What’s permanent?

We all want things to last. There is comfort in permanence; if nothing else, it is predictable. The moon is permanent and predictable. There is something wonderful about watching it wax and wane but always being there, even when we can’t see it.

We want our relationships to last. We want the relationships of people we love to last. Just about everything we value, we want to stick around. But we know it won’t.

Today’s Gospel lesson is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. When Lazarus got sick, and it began to look serious, Jesus was sent for. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead. He had been dead for four days. Jesus went to the place where Lazarus was buried, and something extraordinary happened. As Jesus mingled with the mourners, Jesus wept. Let’s think about that for a moment. Jesus knew he was both able and about to raise Lazarus from the dead, and yet he wept. Why?

I was reading a post by Diana Butler Bass this past week, and she pointed out something I had never considered before. Jesus, by weeping, entered into the grieving community. Jesus knowledge of his power did not prevent him from participating as a member of that community. We know the rest of the story: Lazarus was raised from the dead. But, back to what’s permanent. Lazarus was not permanently dead, but he wasn’t permanently alive either. Everyone Jesus healed during the Incarnation is dead. So what is permanent? Community. The body of Christ. We are all part of that same community as it continues through the ages.

Let me know what you think about this interpretation of the story in John.

“What’s permanent?” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,