![]() When Jesus reached the tomb he asks that the stone covering the tomb be taken away. The death of Lazarus does not mean that it is too late for Jesus to be his life. John paints a different portrait of a God who does not look upon the world stoically but is constantly involved in it, and interacts with it. John wrote his gospel for the Greeks, who believed that God was unmoved by the human condition. "Do you believe this?" And Mary once again professes her faith: "Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus asked to be taken to the tomb of Lazarus and was greatly distressed and he wept so much that the Jews remarked: "See how much he loved him." In Jesus we see the care and concern of our God for all who suffer. Jesus is quick to reassure her: "Your brother will live again." But for this miracle to happen Jesus needs her belief. When Jesus arrives on the scene Martha voices her regret but immediately she professes her faith. We see Jesus does not act according to human timetables in human terms he is late but it all fits in, even death, in God's plan. It is worth noting that Martha and Mary merely bring the plight of Lazarus to Jesus, without requesting or demanding that he come immediately. The whole story is full of symbolism and signs that point to a deeper reality. Strangely, he delays his leaving for two days before he comes to their house. ![]() In today’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus was informed by his friends Martha and Mary that their brother was seriously ill. The boy's quiet courage in his encounter with death prompted critic Judith Crist to write: "His story is a glowing affirmation of the nobility of even the shortest of lives." Book reviewer Walter Duranty of the New York Herald Tribune said: "To read 'Death Be Not Proud' is to grasp the meaning of man's power to defy Death's hurt to be filled with confidence and emptied of despair." At sixteen, when most young people are dreaming about their future, John Gunther's son was dying from a brain tumour. John Gunther's book 'Death Be Not Proud' tells the story of his son's last year of life.
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