A5- PART Q

PART Q: Lazarus lives
PART Q: LAZARUS LIVES
Four days after his death, Lazarus is brought back to life. Jesus makes a symbolic,
sacred entry into Jerusalem.
Martha and Mary lived in Bethany.
Their brother Lazarus was taken ill.
The sisters were concerned to tell the Lord
because their brother was a special friend
of his – not a disciple but a friend.
The message that they sent was clear enough:
‘Dear Lord, our brother Lazarus is sick.’
When Jesus heard the news he did not rush
to Bethany, but waited two more days
with his disciples, then he said, ‘Let’s leave –
now our friend Lazarus is fast asleep.’
Not everyone was happy to be off,
for Bethany was in Judaea where
just recently the Jews had tried to stone
their leader and would try again, no doubt.
‘If Lazarus is sleeping,’ they advised,
‘then certainly he must be getting well.’
So Jesus told them plainly what he meant.
By ‘Lazarus sleeps’ he meant his friend was dead.
‘I’m glad for your sakes that I did not go
immediately, for I shall have a chance
to show you once again, that I’m the One
in whom you can believe. Come! Let’s go now!’
Still they held back, till Thomas, called ‘The Twin’,
professed himself prepared to stand and die
alongside Jesus in Judaea or
wherever elsewhere he might choose to lead.
The Lord did not reach Bethany until
his friend had been entombed for four days.
Some mourners from Jerusalem – (which was
but two short miles away) – already there,
were standing, weeping and in deep distress.
When Martha heard that Jesus was in sight
she hurried down the road to speak to him
and kneeling at his feet, bemoaned the fact
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A gospel in blank verse with rhymed parables
that he had come so late. ‘Had you been here
when he was still alive, my brother would,
I’m sure, be breathing still: but even now
I know that what you ask of God will come
about.’ ‘Your brother Lazarus will rise
again,’ said Jesus. ‘Oh, I know that he
will rise again, as all will rise, upon
the Day of Resurrection,’ Martha said.
‘I am the Resurrection and the Life.
He who believes in me, though he should die
will yet live on; and he who lives and still
has faith in me will never die. Is that
what you believe?’ ‘Yes, Lord’, she said, ‘I do:
and I believe you are the Christ, the One,
who’s come into the world, the Son of God.’
Then quickly leaving Jesus, she went back
to find her sister Mary in amongst
the folk who’d come to mourn their brother’s death.
‘The Lord is here’, she whispered, ‘and would like
a word.’ So Mary quietly slipped away:
but those who saw her leave assumed that she
was going to the tomb of Lazarus
to grieve there, so they followed her and saw
how she too, sobbing, fell upon her knees
before the Lord and cried, ‘Had you been here
our brother would have lived!’ And Jesus wept
to see how overcome the mourners were
and how the sisters, quite beside themselves,
were giving way to sorrow and despair.
‘Please show me where you’ve put him’, Jesus said
and weeping still, was taken to the cave
which served as tomb. Some bystanders were heard
to say how much the death of Lazarus
would seem to have affected him. A few
were critical. ‘This man works miracles.
If he can give a blind man sight, why not
arrive in time to keep a friend alive?
By then the Lord had reached the tomb. A stone,
as was the custom, had been used to block
the entrance and to seal it off from thieves.
‘Remove the stone,’ said Jesus, ‘right away.’
But Martha raised her voice in protest. ‘Lord,’
she said, ‘he has been dead for four days.
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PART Q: Lazarus lives
His body may be rotting and the place
will smell’. ‘Martha,’ he said, ‘did I not say
to you that if you would believe, you’d see
God’s glory yet again revealed.’ And so,
reluctantly, they took away the stone.
Then Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said
‘I thank you, Father, that you’ve heard me speak.
I know you always listen when I call.
I shout aloud, so those who’re standing by
may know for certain that I come from You
and am your Chosen One.’ At this he raised
his voice and shouted, ‘Lazarus! Come out!’
And Lazarus walked out, his hands and feet
all bound in linen strips, a burial cloth
close wrapped around his face. He needed help.
‘Unbind him,’ Jesus said, ‘and set him free.’
What Jesus did for Lazarus became
well-known throughout the whole of Israel
and many came to Bethany to see
the man who had been brought back from the grave.
The interest in Jesus therefore grew
and many Jews began to follow him.
The Pharisees’ response was to decide
that Lazarus must die a second time.
They plotted how they might put both to death.
The Chief Priests and the elders, all were told.
Here was a man who posed a constant threat
– an upstart, yet the name on every lip –
a critic who could trounce them in debate
who conjured signs and marvels by the score.
Two days before the feast of Passover
the priests and elders called a conference:
and first on their agenda was to seek
some way of dealing with the Nazarene.
They thought his presence at the public feast
was certain. Why not have him seized and killed?
The problem was he seemed so popular
That to arrest him might provoke a riot
especially at that time of festival.
They feared that they might have to shoulder blame
and argued that they dare not take that step.
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A gospel in blank verse with rhymed parables
The High Priest, Caiaphas, berated them.
‘But if you just ignore him, the result
might be that everyone will follow him.
Our way of life might be in jeopardy.
The Romans might well use him as excuse
to undermine our very nationhood.
Do not you understand that we are bound,
however serious that step might be,
to do whatever we might have to do
to safeguard all our people – our whole race
our culture, history, and identity?
One man shall pay the price that saves us all.’
Many believed that High Priests sometimes were
channels of prophesy. It was a gift
God-given with their holy offices.
On this occasion such belief is seen
to have been surely fully justified.
With no clear understanding what he’d meant
The High Priest prophesied the Lord would die
not only for the Hebrew race, but all
of us… for men and women everywhere!
Wherever Jesus was, there was a crowd –
well not quite always, but it was a fact
that what he had to say and what he did
assured him of a ready audience.
The Scribes and Pharisees were often there.
They only followed in the hope that he
would say or do something to undermine
his popularity. They were the few.
The vast majority were on his side:
his actions and his words delighted them.
This made it difficult for those who wished
to have the Lord arrested, tried and killed.
The Temple Officers would find themselves
attacked if they dared lay a finger on
so popular and well-beloved a man.
Then, unexpectedly they were approached.
Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve
appeared and said he was prepared, for cash,
to tip them off at some time when the crowds
had all dispersed. The Pharisees agreed.
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PART Q: Lazarus lives
Who knows why Judas should betray the Lord?
We are not certain how he got his name!
Perhaps his birthplace had been Karioth:
Iscariot may be a soubriquet,
a name acquired after the event
with the double meaning of ‘betrayer’
and, unexpectedly, ‘deliverer’.
Certain, it is, he sought out the Chief Priests
and offered to make easy an arrest.
The deal was done. The priests had cause to crow.
Something symbolic in the price they paid
made self-congratulation apposite.
It was the forfeit that the Law required
if any Hebrew murdered his own slave.
All Judas had to do was tell them when
Jesus could be arrested out of sight,
away from public gaze.
The Feast of Passover came round again
and Jesus seemed intent on going south.
Though all of his disciples lagged behind
he strode ahead towards Jerusalem.
All were afraid he’d be in danger there
and for themselves they’d reasonable fears.
So Jesus told them all to gather round.
‘You know that men of old had much to say
about the Son of Man: and soon we’ll see
how right their prophesies will prove to be
for he must fall into the hands of those
Chief Priests and Scribes who will deliver him
to be condemned to death the Roman way.
The Son of Man will suffer mockery,
be spat upon and treated shamefully:
and finally he will be crucified.
But, three days afterwards, he will arise
and leave his tomb.’ But none of this made sense
to any of the Twelve. Their minds were closed.
At last the hour came for the Lord to star
upon his journey to Jerusalem
and leaving Galilee he made his way
towards Judea, and, as usual,
crowds followed in his footsteps all the way
to listen to his teaching and be healed.
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A gospel in blank verse with rhymed parables
Now, Jesus rarely travelled on his own
and usually sent messengers ahead
to warn each village of his near approach
especially if he meant to stay the night.
On this occasion, some Samaritans
refused him welcome since it was quite clear
his destination was Jerusalem
to worship there. This was the crux of all
the disagreements that divided Jews
from those who called Samaria their home.
For James and John the insult was too much.
They wanted retribution straight away.
They asked the Lord if they might not call down
brimstone and fire from the skies to kill
those in the village who’d not welcomed him.
But Jesus was severe in his rebuke
and made it clear in no uncertain terms
that they should simply find another place
to stay the night.
It was the week before the Passover
when Jesus, travelling to Jerusalem,
called in for supper with the family
of Martha, Mary and of Lazarus.
He was the man whom Jesus brought to life
although he’d been entombed for four whole days.
Perhaps by way of thanks, while Martha served,
her sister Mary took some spikenard –
a pint or thereabouts – which she began
to use to spread upon her guest’s bare feet.
The house was filled with fragrance by the cream –
its perfume so pervasive and intense
that his disciples were quite overcome –
except for one – Judas Iscariot.
“That ointment would be worth a year’s wage,
to any labourer,” he said. “What waste!
We might have giv’n the money to the poor.”
But Jesus intervened. ‘Let her alone.’
To Mary he said, ‘Please don’t use it all.
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PART Q: Lazarus lives
It can be used, when need be, on the day
of my own burial. The poor will still
be with you – you’ll have them: but you will not
always have me among you, as I am,
today. The hour is getting late.’
The Chosen People’s’ pride and sacred home,
Jerusalem , the Jewish capital,
was for the Lord, the cause of much distress.
It was with sorrow that he spoke of it:
for prophets who’d been sent to help it find
a better way to serve the Living God
had always been ignored or stoned to death.
He often spoke of it regretfully
as if God were a mother hen who tried
to constantly protect her errant chicks
by offering them the safety of her wings
to only have her proffered help refused.
‘For now,’ he said, ‘there is no help at hand,
nor will there be until you say to me,
“Here is the One who has been blessed by God
and in His Name He comes to visit us.”’
When they were very near Jerusalem
and walking through a village called Bethphage,
Jesus despatched two messengers ahead.
They were to fetch a foal for him to ride
and, in the village they could see close by
they’d find just what he wanted, out of doors,
and tethered fast. They must release the foal.
Should they be questioned what they were about –
untying a young donkey not their own –
they must reply ‘The Lord has need of it
and will return it to you very soon.’
Tied to a door out in the open street
the two disciples found the foal and did
as Jesus had commanded, at which point,
– again as he’d predicted – they were stopped.
The owners wished to know what they were at.
‘Jesus the Healer needs it for himself
but do not fear, we’ll bring it back to you.’
This was enough to satisfy the men.
Without demur they watched it led away.
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A gospel in blank verse with rhymed parables
And thus, on loan, this donkey’s foal, this colt,
as yet un-ridden and untried, was brought
to Jesus and a sort of saddle made
of cloaks and other garments spread upon
its back. So, when he’d mounted it and rode
towards Jerusalem, then everyone
with clothes to spare, discarded them to make
his way as smooth as possible – to cheer,
to honour and to celebrate a man
who had brought health and hope and miracles
wherever he had gone. ‘Blessed is he,’
they cried, ‘who comes to us in God’s own name.’
Yet Zechariah had foretold all this:
‘Come! Shout aloud! Your king is on his way:
patient and meek and riding on a colt.’
So now ‘Hosanna’ was the cry. ‘The King
of Israel is on his way, whose deeds
and mighty works we’ve all seen for ourselves.’
Those close to him could see he was in tears
and speaking to the city (as it were)
he said, ‘If only at so late an hour
you recognised that peace and sinlessness
are indivisible. But you are blind:
and one day every enemy you have
will threaten and blockade and capture you.
The buildings people look upon with pride
will be demolished and reduced to dust
and your inhabitants all left for dead.
Why so? Because you did not recognise
just Who it was had come to visit you’.
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