Part 4: "And he was deeply troubled."

Introduction:

In Part 4 of our online examination of the biblical account of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead, we will focus on Jesus' emotions. You can compare different translations, different videos, and different approaches toward the story.  You can also skip portions of the lesson that you don't find interesting or helpful.  Earlier Parts of the study can still be accessed through the Blog Archive menu.  I hope you will continue to check out the various features of each lesson and let me know what you think.  Please also let me know if you see any technical issues with the operation of the site. 

Prayer:

Lord, remind me that you are with us always, to the end of the age. Help me to relax, and to let go of all distractions.  Focus my attention on you and broaden my understanding of what you want me to know.  Amen.

Scripture:

In each part of this online study, we have looked at the same story in a different translation.  As indicated in earlier parts of the study, the account of the raising of Lazarus appears in the Gospel According to John, Chapter 11, verses 1-44.  Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this study (see the Blog Archive menu) have included the account as translated in the New Revised Standard Version, the Authorized (King James) Version, and the New International Version (NIV), respectively.  Here is the passage again, this time as translated in the New Living Translation (NLT):

A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Discussion:   "Then Jesus Wept."

There is a long history of theological discussion regarding the so-called "doctrine of divine impassability."  The phrase "divine impassability" refers to the notion that God, being sovereign, all-powerful, and eternal, would not be subject to pain,  suffering or emotions.  The Gospel of John insists right at the beginning of the first chapter, that Jesus is the "word" that became "flesh and dwelled among us." If Jesus is really who John says he is, then could Jesus have experienced real emotions?

The biblical account certainly does not present Jesus as emotionless in connection with Lazarus' death.  In the New Living Translation of the passage (shown above), Jesus is described as "angry," "troubled," and weeping.  The New International Version says he was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled."  The New Revised Standard Version describes him as "greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved."  The Authorized (King James) Version says he "groaned in the spirit, and was troubled." In all of these translations, Jesus is described as displaying very real emotions.  Is that a scandal?

It must have seemed strange to those who saw him as a messianic candidate.  Yes, Jesus was able to do amazing things.  But how could the real Messiah be weeping?

Church teaching has long described Jesus as having two "natures," a fully divine nature and a fully human nature.  Accordingly, he has been understood as fully God, but also, in his full humanity, as exhibiting a full range of human emotions, including compassion, anger, pity, annoyance, sorrow, and, of course, love.

But what of his divine nature?  Jesus repeatedly described a God who cares about humanity.  According to the famous passage in John 3:16, Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, ..."  Many of the prophets also described God with such phrases as "slow to anger and plentiful in mercy."  Could God really be saddened by human foolishness?  Angered by human intransigence? Delighted by human faithfulness?

It's a mystery, isn't it?  We want to think of God as too powerful to be overcome by any human action, and too all-knowing to be fooled by any human sneakiness. But we also want a God who really loves us.  When I was a little boy, I used to like to rough-house with my dad and my grandfather with total abandon, confident that I could not really do anything that would hurt them.  But I also believed, quite rightly, that they really loved me.  I wanted them to be proud of me, and happy when I behaved well.  Whether I realized it or not, the idea that they really loved me also implied that my words and actions could really hurt their feelings. Could that be true of God too?

In this episode about the raising of Lazarus, Jesus demonstrated at least a noteworthy human vulnerability.  He visibly shared in human suffering and sorrow. Shortly after the raising of Lazarus, he would take things further:  he would undergo the human anguish of betrayal, the physical suffering of whipping and crucifixion, and death itself.  Assuming Jesus to be more than just a deluded country preacher, I think those experiences only make sense as a demonstration of divine love.  To be more than merely tragic, the death of Jesus had to be more than the execution of Jesus the man.  It also had to be a loving, self-sacrificial gift from God. 

Reflection:

Do you find it comforting or troubling to think of God as having emotion?  Is it more comforting to think of God as above and beyond all emotion?  Is it easier to relate to Jesus, when we read about him exhibiting understandable human emotions at Lazarus' tomb, or when we read about him remaining super-humanly calm amid the storm on the sea? 

The Bible occasionally uses "anthropomorphic" descriptions of God, using phrases like "God was walking in the garden," or "the breath of God" or "the hand of God."  Most readers are comfortable with such phrases, even though they do not really think of God as literally walking like a human being or having human body parts.  If God has no emotion like love, though, how can we relate to God?  Could God's "love" be just a figure of speech?

What do you imagine the apostles thinking, as they saw Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus?

If Jesus was "angry" when he saw Mary and the crowd weeping before him, what was his anger directed at?  Was he angry at Mary or Martha?  At the crowd?  At himself, for being so "deeply moved"?  At death itself? 

Prayer

Holy God, help us to know you in an ever-deepening love.  Help us to understand how you seek to relate to us by sharing in our suffering. In the midst of all the crises and sorrows of our lives, remind us that your love never fails. Although you have shared in our suffering and tasted the reality of death, you are not defeated.  You conquer all suffering and you destroy all death.  In the name of Jesus, the invincible savior, who raised Lazarus and who promises life to all of us, Amen.

Part 3: "Tears of Anger"

Introduction

This is Part 3 of our online examination of the biblical account of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead.  I'm grateful for the feedback I've received about Parts 1 and 2, and I hope you will continue to experiment with the various parts of each lesson and let me know what you think.  You can still use the Blog Archive menu listing earlier postings to look at Parts 1 and 2, so don't worry if you haven't been following these discussions from the beginning.

Prayer

Lord, remind me of your deep concern for me in all parts of life.  Let me use this time to focus my attention and broaden my understanding.  Help me be to be relaxed, alert, and welcoming to whatever you want me to learn or know today.  Amen.

Video Clip

Here is a clip about the raising of Lazarus from a televised miniseries, called "Jesus of Nazareth."  Notice how the portrayal of Mary's words and actions leaves open several possible interpretations of her feelings. (The clip begins with the words of Martha.  Mary is the second sister who speaks in the clip)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlab9P_PAzQ

Scripture

We have been looking at different translations of the account of the raising of Lazarus, which appears in the Gospel According to John, Chapter 11, verses 1-44.  Here is the passage again, this time as translated in the New International Version (NIV):

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Discussion:   "Deeply moved in spirit and troubled..."

When Jesus saw Mary at his feet, weeping and saying that Lazarus could still be alive if Jesus had arrived in time, Jesus was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled."  All those around might easily infer that Mary had been overcome in her grief and sorrow.  Surely, she would have found the death of her brother to be a terribly sad event.  As noted in Part 2 of this study, it is at least possible that she may have been suffering from clinical depression.

Perhaps, though, Mary was neither overcome by sadness nor suffering from clinical depression.  Perhaps she was angry.  

It is not unusual for people to cry when they are very angry.  My wife has frequently told me that she does not cry from sorrow or hurt feelings nearly as often as she cries from anger.  If people then try to comfort her, saying something like "there, there, don't be sad," she finds their misunderstanding of her emotions even more infuriating.  And that makes her cry even more!

According to verses 28-31, when Martha quietly returned to the house to remind Mary again that Jesus had arrived and was calling for her, Mary rose quickly and went right to where Jesus was.  When other mourners who had come to the house to offer their condolences saw Mary get up and leave "so quickly," they incorrectly assumed that she must be going to the tomb to weep.  If the guests misinterpreted Mary's reason for leaving the house quickly, it is also possible that they misinterpreted Mary's tears and emotional state. (verse 31). 

According to verse 32, Mary knelt down before Jesus and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  While her statement acknowledges Jesus' healing power, the statement also may have been a complaint--as if to say, "You could have saved him but you didn't!"  

 It is at least possible that she hurried to find Jesus, not weeping with sorrow, but shaking with tears of rage.  Instead of saying that she "knelt," the Common English Bible translation says that she "fell at his feet." She may have been overwhelmingly frustrated and angry with Jesus.  The text reports that when Jesus saw her weeping (and the crowd also weeping),  he was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled."(verse 33).  Did he believe her tears and words expressed anger directed at him?  He would not have been the first man to find it distressing to face an angry woman convulsed in tears.  However he interpreted her emotional state, the text explicitly says that Jesus found the situation very upsetting. (verses 33-35).  But his purposes went beyond convincing Mary that she should not be angry with him.

I know a number of people who have reported feeling angry at God over the apparent injustice or senselessness of events or conditions in their lives. 

A parent has lost a job for no apparent reason, throwing a family into dire straights.  Why?

A much loved and admired relative has suffered intense pain and death from a prolonged illness.  Why would a loving God allow such suffering?

An elderly neighbor has been victimized by a crime, or a promising young student in school has been murdered by an unknown assailant.  Where is the justice?

Thousands of innocent civilians are left orphaned or homeless during a war.  How can God watch such events without intervening?

In the face of such suffering, it would be easy enough to reject religion or deny God's existence altogether.  Alternatively, a person could conclude that Jesus was not as powerful or wise or loving as church leaders have claimed.  But even if a person continued to believe strongly in God as embodied in Christ, it would also be understandable for such a person in such extreme circumstances to become angry with God.

If Jesus perceived Mary as angry over his failure to save her brother from illness, he did not criticize her for that emotion.  He did not lecture her about his divine mission, or her duty to trust his judgment and purposes.  He did not assure her that he would never "give her more than she could handle."  Instead, he just let her express her emotions without trying to deny the legitimacy of her feelings.  In this way, he respected and honored her as a person, before he did anything about raising Lazarus.  Then, without waiting for her to "calm down," he asked where Lazarus had been buried.

In short, God in Christ was big enough to bear the brunt of human anger.  God did not leave.  God's love did not falter.  And God is the same today.  When we are angry with God,  God still remains with us, surrounding us with love.

Reflection

Have you ever been angry with God?  Or have you known another person who has angry at God?  Has that anger been resolved?  If so, how? 

Have you found anything helpful to say or do, for a person who has been suffering from profound injustice that you could not alleviate?  Or for a person who has been suffering endlessly from a long-term illness?  Has it made a difference whether or not you have been able to do anything to meaningfully alleviate the suffering?

Think about the account of the raising of Lazarus again, in connection with such times.  Does the account seem reassuring?  Is the experience of extended, unresolved anger at God anything like being shut up in a tomb?

What do you imagine Jesus thinking, as he saw Mary approaching in tears?  What might Lazarus say, upon hearing Mary and Martha's account of what had happened outside the

tomb?

Prayer

Lord, be with us even when we are angry with you.  Be also with others suffering from injustice, violence and disease.  Help us know how to be of help to others who are suffering in mind, body or spirit. Remind us that you are Lord of all life, and Lord over death itself.  In the midst of all the crises and sorrows of our lives, remind us that your love never fails.  In the name of Jesus, who raised Lazarus and who promises life to all of us, Amen.

Part 2: "But Mary sat still in the house."

Introduction

Welcome to Part 2 of our online examination of the biblical account of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead. I hope you will continue to experiment with the various parts of each lesson and let me know what you think.

Prayer

Lord, remind me of your presence in all parts of life.  Let me use this time to focus my attention and broaden my understanding.  Help me be to be relaxed, alert, and welcoming to whatever you want me to learn or know today.  Amen. 

Film Portrayal

There have been many dramatic portrayals of the raising of Lazarus in plays, movies and television shows.  Here is a link to one of the portrayals that closely follows the biblical text.  It's from a movie called "The Gospel of John," starring Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR1ku3kE2lY

Scripture

The account of the raising of Lazarus appears in the Gospel According to John, Chapter 11, verses 1-44.  Here is the passage again, this time as translated in the Authorized (King James) Version:

"Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

²(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

³Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

⁴When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

⁵Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

⁶When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

⁷Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

⁸His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

⁹Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

¹⁰But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

¹¹These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

¹²Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

¹³Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

¹⁴Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

¹⁶Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

¹⁷Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

¹⁸Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:

¹⁹And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

²⁰Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

²¹Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

²²But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

²³Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

²⁴Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

²⁵Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

²⁶And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

²⁷She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

²⁸And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

²⁹As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

³⁰Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

³¹The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.

³²Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

³³When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

³⁴And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

³⁷And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

³⁸Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

³⁹Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

⁴⁰Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

⁴¹Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

⁴²And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

⁴³And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

⁴⁴And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."

Discussion:   "But Mary sat still in the house..."

I find it fascinating to notice the way in which John's account of the raising of Lazarus tampers with the reader's expectations regarding how the main characters will act.  For example, although the Gospel According to John almost always portrays Jesus as calm and totally in control of his emotions, verse 35 describes Jesus as weeping openly before the tomb of his friend Lazarus.  In verse 16, it is not Peter (usually the bravest and most vocal of the disciples) but Thomas who bravely urges his fellow disciples to join him in accompanying Jesus to Bethany, even at the risk of death.  The Apostle Thomas is frequently called "Doubting Thomas" because of his initial reluctance to believe the reports of Jesus' resurrection--but that description does not fit Thomas in this episode.

In the same way, the account's description of Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha, seems somewhat surprising.  In chapter 12, verses 1-4, Mary is described as anointing Jesus' feet and wiping them with her hair, at a banquet honoring Lazarus after his return from the dead.  In the Gospel According to Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42, Mary sits in rapt attention at Jesus' feet, while Martha is irritated that she must serve Jesus and the disciples without any help from her sister.  It is often assumed, then, that Mary was the more attentive follower, while Martha was more concerned with household logistics.  In John's account of Jesus' arrival at the tomb of Lazarus, though, it is Martha, not Mary, who promptly leaves the house to greet Jesus, and it is Martha who professes faith in Jesus as Messiah.  Mary, the author notes, remained at home.  In the King James translation, the text notes pointedly, "Mary sat still in the house."

Why?  Why did the two sisters not go to meet Jesus together?  If only one sister went to meet him, we might imagine that Mary would be the one to do so.  We might imagine Martha back at the house, hurrying to serve food to the other guests who had come to console the sisters. 

According to the John's Gospel, though, Mary remained at home, even after she had been informed of Jesus' arrival.  She only left her house to speak to Jesus after her sister returned home again "secretly" to get her, saying, "The Master is come, and calleth for thee." (verse 29).

Perhaps the two sisters perceived the etiquette of mourning differently.  Mary may have expected that she should remain in the house while mourners came to her and her sister to offer condolences.  Martha may have instead perceived a duty to go out to welcome Jesus, in order to recognize Jesus as more important than an ordinary well-wisher.

In all events, I think the sisters' different responses helps highlight the difference between depression and ordinary sadness.  Everyone is sad upon the death of a loved one.  The intense longing for the loved one feels overwhelming, and sorrow grips the heart. Mourning rituals are sometimes difficult for anyone to manage.  But life continues.  Sometimes, though, personal tragedies (or even otherwise innocuous events) can trigger an emotional and medical condition that is more debilitating that sadness.  Depression is not merely a mood, and cannot be overcome simply by wishing for a better attitude.  It is a biological condition.

Depression can render a person unable to make decisions and even unable to muster the strength to get up to do anything.  It can create a profound sense of hopelessness.  It can be physically painful.  it can destroy the desire to live.  It is not a mood or an emotion, but a medical condition.  Depressed people cannot think or act as they normally would.  Perhaps Mary was not just sad, but depressed.  If so, then Jesus' raising of her brother caused a healing in her too--a medical healing.  Then perhaps the restoration of Mary's sense of emotional control was a second, less frequently noticed miracle in Bethany.

Reflection

Have you ever known another person has suffered from depression?  What became of that person?  Have you ever been diagnosed with depression?  What kinds of medical and/or psychological treatment have helped?  In such times, has faith in God played any role in dealing with the depression?  In what ways has it helped or not helped?  Has God seemed present or absent in the midst of depression? 

Have you found anything helpful to say or do, for a person who has been suffering from depression?  Notice that although Jesus spoke with Martha about his own identity as "resurrection and life," and promised that Lazarus would live again. (verses 23-26),  he offered no theological pronouncements or promises to Mary.  Jesus did not give Mary any advice.  He simply asked where Lazarus had been buried, and acted to raise him.  Does your own experience in dealing with a person suffering from depression suggest anything about the effectiveness of offering a depressed person your own affirmations about Jesus' identity or eternal life?  What is the best thing to say to a person suffering from depression after a great personal tragedy?  What should we pray for, in dealing with such a person?  In what ways might the Bible or rituals (either religious rituals or rituals of daily life) be helpful?

Think about the account of the raising of Lazarus again, in connection with such times.  In what ways might the image of Lazarus being bound in a shroud and held in a tomb seem to reflect the feelings of someone in the throes of depression?  Does the account of the miracle seem reassuring?  Or do you react more like those in the crowd-- “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”  In such a time, how can Jesus summon a person suffering from depression to "come forth," to come out of a "tomb" of emotional deadness?

Is it significant that, after Lazarus emerges from the tomb, Jesus orders the people to "loose" Lazarus, and "let him go"?

What do you imagine Mary thinking, as she emerged from the house to talk with Jesus?  What might Lazarus say, upon seeing Mary and Martha outside the tomb? 

Prayer

Lord, be with us in all despair and depression.  Be also with others suffering from such desolation.  Help us know how to be of help to others who are suffering. Remind us that you are Lord of all life, and Lord over death itself.  In the midst of all the crises and sorrows of our lives, remind us that your love never fails.  In the name of Jesus, who raised Lazarus and who promises life to all of us, Amen.