Today's gospel is the raising of Lazarus. It is the quintessential problem of life and life's relationship with God. Christ does not make it easy either. He is told "the one you love is sick." He is "troubled in spirit." He weeps. He speaks to God as a stage whisper to inform the audience of His relationship and His motives.
The intense experience of the family is typically muted; Jesus and His revolution is the point here. The specifics--why are Lazarus and Christ so close, what is Christ thinking, why does He weep--these fascinating human points are captivating to us but, while real and active to Christ, are peripheral to this eternal and universal experience.
The Raising of Lazarus
Rilke
One had to bear with the majority -
what they wanted was a sign that screamed:
Martha, though, and Mary - he had dreamed
they would be contented just to see
that he could. But not a soul believed him:
'Lord, you've come to late,' said all the crowd.
So to peaceful Nature, though it grieved him,
on he went to do the unallowed.
Asked them, eyes half-shut, his body glowing
with anger, 'Where's the grave?' Tormentedly.
And to them it seemed his tears were flowing,
as they thronged behind him, curiously.
As he walked, the thing seemed monstrous to him,
childish, horrible experiment:
then there suddenly went flaming through him
such an all-consuming argument
against their life, their death, their whole collection
of separations made by them alone,
all his body quivered with rejection
as he gave out hoarsely 'Raise the stone'.
Someone shouted that the corpse was stinking
(buried now four days ago) - but He
stood erect, brim-full of that unblinking,
mounting gesture, that so painfully
lifted up his hand (no hand was ever
raised so slowly, so immeasurably),
till it stood there, shining in the gloom.
There it slowly, clawingly contracted:
what if all the dead should be attracted
upwards, through that syphon of a tomb,
where a pallid chrysalidal thing
was writhing up from where it had been lying? -
But it stood alone (no more replying),
and they saw vague, unidentifying
Life compelled to give it harbouring.
The intense experience of the family is typically muted; Jesus and His revolution is the point here. The specifics--why are Lazarus and Christ so close, what is Christ thinking, why does He weep--these fascinating human points are captivating to us but, while real and active to Christ, are peripheral to this eternal and universal experience.
The Raising of Lazarus
Rilke
One had to bear with the majority -
what they wanted was a sign that screamed:
Martha, though, and Mary - he had dreamed
they would be contented just to see
that he could. But not a soul believed him:
'Lord, you've come to late,' said all the crowd.
So to peaceful Nature, though it grieved him,
on he went to do the unallowed.
Asked them, eyes half-shut, his body glowing
with anger, 'Where's the grave?' Tormentedly.
And to them it seemed his tears were flowing,
as they thronged behind him, curiously.
As he walked, the thing seemed monstrous to him,
childish, horrible experiment:
then there suddenly went flaming through him
such an all-consuming argument
against their life, their death, their whole collection
of separations made by them alone,
all his body quivered with rejection
as he gave out hoarsely 'Raise the stone'.
Someone shouted that the corpse was stinking
(buried now four days ago) - but He
stood erect, brim-full of that unblinking,
mounting gesture, that so painfully
lifted up his hand (no hand was ever
raised so slowly, so immeasurably),
till it stood there, shining in the gloom.
There it slowly, clawingly contracted:
what if all the dead should be attracted
upwards, through that syphon of a tomb,
where a pallid chrysalidal thing
was writhing up from where it had been lying? -
But it stood alone (no more replying),
and they saw vague, unidentifying
Life compelled to give it harbouring.
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