Sermon thoughts and other musings

Head faith, heart faith

While reading this week's story of the healing of Lazarus, it struck me that what was significant to me were the actions of the characters other than Jesus and Lazarus. Mary, Martha, Thomas - they were the ones who drew my attention.

Thomas, forever immortalized as "doubting" Thomas, makes a significant declaration of faith: he is willing to go with Jesus to Bethany to die. Sure, he isn't exactly an optimist ... but he is willing to go where none of the other disciples want to go.

Martha and Mary are also people of faith, but I hear a different quality of faith in each. When Martha is asked about her faith, she gives a very theological declaration. Yes, she knows that Lazarus will rise again at the end times. But she strikes me as the stoic one - the good worker who did her duty (and resented Mary) in Luke 10:38-42.

Mary, on the other hand, simply kneels at Jesus' feet and weeps. And her emotion causes Jesus to weep. And when Jesus weeps, we see a declaration from God that goes far beyond anything words or logic can tell us. God weeps! God cares! My own journey of faith has been a journey of about 18 inches - the distance from my brain to my heart. It's the most important 18 inches a person's faith can travel. Theological understanding pales in comparison to feeling the love of God and love of others.

Want to know how God relates to humanity? Just remember: Jesus wept.