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.

 

 

 

 

 

Lazarus, come forth!

 

 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 Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, 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 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 comments that Mary approaches Christ with the identical words Martha used (see yesterday's reading above, verse 21).  It notes that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds --- the raising of her brother 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 says that John's emphasis on the specifics of Christ's response -- that Jesus wept, and groaned in spirit -- show that He has 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.   An Orthodox hymn sung on Lazarus Saturday declares, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."   While everyone in this story is a Jew (including the disciple John, author of the Gospel), the term the Jews is used like a political term, denoting those from Jerusalem and specifically linked to the religious leadership. 

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 (see yesterday's reading, above), my study Bible says that she still did not understand Christ's will, nor His power.  The spices and oils which were used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition for a short time.   Many icons of the raising of Lazarus show bystanders covering their noses -- an illustration of both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.  He has been dead four days:  As noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, there was a rabbinical belief that the soul hung about the body for three days; but after that resuscitation was impossible. 

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 shows 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, by praying 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 refers us to John 5:28-29, in which Jesus said, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  This statement, as well as Jesus' response to Martha in yesterday's reading, above, "I am the resurrection and the life," affirm that the raising of Lazarus is linked to Christ's power of life and death and resurrection.  My study Bible comments that Christ calls Lazarus to come forth not in the name of the Father, but by Christ's own authority.  This shows the people that while Jesus came from the Father, He fully posesses 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."  My study Bible notes that many patristic commentaries see Lazarus coming out bound hand and foot with graveclothes as an indication that he will need them again.  Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will once again end in death.  Christ's graveclothes, by contrast, will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike the resurrection of Lazarus, Christ's Resurrection will transfigure human nature:  He will never die again.   My study Bible adds that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in the Resurrection of Christ, but again, in the words of the 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). 

This image of Lazarus emerging from the tomb, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, is one that seems to haunt the imagination of human beings.  The notion of resurrection from the grave stirs a kind of fear of the unknown and also of the power of death itself.  Many "ghost stories" affirm this, and also even extending to modern culture in the West, such as the story of Frankenstein, and the many modern films (with what are called "iconic" images now) spawned from it.  Even the discoveries of the tombs of the Pharoahs seem to have echoed in the mind of the public and the creators of science fiction stories this image of Lazarus walking out of the tomb, bound hand and foot with graveclothes.  But these modern fantasies and iterations of this image only really serve to impress upon us the great significance of this seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the one that will seal Christ's faith with the religious authorities in Jerusalem.  Death and the grave still have a powerful significance in our modern hearts and souls, despite advances in medicine and science and the understanding of our physical bodies.  Death remains an evil and a tragedy, the grave a place of fear.  This is not simply because it is unknown, but because we still have a sense of the evil of death, defined as the enemy of the good -- the opposition to God, to Christ who has told us in this chapter that He is the resurrection and the life, and that He has come that we may have life more abundantly (John 10:10).  That Lazarus is bound hand and foot with graveclothes suggests something to us about death and the nature of death and the one who brings death to the world:  it is a prison, brought by the one who wants to imprison and enslave human beings, to bind us hand and foot.  By contrast, Christ is the Liberator, our Deliverer, our Savior, and our Judge who sets right injustice at the final reckoning of Resurrection.  He is the One who declares, "Loose him, and let him go."  His action is to unbind us from what oppresses, and binds, and cloys at our hearts.   Many have used the notion of Judgment only to put a negative understanding on Christ's teachings, but that is a wrong perception.  It is through rejection of Christ's teachings that the "life more abundantly" that He promises will not come to fruition -- but the rejection has already made that choice, excluded that possibility.  This is not Christ's doing.  Christ offers us a gift of life, bound up in our faith in what He comes to give us, His word, and in that promise is this abundant life, and the Resurrection.  What we need to understand, even more deeply, is that the promise of Resurrection is the ultimate liberation from enslavement to death and sin, and from slavery to lies, which are all linked to one another spiritually (Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:4).  St. Paul calls death "the last enemy that will be destroyed" by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:25-26).  It is in offering to us the gift of faith, of life, and of resurrection, that death -- this last enemy that seeks to bind us hand and foot -- is destroyed.  And all we need to do is take up our cross and follow Him to find it, so that we participate in this victory over death, with Him.

 

 

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

 

 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 to Bethany, to the house of Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, 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 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 for us here that Mary approaches Jesus with the identical words used by Martha (see yesterday's reading, above).  While Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with works -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from death.

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 that He groaned in spirit.  "Jesus wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible, and it emphasizes that Christ had fully taken on human nature, and was as subject to grief as any other person.   It further adds that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  One Orthodox hymn for the commemoration of this event proclaims, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."  What we also see on display here is another aspect of Christ's compassion.   Knowing what He will do, He nevertheless is moved to tears by human suffering.

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 tells us that although Martha's faith had increased, she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils which were used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition away for a short time.  Many icons of the raising of Lazarus include bystanders who are covering their noses, which illustrates both the reality of Lazarus's 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."   In order to show His divine will is one with the Father's and that Christ's human will is freely subject in all ways to the Father's, He prays aloud for the sake of the people.  Remember that many of those gathered here are from Jerusalem, possibly including members of the ruling Council.  The union with the Father has been Jesus' constant emphasis to the religious leaders all throughout John's Gospel.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"   Citing 5:28-29, my study bible comments that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but by Christ's own authority.  What it shows to the people is that while Christ came from the Father, He also fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  This will all no doubt be reported back to the leadership in Jerusalem.

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."    That Lazarus came out of the tomb bound in his graveclothes is understood by many patristic sources as an indication that he will need them again.  In other words, his resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in natural death.  My study bible contrasts this with Christ's graveclothes, which, by contrast, would be left in the tomb (20:5-7).   Unlike Lazarus's, my study bible notes, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature.  He will never die again.

What is resurrection?  What does it mean to you, and what does it mean to me?  We, as human beings, can only look to resurrection as a sense in which death is, in some sense, meaningless and powerless.  But truly, resurrection is much more than that, at least when we understand it in the context of Jesus and His work in the world.  In the raising of Lazarus it is revealed to us truly that Christ has the power of life and death -- but possibly especially of life over death.  In the Resurrection Hymn of Easter, the Orthodox Church proclaims that Christ -- through His sacrifice on the Cross -- trampled down death by death.  Through His freely sacrificial death, Christ has destroyed the power of death for all of us.  But in the raising of Lazarus we find more in terms of the powerful symbolism of Christ's life-giving power for our own lives here in this world, and not just in the next.  Christ's display of healing power, even that which transcends and overcomes death, is one which affirms for us and for these witnesses from Jerusalem (who will spread the story to all, of course) that in Christ is life itself.  Over and over in John's Gospel, we have received images of light and life regarding Christ, that this very power of life in Christ is also the light by which we must seek to live.  It is the light by which we walk by day, so that we don't stumble in the darkness (see 11:9-10).  The power of the life Christ offers is one that can pick us up when we stumble.  It can lead us out of our own darkness, in the dark corners where we find ourselves stuck, out of the alleyways and byways we take because we don't know any better.  This is the life He brings to the world, and it is the power of life on display in the raising of Lazarus.  As with all things in the life of Christ, there is not simply one dimension within which we understand the power of God.  It applies in hidden and unknown and secret, yet-to-be-discovered ways for all of us, for each of us who cares to come to that light, and for each of us willing to give up a way that leads to death.  Even death we can understand also as having many dimensions:  our limited imaginations and understanding, our broken or misguided goals that don't really give us what we need or what we think they will, our desire to follow the world in ways that aren't really suitable, our own limitations of every sort.  It is Christ's light of life that comes to us to help us through all of that, to place us on a learning curve, so that we grow in our understanding and come closer to Christ in the process of doing so.   It is through Christ's power of life over death that we come to Him as we grow in faith, and walk on this journey that we can observe in the lives brought to us through the Gospels.  That is, in the lives of the disciples, in the growth of the faith of Mary and Martha, and still others like the Pharisee Nicodemus.  We also see the choice for darkness and death in the responses of many of the leaders, which will lead only to greater darkness -- and most certainly to death, especially when they hear of this extraordinary sign of the raising of Lazarus.  At this time, there are so many people beset with many hardships and viewing tragedies for both human beings and for nature as well.  Many of us are living under conditions we all find difficult.  But we should stop to think that for many of us there is a hidden and powerful message in the stress and difficulties, and that is the message of life in Christ.  We might view death all around us when we are visited with problems like a strange and frightening virus, with complex conditions set down for us we don't always understand.  We can see "death" in the difficulties we have coming together in traditional ways, in the fires that are burning huge portions of our forests, in the shutdown of business, work, and economies, and many other dimensions of what we're experiencing now.  But we should never forget the story of Lazarus especially at times like this.   Jesus said of Lazarus' death -- just like the blindness since birth of the man healed in chapter 9 -- "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (11:4).  While we do not have Jesus in the flesh walking among us, we have Christ present together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the uncountable angels which surround us, and the unknowable number of saints who pray with us.  We mustn't forget that in every experience of death (of any sort), we also may find an opportunity to beat the devil through our own prayer and supplication and faith.  We might find ways at this time where the glory of God shines through what appears to be nominally tragedy.  This is such a time that was made for faith, for realizing where God is hidden for us behind the scene, around a corner, in the secret room where we pray, in our hearts capable of discerning and knowing God's word for us.  This is a time where we are discovering that Zoom classes and bible studies are connecting us together across a country, even across an ocean.  This is a time when we have an internet that allows us to hear a good word when we can't get to our church.  It is a time when we have a choice to pull together and help one another or to dissolve helplessly into the spirit of blame and spite and division we see around ourselves.  At this time possibly as at no other time, we have a choice to reveal ourselves in the light of faith and to reject the darkness.  We have faith in resurrection, not in death.  Let us walk in the light with Christ, for His is the light of life indeed.  Christ wept with us.   Our Lord became one of us to be with us, and so that we might be always with Him.  Wherever we are, He has been there with us, and remains with us.  Our God is the God of life and of love, and in that understanding we are kept in His light.

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.