If only he had come, the death if Lazarus

 

If only He had come....

If only he had come, she knew he could heal him, but now it was hopeless. With a heavy heart she cut up strips linen which would bind his dead body, ready for the cold stone tomb. They had no ointment to embalm the body, in a fit of extravagance she had broken and poured the contents over the feet of their friend the teacher. People said it was a wicked waste but he had blessed her for it, said her deed would be written down and remembered for centuries to come; but now she was confused, a terrible fit of dereliction was descending upon her. She knew they had to get the body bound and in the tomb quickly, already the flies were buzzing round the body and the smell of putrefaction was beginning to fill the house, already friends and relatives were gathering around the house preparing for the long drawn out funeral ceremony, weeping and wailing filled the air, but her tears did not flow, instead they burned inwardly like acid poison, burning into her heart and stomach. She knew she must rise and join the other mourners to bind and bury her beloved brother, but a heavy weariness filled her legs, she dragged herself up and out to greet them, and still he had not come.

Four long days dragged by, Mary wished she was lying on that cold slab instead of her brother, Martha had kept herself busy feeding and organising the mourning party, but she was descending into a leaden trance, doing and feeling nothing.

Then the call came up, “the teacher is coming”, Martha ran off to meet him, but she remained, all energy and will drained from her body. In a while her sister returned, and dragged her out, and she followed reluctantly, to see the teacher. When she saw his warm, but sad compassionate face, the dam that had held her tears broke, and the tears and heavy sobs flowed, like streams from her eyes. She flung herself at him, her face buried in his chest and Jesus’ tears mingled with her own.

 

           

 

Slowly however His emotion changed from grief to anger, anger not at her, but at that snake in distant Eden, who had tricked His first human friends, and let death loose to ravage His newly created world. Now however the journey had started which would lead through Calvary and the empty tomb, to final victory over death and the birth of a new creation.

A steely determination grasped Him as He strode up to the top of the hill towards the tomb with the crowds following behind. Reluctantly they obeyed his order to roll the stone away from the mouth of the tomb, but the smell of death and decay was amazingly not there to take their breath away.

Then the shout of command which made the very rocks vibrate, followed by the shock of terror and surprise as the body still wrapped in white bandages struggled out of the cave, and unbelief turned to joy as at His command they untied the bandages to reveal their brother, more real and alive than they had ever known Him; then the reverence and awe as they knelt in wonder, before the one who was not only their friend, but their Saviour and their God.

 

Ian Hempshall, Kamembe, February 2011, following a visit to a genocide memorial.