“Just before ‘Palm Sunday’, Jesus was in the home of the now resurrected Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. They shared a meal to honor Jesus—and as usual, Martha served and Mary took a low place at Jesus’ feet. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. The fragrance of Mary’s perfume and love filled the house—pointing towards Jesus’ immanent death and burial.” (Paraphrase of John12:1-3,7)
Lord Jesus, how profound and appropriate—Lazarus’ death and resurrection were so close in time to yours. Perhaps the tears you shed at Lazarus’ grave were in anticipation of the suffering you would soon endure to defeat death once and for all. What a wonderful, compassionate, merciful Savior you are.
Several things grab my heart in this story, Lord. Thank you for friends and families that mirror the relationship you enjoyed with Lazarus and his sisters. The gifts of welcome and oasis, hospitality and good food, hot tears and loud laughter, burden-bearing love and Gospel-treasuring friends all come from you. It’s hard down here, but on our journey Home you give us brokenness-comfortable friends and need-shaped grace. Thank you.
And thank you for not only giving but also receiving good friendship. You call us your friends. Life is too complicated to do alone. I feel this afresh as I get older, and as I sit in the still fresh passing of my spiritual mom, Rose Marie Miller. I am always grateful for Easter, but on the cusp of celebrating your death and resurrection again—I too want to get low like Mary in gratitude and adoring love.
Last, but way not least—thank you for already giving us (like Lazarus) a first resurrection—not from a dead body but from spiritual death (Eph.2:6). Through the Gospel eternal life has already begun for us. Hallelujah! We have passed from death to life—from being dead in our sins and trespasses to being alive in you and clothed in your righteousness. We don’t have to be afraid to either die or live. Hallelujah, a gazillion times over! So Very Amen.
