“I’ll take Appropriate Responses for $400, Alec.”
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. — John 12:1-3
Here is something you’ve never heard at a dinner party. “Oh, and I was raised from the dead.”
Of course, Lazarus didn’t have to say this because everyone at the table knew that Jesus brought him back not from a four-minute CPR session, but from four days of being dead.
Have you ever wondered what Lazarus said to Jesus for this continued gift of life? Scripture doesn’t record this. Scripture also doesn’t record that someone must have asked Lazarus the awkward but obvious question, “So, what is it like to dead?”
When scripture doesn’t speak to our questions, I believe scripture calls us to different questions, or scripture calls our attention elsewhere. In this story, we are drawn to Mary. On this side of heaven, we will not know how Lazarus responded to Jesus, but we do know what Mary did.
And wow. Wow!
This is the wow that makes us shake our heads just so because we are experiencing pure delight.
Mary! WAY to go!
This amazing woman of heart and soul offers the perfect, appropriate response. She doesn’t just hit her buzzer as if she’s a contestant on Jeopardy during Alec Trebek’s long and loved reign; she actually does respond in joy to Lazarus’s returned (or restored) life. More so, she knows EXACTLY who Jesus is. He is the Savior not only of her brother and herself but also the whole world in her time and in time to come.
Yes, she does this right.
PRAYER: Lord, let us be those in jeopardy the way Mary did—with celebration for who you are, what you’ve done, what you’re doing, and what you will do. Amen.
Leave a Reply