Miracle in the House of Affliction

“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ~John 11:39,40

The moment had come. All of the inexplicable delays, all of the seeming callousness of an apparent negligent friend would be answered. The glory of God is about to be revealed in the small town of Bethany. Two ancient church fathers, Jerome and Eusebius, give the etymology of Bethany as “The House of Affliction.” We know from other passages that it was the home of Simon the Leper. These morsels indicate it wasn’t on anyone’s bucket-list as a tourist destination. It is a village peopled with the afflicted. No one is more afflicted than Lazarus. Jesus is about to make that right. In so doing he’s proving his mastery over the greatest of our adversaries – death itself. But first Jesus takes a moment to roll the credits: So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” ~John 11: 41,42
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This is not insignificant. For us believers some 2000 years removed from Bethany and awash in televised shows featuring flashy faith healers, Jesus’ humble admission is refreshing. If anyone could make the claim to being special, having secret powers and an inimitable anointing it would be Jesus. However, if you recall, after the healing of the blind man in John 5, Jesus said this: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” ~John 5:19

Was the Son special? Absolutely. He is to be worshipped. He is the Messiah and Savior. Yet, in the works that he performed he more than suggests that it is not him, as such, who’s doing all the fun stuff – it is the Father’s power at work in and through him. And later, he would more than suggest than any person, anywhere, who crosses over to be his disciple is availed the possibility of conducting that self-same power. It really is remarkable to imagine that we too can host the presence and power of the Creator of all things. As Jesus peers into the tomb, he sees past the tightly woven strips of cloth that bind his friend Lazarus. He ignores the stench of death. He sees life. He actually sees it because that is what he is seeing in heaven. “On earth as it is in heaven” is about to be demonstrated.