It had been a very long night for many of the residents of Bethany. Lazarus was terribly ill. Martha and Mary had awakened half the village in their effort to find someone who might be able to do something to help their brother. Many potions and cures were suggested, but nothing stopped Lazarus’ downward spiral. In the last few hours before dawn he became unconscious. Nothing his sisters or neighbors did roused him now.
Mary sat outside their home on her “thinking stone.” She couldn’t stand being in the house any longer. Too many people with too many ideas for saving her brother’s life were crowded around inside now. The last straw was when her Aunt Gishpa suggested rubbing chicken fat all over Lazarus’ body. “To draw the poison out,” she said. With that, Mary pushed through the crowd and left the house.
The cool morning air and first glimmers of dawn on the hills outside of the village were having a calming effect on Mary’s mood. Dawn always seemed to promise hope to her. But she knew her brother had no hope now. He was dying. She had seen this before. Two of her friends went this same way just last year. Mary doubted whether Lazarus would even last long enough to see today’s sunset.
“Feeling any better?” It was her sister Martha coming out to check on her.
“Not if you tell me my brother stinks of chicken fat now,” Mary answered.
“Not yet,” Martha said shaking her head. “They’re still arguing about what type of chicken they need to use to get the fat.”
“O, Martha!” Mary said as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around her sister. “He dying and there’s nothing we can do to help him!”
“Don’t give up hope yet, honey. He’s a strong man, and stubborn as they come. If anyone can pull through this it’s our brother.”
“I know, but I just wish I could do something to help him. He has always helped me when I’ve been in trouble. He’s been the best big brother any person could ever wish for. But when he needs help, I can’t do anything to help him!”
“You’ve done everything possible, Mary. You’ve been a good sister to him. We both have, and he knows it.”
“But I want to do something to help him! If Jesus was still here, I bet he would be able to help. And he wouldn’t use chicken fat to do it!”
“I know he could help,” Martha agreed, “but you know it’s too dangerous for Jesus to come here now. We live too close to Jerusalem, and if people there found out Jesus was nearby they’d be over here in an instant trying again to stone him to death.”
“I know, and Lazarus is too sick to carry him to Jesus. He would never make it. But I just wish Jesus knew how sick Lazarus is.”
“I could tell him.”
The two women turned to see their sixteen-year old cousin, Jedidah standing at the door of the house.
“I heard where Jesus was going. It’s on the other side of the Jordan River. I was there once with my dad. It’s easy to find.”
The two sisters looked at each other.
“I could get there in a day,” Jedidah continued. “You know how fast I can run, and I love running. Besides, Aunt Gishpa wants me to run all around town to find the fattest chicken in Bethany for her to use in her medications for Lazarus. I’d much rather go find Jesus than chase down some overweight chicken.”
“Then by all means go!” Mary agreed. “And go now, before Aunt Gishpa finds out you aren’t hunting down her chicken.
A smile lit up Jedidiah’s face as he started running down the eastern road.
“Wait, Jedidiah!” Martha called after him. “I’ll give you food and water, and some money for the trip.”
But Jedidiah was already out of earshot.
“Don’t worry, Sister,” Mary said. “He has family living all along that road. They’ll take care of him. Besides, he can always catch a chicken to take with him.” She grinned at that last suggestion.
“Fine,” Martha answered, “as long as he doesn’t bring it back here.”
“Come on,” Mary said, “let’s go check on our brother. We may have to protect him from some more of Aunt Gishpa’s great ideas.
Jedidiah had spent the last fifteen minutes running uphill, after crossing the Jordan River, when he spotted Peter and James. “Where’s Jesus?” he gasped as he ran up to them. They pointed toward a crowd of people gathered around a house. Jedidiah didn’t even pause, he ran straight toward the house.
Jesus turned toward him as Jedidiah managed to squeeze his way into the house. “Lord,” Jedidiah said as he knelt before Jesus, “he whom you love is ill.”
“This illness does not lead to death,” Jesus answered, “rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Then Jesus turned back to teaching the crowd.
Jedidiah was surprised that Jesus had not done any more in response to the news about Lazarus, but he was relieved to hear Jesus say that Lazarus was not going to die. So he worked his way back out of the house to find water and some food. Sixteen-year old boys were always hungry, but a day of running had left Jedidiah feeling like a bottomless pit. He remembered a relative’s house being just a little further up the hill.
Jedidiah quickly found the home of his great uncle, who immediately assured Jedidiah that he was welcome to stay. After eating a huge dinner, Jedidiah decided to linger awhile before returning to Bethany. He knew his cousin, Lazarus, was going to be okay, and he always enjoyed watching Jesus heal people. And he liked listening to Jesus teach too. There was never a dull day around Jesus, so he started off for the house where Jesus had been teaching.
Two days later, Jedidiah was sitting outside at his great uncle’s house eating breakfast, when Jesus walked up to him. Jesus put his hand on Jedidiah’s shoulder, and then turned to the disciples with him and said, “Let us go to Judea again.”
The disciples were shocked by his words. “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and you going there again?”
“Are there not twelve hours of daylight?” Jesus answered them. “Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they are the light of the world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.”
Jedidiah noticed the blank stares of the disciples. They had not understood what Jesus had said.
Jesus also realized his disciples needed more information. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” he said, “but I am going there to awaken him.”
“Lord,” they responded, “if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.”
They still did not understand. So Jesus looked Jedidiah straight in the eye, and told his disciples plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Jedidiah felt like someone had plunged a knife into his heart. He thought Jesus had said that Lazarus would not die from sickness. He would have gone straight home if he had known Lazarus was still dying. Had he misunderstood Jesus?
Upon hearing Jesus’ words, Thomas said to the others, “Let us go that we may die with our Lord.” They were convinced that Jesus would most certainly be killed if he went so close to Jerusalem where the religious leaders had just recently tried to kill him. And yet every one of the disciples started after Jesus, who was already heading down the hill toward the river.
Jedidiah jumped up from his half-finished breakfast, and hurried after Jesus and the disciples. He glanced back at the remaining breakfast once, but Jesus wanted him to join him on the way back to Bethany. Besides, Jedidiah really wanted to ask if he had misunderstood when he thought Jesus had said Lazarus would not die – or was Jesus wrong?
The pace was quick, but of course Jedidiah had no trouble keeping up. But, try as he might, he never had a chance to ask Jesus about whether he was wrong about Lazarus dying. The disciples were keeping Jesus occupied with all their suggestions of ways for him to visit Mary and Martha without having to go to Bethany. But Jesus would not relent. He was set on going into Bethany.
They were half way to Bethany when Peter pulled Jedidiah aside. He said, “Jedidiah, we need for you to run ahead of us to Martha and Mary. We cannot let Jesus go into Bethany. It is far too dangerous for him. Tell Martha and Mary to come out of Bethany and meet with Jesus on the road. We cannot let people in Jerusalem know that Jesus is coming so close. They will kill him for sure if they get another chance.
Jedidiah was thrilled. He always loved to run, and this was a very important task that he was being trusted with. Jesus had come to save the lives of sinners, and now Jedidiah of Bethany might be able to save Jesus’ life.
“Will you go, boy?” Peter asked.
“Sure!” Jedidiah answered.
“Don’t say anything to Jesus,” Peter warned. “He might try to stop you, and you know it is far too dangerous for Jesus to go that close to Jerusalem right now.”
“I understand,” Jedidiah answered, his heart already starting to throb with the excitement of saving Jesus’ life.
“Then run, boy, run!”
Jedidiah shot out of the group like an arrow from a bow. He raced down the road as fast as he had ever run. He was determined to run so fast that Jesus would not have time to call him back. And in just a matter of seconds, Jedidiah had climbed a hill and was racing down the other side. He would never be able to hear now, even if Jesus yelled for him to stop. And he kept running, never slacking his pace. He was not saving himself to make the long distance now. He was running full speed to save Jesus, and somehow he would force himself to cover the distance.
It was not easy for Jedidiah to keep up the high-speed pace he had set for himself. His heart burned. His lungs screamed for oxygen. His side hurt so bad it felt as if he had been stabbed. But his legs were curiously numb. Every so often he looked down to see if they were still moving, because he no longer could feel them. And each time he looked down, he was amazed at how fast they were moving.
Once, when he looked down at his feet, he missed his footing and almost plunged head first into the rocky path. But he managed to catch himself, and kept going. Up and down hills, over two low mountains, through valleys, leaping over streams and dry creek beds, never stopping, not even to drink, Jedidiah was determined to save Jesus’ life.
Finally, he could see Bethany at the top of a hill. Jedidiah surprised himself, as his high-speed pace quickened even more with the sight of his destination. As he raced into the small village, he spotted Martha at a small shop buying more bread to serve the mourners at her house. He raced toward her. Then, too late, he realized he couldn’t get himself stopped, because his legs were moving on their own now. Jedidiah fell over a stool, and crashed into a table full of vegetables before he could stop running.
Looking up from Martha’s feet, he managed to say, “Jesus is coming,” between his gasps for breath. And he pointed toward the road over which he had just come.
Martha dropped her vegetables back onto the vendor’s table, and hurried away to meet Jesus. She too knew immediately that it was too dangerous for Jesus to come into Bethany. She would meet him on the road and tell him so.
She hurried down the hill toward the village well. Then she decided that too many people came to the well. So she hurried up the next hill, and went part way down the other side before she sat down to wait on Jesus to arrive. Even then she had to wait quite awhile because Jedidiah had gotten so far ahead of Jesus and the disciples.
Martha was about to give up and return to Bethany when she spotted a group of travelers in the distance. Knowing it had to be Jesus and his disciples, she hurried off toward them.
Jesus saw Martha coming and held his arms out toward his good friend. She ran to him, hugged him, and then said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus hugged her close and tried to tell her that her brother would rise again. But she just could not understand what he meant.
“Everyone who believes in me will never die,” Jesus told her. “Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” Martha answered, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” Then another thought hit her. “Lord, Mary is so broken up over Lazarus. It would do her so much good to see you, but it is not safe for you to come into Bethany. Please, would you wait her for a few moments, and let me go back and get her?”
“Of course,” Jesus answered. “It is important for her to be here too.”
So Martha hurried back into Bethany, and soon the two sisters were rushing down the road to where Jesus was waiting for them. They told no one where they were going, but Jedidiah saw them leave and knew they must be going to see Jesus. So he hurried after them.
Aunt Gishpa saw the sisters leave, with Jedidiah right behind them. She assumed they were heading to the burial tomb to mourn there some more. “Attention, everyone,” she shouted so the whole house-full of people could hear, “Mary and Martha are returning to the tomb. They are going to need us. So let’s hurry and catch up with them.”
Jesus heard them before he saw them coming. The cries, moans and loud wailing of the mourners following the two sisters echoed through the hills. Mary was in the lead as they came over the hill, and the others were all close behind.
Mary rushed up to Jesus, and knelt down at his feet. “Lord,” she said to him, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her tears and the tremendous grief that they were all feeling, he could not help it. Tears started rolling down Jesus’ cheeks too. He knew what was about to happen, but the terrible grief of Jesus’ family and friends touched Jesus’ heart. “Where have you laid him?” he asked through his tears.
“Follow me,” Martha answered as she turned to walk to Lazarus’ tomb.
The whole wailing, crying throng started toward the tomb where Lazarus had been buried. The closer they got to the tomb, the more the noise of grieving increased. Seeing the grief of his good friends and then seeing the place where Lazarus laid in death, Jesus again was choked with grief.
Jedidah saw Jesus’ eyes moisten again, and he turned to Aunt Gishpa and said, “Jesus is really feeling badly that he wasn’t able to save Lazarus.”
Hearing that, Aunt Gishpa began wailing even louder than she had been. Others picked up their wailing too. Mary could hardly stand up. She was so stricken with grief. Even Martha, who usually kept things under control and who worked out her grief by helping others, even she was starting to lose it.
Speaking through her sobs, Mary spoke as if to her dead brother, “If only you had just been able to hold on a few more days, Jesus could have healed you. You tried so hard. I know you did. And I tried to help you, but there just was nothing I could do. I’m so sorry!” Then she collapsed onto the ground in front of the tomb.
Jedidiah knelt down beside her, and said, “You did everything you could. You even sent me to tell Jesus, but even Jesus couldn’t do anything. He thought Lazarus would get well, but he was wrong.”
Then Jedidiah thought he heard Jesus say to someone, “Take away the stone.” He thought he must have been mistaken. Surely, Jesus would not want to go in there. The heart would have already done its work on the body. The heart in Palestine was the reason that people were buried the same day they died. And he understood that Lazarus had been buried four days ago.
But when Jedidiah saw some men trying to roll the stone away, he couldn’t help himself. He leapt up and lent his strength to help. The stone was heavy and awkward to move. It seemed almost to be resisting their efforts, at first. But adding Jedidiah’s hands was enough to finally get the stone rolling.
Jedidiah didn’t know what he expected when the tomb was opened, but he sure didn’t expect what happened.
Jesus started praying, and then he called into the cave with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
The wailing and crying stopped. The mourners stood looking at each other. Aunt Gishpa whispered to a friend, “Doesn’t he know Lazarus is dead?”
The friend whispered, “It’s the grief. It can make it hard to accept reality.”
But then even the whispering stopped when a sound came from the cave. It sounded like someone had kicked a pebble into the rock wall. Then sounds of movement could be heard in the cave. Everyone outside stood frozen, staring into the cave.
No one knows how long everyone stood frozen like that. It seemed to those standing there like hours passed, but it may have only been a few seconds.
Then a figure stepped out of the cave. Wrapped in grave clothes, he looked like a mummy. Aunt Gishpa screamed, and she and many of the mourners ran away. Martha reached down and held Mary, as if to protect her. Jedidiah and two of his uncles stepped forward, ready to try to protect the others but wishing for all the world that they could run too.
But Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
No one moved – not toward the figure and not away from the figure.
Finally, it was Mary who realized that the mummy-like figure was her brother. She jumped up and pulled the cloth away from his face. Open eyes and her brother’s big smile greeted her. She threw her arms around him and kissed him several times.
Jedidiah and his uncles edged in closer – looking suspiciously – until Lazarus spoke to them. They yelled his name, and Jedidiah turned and yelled to those who had run away, “Its Lazarus! – He’s alive!”
But no one removed all the grave clothes that were still binding Lazarus – at least not until Martha sprang into action. She joyfully began pulling and tugging at the bindings, while talking to her brother the whole time. “Brother, you scared us to death! It’s a good thing you have Jesus for a friend. We thought you would be smelling really bad after being buried for four days, but you smell better than you did when you were alive. I mean when you were alive before – before you died and were buried. I know you’re alive again, but you smell really good now. Must be all those spices we buried with you, or maybe Jesus did something to make you smell better. Is this just a temporary good smell that people have when they come back to life, or do dead people continue to smell this good when they come back to life? I don’t know, because I’ve never known any dead people who came back to life.”
“Martha,” Mary said, interrupting her sister.
“I’m not making any sense am I?” Martha asked.
“No, you’re not,” Mary answered, “and before you remove any more grave clothes we need to get him something to wear.”
Martha looked again at her brother. She quickly realized that there was nothing under the grave clothes she was so rapidly removing. Immediately she turned to Jedidiah and said, “Take off your tunic and put it on your cousin. It seems he’s not wearing any more than the first time he came into this world.”
But before Jedidiah could comply, Martha turned back to Lazarus and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re alive!” she shouted.
Mary quickly joined her sister in hugging their brother again. Then, in unison, the two women both turned and threw their arms around Jesus. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” they said repeatedly.
By this time those who had run away had also returned and they began hugging Lazarus, and Jesus, and each other. They were praising God, and thanking Jesus, and then hugged Lazarus some more. Other people in Bethany were starting to hear the news, and they were coming out to see Lazarus and Jesus. And Martha hadn’t even had time to organize a feast, before people in Jerusalem were hearing about what Jesus had done. The news spread across the land like wildfire, but – just as quickly – a meeting of the Sanhedrin was called together by the chief priests and the Pharisees to deal with this terrible problem that Jesus was causing. Even before he returned for Lazarus, Jesus knew the officials would have to crucify him now.
(Read John 11:23-26)
Questions for Meditation, Discussion or Preaching
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
