Living in Boxes

If you were asked, “Have you ever lived in a box?” most of us would quickly answer “no!” Some of us would add in an additional you-need-to-go-to-the-Funny-Farm look. Have you ever lived, even for a day, in a small confined space? We’ve all been sick at some time and confined to a bed, a room or a couch. Some have spent time confined to a hospital bed. I can remember being “grounded” as a child (for something I’m sure I didn’t do!) and confined indoors, no friends, no phone calls. Pure torture. At times we are boxed in by the weather, time or financial limitations. Recently I read through the Bible story when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and I was struck by the idea that we often live in boxes.
There is no mention of boxes, even in the Hebrew language, in Lazarus’ death-to-life story. My imagination wasn’t captured by Lazarus though, I was intrigued by his sisters, Mary and Martha. They are a familiar duo in church circles. Martha is the one criticized for being overly concerned about a perfect dinner party. She complains to Jesus, and attempts to manipulate him into getting more work out of her sister Mary. Mary is the sister idealized for having a “more righteous” approach to the event. She wasn’t worried about meal prep, she just wanted to enjoy Jesus’ company.  I have been both Martha and Mary so I get both sides of the issue.
In the story of Lazarus’ death and resurrection, Martha and Mary’s roles toward Jesus seem to have switched some. When word comes to the sisters that Jesus had finally come, Martha is the one who rushes to be with him, and Mary remains at home. That gave me pause.  Why wasn’t Mary running to Jesus to soak up some comfort, to be blessed with some hope? And how is it that Martha was able to leave her responsibilities, and the people who had come to help her mourn?  Perhaps Martha felt a responsibility to go greet Jesus, after all he was an esteemed Rabbi to her. As I read her conversation with Jesus I saw a flicker of hope in her. She tells Jesus, “Even now I know God will give you whatever you ask.” My initial thought was to get all excited and scream at her, “Do it! Ask for the big miracle!” But Martha seems to retreat into Sunday School answers. She says the “right” thing but it’s as if she is unable to grasp the outlandish possibilities God always can provide. It hit me that Martha was living in a box I call “this is how God works.”  I’m familiar with that box. Growing up in the church I learned an odd balance of knowing God can do the impossible and accepting God is Sovereign so He gets to choose. Both are very true, but the box I lived in for quite some time would rationalize away asking for and believing for the outrageous by saying things like “but Your will Lord.” I would want to see and experience the miraculous, but I would stop short of REALLY asking and then lead myself to believe I was being “spiritually mature” about it all.  Desiring God’s will is where I need to live AND I need to believe that God is a God of the impossible. There is no box of “this is how God works!” For Heaven’s sake! – HE IS GOD, the I AM!
Since my mind was rolling on this whole box idea, I glanced back at Mary. Mary, sitting at home, wrapped up in her grief. I recognized myself again and I was able to identify her box. Mary lived in the box of the immediate. Mary was easily trapped in the emotion of the moment. I’ve lived there. My personality is wired in such a way that I have to be careful to not be trapped in that box, because God and His purposes are always greater than what is happening in the immediate moment. It’s a gift to be able to experience a moment in its fullness AND one needs to be able to step out of that moment and welcome the presence of Jesus into a new, fresh, miraculous moment.
In the story, Jesus came to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead, to awaken him from his “sleep.” And I believe he longed to awaken others as well, to free them from the boxes they were living in. I recently heard a pastor preach on this passage and he keyed in on the phrase, “Lazarus, come out.” He challenged each of us to listen for Jesus’ voice calling us to come out from what held us entombed. He didn’t say the words that were parading through my mind – but the concept was the same: Stop living in boxes, step out into the wide world of miracles and freedom and true Living. After all, God is sovereign and He can do the impossible, every moment of every day.