Making Lent Personal

In today’s Gospel we see Jesus fully emotional - a real man - who loves, who mourns, who trusts and who cares! We see him in his care for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Their friendship long withstanding - And we see His response to the plea for help hearing that his friend Lazarus is ill.

I learned just recently that His wait for two days had real meaning to the Jewish community: the belief that the soul leaves the body after a person has been dead 4 days.

By the time He gets close to their home Lazarus is already dead - And he’s been dead for 4 days.

This time it’s Martha who runs to greet Him. And in her greeting, she acknowledges Jesus -we see His humanity - as he bursts out in tears of sorrow AND in frustration- John’s Gospel tells us He was ‘Perturbed and Deeply Troubled’.

Let’s pause for a moment and put ourselves in the scene.

This Gospel narrative gives us a genuine look at the humanity AND the divinity of the man we call Jesus.

Martha nails it in her response to Him when He tells her that Lazarus will rise - and then asks her if she believes Him.

Martha says in response: “Yes Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Emotional and Perturbed He asks her where Lazarus had been laid, wrapped in the traditional bindings of death cloths. They go directly to the tomb and Jesus, emotions again fully evident as He directs the guards to roll away the stone baring entrance to that tomb. Martha, beside Him, warns that there would already be a horrific smell coming from the 4-day old corpse! Jesus then paused.

And He does what we are all called to do, He prayed.

Father, I thank you for hearing me….you always do…. And because of all these gathered, I’ve said this so that they too may believe that you sent me.

Let’s take a moment friends - to let this scene sink in: A crowd gathered, a stone about to be moved away, a dead body inside, stinking from the stench of death, Martha, beloved friend and follower assuring Jesus of her trust in Him and her recognition that He was indeed the messiah, and Jesus, praying to God to bring life to death.

He paused, perturbed, yet praying, Son to the Father, to bring His friend to life - so that ALL there gathered could see - Lazarus - wrapped in death cloths - emerging to the door, hearing Him say, “untie him and let him go.”

This season of Easter - as we share this beautiful 5th Sunday of Lent, may we cherish God’s grace and the blessing of being untied. And, in the echo of our sister Martha, may we too affirm, “Yes Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

De Colores, 🌈,

ALL the Colors,

Patty