Lazarus Comes Out: The Aftermath

April 15, 2008

Oh. I forgot one widdle biddy piece of the story. In John 11 the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead plays all the way out from sickness to death to grave to new life. The chapter ends with the Sanhedrin gathering to discuss the problem of Jesus and ultimately determining to take his life. In the meantime Jesus withdraws to the remote village of Ephraim with his disciples until they begin the pilgrimage toward Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. This is where John 11 ends but not the story, which concludes in John 12:1-11. Have you ever read that passage? I don’t know if I ever had until the other day and I can’t believe what’s there that I never saw before. Take a minute to read it now. I’ll wait.

You back? Okay…

After Jesus called Lazarus forth from the grave, he remains close to him, so much so that on his way to Jerusalem Jesus makes time to stop in Bethany for no purpose other than to break bread with his dear friends. In Jerusalem he’ll eat a final meal with his disciples. In Jerusalem Judas will betray him. In Jerusalem he’ll be arrested and tried before the people. In Jerusalem Peter will deny him. In Jerusalem he’ll be beaten and mocked. In Jerusalem he’ll be nailed to a cross and hang there suffering until death takes him. Before the week is over it will have all unfolded but for now it can wait because he loves Lazarus and wants to spend this time with him, this one who he raised from the dead who will in a few days mourn his own death. How tender is that? I can never imagine what was going on in the heart and mind of Jesus but imagine the affection, love and gratitude that must have been flooding over Lazarus as he looked across the table at Jesus.

When I imagine Lazarus and Jesus breaking bread together at the table in Lazarus’ home, I don’t see there being a lot of conversation. I don’t hear Lazarus going on and on in trying to express his appreciation to Jesus for what he did anymore than I hear Jesus telling Lazarus it was his pleasure to help out. Instead, I just picture them sitting quietly near each other, enjoying being in each others’ presence and feeling in their hearts all they held for the other that didn’t even need to be spoken out loud.

Spend time with Jesus. Whether you’re in the midst of the struggle or in the closet shadows, just spend time with him. No prayers. No Scripture reading. No Bible study. Just be still in the presence of Jesus as though he were sitting across from where you are right now. Enjoy his company. Try to feel the love and thankfulness you have for him. Don’t express it. Just be in it. And then try and feel the love and affection Jesus has for you and if possible, try to allow that to bring some peace to you in your struggle, let it embrace you in your loneliness, and let it strengthen you for your journey.

The story of Lazarus ends in John 12:9,10 where it reads

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

What Jesus did in the life of Lazarus couldn’t be ignored. A man was dead, buried and rotting but with a word from Jesus, he was alive again. Living, breathing, walking, talking…alive! Cut off from the land of the living and then thrown right back into the heartbeat of the universe. Is this God at God’s best or what?! And more than the joy of a dead man coming to life again is the exceedingly glad news that all those who saw and heard of it came to believe in Jesus. Those who were without faith came to faith because the glory of God in this one act couldn’t be denied or explained away. They came to believe not only because of the miracle of that one day but they came to believe because everyday Lazarus walked among the living testified to the power of God in Jesus. Lazarus was a walking testament and a living miracle.

And such are you. The church condemns homosexuality and says it has no place in Christianity. GLBTQ people are ridiculed in society, excluded by the law, and rejected by the church and yet we live! We worship God, we have loving relationships, we participate in our world, and in doing so we stand as testament to the grace and glory of God. We can live our lives in a way that will cause those, gay or straight, who are yet without faith or fear faith or have been wounded in its name to believe in God because the God we love is the God they long for. This is when our being gay is more than our sexual orientation but our calling. Could you believe that for the sake of others and for the witness of Christ you are just as called to be queer as Lazarus was called to come out? I do. To the bone I do.

But as the passage reveals, it’s not all victory and light for Lazarus. After all, the religious leaders wanted to kill him because his life was too loud to drowned out. How could their religious rituals and requirements ever compete with life coming from death? Not a chance. But even in this, it’s cause for rejoicing because their pursuit to silence Lazarus was evidence to the presence of God’s glory his life proclaimed to the world. So it is. So it is.

Okay. Now I’m done.

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Posted in Christian Lesbian Identity, Coming Out, Queering the Bible