Lazarus

July 29–Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany

From the LCMS website:

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany were disciples with whom Jesus had a special bond of love and friendship. John’s Gospel records that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:15). On one occasion Martha welcomed Jesus into their home for a meal. While she did all the work, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to his Word and was commended by Jesus for choosing the “good portion which will not be taken away from her” (Lk 10:38–42). When their brother Lazarus died, Jesus spoke to Martha this beautiful Gospel promise: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he life? (John 11:25–27). Ironically, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the death, the Jews became more determined than ever to kill Jesus (John 11:39–54). made Jesus’ enemies more determined than ever to kill him (John 11:39–54). Six days before Jesus was crucified, Mary anointed his feet with a very expensive fragrant oil and wiped them with her hair, not knowing at the time that she was doing it in preparation for Jesus’ burial (John 12:1–8; Mt 26:6-13).

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Two

Today we read another very familiar story–Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11:1-44. This reading is broken up in three parts: The death of Lazarus; Jesus going to console Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters; and Jesus raising Lazarus. Again, we see not only Jesus’s power over death, but also His compassion for his friends, as they mourned the loss of Lazarus. I also like the faith that Mary and Martha display in this story, both of them telling Jesus that if He had been there, their brother would not have died. They obviously recognized His power, but didn’t quite grasp just how powerful He actually was, as they didn’t consider and/or didn’t get that Jesus could actually raise Lazarus from the dead.