John 12:1-12
“So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well.” (John 12:10)
Poor, poor Lazarus. John does not record the actual deed. But if Jesus’s enemies were efficient enough to get Jesus killed, it seems a safe assumption that they were equally efficient in disposing of Lazarus. Only days after being brought back from the dead, Lazarus would join Jesus in being murdered. So, a man shows that he has such power as to raise the dead. Does this convince his enemies to listen to his teachings, and be guided by his direction? No, it only persuades them to eliminate all evidence of that power.
As we walk the Way of the Cross with Jesus this week, we start with those who were responsible for his crucifixion. Why such virulent, hard-hearted opposition? John gives this as explanation: “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said…‘If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation’” (John 11:47-48).
The priests were the leaders of the people chosen by God from the time of Moses. They were responsible for the Temple where God housed himself among his people. And yet, Rome collected the taxes. Rome had the soldiers. And the power. And so the Priests tried to placate both sides – the people impatient for justice, and the Romans who wanted order. They feared that Jesus would start a popular rebellion that the Romans would crush, along with the Temple, and the dreams of the nation of Israel, which would cease to exist.
It was an old dream they had. Jesus was trying to expand their vision to a new dream, of God present in all the world, and not just in one single temple. But the dreams of the Jewish leaders had been reduced to self-preservation. And what of us? What might we be so intent on preserving, in our country, in our church, to the point that we lose sight of the bigger vision?
The message of Jesus Christ is a message of new possibilities, of old certainties overturned. It has been jokingly said that the last seven words of the Creed are, “We have always done it that way.” Let not that be said of us.
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1 comment:
The Scripture you led with - John 12:10, sent me to my Bible (after a "What?!"). We seem to stop with verse eight and miss what follows. I was surprised because I didn't know (or didn't remember) that the authorities wanted to kill Lazarus, too, because he was a constant reminder that the people were deserting them for Jesus. I have been enjoying your blog; I just can't usually think of any comments to make. Keep up the good work...
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