No Higher Calling

Week 13

"Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. And Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.'. . . And when he had thus spoken he cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, 'Loose him and let him go." --John 11: 38-44

Best Supporting Cast

For sheer astonishing miracles, you can have your feeding of the five thousand, or walking on water. I'll take the raising of Lazarus. Wow! And apparently it was such a powerful event that it was a precipitating factor in the plot against Jesus. Here was an irrefutable sign of Jesus' authority and power -- over all creation.

And of course it is a sign or symbol of our Lord's ability to bring new life to us -- his unique ability to break through the powers of death and decay, to shatter insurmountable barriers. This unique power of our Lord was doubtless the reason people wanted to get the hurting and sick to our Lord. He's the "star," the "rainmaker." Indeed, we must recognize the limits of our own capacity to heal and bring life to people -- and instead realize we need to bring people to Jesus who alone can proclaim "Lazarus, come forth." We try that ourselves so often, pleading and begging for life to break into dead relationships, broken lives, hostile spirits, failed legal systems, corrupt officials. We holler and holler -- at clients, maybe family members: "come forth" "come to life" -- and there is only stony silence. No one walks out of their graves. Only Jesus brings life. He's the main story, he's the focus.

However, it is often instructive to look not only at the main characters or central action, but to watch the supporting cast. In American football, sometimes it is especially interesting to watch not just the quarterback and star receiver, but the "men in the trenches" with the blocking. Or in a play or film, to note the role of the "supporting cast" whose star quality is less, but whose roles often "make" the scene. In America, there is a film award annually for the "Best Supporting" actor and actress.

That is why in this story we might not only see Jesus in that dynamic moment calling forth life, but be impressed with the fact that the disciples were not to be mere spectators at the tomb of Lazarus. They too had a task, a supporting role -- and it too is symbolic of the ministry God gives us. One task was at the beginning of the event, and the other at the end. At the beginning our Lord tells his followers to "Take the stone away." Surely while we cannot effectively call forth life, we are called by our Lord to prepare the way -- to roll away stones that stand between the "dead" and our Lord's call. So many people we deal with as clients, colleagues or others in the legal system are surrounded by "stones" that seem to block the call of our Lord. Maybe those stones are intellectual problems, or painful experiences with churches or believers, or ignorance -- whatever they are, one task we have is to try and clear the path for the call of the Lord -- to help them "hear" the word of life. In my experience, most persons who come to know the Lord do so in part in the context of some believer who helped them "hear" -- whose care, compassion, witness, encouragement and example opened their ears. The American lawyer John Grisham's latest legal novel, "The Testament," illustrates how the life of a single person whose peace and confidence in God, combined with a loving challenge to a terribly lost and confused lawyer was the door through which the Lord walked into his life. She rolled away the stone. It is a great privilege our Lord gives us, to be a part of that process of new life.

Then at the end of the story, after Lazarus has come forth, Jesus gives his followers another task, "Unbind, loose him, let him go." Here comes Lazarus to new life, but as he waddles or stumbles from the grave, he still is bound up with the trappings of death -- graveclothes which may well stink of death and decay. The disciples couldn't bring life, but now that life has come, they can come to Lazarus and help him be free of the old bondage. What a wonderful ministry that is -- to be called by our Lord to help people really be free in Christ, and to get rid the old and put on the new, as the Apostle Paul described it. Perhaps too often we rejoice in new faith and life, and then quickly move on to another "target" -- another grave, and forget how important it is to minister to those with new life. "All things are new" in the sense of God's new life and presence in the new believer, but as this story symbolizes, there is still an element of "graveclothes" -- of old bondages that need to be cast off. Messing with graveclothes may not always be a "nice" antiseptic job -- but is in necessary for the new life to be able to dance and sing with joy. Here again we as lawyers, often dealing with people in times of crisis, with mixtures of hopes and fears -- how often they need our ministry. Sometimes rolling away the stones, but often also helping people get free of the old, "unbinding them" and helping them to the fullness of Christ.

So, let us watch with silence and awe as our Lord calls forth life -- but let us also hear his commissions: roll away stones, and set people free! Be part of the play -- a best supporting actor or actress.

Lynn Buzzard
USA