See how He loved him!

 

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:30-44 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that when Jesus came to the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 

  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   My study Bible points out that Mary approaches Christ with the identical words Martha used (see yesterday's reading, above).  It notes that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother from the dead which is to come. 

 

 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   My study Bible comments that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit, in order to show He had fully taken on human nature, and He was subject to grief as any human being would be.  It says that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  At Compline of Lazarus Saturday, the Orthodox Church sings a hymn that declares, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."  Once again, we reiterate that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to indicate the religious leaders.  In this case, these are people who have come from Jerusalem, likely among prominent families, to mourn with Martha and Mary. 

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith has increased, my study Bible says (compare to yesterday's reading, above), she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  It notes that the spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus, we see bystanders covering their noses, which illustrates both the reality of his corrupted flesh and the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.

  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  In order to show Christ's divine will was one with the Fathers, and that His human will was freely subject in all ways to the Father's, my study Bible says that Jesus prays aloud for the sake of the people. 

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  My study Bible cites the passage in John 5:25-29 for reference here.  It notes that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  This shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  That Lazarus came out bound in his graveclothes is frequently seen in patristic literature as an indication that he will need them again; in other words, Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  Christ's graveclothes, by contrast, will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike that of Lazarus, my study Bible says, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature.  He will never die again.  My study Bible adds that this seventh and final sign of John's Gospel prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection.  But in the words of the Orthodox hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13). 

Today's passage gives us a number of indications of Jesus' deep feelings of love for Martha and Mary and Lazarus.  We're told of Jesus' encounter with Mary, who fell down at His feet.  We're told that when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  The shortest verse in the Holy Bible is Jesus wept.  Those who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters say, "See how He loved him!"  As Jesus approaches the tomb of Lazarus He is groaning in Himself.  Each of these things are indications of love, and moreover they are indications of compassion and also empathy.  How do we discern if these are Christ's human emotions, or they also encompass His divine persona?   The Gospel doesn't seem to distinguish a difference.  At any rate, we know that our Lord has experienced all of what it is in our human context to feel anguish at another's pain, to experience mourning and sorrow and all the effects that death has on community and family.  We can see His response to the weeping of His friend Mary, and that He groaned in spirit and was troubled, and groaned as He went to the tomb.  These things indicate turmoil based on His friend's death and the mourning of the others.  But then He says, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  This seems to indicate that what transpires, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, is done at Jesus' request of the Father.  It indicates a deep love between Father and Son that goes both ways, and a deep gratitude on the part of the Son, Jesus Christ.  This final astounding, decisive sign in John's Gospel, which will more or less effectively complete Christ's earthly ministry is an act requested by Christ, and fulfilled by the Father who has put all authority and the power of life in Christ's hands.  We know once and for all who He is, and so do the religious leaders who will now plot to kill Him.  His is the power of life, as He has said to Martha, in yesterday's reading:  "I am the resurrection and the life."   In human terms and earthly life, it has been conventionally observed that "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Lord Acton).  But in our Lord, we see something entirely different.  Christ has the power of life and death, and He has it absolutely, because it has been given by the Father.  But in Jesus, we see compassion and love, we see a man moved by grief because His friends whom He loves are suffering, because His friend Lazarus has died.  And in terms of the use of His power, it is used to express compassion and love, and to proclaim to the world the truth about who Jesus is, and that He is sent by the Father.  We faithful are left with an indelible understanding of Christ's power of life that reigns over all, of His love, and His deep and touching tenderness and compassion for human suffering -- and His capacity for the bonds of friendship.  In these we take heart and place our trust.

 

 

 

 

 

Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?

 

 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 

Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  

 

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  

 

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:28–44 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

 

  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  We recall from yesterday's reading (see above) that Martha had come out to meet Jesus as He approached their home.  Martha is the sister who is more focused on acts of service, while Mary is the more contemplative sister.  Mary has been sitting in the home, in observance of mourning and receiving other mourners, according to the traditional religious practice (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14.)  As was observed yesterday, in chapter 11 of John's Gospel these two sisters remain true to character evidenced in Luke's Gospel, at Luke 10:38-42.  Let us note Mary's obedience to the word of Christ, the Teacher, as she arose quickly and came to Him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."   "The Jews" are the people who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary, an indication that these people are likely from among prominent families of the leadership of the religious establishment at the temple.  All of the people in this story are Jews, including Martha and Mary, and the disciples of Christ. 

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   Mary approaches Jesus with the same words used by Martha (in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible comments that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead, which follows.  

 

 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus (see above).  Here, Christ's weeping clearly emphasizes His love for this family, and the compassion experienced at watching Mary and the other mourners weeping for Lazarus.  My study Bible remarks that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit (verses 33, 38) to show that He had fully taken on human nature, and was therefore subject to grief as any man would be.  It says that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  An Orthodox hymn for the day of Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday on the Orthodox calendar) declares, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."  Once again, we note that the term "the Jews" is used similarly to a political label in John's Gospel, most frequently indicating the leaders of the religious establishment.  Here, we presume it is used to indicate mourners from among those important families who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary.  Therefore they are witnesses to the event that will presently take place.  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  My study Bible comments that although Martha's faith had increased (verses 23-27), she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time, it notes.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus, bystanders are shown covering their noses with their sleeves, which illustrates both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh, and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  My study Bible comments that to show His divine will was one with the Father's, and that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's, Christ prays aloud for the sake of the people. 

 

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  Jesus calls Lazarus forth.  But He does so, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  My study Bible notes that this shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  See also John 5:28-29. 

 

 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  My study Bible notes that in patristic commentary, that Lazarus came out bound in his graveclothes is seen by many as an indication that he will need them again -- Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  Christ's graveclothes, by contrast, will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike that of Lazarus, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature; He will never die again.  This resurrection of Lazarus is the seventh of seven signs which are given in John's Gospel.  My study Bible tells us that not only did it prepare the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but in the words of the hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).  

In today's reading we are given the seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  The seven signs are (1) changing water into wine (John 2:1-11); (2) curing the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54); (3) healing the paralytic (John 5:1-15); (4) feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14); (5) walking on water (John 6:15-21); (6) opening the eyes of a blind man (John 9:1-41); and (7), the sign given in today's reading, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  My study Bible explains that John uses the term "signs" in order to show that these miraculous actions point beyond themselves to the truth that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  It is this final sign that will seal the religious authorities' decision to put Jesus to death (John 11:47-50).  Today's event takes place at Bethany, which is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus,  my study Bible says, is the same name as Eleazar, which literally means "God helps."  As indicated by the notes in my study Bible, this sign is a manifestation of Christ's words in John's fifth chapter, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself" (John 5:25-26).  In John's Prologue, we read, "In Him was life, and His life was the light of men" (John 1:4).  So Christ's ability to have life in Himself -- which He is able to confer to others -- is also connected to Him as the light He brings, and His words (in the next chapter) that one must walk while we have the light, for in the darkness one does not know where one is going (John 12:35).  Therefore according to the Gospel, we both see by that light and live by that light.  But let us consider what this means spiritually for us.  In the raising of Lazarus, we see a literal example of Christ giving life to someone.  If we are to think in the "iconic" sense that the Scriptures give us, we might make of this seventh sign a visible manifestation of Christ's power and how it might work in our own lives.  While we may not experience anything as spectacular as this particular sign in the Gospel, there are countless believers who testify to the experience of being made "alive again" through the power of faith in Christ.  This takes myriad forms, whether it is help in recovery from a devastating loss, or possibly through an addiction crisis with the use of the Twelve Steps, or simply through the uplifting power of the experience of the love we find in Christ and the great cloud of saints we find in communion during prayer.  This revival of Lazarus, which foreshadows Christ's own Resurrection to come (and which we will celebrate on Easter/Pascha), tells us a story of what Christ does and who Christ is, and we cannot limit the things for which that serves as icon which may echo throughout our own lives.  Are you disappointed in a project or plan that seems to have failed?  Is a chapter closed in your life?  Is something broken, like a relationship, or a long-cherished dream?  It is Christ's life and light to which one must turn in such a time; and indeed, in all times.  For this is the light by which we see the way forward, the life that is the light of all people.  This is the truth in this sign, given us in the Gospel, and through the "spirit and life" in the words of Jesus.  It's no accident that in telling the story of the life and light of Christ, we are given today's powerful story in the context of Jesus' great love for Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus.  Moreover, we are given His great compassion, for as He sees the sisters weeping, together with their friends, Jesus groans in the spirit, and also weeps -- giving us this memorably short verse of the Bible, "Jesus wept."  For the life and light of Christ is couched in love, which is the essence of the Divine.  As John also tells us, "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  We need His light and life, and we need God's love.   These shape the qualities that make life even in this world precious to us, and good, and beautiful.  In them, we also may share in beholding the glory of God.  For they remain true even when the world offers us darkness and denial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me

Raising of Lazarus, 12th century icon.  St. Katherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai

 

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

 

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:30-44 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came toward the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You as of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 

 

  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   My study Bible notes that Mary approaches Jesus with the identical words used by Martha (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus engaged Martha with words ("I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" ).  But He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead.

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   My study Bible comments that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit to show that He had fully taken on human nature, and was subject to grief as any human being would be.  Weeping, it says, is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  On the Saturday commemorating Lazarus, an Orthodox hymn declares:  "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of your heartfelt love."

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith had increased, my study Bible says, she till understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus, bystanders are portrayed as covering their noses, which illustrates both the reality of his corrupted flesh, and the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead (see the figures near Lazarus in the 12th century icon, above).

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   Christ says that He prays aloud for the sake of the people who are standing by.  By doing so, He shows to them that His divine will is one with the Father's, and that His human will is freely subject in every way to the Father's.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  My study Bible notes that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  This shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  See also John 5:28-29.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  Many patristic commentaries see Lazarus bound in graveclothes as an indication that he will need them again -- his resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  By contrast, Christ's graveclothes will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike this resurrection of Lazarus, Christ's Resurrection is a transfiguration of human nature; He will never die again.  My study Bible further notes that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but, in the words of the hymn commemorating the day, it "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).  

In today's reading, Jesus says, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Those people who are standing by are people who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters.  John has called them the Jews which in this Gospel is most often used as a type of political term, an indication that they are among the ruling parties of the religious establishment in Jerusalem.  (Everyone in today's reading is a Jew, including Jesus, His disciples, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.)   It seems that this family who are beloved by Jesus is prominent; they live close to Jerusalem and so these others have come to mourn with them -- and it will be these mourners who return to Jerusalem and inform other members of the Council and the ruling parties of the temple about what has happened with Lazarus, this seventh and final sign in John's Gospel.  It is this sign, of the raising of Lazarus from death, that will truly seal the fate of Jesus, so that the rulers of the Council will decisively choose to put Him to death.  We must assume that He already know this.  So, why does He make this statement "because of the people standing by"?  Why does He absolutely affirm His identity and authority, that He is sent by the Father.  Certainly He is already in the midst of conflict with the religious authorities and knows what great impact this impossible news will make.  We also know that He does not produce signs on demand, He has refused to "prove" His authority and identity in so many conversations with the religious authorities already.  It is important to understand that Jesus' efforts are directed at salvation, and important for us to note that when He speaks for the sake of those who hear Him and are from Jerusalem, He is doing so in order to save, for this is His true calling, the real goal for which He has been sent by the Father.  In John 3:17, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a Pharisee who comes to Him to be taught by night, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (see John 3:1-21).   Until the very end, Jesus' prime concern will be the salvation of those who will hear and respond, and that includes everyone, even those who have opposed Him.  For, in accordance with His own testimony, that is the true purpose for which He was sent into the world.  That there is conflict is something He accepts.  That there are those who wish to put Him to death and not recognize His identity and authority is also something He accepts.  But He is not done with His mission, and His mission is to save, to come for those who will believe so that He can offer a life abundantly, the kind of life that has power over death, and transcends death.  And this is what He shows to the world in the raising of Lazarus -- that in His identity as Son is the power of life and death.  Or rather, to put it more truly, the power of life over death, the power of immortality, so that, as He said to Martha in yesterday's reading (above), "he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  This is the power of the Christ, the power to defeat and trample death, the last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26).  In His power of immortality, Christ opens up an abundant life to us in which we may participate in the here and now, in His Kingdom, for this indeed is His saving mission, which He will never give up, for it is this for which He has been sent by the Father (John 10:28-29).  Let us remember these words are not only for those standing by, but for those of us who hear today (John 20:29).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus wept

 

Resurrection of Lazarus, 12th century.  St. Katherine's Monastery, Sinai

 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there has been a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:28–44 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were told that a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone you, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."   Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

 

  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."   Once again, we note the differences in personalities distinctively set out for us in the Gospel between Mary and her sister Martha.  Martha has gone out to greet Jesus as He approaches their home in Bethany (see the reading above from yesterday); she is the sister more inclined to active service.  But Mary has sat in the proper tradition for mourning, inside the house, and awaits Christ's call, which Martha now relays to her, and to which she arose quickly and came to Him.   Note that the text indicates there are those from the ruling parties in Jerusalem ("the Jews," used as a political term in this Gospel to designate the religious leaders).  They have come to mourn with the sisters, indicating Lazarus and his sisters form a prominent family. 

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   Mary approaches Jesus with the identical words used by Martha in verse 21, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   My study bible remarks that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother from the dead, which follows in subsequent verses.  But first John's Gospel emphasizes that Jesus wept, and groaned in spirit, to show that He had fully taken on human nature and was subject to grief as any person would be.  My study bible comments that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there has been a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith had increased (see yesterday's reading, above), she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time, my study bible comments, and Lazarus has now been dead for four days.  In many icons of this seventh of seven miracles or signs in John's Gospel, bystanders are shown covering their noses (as we can see in the icon from St. Katherine's Monastery, above).  This illustrates both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.  

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   My study bible notes that in order to show His divine will was one with the Father's and that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's, Christ prays aloud for the sake of the people.  Let us not forget those who have come from Jerusalem are also present to witness what happens.  

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"   My study bible comments that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but rather by His own authority.  This shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  Many patristic commenters on this passage view Lazarus bound in his graveclothes as an indication that he will need them again.  In other words, Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  The Savior's graveclothes, by contrast, would remain in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike that of Lazarus, the Resurrection of Christ transfigures human nature; He will never die again.  My study bible adds that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but in the words of the Orthodox hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).  

Christ's resurrection of Lazarus is a type of prefiguration of His own Resurrection, but it is a purely human one, so to speak.  While the Resurrection will confer eternal life, as my study bible points out, Lazarus' resurrection will mean he will live out a natural human life and once more die a natural human death.  But nevertheless, this life in the tomb is illustrative of our faith and its effects upon us while we still live an earthly life.  That Lazarus walks out of the tomb "bound hand and foot with graveclothes" symbolizes for us the type of binding by death, which is the last weapon of the evil one, as the Church Fathers might put it.  Death is the "last enemy" in this understanding, which Jesus, as Liberator or Savior (for the titles have the same connotation from the Old Testament Scriptures) will destroy for us with His Resurrection.  Lazarus is bound hand and foot, but it is Christ, our Liberator, who will defeat the enemy who has symbolically bound Lazarus, and who gives the command, "Loose him, and let him go."  In the story of Lazarus, nothing is sanitized.  Death is clearly looked at openly, even to the point of bearing with the stench of decomposition, and Lazarus walks out of the tomb bound in his graveclothes.  There is no flinching away from the reality of this world here, for with the light of Christ we go forward even into the darkness.  But it is that light that shines so that we may see life where we could not expect it with eyes shaded in the darkness of a purely materialistic perception.  In the modern world, we tend to have death and illness put away from us, unlike in the ancient world.  Those who have longterm illness may be housed in places that specialize in dealing with their conditions.  The same is true for conditions which affect the mind, or the conditions of the elderly.  There are, of course, important reasons for this.  But it was not always so, as care was focused in the home.   As a result of this separation, it seems to me, many have difficulty seeing the vital life that is still in a diseased body, or of a person who may be dying.  I experienced this in the care of my own mother, who for the last years of her life had Alzheimer's disease/dementia.  For her it took the form mainly of losing speech; that is, of finding the words to express herself, although she was mentally alert.  But I found, as she lost her highly articulate capacity for self-expression, that more of her persona shone through, and especially aspects of herself as a child.  I do not mean that she was childish, only that the personality of the child she had been shone through to me.  As daughter became mother, I found how much I delighted in and loved that child.  I could always make her laugh; and as we are mother and daughter, I could still understand, and often finish her sentences for her.  Communication is essential with this disease, ironically enough; it is social life that delays deeper onset, and fortunately we could still give her that.  But if I had eyes that could only see her deterioration from the person she had been, I would not have been able to see the beautiful life still inside of her, the person who delighted in beauty until the day she died, who could be moved by a sunset, or the words of Scripture, or by prayer, or a beautiful garden.  She could still delight in a delicious meal, and I marveled how she held herself elegantly.  She needed and fully appreciated care, the steamy healing of a warm shower on her back, the relaxation of a backrub.  She remained loving to her friends, enjoyed going out for a meal or coffee and a sweet, and retained her interest in people, even strangers and small children.  All of these aspects of beauty and life she retained through her illness, and quite fortunately her death was peaceful.   My faith gave me the vision of these good things of life present and vital in her, and, seemingly miraculously, I and others who were her friends and loved her watched her grow in her faith, and deepen her appreciation of Christ.   Those of her loved ones who did not share this faith were seemingly unable to cope with her changed condition, could not accept her as she was and still see what goodness and life was there, had no patience for her physical deterioration, and seemingly could not bear to be present for her last days, even telling me that for them she had passed long before.  The story of Lazarus being released from the tomb puts me in mind of the gift of my faith to see life, to know that Resurrection is present in each moment because of the values and sight that Christ has given to us.  The love of Lazarus and his sisters speaks so loudly in today's reading.  Jesus' tears as He wept testifies to that circle of love among these friends.  That love is inseparable from what we know as life, and it gives us eyes to see with, as Christ illumines our way to know that there is life in the tomb, for He has liberated us all from death.  We must remember that He is the One who shone the light in the darkness, even if the darkness did not comprehend (John 1:4-5), and we are to follow Him.  Jesus did not weep out of mere sadness, but out of love, an affirmation of life.  Let us not forget.

Lazarus, come forth!

Sinai, Egypt - St. Katherine's Monastery, 12th century

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:30-44

Yesterday we read that, having been called to Bethany where Lazarus was dying, when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   Many have come from Jerusalem to Bethany to mourn with the sisters of Lazarus.  This reference to the Jews is no doubt meant to indicate those who have come to mourn who are members of the Council or in some way connected with the ruling parties.  It gives us a sense of the importance and standing of the family of Lazarus.  My study bible points out to us here that Mary greets Jesus with precisely the same words which her sister Martha did (see yesterday's reading, above).  But while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead.

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  John's Gospel gives us the fully human aspects of Jesus, in that He both groaned in spirit and wept in response to the mourning and sadness of this occasion.   He is as subject to grief as any other human being, and His sympathy is clearly marked, as His response is to the weeping of Mary and the mourners.  My study bible tells us that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith had increased, my study bible says, she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power (see also yesterday's reading, above, and Jesus' interaction with her).  The spices and oils which were used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In icons of the raising of Lazarus there are frequently depicted bystanders covering their noses.  This illustrates both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.  See in the icon above those closest to the tomb, who hold their covered hands to their faces to avoid the stench.

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Jesus prays aloud, demonstrating to all that His divine will is one with the Father's, and also that His human will was freely subject in all ways to God the Father's.  He prays aloud because of the people, so that they may believe that He is sent by the Father.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  Here, Jesus' calling forth of Lazarus is not said in the name of the Father, but rather the command is given by His own authority.  It gives us to understand that although He is sent by the Father, He possesses divine authority within Himself.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."   A frequent patristic commentary on the fact that Lazarus comes out bound in his graveclothes is that it is an indication that he will need them again.  Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will once again end in death.   We contrast this with the fact that Christ's graveclothes will be left in the tomb (20:5-7).  My study bible comments that unlike Lazarus' resurrection, Christ's transfigures human nature -- He will never die again.  It adds that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but also "confirmed the universal resurrection" (quoting and Orthodox hymn), proving that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13). 

Jesus performs this seventh and final sign in John's Gospel with all witnesses present.  There are His disciples here, His friends Mary and Martha, and those who've come from Jerusalem to mourn with these sisters, many of whom are clearly among the ruling classes, the leadership.  We must juxtapose this with the remembrance that many members of the Council have already sought to put Jesus to death by stoning, and are convinced that His statements of equality with the Father are simply blasphemy, punishable by death.  These witnesses from Jerusalem will therefore be able to testify to what they have seen.  This seventh and final sign will thus become a great test for the religious leaders of the people:  which way will they decide for Jesus?  We know the outcome and the answer, but it's important that we think of it as a sequence of events that tells us a story for ourselves, and not just about history.   It is a testament to the fact that even as Christ's power works for the good, it will always be a challenge for those whose particular point of view is opposed for whatever reason, be it personal and selfish or an ideological conviction or any other form of resistance to God's ultimate authority.  Every new act of Christ, every holy gift to the world, in fact, becomes a challenge.  It asks us a question:  which way will we go in response, for or against?  Can we accept or do we continue to reject?  The nature of life will be in our own lives to continually be asked such a question, regardless of the events we encounter which contain such a proposition for belief and acceptance.  It sounds quite simple, but often our own answers may be tough to discern.  There will always be so much to persuade us "against God," even if nominally meant in the name of God.  Such is illustrated by the positions the ruling Council will take up.  And so we continue to be caught in this world between the rock and the hard place of making such decisions for ourselves.  Selfishness and self-centeredness can be mighty tricky things to discern, and it may take us far away from those whom we love to discern the difference, even those whom we wish to please.  This is illustrated perfectly in the story of Jesus, in His mission for salvation.  It is why detachment would become so important for the early monastic movements and martyrs of the early Church, so often acting against the interests of their class, families, profession in choosing their love of God, despite their love and honor and desire to do good to all.  There is one thing needful, that good part that in the end we must decide to choose.  Even such a stupendous sign as this one will not be enough to make that an easy decision for those who will follow Christ, and so we should not always expect our own choices for faith to be easy and simple.  Let us remember Jesus' love as expressed through today's reading.  His is the life that is continually making all things new, even as we may choose to leave our pasts behind in following where He leads.  He calls us all to "come forth!"

Lazarus, come forth!

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.   Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:28-44

Yesterday, we read that a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."   Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."   So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  We recall that Martha has gone out to greet Jesus, while Mary was sitting in mourning inside the house, together with those who've come from Jerusalem to mourn with her.  (Once again, we recall that the term the Jews in John's Gospel is used like a political term.  It denotes those from Jerusalem who belong to households of members of the ruling parties.   All the people in this story are Jews, including Jesus and the author of the Gospel.)   And we also note again the different characters of these sisters, consistent with all the Gospel stories we know of them.  Martha is concerned with hospitality, while Mary sits in the house in the position of mourning.  But Mary responds immediately when she's told that Jesus is calling for her.  And then we see that her words are those of her sister, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But Jesus' response to the two sisters differs.  He engaged Martha with words.  But He engages Mary with deeds, as we read farther along in the text.

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the Bible.   John's writing emphasizes that He wept and also groaned in spirit to show He had fully taken on human nature and was subject to grief as any human being would be.  Weeping, says my study bible, is the natural human response to the tragedy of death.  In the Orthodox Church calendar today is known as Lazarus Saturday.  An Eastern hymn of the Compline service sings of Jesus,  "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"   Although Martha's faith had increased, she still did not understand Christ's will nor His power.  We note that John's Gospel often shows us the evolution of faith in the people who interact with Jesus.  The spices and oils that were used to anoint a dead body would only keep away the stench of decomposition for a short time.  In icons of the Eastern Church that portray this event, many include bystanders covering their noses, illustrating both the time that has passed since Lazarus' death and the resulting decay, and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise Him after four days.

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   Jesus expresses the fact that His divine will is one with the Father's, and that His human will is freely subject in every way to God the Father.  He prays aloud for the sake of the people who are standing by -- and by implication, for everyone.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  My study bible notes here that Christ calls Lazarus to come forth, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  This is a clear command from God the Word.  It shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself. 

 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."   The picture of Lazarus walking out of the grave, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth, is a sort of indelible image.  Many Church Fathers hold that it's an indication that Lazarus will need these graveclothes again.  His resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  This is contrasted with the fact that Jesus' graveclothes would be left in the tomb (20:5-7).  My study bible says that unlike Lazarus's, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature.  He will never die again.  This seventh sign in John's Gospel of the raising of Lazarus prepares the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection.  My study bible also cites more words of the Eastern hymn for this day:  it "confirmed the universal resurrection."  This proves that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:-13). 

Tradition in the Church teaches us more about Lazarus' subsequent life after he was raised by Jesus.  The Gospel goes on (in chapter 12) to say that because of this extraordinary miracle witnessed by many from Jerusalem, the plot to kill Jesus also included the plan to put Lazarus to death.  In fact, it tells us that many in the crowd who come to greet Jesus on Palm Sunday do so because of the miracle of this seventh sign of the raising of Lazarus, and this gives another motive for the leadership to put both of them to death.  The Pharisees exclaim in frustration, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!" (see John 12:9-19).  Lazarus' pivotal place in the story of Jesus' life and death placed him in grave danger, and Tradition teaches that he eventually fled Jerusalem and came to Cyprus.  There, he was made bishop by Paul and Barnabus in what is now Larnaca, Cyprus.  He lived for thirty more years.  Tradition says that he never smiled after his miraculous resurrection by Jesus, and gives the reason as being the souls he saw awaiting redemption during his four-day stay in Hades.  There is one story in which he smiled on a single occasion.  Seeing someone steal a pot, he said, "The clay steals the clay."  We can't imagine what it was like to be Lazarus, friend of Jesus, among this family of close friends to Jesus.  We know that this great miracle was the occasion for greater persecution, and for a life, it seems, marked by the experience of seeing what most people never understand.  But the understanding of our own mortality is not seen as a negative in the spiritual tradition of the Church.  It is something which monastic tradition has held is an important reality for us to contemplate, keeping us aware of the here and the now -- the mindfulness of the present moment and the importance of our choices and in what (and Whose) light we make them.  It seems also important to understand that this supernatural power of Jesus has effects that none of us can foresee nor contemplate.  The great miracle of Lazarus' resurrection is the final one of seven in John's Gospel, occasion of affirmation for those who believe, but also spurring on the plot to kill not only Jesus, but also Lazarus, and eventually leading to the persecution and martyrdom of many followers of Jesus.   It teaches us that the power of God will not necessarily force those to believe who wish to reject what is on offer in that power.  Rather, it instead works as Jesus has said in the previous chapter, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  God's power does not persuade in the sense that it destroys our free will. No one is compelled to love God.  But the power of God at work in the world does, in fact, accelerate and heighten the effects of our choices, at least as told in the story of the Gospels.  Intrigues swirl and heighten the degree of instability, the suggestions of injustice and murder and false witness, the strategies of those who live for their own power instead.  All of these things add up, not to compel us to follow one way, but to make our own choices:  in what or Whom do we put our trust?   We will find that the world remains in this place, right here and right now.  It is the allegiance that we choose, the trust with which we choose to align.   These choices are always with us.  Uncertainty and instability are times of danger because they invite in the illusion of false, easy choices which seem expedient, but deny the spiritual values of truth and justice and mercy.  Let us be alert and endure, His way.

Jesus wept

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:30-44

Yesterday, we read what happened after Jesus had been told that His friend Lazarus was ill.  When Jesus came to Bethany, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the religious leadership had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   Mary responds to Jesus' presence the same way her sister did, with the identical statement.  "The Jews" is the term used for those who are members of the parties of the religious establishment from Jerusalem.  We note they follow her out, and can infer they are witnesses to what is to come.

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  My study bible points out that John's Gospel emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit.  It shows that He had fully taken on human nature and was subject to grief in the same way any human being would be.  Weeping, it says, is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  An Orthodox hymn sung at Compline of Lazarus Saturday, declares, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  My study bible notes that although Martha's faith had increased, she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  It says that the spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In Orthodox icons of the raising of Lazarus, many show bystanders covering their noses (see the men standing near the tomb in this icon, for example) -- it illustrated the reality of his decomposing flesh and also the fact that many did not believe this was possible for Christ.  Again, we see Martha's character in her concern for what would be proper, even for fastidious care.

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   My study bible tells us that Jesus prays aloud for the sake of the people, for two reasons:  first, He shows that His divine will is one with the Father's, and secondly that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's.  We should keep in mind that those near the tomb included not only His dear friends and disciples, but also those who've come from Jerusalem.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  Christ calls Lazarus forth, and He does so not in the name of the Father, but we note that this is clearly by His own authority.  It shows the people that while He comes from the Father, Christ fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  We note again the deliberately very public nature of this event. He has prayed aloud for the people to hear.  Here, He calls Lazarus forth by crying out in a loud voice. 

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  A traditional interpretation of the fact that Lazarus comes out of the tomb bound in his graveclothes is that it's an indication he will need them again.  He's resurrected to a continuation of his earthly life, which will end in death.  Jesus' graveclothes, by contrast, will be left behind in the tomb (20:5-7).  Unlike Lazarus's, says my study bible, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature.  He will never die again.  This seventh sign of John's Gospel not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but it also confirmed the universal resurrection, and proved that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that one day all the dead will rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).

This stupendous event is the capstone of all of the signs in John's Gospel.  As we've observed, it's the seventh and last sign of Christ's divinity that He will do.  It's very public, and Jesus has deliberately made it so, in order to demonstrate not only His relationship to the Father, but His own will and power as well.  There are members of the ruling class of the religious elite here from the temple in Jerusalem, who came to comfort Mary and Martha in their mourning period for Lazarus's death.  All have witnessed what has happened, and there can be absolutely no doubt about the resurrection of Lazarus.  According to tradition, Lazarus remained a "wanted" man  by the religious leadership after the death of Christ, and lived in exile in Cyprus.  He was there made a Bishop of the Church.  It's said that he never smiled or joked except on one occasion. One day, he saw someone stealing a clay pot and he smiled saying, "The clay steals the clay."  The image of Lazarus coming from the tomb, wrapped in his graveclothes, is one that forms a very potent symbol for us, and one that charges us with meaning.  The power of Resurrection is still something so mysterious and so full of promise that the image surfaces again and again, even in popular art and entertainment.  There's also something of mystery in the nature of the graveclothes, which resemble the swaddling clothes of infants, also a hint of rebirth, resurrection.   That tradition has recorded that Lazarus nearly never smiled or joked after his resuscitation is something we may wonder about; what was it he experienced that gave him this disposition?  Perhaps there's a hint in the one joke we know he made, that he viewed some of the living as dead, as well.  Lazarus is the great living symbol we have of Christ's power of life.  He was so beloved of Jesus that we're given the remarkable shortest verse in the bible because of him:  Jesus wept.  Lazarus' death and resurrection is not only the final culminating event of Jesus' ministry, and occasioned clearly for the glory of God, but it is also a time for revealing the complete humanity of Christ, His depth of compassion, and His love for His friends.  That's a gift that is incomparable to all of us.  It gives us Jesus Christ in His fullness and depth, and a Jesus who relates deeply to each of us.  Our Lord's visit to our world as Incarnate human being is complete in His total giving of Himself to this human life, and His human capacity for relationship to each of us, especially in our mourning for the sadness of loss and the effects of evil in our world.  This is the God we worship, who has emptied Himself so fully as one of us.    His almighty power is never without the experience of His human life.   It is this fullness of all of existence He encompasses that we call upon when we call Him "Lord."