Last Teachings and Raising Lazarus

The Olivet Discourse contains several important parables, including the parables of the Ten Virgins, the Talents, and the Sheep and the Goats. (Matthew 25) The parables build one upon the other. The ten virgins remind us to be prepared, both physically and spiritually. The story of the talents reminds us that we are expected to do more than avoid evil, we are expected to be productive and develop the talents with which we were blessed. There were very sharp words for the servant who hid his talent, a good reminder to us when we would rather sit on the back row and let others carry the load. But, in the end, it doesn't matter if we have that year of food storage or read that chapter every day, and if we have all the skills in the world, if we don't use all of that preparation and productivity to get personal and reach out to one soul at a time. Individual service, offered quietly and without expectation of reward, is the center of the gospel message. Our willingness to do this kind of service places us at the right hand of God.

The raising of Lazarus from the dead, recorded in John 11, is one of the most moving narratives in scripture. The dynamics between Jesus and Martha and Mary are heartrending. When Jesus finally arrives, both women say the same thing: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." They seem to know that Jesus has been just a couple of miles away for four days, deliberately delaying long after their urgent pleas for help had reached him. Why would He do such a thing?

An Undeniable Sign

The Jews believed that the spirit lingered near the body for three days after death, after which it departed for the world of spirits. Jesus waits for the fourth day, so that there can be no question about whether Lazarus is really dead. He has a wonderful exchange with Martha that raises her sights about the meaning of the resurrection, concluding with His astonishing statement: "I am the resurrection and the life."But when He faces Mary and sees her grief, He himself weeps. Groaning within himself, He approaches the grave site and calls Lazarus forth. In a foreshadow of his own coming resurrection, the dead man arises and comes forth, causing many to believe, and the Pharisees to redouble their efforts to destroy Jesus. This is the last of the seven signs in the first eleven chapters of John, which is referred to by commentators as the "Book of Signs."

Four months later, just before the final week begins, Jesus is again at Lazarus's home. Mary takes a pound of spikenard ointment, "very costly," in an alabaster box, and with it anoints Jesus's tired feet, wiping them with her hair. The picture this creates of one woman's gratitude and love for her Savior is so complete it defies commentary. Jesus found it so as well, and declared that wherever the gospel story was told, her sweet act of worship would be recounted.

What if?

Martha and Mary remind us how easy it is to becoming entangled in a never-ending cycle of regret, asking "What if this or that had been different? What if I could have done this or that better or not made this or that mistake?" Jesus reminds us to "remember Lot's wife," and not look back. So we examined ten ways to put useless regrets behind us and move on. In the Book of Mormon Jacob reminds us that we can only feast of the love of God, "if your minds are firm," implying that a certain mental discipline is required to look forward in faith. (Jacob 3:2)

After class one of the sisters shared a story with me. She told of a friend who lost a 15 year old daughter in a tragic ski accident. To the family's surprise President Monson came, uninvited. to the funeral. Of course he was asked to speak, and said that he had seen the story of the accident in the paper and came to offer words of comfort. He told the family to eliminate two words from their vocabulary: "What if." What magnificent advice from a prophet. One writer said, "Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future." The grace of Christ is there to help us have peace about both the past and future, and joy in the present. As these clever New Yorkers remind us, we just need to remember to ask for that grace on a daily basis, and "look not behind thee."

New Year's: Look Not behind Thee