GodReflection: How About a Better Way?
In our previous post we left Mary Magdalene outside an empty tomb at the feet of the risen Jesus. Today, at another gravesite, we visit with another Mary and her sister Martha. In the company of Jesus, all three weeps over their brother Lazarus, who has now been in a tomb four days.
But, before we continue, I must reflect for a few moments on God’s gift of Mary’s. Only seven women named Mary are introduced to us in
Scripture. In the Book of Exodus we meet Miriam, (from the Hebrew word that gives us our first century name Mary), sister of Moses and Aaron, who serves God, when he delivers the people of Israel from Egyptian captivity.
I find the total absence of the name Miriam (Mary) after the story of Moses’ sister to be a remarkable void in the remainder of The Old Testament.
As we read The New Testament, we meet Mary who trusts God and becomes the mother of Jesus. Greater than Moses, he will deliver his people around the Globe from Satanic captivity.
Throughout the pages of this story, we are introduced to five other Mary’s. There is Mary—from the town of Magdalene (Mark 16:9) at the gravesite of Jesus in our last post; Mary—mother of John Mark (Acts 12:2); Mary—mother of James and Joseph (Matt 27:56); Mary—who lived in Rome (Romans 16:6), and Mary—of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus (John 11 and 12).
Prior to these five Mary’s, Mary mother of Jesus, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, sets a remarkable example of faith and trust in God for all Mary’s—and the rest of us—to follow. Mary, the teenage virgin learns God is about to impregnate her with his son, the Savior of the world. I am awed as I hear her response of complete and total trust, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).
From that day, for the past two thousand years, countless mothers with dreams for 
newborn daughters have named them Mary. My life is richer as Mary’s appear on my family tree along with other godly Mary’s placed in my life’s path by The Holy, who heard the call, “wake up and live.”
Now, let’s return to our second gravesite with Mary, Martha, and Jesus. The apostle John’s narrative is ready to illustrate future reality. Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters makes a perfect portrait of God’s desire for His creation. It will be a living illustration of God’s grace. The sign will take place, “for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (11:4)
John wants me to see an eternal reality in Jesus so here comes another sign that Jesus is God. The scene is set. Lazarus identified as “He whom you love” (11:3) died. Instead of a quick departure Jesus waits for two days after receipt of the message. I suspect he wants all to know Lazarus is indeed dead. He leaves time for reality to set in, doubts to appear, and faith to grow.
Jesus departs for Judea and the little town of Bethany. As he approaches, Martha learns he is near and goes to meet him. After greeting, their conversation 
reveals her growing faith: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” (11:27) Then follows the encounter of Mary and Jesus which is one of the most moving dialogues in all of Scripture:
She knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.
He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So, the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (11:32-36)
It’s time to go to the grave site to see the dead man raised.
Jesus, once more deeply moved came to the tomb . . . “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So, they took away the stone. (11:38-41)
Jesus looks upward and speaks in a loud voice directly to God so that the crowd can see the connection. The oneness of Father God and Son Jesus–so one that they are one.
“Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
It is Jesus’s cry to me, to you, and to all humanity, “Wake Up and Live.”
The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (11:41-44)
Here is what I think. My two big take-a-ways are first, to see how Jesus is affected by the death experience. He is deeply saddened—moved to tears—to see the pain it causes to people he loves.
Second, the Holy has a commitment to make death obsolete. His greatest desire
is for us to Wake Up and Live. The glory of Father and Son unite to give a preview of their power over death. That is the climate of his own resurrection we witnessed with Mary Magdalene in our last post where we learned that His Resurrection is Our Resurrection.
I would love to hear your insights as to why this resurrection is a “Wake Up and Live” moment for you.
He still calls out, “Wake Up and Live.”
Stay tuned.
Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on Wake Up and Live.
God Reflection 