Do You Believe This?

By Bishop Christian Alsted

We want to believe that life, love, light and hope will always prevail. Nevertheless, I must admit: At times, it is more than hard to believe.

Why does a child die from cancer? Why does a young teenage girl commit suicide? Why is a family of four killed in a car accident? Why do people have to suffer the pain and despair of a terrible war in Syria? Why is a little ten-year-old boy equipped with a gun and manipulated to kill? Why is a young girl raped again and again by Boko Haram warriors until she dies?

I know all the explanations, and they are not fulfilling.

“Jesus, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died,” says Martha at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, as written in John 11.

But Jesus was there. If I read the gospels correctly, He is always there. Yet, all of this and much more happened.

Someone needs to speak up against all the evil in this world. And someone does

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live though, even though they die. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die.”

And the one who spoke these words arrives at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. It could have been the tomb of a little girl raped and killed, or the tomb of a family killed in a car accident. Or…or…. There at the tomb Jesus sees the other sister, Mary weeping, and He is deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And Jesus cries.

Whenever I read this text after Easter, I have often wondered why Jesus is so troubled and upset. After all, He knows what He is going to do….

Those standing around Him interpret Jesus’ emotional reaction by saying to each other:  â€œSee, how much He loved him.” And they are right, He is upset and disturbed, and He grieves the loss of a dear friend. He loves, as God loves, deeply, unconditionally and all embracing, and He is deeply moved with compassion over the pain and suffering he encounters. He is deeply upset by the reality and the magnitude of death and evil in the world.

Now He acts… “Remove the stone.”

Martha heard His claim “I am the resurrection and the life”. She heard it from the masters own mouth, but like me, she also sees the realities of life and just cannot believe it

“Lord, the smell will be awful; He’s been dead four days.” Then Jesus says to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?”

So, they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” His prayer is a public testimony to his dependence on the Father and to the truth that He does the works of God.

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”

I need to read this and to hear this repeatedly, because so many other voices want to convince me of the opposite. The people of this world needs to hear this. The oppressors, the manipulators, the evildoers and the demagogues need to hear this. The mourners, the oppressed, the weak, the fearful and the defeated need to hear this. All the rest of us sinners need to hear this. There is another way. Life and love will finally conquer all the forces of darkness

We usually miss reading Jesus’ challenging question to Martha – and her reply. Having said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” He asks: “Do you believe this?”

He loves, and He is there. He is deeply troubled and upset by the evil dynamics in this world and by the malevolent behavior of human beings. However, one day, against all odds, against our unbelief, He will call forth life – “Lazarus come out.”

“Do you believe this?” He asks, and like Martha I want to reply…“Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”