I’m sure you’ve asked yourself…If I could have any super power what would it be? Flying of course would be nice, super strength yeah sure, maybe we’d just like the power to make dirty dishes disappear only return clean and back in their place, or wave our hand over laundry and it be immediately zest fully clean. When powers meet practicality what you end up with is Super Mom or Super Dad, which I don’t think that’s going to be Marvel’s next movie…I’m just saying, but the reality there is something powerful about a Mother or a Father or even a friend who really loves well.
Our Gospel refers to Lazarus as the one who Jesus loves. Tradition tells us that Jesus and Lazarus were first century besties. They enjoyed one another’s company and simply delighted in their relationship as friends. What is friendship really about? Using Jesus as a model, it is being available to others in their real time of need. In the midst of our hectic and often over full lives it can be so easy to lose track of people who at one time were really important to us. We tend to forget about others if they are not before our very eyes on a regular basis, and some level that is human nature, but it also requires intentional effort to seek out those whom we love. Jesus is moved to take action and to be with his friend even in the face of being hurt by the Jews. His drive to be reunited with Lazarus can’t even be stopped by the fact that He is dead. Think about how easily we come up with excuses for not connecting with family, old friends, even our children, and Jesus tears down the barrier of death to be with the one who he cares for.
Sometimes we want things to happen but we don’t always want to put in the work to make what we want actually materialize. We might like to have our basement or closet organized but we would prefer having a super power that when we snapped our fingers it was done. We might think it would be neat to learn a musical instrument or maybe pick up a second language but only if we didn’t have to study for it. Heck, we might get that our purpose here on earth is to be holy, to have faith, to live with purpose and have a real relationship with Jesus Christ but we want grace to work like a super power.
My brothers and sisters Jesus Christ rolls away the stones in front of our hearts whatever excuses that we have built up to prevent us from taking our call to being a disciple to the next level and HE cries out in a loud voice our name telling us to COME OUT, to come out of our pithy place of comfort and to enter into the fullness of life. Is it easy…NO. Is it work…YES. But when we take what is dead and stinky out of the tomb of our heart and embrace this Jesus who wants a relationship with us much like the one He had with Lazarus…we too can become besties with the living God.
