"The Raising of Lazarus" (1310-11), by Duccio di Buoninsegna (Wikimedia Commons)
by John Dear
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On today's new episode of "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," I'll reflect on the Gospel of John, Chapter 11, the story of the raising of Lazarus, based on my book Lazarus, Come Forth! In this podcast, I'll offer a dramatic sociopolitical retelling of the story.
I propose that John rewrites the story to portray Jesus as the God of life who calls humanity, in the person of Lazarus, out of the tombs of death, out of empire, violence and war, and commands us to unbind humanity from the trappings of death and let humanity go free in the fullness of life and resurrection peace.
The message is: Have nothing to do with death, with violence, injustice, war or anything that inflicts death on others. Instead, live life to the full, and help others live life to the full!
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We'll review how the male disciples promise to walk with Jesus but never show up; how the professional mourners weep over Lazarus, even though they just tried to stone Jesus to death; how Martha tries to stop Jesus' nonviolent resistance; and how Jesus announces, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever is fully alive here and now in the present moment of resurrection peace, and believes in me as I walk the way of life and nonviolence and confront the forces of death, will never die."
"Do you believe this?" he asks us.
As Jesus approaches the tomb, he issues three new commandments: "Take away the stone!" "Lazarus/Humanity, come forth!" and "Unbind humanity and let him go free."
This is the climactic call of John's Gospel, and our mission today: to take away the stone that keeps humanity stuck in empire, war, poverty, racism, injustice, fascism, greed, MAGA, nuclear weapons and the culture of death; to call humanity forth out of the culture of death; and to unbind one another to live free in the new life of love and peace.
