John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and therefore … he delayed his trip to Bethany. Wait, what? Why did Jesus let his friends suffer?

This episode tackles that question head on. Why does little James suffer? Why did Mary Magdalene suffer? Why does Thomas suffer?

Why does God allow His own Son to suffer?

As always, we’ll talk about the high points of the episode and the low points. Mary Magdalene in a cave in France? Yay! James being martyred in Egypt? Nope. (He was martyred in Jerusalem). Lazarus’ makeup? Spot on. Jesus being snappy with Yussif’s dad? Not my favorite. Oh, and more snow-covered mountains…

But Lazarus! Raised from the dead! I can’t watch it without chills.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joanmwatson.substack.com