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).