Because I can ‘t imagine what it would be like to be brought back from death. I want to know what happened to Lazarus, but I know that any story I make up won ‘t do him justice. We don ‘t hear what happens to Lazarus after he ‘s brought back. Who was this man that Jesus loved so much as to bring him back from the dead? What did being brought back to life do to him? What kind of state was he pulled out of? What do you do after that? So many questions and we ‘re not giving any answers. (I ‘m sure he cried other times, but it matters that this is specifically mentioned.) Lazarus is known only for dying and being brought back to life by Jesus. Other than the Garden of Gesthemane, this is the only time we are told that Jesus cries. But his sickness and death grieve Jesus greatly.

I don ‘t know that we ever hear him speak. Mary and Martha get the most air time, but then there is their brother Lazarus. They ate meals together and spent time together. They were more than just his followers they were people who believed in his mission, yes, but who also just wanted to be with him. In the midst of all of Jesus ‘ disciples, the crowds who followed him from place to place, the religious leaders that scorned him, the political leaders that were out to get him, stood one small trio. Were they really in it or just along for the ride? How did Jesus ‘ death and resurrection affect them? What did they think of the new Christian movement? What kind of role did they play? How did their lives change? I want to know what they thought about being swept up in this movement. It ‘s hard to focus in on one side character. It ‘s easy to miss all of the unnamed women and children who traveled with Jesus and cared for him and the others. The disciples who are only named when they get lumped into a list, the ones who rarely speak, the ones who disappear after the part with Jesus is over. So it ‘s easy to miss the people on the sidelines. Even Jesus has his moments of anger and frustration. I find myself fascinated by the “big names” because of how human and flawed they are in the midst of this epic story. These stories are filled with strong and loud personalities Mary, John the Baptizer and Jesus, Peter, and Paul just to name a few. The stories I am most interested in are the stories of Jesus and then of the fledgling Christian community that tries to make sense of the new world, they are now living in. If you want to explore this more fully, make sure you sign up for Queering the Bible! The first step in bringing ourselves to the text is to explore where there is space to play.

One of the things we encourage people to do when they read the Bible is to ask lots and lots of questions.

Lazarus bible story theology