Lectio with Lazarus and Jesus

Time for another Lectio, I think! For those who haven't used this method of Bible reading called Lectio Divina, here is a description.

Remember that this is not Bible study - it is a slow, meditative mulling-over of the scripture passage. Particularly with the sentence, phrase or word that 'jumps out at you' the most. To describe it very unflatteringly, think of a cow chewing the cud - she chews slowly and continuously - to get every bit of goodness from the grass!


John 11.32–44

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’
Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’


And may God bless you in your prayer.

3 comments

  1. Anonymous  

    30 October 2009 at 23:55

    See how he loved him..wow


    Col x

  2. Jayne  

    1 November 2009 at 17:34

    thanks for this Kath, it's lovely and I enjoy this way of absorbing passages of scripture. I smiled when I read your description of a cow chewing the cud - we were disturbed by a knock on the door the other morning (2.00 a.m.) by the Police informing us there was a cow wandering in the road! I knew it wouldn't be one of ours as they are at the back of the house and nearer to the East Lancs road(we've chased them on that road before now in the early hours!). When we went out the cow was quite happily eating the grass at the front of the house, chewing each mouthful with patience and enjoyment, without a care in the world. I think she was a bit miffed when we put her in one of our sheds till the morning! It wasn't one of our cows and its owner across the road got a full night's sleep, huh!

    The sentence which stands out for me is ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I know that you always hear me.... This is so true and comforting

    x

  3. Kath Williamson  

    1 November 2009 at 19:24

    Yes - lovely Jayne. God always hears us - because we are his beloved.