Being Divine

Sometimes we have to put ourselves in danger to help someone we care about.

Then after this he said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.' The disciples said to him, 'Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?' Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.' After saying this, he told them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.' - John 11:7-11

At first, Jesus held off, deciding not to rush to the bedside of his friend, Lazarus. 

Perhaps he was torn, wanting to be there and yet knowing he would be putting himself in harm's way.  So, he waited, and his friend died.

John tells the story this way to show us that Jesus is both human and divine.  He is a lot like us when it comes to emotion and compassion, possibly even fear, and yet he says and does things that show us he knows something we don't know.

We know he can do things we cannot.  Or at least we assume we cannot do them, for they are beyond what we believe is humanly possible, like raising his friend from the dead.

And yet, we want Jesus to help us believe by doing these things.  John shows us that Jesus knows his miracle will help the disciples believe.

But faith is not just about believing in Jesus.  It is about believing in ourselves, that we are the living embodiment of God's grace in the world, charged with being and doing great things for each other.

If we believe that there is a touch of the divine in all of us, we too can have the courage to go where it may be dangerous to help those we care about, our neighbors.

So, today's lesson may appear to be about another miraculous event, but the true miracle is that though we are mere mortals, and life can be difficult, we can overcome the obstacles with a little help from our friends.

More to come...