “Come and See” was an invitation to see new life, the light of the world, and the glory of God. “The Jews” invitation to “Come and See” was to witness death. They were presenting evidence of death and despair in the world.
Perhaps Jesus’ anger is at the fact that death is the path to new life.
The Jews interpretation of why Jesus is crying should not be accepted.
“Throughout the Fourth Gospel, the response of the crowd, particularly when they are called ‘the Jews,’ is not to be trusted.” (O’Day, p. 691).
V. 37 is not a statement of faith, but a statement of derision, much like the taunting to come on the Cross.
Jesus wept
“The sometimes unabashed anthropomorphism of the Hebrew Bible tells us that God laughs, rants, occasionally even changes his mind. Yet the God of the Bible does not cry. He never weeps.” Allen Dwight Cunningham, “John” True to Our Native Land, p.199.
Jesus at the tomb
Jesus angry again at the tomb - perhaps because they sealed it with stone, thinking that was the final resting place?
When seen through the lens of anger, this conversation with Martha takes on a different tone.
“Untie him, and let him go”
The community needs to be told what to do.
Jesus is frustrated
There is no rejoicing, simply belief or reports to the Pharisees.
“I hope that when the Church hears Jesus cry, “Lazarus, come out!” all the people heed his words. Church, Come out! Come out of your comfort zone. Come out of your fortress. Come out of your “good old days.” Come out of your sin. Come out of the lies that tell us how to succeed, consume, spend, buy, then donate and be happy. Come out of your slumber, and go into the Kingdom. Come out of your slumber, and go into your mission. Come out of your slumber, and go and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” (Robb McCoy, Fat Pastor)
Thoughts and Questions
“To anticipate and locate the promises of the resurrection only in a future life with God is counterintuitive to the Fourth Gospel. This is why Jesus must interpret the final sign before it actually happens, lest persons even as close to him as Martha maintain only one mindset for what resurrection can mean. This Gospel wants us to know that another way to imagine the resurrection is to make it synonymous with life here and now. Jesus' revelation that he is the resurrection and the life upends any and all expectations of our future lives as heaven or hell, some sort of get out of jail free card, or postponed grace. Rather, the consequences of this final sign for the Fourth Gospel are that resurrection lays claim on our lives today.” (Karoline Lewis, Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries: John, p. 152, emphasis added)
What are you inviting people to “Come and see.” Are you inviting people to come and see the new life, or to come and see death.
It might be a stretch, but: Five Stages of Grief:
Denial - Jesus waiting to leave.
Anger - Jesus is “deeply disturbed”
Bargaining - Sisters lamenting, “if only Jesus had gotten here sooner.”
Depression - Jesus weeps
Acceptance - Some believe in Jesus, fulfillment of Jesus’ mission and self-revelation.
“Jesus wept.” What does it mean to follow a messiah who wept? What does it mean to have a Savior who cries?
A show comment from last time round the cycle: “I can never hear this account of Jesus' raising Lazarus without thinking of an impromptu Bible study I had with a bereaved mother in her hospital room. During my Clinical Pastoral Education unit (required for priests in training in the Episcopal Church), my assigned areas were the NICU (neo-natal ICU) and high risk pregnancy unit.
I spent several days visiting and praying with this woman whose baby died in her arms just hours after being born. The last time I saw her, she asked, "Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. Why won't he do the same for my little girl? I'm pretty mad about that--am I going to hell? If I do, will I ever see my baby?"
After I swallowed a river of tears and assured her that she was not hell-bound for being mad at God, I located the Bible in her room (thank you, Gideonites!) and started reading John 11. I even took time to explain about the Book of Signs and why Jesus raised Lazarus in the first place (can you say pedantic pastoral care?). When we got to the part where "Jesus wept", the woman stopped me.
"Do you think Jesus is weeping for my baby?"
"Yes, he's holding her now and weeping for her and for you."
That seemed to be what she needed to hear. But it probably isn't what I'll preach about on Sunday. Or maybe I will preach about Jesus weeping, without using that story.
Psalm 130
Initial thoughts
Psalm Song - "We Wait in Hope For Your Word" by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
Psalm 130 is found in funeral liturgy in the United Methodist Book of Worship
Too depressing?
Interesting pairing with the Gospel story
Themes: Waiting, hope, disappointment?
It has been a long winter
Bible Study
v. 1 Out of the Depths
From the valley of the shadow of death?
From the drone of everyday-ness?
From deep tragedy - cancer, divorce, loneliness, etc?
The death of a friend Jesus - Lazarus) or a brother (Mary and Martha - Lazarus)
Psalmist does not leave or refuse to interact with God, but even in the depths- cries out
Issues of timing
Our time vs God’s time - when it matches up and when it doesn’t
Harold Camping - May 21, 2013
“Here is a family separated by the obligations of military service, waiting for a beloved daughter to return. Here is a widow waiting for her home to sell, so she can move closer to her son and grandchildren. Here is a patient waiting for a lab report. Here is a man who has betrayed his wife, asking, praying, waiting to be forgiven. The preacher lifts up such waiting, not in order to tell people how they should wait, but to assure them that the pastor, the church, the psalmist, and the resurrected Lord all wait with them!” (Thomas E Mcgrath, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide.)
Active waiting: cry, hear, mark, watch, hope, redeem - active words in the midst of waiting
v. 4 - Forgiveness
Forgiveness is central to what IS known about God
Weird phrasing “there is forgiveness with you”
not simply about who God is
About who we are when we are “with” God
Individual and Community
We all sin - v.3 sometimes individually and sometimes corporately
It is easier to sin as a church, country or community - in other words we allows institutions to get away with things that we consider unacceptable for individuals to do.
Waiting is isolating- v. 7 and 8 remind us of the corporate nature of waiting.
Waiting with
Active waiting can be the most vital ministry
Thoughts and Questions
What are you waiting for?
What is the church waiting for?
What does it mean to actively wait for God?
Can we wait and remain faithful in the hope of something yet unrealized? Or do we give up and move on?
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Initial Thoughts
Prophe-sai, not Prophe-see
Prophesy (prophe-sai) is a verb, and action
Prophecy (prophe-see) is a noun
Ezekiel, priest and prophet at the beginning of the the Exile
Son of a priestly family - should have become a priest but was taken to Babylon in the first exile 597 BCE
Became a prophet at 30 years old while working in the village of of Tel-abib
Extreme embodied demonstrations of prophetic proclamation:
Laying on his side for 390 days and then his other side for 40 days
Shaving his head and then striking it around the city
Building a model of Jerusalem and laying siege to it
Packing up his belongings every night in a mock exile
Shaking and trembling when he ate
Repeatedly addressed as the “Son of Man”
Book of Ezekiel
“Ezekiel is surely the strangest of all the prophets…He was a Jerusalem priest, in all likelihood part of the group of an exiled elite that was deported to Babylonia with King Jehoiachin in 597 BCE, a decade before the destruction of Jerusaelm and the more general exile.” (Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Prophets, p. 1049)
~591-571 BCE
Prophecies are from before and after the fall of Jerusalem
Book was likely compiled after the the restoration of Jerusalem (538 BCE)
Bible Study
Ruach - v.1 the Spirit/breath/ or wind of the God brings Ezekiel to the place of this vision - similar to the spirit of God leading Jesus into the wilderness or leading Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch
More of a wind which picks people up and moves them or leads them in v. 1
A breath of new life in v. 5
A gathering of that which has been scattered to the edges of the earth requires the 4 ruach or winds to bring together - both wind and breath
Dry bones - important and often overlooked detail - these are not the remains of the newly dead (like Lazarus, Jesus, or Jairus’ daughter) rather these are the remains of bodies long dead and dried
Metaphorical Vision as described in v.11-14 depicting the resurrection of Israel, not proof of the bodily resurrection of Christians.
“The scattered, dry bones of the long dead are a symbolic image of the people of Israel in exile, its national existence ended by the conquest and destruction of the kingdom of Judah” Robert Alter, Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary vol. 2, p. 1164
Message of hope that Israel will one day be restored by God
Prophesying to dry bones
A bold thing to prophesy to that which is dead, much less that which is long dead. How often are we tempted to keep silent because we are sure our voice will not be heard?
We move from dry bones on the valley floor to the Israelites in their “graves” - not literal graves, but rather the graves of despair and hopelessness - the valley of the shadow of death
When the dry bones come together they form a great army - this is a collective militaristic and political force, not simply a resurrected collection of people
Resurrection: bodily and politically
Resurrection of the body can only be achieved through the power of God
There is nothing in hre about a
Political resurrection/restoration also can only be restored through the power of God, but the people don’t realize this.
Looking to Egypt as a source of redemption and restoration
Look only to God
“More than anything else human beings can hope for, Calvin claimed, the resurrection of the dead is so utterly dependent upon God that there can be no doubt that it lies outside of our powers. There are forms of immortality that one can recognize as intrinsic to existence in the normal course of things—the survival of one's heirs, influence, or reputation, for instance. For a body to be resuscitated long after it has begun to decompose, that is a miracle.” Kelton Cobb, Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide.
Resurrection, in the view of early Christians (Irenaeus and Tertullian), required a body.
Very different view of biology
Why the punishment by Rome (eaten by lions or hacked apart by Gladiators was considered especially cruel as it prevented resurrection)
Later those who were thought irredeemable by the Church would be beheaded to prevent resurrection
Dexter Callender Jr. points out the many connections in African American Spirituals and plays and this passage. While there is a “relative absence of allusions to the Bible’s postexilic narratives...the graphic portrayal of the restoration of the valley of dry bones in chapter 37 is a notable exception.” (The Africana Bible, p.161)
Method of restoration? Prophecy - prophetic proclamation of God - speaking truth to power
Prophesying is often seen a method of tearing down systems of oppression and power, here prophecy is a message of hope-filled redemption
However - the redemption of Israel will take place only through the power of God!
Ezekiel is called to preach the Word of God - that is the means of renewal and resurrection - a powerful task for any preacher
Ezekiel is told to call upon the Spirit of God and give it life - when was the last time you called upon the Spirit of God?
What is needed is not the latest technology or sermon series or program- what is needed is the word of God. The “dry bones” are listening, waiting & begging for someone to bring the Word.
Thoughts and Questions
When was the last time you called upon the Spirit of God to fill your congregation?
I always think the Spirit is already present, but perhaps it is a both-and. Perhaps calling upon the Spirit/invoking the spirit not only summons the breath of God, but makes us aware of its presence.
Who in your congregation is in need of renewal and resurrection? What groups or communities are in need of renewal and resurrection? What word of God are they waiting for?
Romans 8:6-11
Bible Study
Try not to fall into neo-platonic dualism of spirit vs flesh
Led to a bad history of condemning sexuality and promoting self deprivation
Paul was most likely well verse in neo-platonism, but this is much deeper
Instead of condemning the flesh/creation we are free to live as creation was intended- actually the glorification of the flesh/creation
Greek: sarx=flesh; soma=body - Paul is contrasting flesh and Spirit, not body and Spirit (like the neo-platonic gnostics)
Beware the dualism of the law and grace
Law is not bad - see Romans 7:1-13
Christ completed what the law could not (revealed a way of forgiving love and God’s gracious reconciliation), but the law is still good
No condemnation
Bold words - really? NO condemnation/guilt/blame?
What does it mean to be “in Christ”?
What do we mean by “in”?
Locally (in us) - mystical union of the human with the divine
Instrumentally (through us) - Roman appeal with the church as the ongoing incarnation of Christ. Christology gives way to ecclesiology
Modally (with or to us) - Christ is present when religious authorities look for Christ
All of these are backwards - not about being in Christ - it is about Christ being in us - Christ came to us when we were still enslaved by sin (condemned by sin) - Christ’s death frees us from sin through our own death and recreation
Categorically different state of being to be “in Christ” as opposed to not “in Christ” - not a matter of degree but of being
In Christ - to be liberated by the power of Christ’s forgiving love that frees us from what binds, limits and ties us down. Frees us from sin and reveals a new way of seeing and being in the world
How is this possible? Karen Chakoian’s story about Michelangelo- you can’t paint like Michelangelo unless there is a way to be Michelangelo. - The Spirit has made it possible for Christ to dwell in us! We can be like Christ
Not about you- about God
You cannot be in Christ- Christ is in you and there is nothing you can do about it. Christ is within you. “You are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, since the spirit of God dwells in you.”
Freedom to live as God intended when you were created in God’s image.
Thoughts and Questions
Great time to remind everyone that the news is good! Not about what we are doing (or not doing), but about what God is able to do in and through us
What does it mean to allow Christ to fully live within you? How can we practice this? What do we do to inhibit the Spirit from living within us?
The church still has a lot of body-spirit dualistic baggage- how can we overcome this? How can we emphasize that Paul is advocating for the beauty of the body as God’s creation not able to fully live as God intended?
Thank you for listening and get in touch:
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Misirlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and The Steel Wheels for our transition music(“Nola’s First Dance” from their album Lay Down, Lay Low) and Paul and Storm for our closing music (“Oh No”).