Queerying 20th after Pentecost B

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Mark 10:17-31
¹⁷As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?”

¹⁸Jesus said to the rich man, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not take another's life; you shall not harm your romantic and sexual partners through non-consensual infidelity; you shall not take what you did not earn; you shall not manipulate the truth to harm others; you shall not misrepresent yourself to others; honor your caregivers as they're instructed to honor you.’”

²⁰The rich man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.”

²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When the rich man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

²³Then Jesus looked around and said to his chosen family, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the reign of God!” ²⁴And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the reign of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the reign of God.”

²⁶They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

²⁸Peter began to say to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

²⁹Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or siblings or parents or caregivers or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, ³⁰who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, siblings, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come everlasting life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Queeries for the text:
What do people inherit?
Which commandments are these? In what order?
What does it mean to honor another?
How do we gain treasure today?
How is grief connected to action? What did the rich man end up doing?
Who has wealth today?
Upon whom does salvation rely on?
What must we leave to follow Jesus?
Who has to balance family and persecution? 

What are your queeries?

 

Queerying Easter 3B

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

 

 

First Reading: Acts 3:12-19

¹²When Peter saw people running to the throuple, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made the person walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, the God of Rebecca, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified Zer servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. ¹⁴But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, ¹⁵and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶And by faith in Their name, Their name itself has made this person strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given this person this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 

 

¹⁷“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what Ze had foretold through all the prophets, that Zer Messiah would suffer. ¹⁹Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out..."

 

Queeries for the text:

What did Peter see and do?  Why is Peter talking to his own community?

Who do we make walk? 

Who else are our ancestors? 

Who handed Jesus over?  Who bears responsibility?  What was Peter up to at the time?

How does naming give strength?

How do we act in ignorance?  Who acts in ignorance? 

Of what do they need to repent?  Who does NOT need to repent?

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Guest queerier, Pace Warfield-May, queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 24:36b-48, Luke 24:13-49 for context

¹³Now on that same day two members of Jesus’ chosen family were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were kiki-ing, Jesus Themself approached and went with them, ¹⁶but the eyes of the two chosen family members were prevented from recognizing Them. ¹⁷And They said to them, "What words are you kiki-ing with each other about while you saunter along?" The two stopped in their tracks, looking like they were in mourning. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered Them, "You alone must be the only tourist in Jerusalem who does not know what happened?"

¹⁹Jesus asked the chosen family members, "What things?" 

The two replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how the rulers and chief religious leaders of our own people handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to liberate Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the grave early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him."

²⁵Then Jesus said to the two of them, "For fuck’s sake! How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to trust all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Anointed One should suffer these things and then enter into Their glory?" ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, They interpreted to them the things about Themself in all the scriptures. ²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, They walked ahead as if They were going on. ²⁹But they compelled Jesus, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So They went in to stay with them. ³⁰When They were at the table with the two, They took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Them; and They vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, "Were not our hearts lit on fire within us while They were talking to us on the road, while They were opening the scriptures to us?"

³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, "The Leader has risen indeed, and They have appeared to Simon!" ³⁵Then the two told what had happened on the road, and how Jesus had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. ³⁶While they were kiki-ing about this, Jesus Themself stood among them and said to them, "Peace and wholeness be with you."

³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸Jesus said to Their chosen family, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." ⁴⁰and when They had said this, They showed them Their hands and Their feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, They said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" ⁴²The chosen family gave Them a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and They took it and ate in their presence. ⁴⁴Then They said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."

⁴⁵Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and They said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Anointed One is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in Their name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Caretaker promised; so stay here in the city until you have been bedazzled in the power from on high.”

Queeries for the text:
Is Jesus a zombie, ghost, vampire, or other supernatural being?
Why were the disciples afraid and in doubt?
How does one disbelieve and wonder in joy?
What does bedazzlement from on high look like?
How would you react to seeing someone you thought had died?
How does the Road to Emmaus impact the story?
How do you witness justice, repentance, and forgiveness of sins?

What are your queeries?

 

 

Queerying Easter 1B

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries a Gospel reading.

 

 

Gospel: Mark 16:1-8

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus' body. ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 

 

⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a youth, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶But the youth said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. They have been raised; They are not here. Look, there is the place they laid the body. ⁷But go, tell the disciples and Peter that They is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Them, just as They told you.” ⁸So the women went out and fled from the tomb, for fear and anticipation had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 

Queeries for the text:

What kind of spices did they bring?

How do stones roll?

Who laid Jesus there?

What is in Galilee?

What is the difference between fear and anticipation?

What don't we talk about?

What do we need to say? 

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Guest queerier, Pace Warfield-May, queeries a Gospel reading.

 

Gospel: John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance to the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the man Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Leader out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." ³Then Peter and Jesus’ beloved set out and went toward the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but Jesus’ beloved outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the funeral clothes and burial cloth lying there, ⁷and the shroud that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the other linens but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then Jesus’ beloved, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that Jesus must rise from the dead.

¹⁰Then the two of them returned to their homes. ¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels wearing white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Leader, and I do not know where they have laid him." ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing Them to be the gardener, she said to Them, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." ¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Them in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means My Great One). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, "Do not try to hold on to me so tightly, because I still must go up to our Caretaker. But go to my chosen family and say to them, 'I am in the process of going up to be with my Caretaker and your Caretaker, to my God and your God.'" ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Leader"; and she told them that They had said these things to her.

Queries for the Text:
Who is missing from this account?
Who is Jesus’ beloved?
Why did Mary not recognize Jesus?
How do we grieve, both individually and communally? 

How do we police how others' grieve?
Who is the real angel in this story?
Who is your chosen family?
What is in need of resurrection today? 

What are your queeries?

 

 

 

 

Queerying Transfiguration B

River Needham, MA queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 2 Kings 2:1-12
When the Becoming One was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,

Elijah and Elisha had set out from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the 

Becoming One has sent me on to Bethel.” 

 

“As the Becoming One lives and as you live,” said Elisha, “I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 

 

Disciples of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Becoming One will take your teacher away from you today?” 

 

He replied, “I know it, too; be silent.” 

 

Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Becoming One has sent me on to Jericho.” 

 

“As the Becoming One lives and as you live,” said Elisha, “I will not leave you.” So they went on to Jericho. 

 

The disciples of the prophets who were at Jericho came over to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Becoming One will take your teacher away from you today?” 

 

He replied, “I know it, too; be silent.” 

 

Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Becoming One has sent me on to the Jordan.” 

 

“As the Becoming One lives and as you live, I will not leave you,” he said, and the two of them went on. 

 

Fifty men of the disciples of the prophets followed and stood by at a distance from them as the two of them stopped at the Jordan. There, Elijah took his mantle and, rolling it up, he struck the water; it divided to the right and left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry land. As they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” 

 

Elisha answered, “Let a double portion of your spirit pass on to me.” 

 

“You have asked a difficult thing,” he said. “If you see me as I am being taken from you, this will be granted to you; if not, it will not.” As they kept on walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses suddenly appeared and separated one from the other; and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “Oh, father, father! Israel’s chariots and horsemen!” When he could no longer see him, he grasped his garments and rent them in two.

Queeries for the text:
Where else are circuitous journies beneficial?

What does death look like when under oppressive rule?

Who are the people we mourn today? Who do you mourn?
How do people mourn? What practices help us mourn?

Who else did not leave when their teacher, parent, companion moved on?
 

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

 

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

²Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

 

Queeries for the text:

Six days later than what?

What does it mean to be transfigured? 

What is as hard to achieve now as bleached white was then?

What is this voice echoing?

Why would Jesus want to keep it secret?

What is in need of transfiguring today?

 

What are your queeries?

 

 

 

 

Queerying 9th after Pentecost A

River Needham M.A., queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Genesis 32:22-31
That same night [Jacob] arose, and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, he crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After taking them across the stream, he sent across all his possessions. Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When the man saw that he had not prevailed against Jacob, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as the man wrestled with him.

Then the man said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.”

But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”

Said the other, “What is your name?”

He replied, “Jacob.” 

 

The man said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.” 

 

Jacob asked, “Pray tell me your name.” 

 

But he said, “You must not ask my name!” The man took leave of Jacob there. 

So Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, “I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping on his hip. That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle.

Queeries for the text:
What is wealth in this text? What about today?

What does it mean to be alone? How long had it been since Jacob was alone?

Who do we fight at nighttime?
Are there erotic overtones?

How are names important? What names do you wear?

How do we change names?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from his hometown in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

¹⁵When it was evening, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

¹⁷They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”

¹⁸And Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹And those who ate were about five thousand cisgender men, not to mention the women, children, queer folks, and transgender people.

Queeries for the text:

What did Jesus hear?
Why did the disciples wait until the hour was late?
Who tries to hoard or protect resources?
Who is giving them something to eat?
What is nothing?
When else does Jesus bless and break bread?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Holy Trinity A

River Needham, M.A. queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Genesis 1:1-2:4a

At the starting point, God formed the cosmos and the earth. The earth did not have shape; and darkness was upon the surface of the deep. God’s breath hovered over the waters on the earth.

God said: Let light be. Then God saw the light and that it was Good. God pulled apart the light and the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness Night. Dusk and Dawn were in there too. The first day came to be. Then, God wanted there to be an atmosphere between the waters. Let the atmosphere divide water from the water. So God made the sky and divided the waters under it from the waters above it. And so it was. God called the atmosphere heaven. There was dusk, then dawn. The second day.

Next, God said: Let the waters below gather together so dry land can appear. And so it was. God called the dry land earth and the gathered waters God called seas. God saw that all this was good. Later, God said: Let the earth produce grass, herbs with seeds, trees that bear fruit. And so it was. The earth produced grass, herbs with seed, trees that bore fruit. God saw that all this was good. There was dusk, and dawn. The third day.

Then, God said “Let the sky have lights to divide the day from the night. Let them move about and distinguish signs, seasons, days, and years. Let them be lights in the atmosphere of the heavens to give light to the earth.” And so it was. So, God made two big lights. The biggest one ruled over the day, and the smaller of the big lights ruled over the night and stars. God set these lights in the atmosphere of the heavens so they could give light to the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that all this was good. There was dusk, then dawn. The fourth day.

Next, God said “Let the waters move with collections of living beings. Let birds fly above the earth in the open atmosphere of heaven.” So, God created the great sea creatures, and every creepy-crawly, and the waters were filled with motion; so was the atmosphere of heaven. God saw that all this was good, then God blessed the animals and said “ Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the waters in the seas and let the birds multiply in the earth. There was dusk, then dawn. The Fifth day.

Then, God said “Let the earth create living creatures after it’s kind. Cattle, insects, and beasts of the earth after its own kind.” And so it was. God made living creatures on the ground after its kind, and every insect after its kind. God saw that all this was good. So, God said let us make a human in our image, just like us. Let them have responsibility over the fish of the sea, birds of the air. Over the cattle and all the things on the earth, even the insects. God created the human in their own image. In the image of God they created them. Male, female, between and beyond God created them. Then, God blessed them and said to them: Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and take responsibility for it, and for the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, and for every living thing down to the smallest insect.

God said: Look – I have given you every herb yielding seed which lives anywhere on the earth, and every tree which produces seeds in its fruit. To you, these things are food. Likewise, to every animal on the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth with a lifeforce, I have given every green herb for food. And so it was.

God saw every thing that they had made, and Look! It was very good. Then there was dusk, and there was dawn. The sixth day.

So, the heaven and the earth were finished. The whole project. Then on the seventh day, God finished their work and they rested on the seventh day from all they had made. God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because in it they rested from all their work which God did in the course of creating.

These were the stories of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Queeries for the text:

Who is the main character in this story?
Why was this creation narrative chosen?
Where is humanity’s responsibility today?
What queeries do you have for this text?
What does it mean for earth to have a start or a birthday?
Are there multiple starting points? What was present at this starting point?
What does it mean to be beyond or between gender?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw Jesus, they worshiped Them; and some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Provider and of the Prophet and of the Protest, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Queeries for the text:

Which mountain was it?

What are the characteristics of God?  How are our songs about the Spirit disconnected from scriptural references?

What is divine authority like?
How else can we understand the Trinity?

What does it mean for God to be Provider?

What does it mean for God to be Prophet?

What does it mean for God to be Protest?

How is Jesus' great commission problematic?

How is Jesus' great commission comforting?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Lent 5A

River Needham M.A., queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the Becoming One came upon me. They took me out by the spirit of the Becoming One and set me down in the valley. It was full of bones. They led me all around them; there were very many of them spread over the valley, and they were very dry. They said to me, “O mortal, can these bones live again?”

I replied, “O Becoming God, only you know.”

Then, They said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Becoming One! Thus said the Becoming God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live again. I will lay sinews upon you, and cover you with flesh, and form skin over you. I will put breath into you, and you shall live again. Then, you shall know that I am the Becoming One!” I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, suddenly there was a sound of rattling, and the bones came together, bone to matching bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had grown, and skin had formed over them; but there was no breath in them.

Then They said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, O mortal! Say to the breath: Thus said the Becoming God: Come, O breath, from the four winds, and breathe into these slain, that they may live again.” I prophesied as They commanded me. The breath entered them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet, a vast multitude.

They said to me, “O mortal, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.’ Prophesy, therefore, and say to them: Thus said the Becoming God: I am going to open your graves and lift you out of the graves, O my people, and bring you to the land of Israel. You shall know, O my people, that I am the Becoming One, when I have opened your graves and lifted you out of your graves. I will put my breath into you and you shall live again, and I will set you upon your own soil. Then you shall know that I, the Becoming One, have spoken and have acted”—declares the Becoming One.

Queeries for the text:
What memories does this text bring up?
What time of year do we see bones in the United States?
How can bones hear?
How can bones breathe?
How can the dead live again?
What are the four winds?
Where are we doomed? Where is there hope?
What about the Becoming One allows them to do these things?
Why does the Becoming One speak in the third person?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: John 11:1-45
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²Mary was the one who anointed the Commander in Chief with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. ³So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Commander in Chief, he whom you love is ill.”

⁴But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Divine One may be glorified through it.” ⁵Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, ⁶after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. ⁷Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

⁸The disciples said to Jesus, “Rabbi, the Judeans were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”

⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. ¹⁰But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” ¹¹After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.”

¹²The disciples said to Jesus, “Commander in Chief, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” ¹³Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.

¹⁴Then Jesus told the disciples plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

¹⁷When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, ¹⁹and many of the Judeans had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Commander, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of Them.”

²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴Martha said to Jesus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷Martha said to Jesus, “Yes, Commander, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Divine One, the one coming into the world.” ²⁸When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to Jesus.

³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹The Judeans who were with Mary in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Commander, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³When Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Judeans who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴Jesus said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Jesus, “Commander in Chief, come and see.”

³⁵Jesus began to weep.

³⁶So the Judeans said, “See how Jesus loved Lazarus!” ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Mary, the sister of the dead man, said to Jesus, “Commander, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.”

⁴⁰Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Papa, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When Jesus had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵Many of the Judeans therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Queeries for the text:
What sort of family dynamics are going on with three adult siblings living together?  Are they really "siblings", two sisters and a brother?
With whom does Thomas want to die?
How did Jesus love Lazarus?  What kind of love was it?
Who are the ones who believe in the resurrection?
What prompts weeping today?
How are we entombed?  How is this a tomb?  How might it be a womb?
What is in need of binding?  What is being bound?
What is in need of unbinding?  What is being unbound?
How can you come out?

What are your queeries?