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The Story Background
Lazarus, who was the brother of Mary and Martha, occupies a unique place among biblical characters. The New Testament identifies his family as having an exclusive relationship with Jesus. It is recorded that Jesus visited them on several occasions. Casual episodes between Jesus and Lazarus’ sisters at their home in Bethany are revealed and intimate conversations are detailed. But despite the seeming close connection between Jesus and this family, Lazarus is portrayed in the Bible only by his name.
Why?
Arguably, the raising of Lazarus from the dead was the crowning miracle of Jesus’ ministry. Yet the Bible is silent on any specifics with regard to any personal bond between Jesus and Lazarus that would initiate such sensation. When Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb, the Jews reacted, “See how much he loved him.” This observation notwithstanding, the record omits any personal interaction ever taking place between Jesus and Lazarus.
Why?
Several conversations are recorded between Jesus and the nameless people he healed ― the woman who touched his garment, the man at the pool of Bethsaida, the man born blind, the ten lepers, even demoniacs. Considering the detailed interaction Jesus often had with anonymous characters, the Bible account omits any reference that Jesus and Lazarus (who owed Jesus his life) ever said anything of significance to each other.
Why?
Maybe the most astonishing observation of this detached proximity is that even after Lazarus was brought back alive from the grave, he seems to have left the scene without even a nod in Jesus’ direction. There is no falling at his feet in worship and praise as with the nameless leper. Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go.” The narrative leaves us with the impression that that is exactly what Lazarus did. There is no: “Your faith has made you whole.” The scene abruptly changes to the plot to kill Jesus.
Why?
If indeed the Bible paints a picture of Lazarus as a faceless personality, in spite of this significant miracle, it is certain that its canvas is meant to teach us greater insight than the raw colors which meet the eye. The Gospel writer did not omit dialogue by mistake. Here, nothing is concealed; yet all is not bared. Church plays and Sunday school classes don’t veer far from representing this trio as a model family. Of course, Martha is known for her distraction and Mary for her devotion. But maybe in Lazarus’ case, when you have nothing nice to say about someone, it’s just better not to say anything at all. Could there have been an unspoken tension between the virtue of a sister who anointed the feet of Jesus with costly ointment and the heart of Lazarus, who seems to have kept his distance? Would it have been best not to add this complicated incongruity to the gospel record? And would this recorded silence make the chronicle of Lazarus all the more insightful as an illustration of the act of grace bestowed upon men?
It is not so much about a story to tell as it is about the questions we must ask along its journey. It is not so much about the miracle itself as it is about the truth that brings us to this miracle. Jesus, when interrogated by his disciples responded, “I am glad I was not there to save Lazarus, so that you might believe”. What we call a journey, God calls the end. If God’s end is the process, what then is the cost of this faith that Jesus desired for his disciples? What would it cost Lazarus? What will it cost us to truly believe? And how are we to remain joyful in the midst of trials when the contagion around us abounds with abandon? Is God in control or are we left to stick it out alone for better or worse until we come to the end?
According to historical tradition, Lazarus escaped the Sanhedrin who had decreed his death. Around the year 40AD, with several other friends of Jesus, among them, his two sisters, James, John, and a servant named Sara, Lazarus was put out to sea from Palestine on a frail craft, without sail, oars or supplies, and drifted across the Mediterranean until it came ashore on what is now the region of Provence near the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer along the Mediterranean coast in the south of France. He preached the Gospel throughout the area and become the pastor of a church in Marseilles. During the persecution of Domitian he was cast into prison and beheaded, willingly dying a second time, this time, for his faith.
What realizations took place after the death and resurrection of Jesus that transformed Lazarus’ life?
The relevant events that permeate this story lead us to consider even greater questions that transcend the time of Lazarus to our present day experiences. What meaning are we to draw from the pain and suffering of misfortune, heartbreak, tragedy, calamity and finally a death from which no one escapes? Are these complexities random or ordained? Why do people in the midst of inexplicable crisis often turn to some form of religion for comfort? If there is a God that is all-powerful and loving to whom we can seek refuge, why does he allow chaos and evil to dominate so much of our world? Why do bad things happen to good people? And how can a righteous God possibly bestow any grace upon unrighteous men?
These are the perspectives examined in this music drama.
Synopsis Overview - A Modern Lazarus
Lazarus is a self-made man. A winemaker by occupation, he’s a little rough around the edges but he’s the favorite uncle figure that everyone in town loves. Although successful in business and community, he harbors a cynical grudge because life has not dealt him the cards he feels entitled to. The responsibility of supporting the family fell on him when his parents died causing him to forfeit his dreams. For him, fate and luck combined with hard work are guiding principles. He tolerates the idea of religion, mainly because his two ‘roommates’, his sisters, Mary and Martha hold to their religious views. But he sees no profit from any profession of a faith in what he perceives as an indifferent or absentee God. Even when he has an unrecoverable heart attack at a relatively early age, he is unrepentant of what his sisters identify as his need to atone for his careless and sordid ways. To add to his irritation of seemingly constant nagging from Martha, Jesus, who is good friends with the sisters, is a frequent visitor whose presence alone annoys Lazarus.
In Act One, Lazarus succumbs to a stroke. His sisters implore Jesus to heal him on their behalf, but Jesus intentionally delays before showing up too late. Why?
The sisters are disillusioned by what appears to be a hardhearted act of coldness. And from the perspective of the people around him, Jesus’ decision seems to portend a tragic outcome. He appears to have a psychotic death wish even as he demonstrates the ability to perform miracles in keeping with the ancient prophesies of the Messiah. His disciples cannot understand his predilection for suffering when the fulfillment of delivering their nation from Roman tyranny has such promise. If he claims to be God, a God who is good, why does he allow, pursue, yes, even cause suffering and pain? This is not the kind of God the disciples have in mind. Nor does it indulge the kind of God most of us imagine.
At the end of Act One, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. (Theatrically, the foreboding spectacle that is created in this scene portrays Jesus wrestling Lazarus from the clutches of Death itself.) As Act Two develops, everything Lazarus thought he knew about life has been turned on its head. Ironically, it is this, Jesus’ greatest of all of his miracles, that causes the political leaders to seek his death as well as the death of Lazarus. Lazarus fears for his life. Judas, a longtime friend of Lazarus and a disciple of Jesus devises a plan to force Jesus to rise up against the Roman occupation of their land and oust the Jewish political and religious leaders. His plan fails. Subsequently, Jesus goes to his death.
The implications for Lazarus are profound. What is he to make of the circumstances that leave him alive when the one who raised him from the dead is now in the grave? What sobering introspection did Lazarus experience during what must have seemed to him to be a chasm of disillusionment when his benefactor was put to death? Confronted by Judas and the subsequent fallout that destroys their longtime relationship, Lazarus questions his newfound faith which he readily betrays when put to the test of facing Death again. Judas commits suicide. And loathing who he has become and disillusioned by his own hypocrisy, Lazarus contemplates the same finality.
Although this musical drama is placed in biblical Palestine, it is presented in context with reference to modern day conveniences while suffused in the current social vernacular and political order that one might find dynamic to a Jewish community today. Although the story pursues questions dealing with serious human affairs, it is infused with the comic and wit of situations reminiscent of the successful American sitcom Three’s Company. At once lighthearted and weighty, the story treats politics, religion, and the sexes with an irreverent eye while probing contemporary issues through a theological lens. Based on a true story, Lazarus will impel you to contemplate the true meaning of life as you leave the theater. Life is a test. Are you ready for it?
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