What's a Miracle for Anyway?

Going beyond what's immediately apparent.

Thank you for your patience over this last week in the absence of these daily entries. I’m sure you’ve been anxious to know what happens to Lazarus of Bethany. :-) In short, a lot of change happened all at once in my life. I try to truly write this daily. For me, there’s something about being fresh and timely. I will continue to do this as best I can. In full disclosure, I am resigning as pastor of the church I’ve been overseeing for over eighteen years. I am taking most of July as vacation and transition toward a new denominational position here in New England, beginning in August. I began Jesus Daily for two main purposes: 1. personal daily accountability in seeking Jesus in the gospels; and 2. providing daily scripture & prayer for the church I pastor. It’s been wonderful to see the effort go well beyond these two initial purposes. My intention is to continue. But since I will not be pastoring that church community any longer, it will be all the more important to me to receive feedback and evidence that the effort is worthwhile. Even clicking that heart on the bottom of the post does a lot for me in knowing what I’m sending out is not simply to a void. I appreciate you all. Peace, Jeremy

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Spoiler alert: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

Saying it’s a pretty cool miraculous sign is an understatement. But, as always in John, it’s not solely about the miracle (again, John calls them signs, not miracles). We can be certain that lots of people died around Jesus during his years on earth. (Whatever happened to his earthly father, Joseph? Did he die? Did Jesus consider raising him to new life?)

Jesus doesn’t always bring the miracle. This is one of the most confounding elements of faith in Christ. We believe in a God we declare to be the God of Life. We even dare to label God omnipotent/all-powerful when we’re feeling pretty good about it all.

And yet, God either does not or cannot make the miracle all the time.

Some things die and remain dead.
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This event in John 11 is the most critical of public moments on the way to the cross. John tells us Jesus will not be in the public eye again (presumably, until his arrest). Sometimes, what is death to some is relief to others. Sometimes what is a miracle to many looks like danger and a threat to others.

Jesus seems to be calling us to look differently at such things. From what Jesus says, even the miraculous sign of Lazarus’ resurrected life doesn’t seem to be about Lazarus receiving new life (It’s for the glory of God so that God’s Son can be glorified through it.)

Vision and perspective…

John 11:38-57

Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.”

Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

Therefore, many of the Jews who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Then the chief priests and Pharisees called together the council and said, “What are we going to do? This man is doing many miraculous signs! If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our people.”

One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them, “You don’t know anything! You don’t see that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed.” He didn’t say this on his own. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would soon die for the nation— and not only for the nation. Jesus would also die so that God’s children scattered everywhere would be gathered together as one. From that day on they plotted to kill him.

Therefore, Jesus was no longer active in public ministry among the Jewish leaders. Instead, he left Jerusalem and went to a place near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

It was almost time for the Jewish Passover, and many people went from the countryside up to Jerusalem to purify themselves through ritual washing before the Passover. They were looking for Jesus. As they spoke to each other in the temple, they said, “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival, will he?” The chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where he was should report it, so they could arrest him.

Prayer - A Prayer in Times of Change¹

God of Endings,
What we thought would not end has ended.
And we find ourselves here
wondering where we are
and how we got here
and where to go from here.
Be with us, here, at the end.
Help us place our feet on this ground
help us like our wounds,
help us look up and around.
Help us believe the story of today.
Because you know all about the endings of today.
And you are not afraid.
Amen.

1. From Daily Prayer, Pádraig Ó Tuama, with much thanks to regular reader Christopher DiLoreto for sending it along to me.