Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: BURIED (04/01/21)
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TITLE: Jesus Loves Lazarus--or Does He? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Laurie Kiel
04/06/21 -
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If he loves Lazarus so much, then why isn't he here? was the question no one dared ask.
"How is Lazarus?" she asked.
"I'm so sorry mistress, I think he's dy--"
"Don't say that! I know he is very sick, but Jesus will be here any minute and He will heal him! Haven't you heard of all the miracles he has done already, healing lepers, opening the eyes of the blind, making the lame walk--it will be a simple matter for him to heal Lazarus."
"It's too late, Mary," a grief-laden voice sobbed from behind her. "He's dead."
Mary turned and saw her sister Martha, framed in the doorway,
"No, no, no, it cannot be true," Mary shook her head in dazed disbelief. "Lazarus cannot have died! Jesus would not let that happen! He LOVES Lazarus."
At least she thought he did.
Four days went by. Even Mary had to finally admit it, for the stench from the grave was unmistakable. Lazarus was dead, and Jesus let it happen. He hadn't even bothered to come.
"The rabbi has come!" one of the servants announced. Martha rushed to meet Jesus but Mary lay prostrate in her grief. Why go? It was too late. Too little. Too late.
A few minutes later Martha came to Mary and told her, "The Teacher is here, and asking for you."
Jesus was asking for her? Mary wiped the tears from her face and ran to Jesus, falling at his feet.
."Oh, Lord, I'm so glad to see you!" She took a deep breath. "But Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." There! She said it! She said what was on her mind and heart. She might as well, for Jesus could read her mind like a scroll. Yet, no sooner were the words out of her mouth, than she wished she could snatch them back. She flinched at the pain in Jesus' eyes, and the hurt etched in his face. She wanted to say, "I'm sorry, Lord, I didn't mean it!" but so help her, she did.
Jesus asked Mary and Martha to take him to Lazarus' tomb, so they do. The sight of the tomb was almost more than they could bear. While immersed in her own grief, Mary could still notice that to her surprise, Jesus too was weeping.
Mary so wanted to believe that Jesus loved Lazarus but that hope was dead and buried in the tomb with Lazarus. How could Jesus love Lazarus and then let him die?
Mary's head jerked up as she heard Jesus command them to open the tomb. Open the tomb? Oh, but the stench! As Mary watched, Jesus seemed to change right before her eyes, seeming taller, stronger, with an authority blazing out of His eyes.
"Lazarus! Come forth!" he thundered.
Mary and Martha clung to each other in dazed joy. It was a miracle! Lazarus--he's alive! Jesus had brought him back to life!
"Take off the grave clothes and let him go," Jesus told them.
Oh, Mary had so underestimated Jesus. She underestimated His power. She believed, and yet she didn't believe. She knew he had the power of healing--but she didn't think he had power over death. She put limits around his power and he had just blasted those limits away. She underestimated his mission. She supposed she thought of him as a sort of private Messiah--there to love Lazarus, Martha and her and to meet just their needs. But she realized that his mission was far greater than that. He had a world to win, and they had just had the privilege of playing a small part in that. And lastly, she saw now she had underestimated his love. He DID love Lazarus...he loved them all.
* * *
Take off the grave clothes of your dead hopes and dreams, and let Jesus bring them to life. What dreams have you buried in your heart? What hopes have you buried in a tomb of resentment? Don't underestimate Jesus. He does love you, He loves us all.
This story is based on John 11:1-44.
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A minor correction: in the 15th paragraph you have, "so they do." I think you meant, "and so they did."
KEEP UP THE GOOD WRITING!