Rev. Kimberly van Driel

In John 11, the Gospel tells a story about how Jesus' friend Lazarus of Bethany falls ill. Jesus wasn't in Bethany, so messengers send for Him, but in one of His more puzzling moves, Jesus waits two days before making the day's walk to Bethany.

By the time He arrives, Lazarus has been dead four days.

In the ancient world, four days was when the reality of death set in. At four days, Lazarus was dead long enough for everyone to know that life as they knew it wasn't going to return — that the old normal was over, and that it would be a very long time before a new normal appeared.

That sense of “normal is over” is what many of us are experiencing right now because of the coronavirus and the quarantine. And through it all there is a looming sense of not knowing what the future will hold.

When Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus' sisters tell it plain: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Lord, if you had been here, everything would still be normal. Lord, if you had been here, we would not be experiencing this awful dislocation and grief.

But Jesus was not there, at least not in the way they wanted or expected.

If the hard fact of Jesus' absence in this story has anything to tell us today, it might be that we need something more than just going back to normal. We need something more than just a schedule or a routine. We need something more than coping strategies. What we need, instead, is the power of grace. We need God to make us into a new creation and give us something beyond “normal” to believe.

When Jesus arrives in Bethany, everyone is losing it. Mary and Martha are weeping. The mourners are wailing. The crowd is turning to one another in irritated disgust. Jesus himself has a meltdown. He is filled with anger and tears at the reality of Lazarus' death.

If the last days have found us weeping, we have good and holy company. But where Jesus is, there is also resurrection and life. He calls Lazarus' name.

John 11:44 says, “The dead man came out.” That is an interesting detail. It is not “Lazarus came out,” but rather “the dead man came out.” Jesus gives life, but He does not erase the experience of death.

Jesus has not made Lazarus normal. Jesus has made all things new.

God is with us in this moment, not to prevent its agony, but to give us the faith, hope and love we need to face it.

To give us grace sufficient even for our meltdowns.

To bear with us when we cope and when we do not.

To make all things new.

The Rev. Kimberly van Driel is the pastor at First English Lutheran Church in Butler.