Seeker

Today the church remembers 'Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Companions of our Lord'. I am not sure why Mary's name is placed first for today. Perhaps the order is alphabetical. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were 2 sisters and their brother.   These 3 were friends of Jesus, providing a welcome for him in their home at Bethany near Jerusalem.  John 11: 5 tells us that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." Much of Jesus' 3 years of ministry was itinerant. With his disciples he walked from place to place, not always knowing where he would sleep. The hospitality of those who would open their homes to him was vital. When the people doing that were true friends then such hospitality would feel very precious. After a hard day, what better than to relax in a welcoming home in the company of the most trusted and loved friends, like Mary, Martha and Lazarus? During a visit to to the Holy Land a few years ago I noticed  a plaque outside the church of St Lazar...

Oil Painting by Daniel Bonnell Thomas' Story Part 4 ( Part 1 is here . Part 2 is here . Part 3 is here .) It was when he saw Mary and the other friends and relations weeping and wailing and singing laments. That's when Jesus broke down. Jesus wept. All the way to Lazarus's tomb he sobbed his heart out. We cried with him. I'd been to lots of funerals, but never felt as deeply moved as that day. I think Jesus wept, not just because of Lazarus, but for others he had lost and because he knew he too would die soon. When we got to the cave where they'd laid Lazarus's body, Jesus asked for the stone covering the entrance to be taken away. I couldn't believe he was serious. Martha said what we all thought. There would be a dreadful stench. The body had been dead 4 days. It should be allowed to rest in peace. But they did take away the stone. And here's something really strange. I couldn't detect any putrid smell. Please don't ask me to explai...

Thomas's Story Part 1 Getting away from Jerusalem after Hannukah felt good. The things Jesus said there had made some people think he was crazy. They nearly stoned him - tried to arrest him. Jesus always slipped away. Bethany wasn't far. That's where Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. You could be sure of a warm welcome and good food there. But it was too near Jerusalem. We were glad to retreat with Jesus out of Judea and back across the Jordan river. I hoped we'd stay there. Much safer. Then Jesus got the message that Lazarus was very sick. It was odd that Jesus didn't set off for Bethany immediately. He really loved that family. But he stayed put 2 more days, before he said 'let's go back to Judea'. We tried to talk him out of it. We didn't want to see him killed. But Jesus was determined. He said Lazarus was asleep and he had to go and wake him up. It didn't make sense to us. It made even less sense when Jesus said Laza...