Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13–20 

 

 Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Jesus asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments that Jesus' response to the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, for this question defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another system of philosophy or spiritual path, because it names Jesus Christ as the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  As Jesus indicates, Peter's insight cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and it is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out false opinions about Himself ("Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?").  He does this to identify these incorrect ideas, as people are better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified. 

 

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."   Here is a play on words, for in both Aramaic and Greek the name Peter and the word for rock are the same (petros/petra).  This rock does not refer to Peter per se, according to St. John Chrysostom, but rather to "the faith of his confession."  The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  My study Bible explains that in the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So also, the Church will not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  My study Bible also notes that the term church (εκκλησια) is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  According to my study Bible, keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  It says that Peter was not a leader over the others, but among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where Peter advised, but James presided.  It says that papal claims in later centuries mustn't be confused with the New Testament witness concerning Peter, nor should Peter's role be diminished in opposition to those claims.  Binding and loosing is a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" (according to St. John Chrysostom; see John 20:23), but this also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and  administrative authority of the apostles. This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and continues in effect to this day. 

 

 In our reading for Tuesday, the commentary included the importance of understanding relationships and relatedness within our faith as those which are between persons.  That is, over and against the idea that we ascribe to a philosophical system, or that faith is an intellectual choice, or a one-time oath of some sort.  We, in the "community of the called" (a literal way to translate the Greek word for church in today's passage, εκκλησια/ekklesia) are those who relate to one another not as mere individuals in a system, not as numbers, or ones with nominal membership, but as persons.  That is, persons have attributes which are unique to themselves, as well as attributes which are shared with other persons.  We are body, soul, spirit, mind.  And as persons, our relationships span many levels and depths, because we are made up of so much.  It is in the fullness of ourselves as persons that we are to love God, for so says the Old Testament Shema, the one which Jesus named as the first and greatest commandment of all:  " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5).  He named this one as the second:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).  This kind of love, both the love for God as expressed in Jesus' first commandment, and the love of neighbor expressed in the second, can only happen between persons.  We know Jesus as a person, and Himself also as the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son.  So while today's reading defines -- as my study Bible says -- what Christianity is, separating it from other philosophical systems or spiritual paths, it is distinguished also in the sense that it establishes faith as a relationship between persons; or rather, Person-to-person, so to speak.  Just as there is a depth of love and relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, so this kind of love is extended to us, the εκκλησια, the Bride of Christ who is our Bridegroom.  This is a relationship of love with God Who is love (1 John 4:8); it extends and penetrates more deeply into who we are than we know ourselves, for only God can know the true depth of the heart within us.  This kind of knowing is different.  It is the kind of knowing that Jesus praises as revelation from God the Father:  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."   In that revelation which Jesus has praised as blessed is the power of relationship, even of God the Father to one of us, to St. Peter, and the working of the grace of God within it.  It reminds us of another expression of praise and gratitude from Jesus, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matthew 11:25; see also Isaiah 5:21).  Let us also praise God and be grateful for this love and depth of relatedness in His grace for us all (John 1:16-17). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

- Luke 13:10-17 

 

Yesterday we read that were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."   As we have previously read in the Gospel (Luke 6:7) the scribes and the Pharisees had built up certain traditions around the Law.  According to such tradition, healing was considered work, and so it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  Because of this the ruler of the synagogue responds with indignation.  My study Bible comments that those who enforced such tradition felt they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but such legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Jesus responds with a command, "think of it."  My study Bible cites patristic commentary, suggesting that this command directs us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years that this woman has suffered.  In the Greek expression, this number is literally translated "ten and eight years," and both St. Ambrose and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace -- for the day of Resurrection is frequently called the "eighth day."  So, therefore, humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, which fulfills both law and grace. 

Let us notice that the text tells us that this woman had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  This "spirit of infirmity" is not a figurative expression for illness but an indication that her illness was caused by an unclean spirit.  We can think of her "bent over" state as a signal of oppression in some sense, by an entity hostile to humanity placing upon her a kind of unjust burden and affliction.  Jesus' words in delivering her healing confirm this understanding, for He tells her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  She has become unbound, in her healing, from the thing that literally held her down, "bent over and could in no way raise herself up."   This is language that tells us she was held in some sense captive by something that only Christ could free her from.  Jesus tells us directly that Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years.  It gives us a picture of unseen warfare, a spiritual battle, with Christ as the One who is powerful enough to liberate this woman from the force that held her captive and harmed her.  If we think of illness in this sense, it gives us a different sort of picture to ponder than the usual concepts we have of medicine and healing, in which simply finding the right solution -- such as a procedure or a pharmaceutical -- is the key to healing.  We do not think of affliction or illness as a manifestation of spiritual force of some kind.  But perhaps we need to shift our focus, generally speaking, and consider what it means that affliction is seen also in these spiritual terms.  Perhaps it broadens our modern perspective into something better than what we know, despite the advances in science that have helped so many.  Perhaps it gives  us a picture not only of how the demonic might work, but even more importantly for our purposes, it gives us a sense that healing the body or even the mind should not be thought of as separate from spiritual healing -- or rather, the state of true health must include all of the above.  A young man suffers from a very rare cancer in a family of my acquaintance, and there is no one who could tell him or his beleaguered parents that the struggle to find him a cure is not also a tremendous spiritual battle, that takes its toll on every level, and needs every kind of help that can be given.  Another friend has just lost her husband to a different type of cancer, and her need is all-encompassing; supported by a strong faith she already had, no one would deny her their added prayers for every step of that difficult journey with her husband's illness, as well as her grief and that of her family.  Who can deny such impacts, or characterize such illness as something merely purely physical?  While we might not want to categorize every illness or affliction as coming from the same type of source, our real healing should never leave out or be blind to this very real spiritual battle we find in the Gospels.  For Christ has called Himself the "stronger man" who is the One effective against the strong man that binds this world (Luke 11:14-23).   Let us not neglect our spiritual reality midst every problem or affliction we have, because we are more than the body and we need all His help, all the time.  

 

So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

- Luke 13:10-17 

 

Yesterday we read that there were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  We recall that at this stage, the scribes and Pharisees had already decided to search for something with which they could accuse Christ (Luke 11:53-54).  Once again, my study Bible explains that according to certain traditions the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered work, and therefore wasn't permissible on the Sabbath.  It notes that they believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but, as we read here, this kind of legalism renders the ruler of the synagogue insensitive to God's mercy.

 

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Jesus emphasizes this woman's eighteen years of suffering by commanding them (and, through the Scriptures, us) to think of it.  According to my study Bible, patristic sources see this command as directing us to a spiritual meaning for these "eighteen years."  The Greek expression is literally translated as "ten and eight years."  Both St. Ambrose and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments, and eight as representing grace, for the day of Resurrection is often called the "eighth day."  Therefore, we see in this healing humanity lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace.

 

What is interesting in today's reading is not simply the fact of Christ's stupendous healing of this woman who has suffered so long, but that we see the people (all the multitude) rejoicing  for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  This is important, because it tells us that the people were not on board with the decision of the scribes and Pharisees to bar healing on the Sabbath.  As far as the people are concerned, they alike suffer with this woman for such hard traditions that seek to regulate when a person can be healed.  It's quite true that exceptions were made for healing animals in danger on the Sabbath (and, after all, we're talking about animals who are doing work as well for human beings), such as the example Jesus points out.  (Lest we find this exceptional, in New York City in the late 19th century, the first case for child abuse was brought under laws for the prevention of cruelty to animals, as there were none for children at that time.  See this article.)   But what we need to see in the people's response to Christ is more than simply a victory for the woman in this case.  While her affliction is serious and her suffering is severe, we need to read this text as one that tells us not simply about affliction, but about oppression.  It says that she had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years.  This is not meant as mere metaphor, although many might suggest we read it that way.  This case is about an affliction caused by the malice of an "unclean spirit," a kind of spiritual entity that is opposed to Christ.  If we read the text this way, we see that her affliction is caused by a malevolent force, one that opposes God (and Christ).  We come to understand the people's rejoicing not simply as one of happiness for the woman's healing, but a multitude cheering because a Liberator has come into their midst, one who may "deliver us from the evil one" (Luke 11:4).  Also in this light we may see the zealous legalism of the scribes and Pharisees, depriving people of healing on a Sabbath, as one in opposition to God, and aligned with spiritual forces not true to the angelic mission of ministry to human beings.  In short, Christ comes as Liberator and Deliverer, the "stronger man" who can bind the strong man who has bound this woman for eighteen years.  Christ's healing of this woman becomes therefore a victory for the people, a question of rejoicing for the victory on their behalf, because the "strong man," Satan,  is defeated by Christ, and this woman is set free from the captor who has kept her bound for all these years.  Note that Christ's adversaries, it says in the text, were put to shame by His words and action.  It is clear that the enemy, the oppressor who has bound this woman and afflicted humanity, is understood as oppressor of all, the enemy of the people of God.  Lest we minimize this message, it's important to note that not every illness or ailment in the Gospels is treated as having been caused directly by demonic activity; it's not meant simply as general metaphor or explanation for all illness.  Regardless of what we may believe, the metaphor explanation is not the viewpoint of the Gospels, and we must pay attention to the details.  This text points to more than a healing, and more than the hypocrisy of the religious rulers.  It teaches us about the "leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy," which, in effect, aids the spiritual opposition to God.  It teaches us about the times when we ourselves may slip into the habit of hypocrisy, and who and what we align with -- and who and what we oppose -- when we do so as well.  For we miss the mission and teaching of Christ if we also do not take His warnings to heart to beware of this kind of leaven in our own midst, or its influence within ourselves.  Let us consider Christ's rule of mercy and grace, and take it in the context of the powerful authority that is conveyed in the details of this story.  For we are offered a choice here regarding which forces we choose to serve and with whom we align.  To beware of hypocrisy as a sort of leaven among ourselves is thus a command for what we understand as spiritual battle in the context of the Church; it is a way of practicing the vigilance Christ commands for His servants (Luke 12:42-48).  Let us take this message to heart and remember Him whom we serve, and the "manner of spirit we are of" (Luke 9:55).  In the viewpoint of the Gospels, we're making a choice for much more than we might think.

 

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.