Iulii XXV, XXXII AD – Written by Divitiae; Edited by Stephen Sapp
After the passing of our elder brother my four siblings and I decided to take a “bucket-list” trip to see the illustrious tomb of Lazarus. Watching the news of this miraculous event spread so far and wide, we just had to see it! What an exciting journey lay ahead of us…but not in the way any of us thought.
For one, the roads to get there are dusty and long. Tucked within the rich, velvety howdahs on top of our rented camels, we somehow still got dirty. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I woke up from my mid-morning nap with sand in my eye and one of my brothers actually had a grain embedded in his teeth. Needless to say, if you can’t travel in first-class accommodations like we did, spare your money from this ever-long 20-mile trek through the desert.
When we finally came to the foot of Mount Olives we were surprised at what we saw—a two-and-a-half-mile long mountain ridge that towers over the eastern-side of Jerusalem, or, more precisely, the middle of the three peaks forming the ridge. If this is beginning to sound fascinating, it’s only because I just copied that description directly from a book. (The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Scroll to be exact. Page MCCXIX.)
In all honesty, it’s just a mountain covered in olives. We weren’t impressed with it or the pitted fruit growing from its groves.
When my brothers and I finally reached our destination of Bethany we realized the disappointment had only just begun. We got to the celebrated, gray, and cavernous tomb only to find that it was empty. Yes, empty with simply nothing to see.
The rumor is apparently true, and Lazarus really is alive. But just like we are—breathing and such. What’s the big deal? Besides, his name is Lazarus. Can’t help but think of that nasty, sore-covered guy always begging from my late brother.
I sincerely hope my brother is resting in peace, but this Lazarus, like the one he knew, doesn’t impress me at all. It’ll certainly take something more than this to make another trip out here, much less inspire someone like my brothers and I who, to put it humbly, fare sumptuously every day.
If you ask me, save your money and your bucket-list trip for something else.
To think you will be stirred because some guy rose from the dead is, in my opinion, nothing more than a grave mistake.
"But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "
Luke 16:31
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