Being God’s miracle worker
Today’s Gospel
reading (John 11:1-45) tells us about one of the greatest
miracles of Jesus – the raising of Lazarus
from the dead. Yes, it is one of the most dramatic miracles of Jesus, something
no one has done before. It proves beyond doubt the divinity of Jesus which is
the fundamental believe of the Christian faith. Jesus did miracles to prove
that he was God but yet many do not believe in him today as they all want such
miracles today to be convinced.
It is also
very relevant to us today in our own lives where we meet all sorts of problems,
trials and tribulations. If fact life is a bed of thorns not roses as we expect
it to be. When everything fails, we expect some miracles from God to get us out
of our problems like what Jesus did. We tend to look at God as miracle worker
sitting high up in the skies to cure us of all our ills. We are even willing to
‘bribe’ him with our donations, glorification, good deeds and self-sacrifices
in return for his favor.
Is that
what God wants from us? What does this miracle of Jesus mean to us
today?
To my mind
God is not just a miracle worker who will come when we want him. On the
contrary He wants us to be his miracle workers among men. He has equipped each
one of us with some unique talents and possessions and it we who must realize and
harness those gifts to bring about an end to our ills.
It may be
timely today to reflect on our role as God’s miracle worker in our midst. If we
look around us we will realize that no one is happy. Everyone seem to suffering
from fear, anxiety and hopelessness. What are we doing to allay these fears and
bring a little comfort to these people in pain and agony of some form?
Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who
believes in me, even though that person
dies, will
live, and whoever lives and believes in me will
never die. - John 11:1-45
Gospel, John 11:1-45
1
There was a man
named Lazarus
of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister,
Martha, and he was ill.2 It was the same Mary, the sister of the
sick man
Lazarus, who anointed the Lord
with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.3 The sisters sent
this message to Jesus, 'Lord, the man
you love is ill.'
4
On receiving the message, Jesus
said, 'This sickness will
not end in death, but it is for God's glory
so that through it the Son of God
may be glorified.'5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,6
yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days 7
before saying to the disciples, 'Let us go back to Judaea.'
8
The disciples said, 'Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews
were trying to stone you; are you going back there again?'9 Jesus
replied: Are there not twelve hours in the day? No one who walks in the daytime
stumbles, having the light of this world to see by;10 anyone who
walks around at night stumbles, having no light as a guide.
11
He said that and then added, 'Our friend Lazarus
is at rest; I am going to wake him.'12 The disciples said to him,
'Lord, if he is at rest he will
be saved.'13 Jesus was speaking of the death of Lazarus, but they
thought that by 'rest' he meant 'sleep';14 so Jesus put it plainly,
'Lazarus is dead;15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there
because now you will
believe. But let us go to him.'
16
Then Thomas -- known as the Twin -- said to the other disciples, 'Let us also
go to die with him.'17 On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus
had been in the tomb
for four days already.
18
Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem,19 and many Jews
had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went
to meet him. Mary
remained sitting in the house.
21
Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have
died,22 but even now I know that God
will
grant whatever you ask of him.'23 Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will
rise again.'24 Martha said, 'I know he will
rise again at the resurrection on the last day.'
25 Jesus said: I am the resurrection.
Anyone who believes in me, even though that person
dies, will
live,26 and whoever lives and believes in me will
never die. Do you believe this?
27
'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the
one who was to come into this world.'28 When she had said this, she
went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, 'The Master is here and
wants to see you.'
29
Hearing this, Mary
got up quickly and went to him.30 Jesus had not yet come into the
village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him.31 When
the Jews
who were in the house comforting Mary saw her get up so
quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb
to weep there.
32
Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet,
saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'33
At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews
who had come with her, Jesus
was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said,
34
'Where have you put him?' They said, 'Lord, come and see.'35 Jesus
wept;36 and the Jews
said, 'See how much he loved him!'37 But there were some who
remarked, 'He opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented
this man's death?'
38
Sighing again, Jesus
reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening.39
Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him,
'Lord, by now he will
smell; this is the fourth day since he died.'
41
So they took the stone away. Then Jesus
lifted up his eyes and said: Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.42
I myself knew that you hear me always, but I speak for the sake of all these
who are standing around me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.43
When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!'
44
The dead man
came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over
his face. Jesus said to
them, 'Unbind him, let him go free.'45 Many of the Jews
who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him,
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