Viral Learnings, Part Seven: What Hope Looks Like

Photo by Neil Thomas on Unsplash

 Right now, I'm really loving an online daily devotional app called Lectio365. For those of you familiar with Lectio Divina (Latin for Divine Reading), the app loosely mirrors this spiritual practice of listening to scripture and meditating on in in small chunks, allowing one's heart and spirit to hear what the Spirit is saying to you. If you are looking for a really easy, engaging way to start your day and find some peace, I highly recommend it.

Today’s reading focused on John 12, when, six days before the Passover, the start of Holy Week, Jesus chooses to spend time in the home of one of his best friend Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. 

Why Lazarus? Presbyterian pastor and author Fredrick Buechner calls Lazarus, "The friend with whom Jesus didn't feel he had to be the Messiah." What a gift to have friends like that. 

And maybe that was it. Maybe he just wanted a nice night with close friends whom he didn't have to play a role for. Maybe it was just wanting a homecooked meal, or a safe place to lay his head. Maybe it was just easier than finding the ancient version of a Motel 6 to house himself and his disciples.

But as the podcast continued, the writers suggested another reason why Jesus spent time with his friend Lazarus facing the final week.

"Jesus prepares himself to die by spending time with a man who has come back to life. His friend Lazarus was a promise, a portent; a profound reassurance that death is not the end." 

I've never thought about that before, but how true it is. 

Only one chapter before, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43). What comfort it must have provided Jesus so close to his own death, to be reminded in his friend what resurrection actually looks like. If Jesus was fully human (as we believe he was), it makes sense that he needed some comfort, a visible reminder that death does not get the final word. 

And he found that in the presence of his friend and confidant, Lazarus.

How true is that for us today in the midst of this pandemic.

That is why we crave stories of those who have survived, isn't it? The stories of "good news" that come at the end of every newscast. It's why magazines like Guidepost are still in existence. Why we hang on so tightly to people who have gone through the dark night of the soul and came out the other end. Why when we are in the midst of dark valleys with our kids or loved ones ,we reach out to friends who have walked the path before us--We need to see and hear what hope looks like.

At the end of the podcast, the authors ask a great question, "Who is there in my life whose very existence brings me hope and reassurance in difficult times?" Whoever it is, maybe consider coming close to them by writing them a letter or giving them a call this week. 

And then the other side is also true--What moments of resurrection have I seen God exhibit in my life, and who needs to be the recipient of that hope today? Because when we come alongside those who need hope in the midst of the dark, like Lazarus, we may find ourselves ministering to Jesus himself (cf. Matthew 25: 40). 

Jesus sought out that reassurance in his time of trial. As we go through this global trial, we are invited to do the same.