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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

- John 11:28–44 

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 Now 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."

 

- John 11:1-27 

 

Yesterday we read that, at the close of the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a dispute among the religious leaders because of Jesus' sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of the one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"   Now it was the Feast of Dedication in the Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  

 Now 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."   In today's reading, we begin chapter 11, which reveals the seventh and final sign given in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus of Bethany.  Here, my study Bible comments that the message Christ sends back to the sisters Mary and Martha is meant to strengthen them, so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in His words.  The Son of God being glorified must not be understood to be the cause of the death of Lazarus.  Rather, the teaching indicates that Jesus will be glorified as a result of his dying (which occurred from a natural illness) and of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  

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.  Jesus delays going to Bethany (in Judea, near Jerusalem) in order for Lazarus to be dead long enough that the corruption of his body could set in.  In this way, my study Bible comments, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all. 

 

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?"  See the events of John 10:29-39.

 

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."  Jesus has repeatedly referred to Himself as the light of the world (see John 8:12; 9:5).  In the following chapter, Jesus will tell the disciples, "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (see John 12:35).

 

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."   Regarding one who sleeps, compare to Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:6.

 

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study Bible says that Thomas's statement is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It adds that this also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  My study Bible tells us that there existed a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  

 

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. Mourning began on the day of a person's death, my study Bible explains here.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week; and general mourning lasted 30 days.  Evidently Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were of a family significant enough that prominent people from Jerusalem and among the leadership there ("the Jews" is used to designate such positions in John's Gospel) come to mourn with them.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Similarly to the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42, these two sisters respond differently to the arrival of Jesus.  Martha is inclined to active service, such as the duties of hospitality, and rushes out to meet Jesus.  Mary remains in mourning until she is called by Christ (see verses 28-29).  Mary is sitting in the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14).

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."  My study Bible comments that, while Martha possesses great faith, her statements here show a lack of understanding about Christ.  When she says, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha reveals that she doesn't fully see that Christ is God, as she believes He needed to be present to heal (contrast this with John 4:46-54).  When she tells Jesus, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she is showing her lack of comprehension that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills. 

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."  Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life."  My study Bible says that in order to correct Martha's misunderstanding (see immediate prior verses, above), Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day, as well as here in this world.  It says that such is the power of these words that Martha is immediately led to her great confession of faith, here in the final verse of today's reading. "Do you believe this?" is a question which my study Bible says is directed not only to Martha, but to all of us.   

Once again, we read about the great emphasis on faith in John's Gospel.  Martha, Christ's good friend (verse 5 tells us that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus), still does not completely understand His divine identity, and the extent of what that indicates.  But Jesus reveals Himself fully to her when He tells her, "I am the resurrection and the life."  And although these people are good friends and very close to one another, nonetheless it is His words of "spirit and life" we once again observe, and and their effect on Martha.  Jesus finally asks her, "Do you believe this?"   In the Greek text the word for "believe" indicates trust and confidence.  She is not just making an intellectual choice to believe some set of values or principles, but rather putting her trust in Christ, making a deep-seated choice to fully invest herself in His words.  So, we can observe that even between close friends, who have a loving and familial sort of friendship, faith takes us even further and deeper, as it takes Martha in her awareness of who Christ is.  And Jesus asks us to do the same, that our trust and confidence move more deeply within us, within heart and soul, as we grow in faith.  We have observed ostensibly those who were opposed to Christ respond this way to His words (the temple officers who were sent to arrest Him, in John 7:46); those among the leadership (in John 10:21); and even those who followed John when he was first baptizing (in John 10:41-42).  So this response to His words comes from all levels, from those with an intimate closeness and friendship to even those who were openly opposed to Him.  Let us also observe something else repeated in the Gospel, and made even more profound in the case of Lazarus.  In Christ's sixth sign, the healing of the blind man, the disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (see this reading).  In today's passage, Lazarus' sisters send to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  But Christ responds the following way, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  In each case, a tragedy and affliction becomes the opening for God's work to be revealed among the people; in the first place for a man blind from birth, and now even in response to the death of Lazarus.  Once again, it becomes important for us to observe that in John's Gospel, sad occasions of loss and affliction become openings for God's grace, for God to work among us in some way.  Most particularly, we must see the light of Christ as that which is somehow transformative, transfiguring.  In our own lives, we might not experience a complete reversal of a bad act, or a terrible misfortune, or loss.  But when we "walk in the day" with "the light of the world" we find ways in which our circumstances are illuminated for us, something transfiguring, an opening that enlightens and gives hidden meaning and depth.  Perhaps our faith is deepened, perhaps new truths are revealed and given, perhaps we find something crucial about ourselves, even a fortitude or courage we didn't know we had, revealed to us in the light of Christ.  The light of Christ also works to illumine new pathways for forward movement, that we had not seen nor known before.  I believe that there are times when God allows us losses and hardships which may also serve as opportunities for the light of our faith.  When we, too, go through difficulties, we must remember that we need to walk with the light of Christ.  For in our times of struggle or stress it is most easy to stumble in the darkness, and it is then that we really and truly need the light. What does His light show you today?  How do you walk in the spirit and truth of the day, and not in the night?

I am the resurrection and the life

 

 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 as of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 

- John 11:17-29 

 

On Saturday, 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.  We remember from our previous reading on Saturday (see above) that Jesus had delayed His trip to Bethany after hearing the news that Lazarus was very ill.  John the Evangelist tells us that Jesus loved Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus, and so this delay is intentional, "that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (again, see Saturday's reading, above).  My study Bible says that there was a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  

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.  My study Bible tells us that mourning began on the day of a person's death.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week, and general mourning lasted 30 days.  Here we are told that many from the temple in Jerusalem, likely from the religious Council (John's Gospel frequently uses the term "the Jews" to indicate members of the religious leadership, especially those among them hostile to Christ), came to comfort Martha and Mary and to mourn with them.  Therefore they will be witnesses to the sign that is to come.  From this passage we can possibly understand that Martha and Mary and their brother were from a prominent family, certainly known to many.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  My study Bible comments that, not unlike the incident of Luke 10:38-42, the two sisters react differently to Christ's arrival.  Martha, who is inclined to active service, rushes out to Meet Jesus, while Mary is in mourning until she is called by Christ (verses 28-29).  Sitting is the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14).  

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You as of God, God will give You."  While Martha possesses great faith, my study Bible says, her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Christ.  In saying, "if You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha reveals she does not fully see that Christ is God, thinking He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast this with John 4:46-54).  By saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows her lack of understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills.  

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."  Jesus says of Himself, "I am the resurrection and the life."   This powerful statement is a declaration of divine authority, even to raise the dead at the last day, but also applies here in this world.  This corrects Martha's misunderstanding:  my study Bible comments that such is the power of these words that Martha is immediately led to a great confession of faith.  Do you believe this? becomes a question directed not only to Martha, but to all of us. 

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.  Again, we note the differences in character of Martha and Mary, whom we note arose quickly once she is told the Teacher "is calling for you."  We can understand this as responding to a command.

We can't help but remark upon the differences in character between the two sisters, shown to be consistent throughout the Gospels -- especially in the context of the story in Luke which is noted by my study Bible (see Luke 10:38-42).  Martha is conscientious about performing the duties of hospitality; she goes out to meet Jesus as He approaches their home.  Mary is more concerned with the duties of piety; it is she who sits in mourning according to custom and tradition, and yet it is also Mary who responds quickly when she knows she is being called by the Teacher.  In the story in Luke, it is Martha concerned again with the duties of hospitality, no small thing in the context of culture (and indeed, all the cultures of the Middle East), as well as in the eyes of Christian monastic tradition that would follow, in which the duties of hospitality to visitors at the door would take precedence even over prayer.  It is important that we not minimize hospitality to a concept of mere social nicety or form, and understand it in the context of charity that shaped and defined cultures of the Middle East, and also in the tradition of the story of Abraham, who "entertained angels unawares" (Genesis 18:1-10, Hebrews 13:2).  Hospitality, especially in a desert climate where conditions could be harsh, was a tenet of mercy, especially toward strangers (see also the parable of the Good Samaritan, also in Luke's chapter 10 -  Luke 10:25-37).   Mary, on the other hand, sits at Christ's feet in the story of the two sisters in Luke, which Jesus calls "that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (again, see Luke 10:38-42).   In that context, while Martha served and performed duties of hospitality, Mary sat as a disciple, listening to Jesus teach, something considered to be possibly outside of the norm, as evidenced by Martha's complaint to Jesus about her sister not helping her.  But in both sisters, we can read facets of Christianity and Christian service; each has a way to Christ, Christ loved both, as well as their brother Lazarus.  Martha and Mary have quite different personae, as sisters often do, but each one has her own way of learning from Christ, of being a friend to Christ, calling Him Teacher, and coming to Him in faith.  Each has her own way to a confession of faith.  What we should learn from these sisters, it seems to me, is of the many-faceted living jewel that the Church is, that our faith is, and that each one has a way to come to Christ unique to personality.  Each is called, but our direct path is not necessarily the same even though the goal is the same.   As we have had many occasions to remark of late in our commentaries, when St. Peter made his confession of faith, Jesus told him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).  Perhaps our Father in heaven, who has created each one of us in unique manner each with unique soul and spirit, also has a way to draw each of us in important ways so that the expression of unique personae becomes a part of our pathway to faith.  One might say that we can see in the saints unique ways that each is called to express faith, that holiness becomes a dynamic expression of potentials that are in that personality, as one is called by God.  For today, the Teacher approaches with His own plan and under the Father's guidance; Martha, the one skilled in hospitality duties, comes out to meet Him, while He calls Mary to Himself.  Each is called to a confession of faith, to the realization of who Jesus truly is.  Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life."   This is an offer of the fullness of life, of life which transcends even death.  He says to Martha, "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?"   This is the path of faith, to which we are all called -- but in each unique life that faith will work with us to reveal Christ's power of immortality, like light hitting the facets of a jewel.  For we each need the power of His life in our life.

 

 

 

 

This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it

 

 Now 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."

 

- John 11:1-16 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to them in the temple, the religious leaders took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  They answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods'"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

  Now 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.  This is the beginning of chapter 11, the setting for Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus.  It is this sign which sealed the decision of the Jewish religious authorities to put Christ to death.  The raising of Lazarus traditionally celebrated in the Church on the day before Palm Sunday.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which means "God helps."  Mary and Martha and Lazarus are very close to Jesus; they are His friends and He loves them, as we will read repeatedly in this chapter, and as is apparent in other stories about them in the Gospels.  By the language here, we can see that they were clearly known within the early Church.  In the second verse here, John makes reference to Mary in an unusual way, for the story of her anointing of the Lord with fragrant oil, and wiping His feet with her hair, will occur in the next chapter (John 12:1-7).

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."  Let us note that Jesus gives a similar response here as He did regarding the subject of the sixth, previous sign in John's Gospel, the healing of a man blind from birth.  There His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  Here Jesus proclaims Lazarus' sickness to be for the glory of God,  that the Son of God may be glorified through it.  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in Christ's words.  It notes that the Son of God being glorified must not be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying; it indicates rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of his death (which occurred from natural illness) and his being raised from the dead.

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.  Christ delays so that Lazarus will be dead long enough that the corruption of his body will set in (11:39).  Therefore there will be doubt of this miracle, and the might and "glory" of the Lord will be seen by everyone, including those who come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters.

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."  In our readings from the previous chapters, we read of Christ's disputes with the religious leaders and their various attempts to seize Him and to stone Him (see John 10:29-39; yesterday's reading, above).   Once again, John returns to the language of light; Christ walks by the light of God, following the will of the Father in all things (John 5:30; 8:12, 28, 50; 12:35-36).

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."  Jesus says that their friend Lazarus sleeps; compare to Acts 7:60, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study Bible says that Thomas's statement is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It adds that this also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

 

In Monday's reading and commentary, we explored the themes opened up by Jesus' statement that a man blindness from birth was not due to any sins, but, as He responded to His disciples' question, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  It opened up issues of salvation for us to understand that Jesus would declare an obvious affliction to be an occasion for the manifestation of God's presence in the world.  In today's reading, as noted above, He makes a similar indication.  He declares to the disciples, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  The sixth sign in John's Gospel was the healing of the man blind from birth, and the disputes with the religious leaders following that healing have led already to their attempt to stone Christ.  But at this juncture, the affairs leading to Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, set the stage for something even greater than healing a man blind from birth.  The circumstances under which this seventh and final sign will occur literally involve life and death, with the power of immortality featured as God's manifestation even in this world.  Jesus begins to set the stage for this final miracle of the Gospel by delaying His journey to Bethany upon hearing of the illness of Lazarus.  He is making certain, as my study Bible noted, that the corruption of Lazarus' body will have begun by the time He arrives at the home of Lazarus and his sisters, for Lazarus will have been dead for four days.  In our commentary on the healing of the man blind from birth, we commented extensively regarding Jesus' statement that the affliction of blindness was, in that case, an occasion for the manifestation of the glory of God.  It tells us something quite important about what kind of a Savior Jesus is, and what method of salvation is offered to us through Christ.  The Law and Prophets came before Christ, and of course there were all kinds of systems of pagan morality and laws and ethics in the ancient world.  But Christ comes with an entirely different message and power; His is the power not simply to separate good from evil, or truth from lies, but rather to take even what has been corrupted by evil in this world and use it as occasion for the glory of the God of love, of truth and beauty and goodness.  As He previously manifested God's glory through the blindness healed in the sixth sign John gave us, so Christ steadfastly begins the journey with a decisive delay, in order to more fully manifest the power and glory of the immortal God even in this world, even in response to natural human death, which St. Paul calls "the last enemy" (1 Corinthians 15:26).   This final sign will be that of the power of immortality which is a quality belonging to God, the extremes of life and death, corruption and incorruption.  It will lead us to the Cross, and give us a preview of the fullness of what kind of Savior Christ really is, who comes into the world to turn death to life, sadness to joy, mourning into comfort (Matthew 5:4).  Let us consider our Savior, as we continue with Him on the journey to Bethany through John's 11th chapter.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house

 

 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.

 

- John 11:17–29 

 

 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.  My study bible cites a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days.  But after four days it was considered that resuscitation would not be possible.

And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.   In Jewish tradition, mourning would begin on the day of a person's death, my study bible tells us.  Weeping and wailing would last three days, lamentation one week.  General mourning lasted thirty days.  It is important to know for the story of Christ's ministry that apparently many prominent in Jerusalem had come to mourn with Martha and Mary.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Similarly to the display of their characters in Luke 10:38-42, these two sisters react in unique ways to Christ's arrival.  Martha, who is inclined to active service, rushes out to meet Jesus.  Mary remains in mourning until she is called by Christ (which we will observe in tomorrow's reading).  Sitting is the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8,13; Ezekiel 8:14).

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."  Martha possesses great faith, my study bible says, but her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Jesus.  When she says, "if You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha reveals that she doesn't fully see that christ is God, thinking that He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast 4:46-54).  By saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows her lack of understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills.

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."   Jesus states, "I am the resurrection and the life."  My study bible says that in order to correct Martha's misunderstanding, Jesus declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day, as well as here in this world.  This leads to Martha's confession of faith here.  My study bible says that Christ's question, Do you believe this? is one that is directed not only to Martha, but to all of us.

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.   Once again we observe the personality differences in the two sisters.  Martha is the more outgoing, who takes on the duties of hospitality and outreach.  Mary is the more inwardly focused, observing the traditional posture of mourning until she is informed by Martha that "the Teacher has come and is calling for you."

Some people would call Martha and Mary, two sisters, a study in contrasts.   I think of them here (and elsewhere in the Gospels) as a study of inclusion.  Martha and Mary tell us more about the variety of facets within our faith, all of which are included for our understanding and greater grasp of just what it is that Christ is all about.  Is one sister right, and the other sister wrong?  Do we prefer one sister to another?  The answer to both questions is really "No," although we're all tempted to side with one or the other, depending on our own orientation and understanding of our personalities.  Mary is the more introverted, to use a modern term, and Martha the more extroverted.  Mary is the one in Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:38-42) who sits at Christ's feet listening, while Martha is the one who takes on the work of hospitality.  Although Jesus tells Martha that her sister has "chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her," we should understand that both sisters do what is worthy.  Both roles are valuable to the ministry of Christ.  It is just the same in today's reading.  Martha goes out to meet Christ as He approaches their home, performing the duties of hospitality.  These works of hospitality are not just significant in today's world, as signs of graciousness, care, and welcoming to others, but they were even more necessary in the ancient world than what we might call a more casual attitude today.  Hospitality is an important sign of welcome, protection, and comfort, a signal of friendship and inclusion under a home or roof, essential especially to the ancient world.  Today we consider hospitality an extension of gracious behavior, even compassion, when we consider how we treat both friend and stranger.  So Martha's role is essential.  In the "home" that is the Church, those who serve through actions of hospitality and activism are equally necessary and their roles are countless.  At the same time, Mary, the one who sits and listens, is someone whose deep faith is also evident, and she is clearly as beloved by Christ as her sister.  They are both His friends, and we will see how He is moved with compassion when He sees their grief at the death of their brother.  Mary sits at Christ's feet and listens in the story cited earlier in Luke's Gospel, which Jesus calls "that good part" that she has chosen.  In yesterday's reading, John also identifies Mary as the one who anointed Christ's feet with costly oil (which we will read about in the next chapter), which Jesus says she has kept for the day of His burial.  It's important to understand from the Gospels, and in particular from the stories about these two sisters, that in the Church there is a valued and cherished role for each person.  Jesus says, "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (14:2).  There is a place in the Church for each; just as each are created uniquely by the Lord, so each has a place prepared for them to be with the Lord.  Studying the lives of the saints, one can find many seeming patterns of holiness -- but at the same time, each one is dynamic and unique, reflecting precisely the facets of persona as cleansed, magnified, made holy in the light of God and the living faith in Christ.  No one is left out of this faith of our Lord.  St. Paul writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).  While we understand this to mean there are no divisions in our faith, we also know it to mean that each is welcome and each has a place in which they belong.  Let us think and be grateful for Martha and Mary, beloved friends of Christ, for without them both no picture of our faith is complete.

Do you believe this?

 So when Jesus came, He found that he 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. 

- John 11:17-29

 Now 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 for four days.   My study bible explains that there was a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but that after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  We recall from yesterday's reading, above, that Jesus has intentionally delayed His travel to Bethany in order for His arrival to be on this day.

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.   Mourning began on the day of a person's death.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week.  General mourning lasted thirty days. 

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  We note, as in Luke's Gospel, the contrast in the character of these sisters, both of whom are beloved by Jesus.  Martha is the one inclined to active service.  She rushes out to meet Jesus, fulfilling the duties of hospitality.  Mary remains sitting in the house, which is appropriate to mourning, until she is called by Christ (v. 28-29).  Sitting is the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14). 

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."  My study bible explains that while Martha possesses great faith, her statements reveal a lack of understanding about Christ.  When she says, "If You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha expresses the idea that she does not fully see that Christ is God.  She believes that He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast this with 4:46-54).  By saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows that she lacks understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as he wills. 

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."  In order to correct Martha's misunderstanding about Him, Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day as well as here in this world.  The power of His words is so profound that Martha is led immediately to a great confession of faith.  Do you believe this?, my study bible says, is a question that is not only directed to Martha, but to all of us. 

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. We observe Mary's obedience to Christ.  As in the story in Luke 10:38-42, Mary responds to Christ with an understanding that His word is above all custom.

I'm always intrigued by the characters of Martha and Mary, and grateful that the Gospels show them so clearly.  They are such different sisters.  Martha is consistently assuming the duties of hospitality in the incidents in which we see her across the Gospels, while Mary is the more contemplative, called to something that seems to be in contradiction to custom and to what is expected of her socially.  Yet, we need to understand, Jesus loves them both.  He gently corrects Martha when she wants her sister to be commanded by Christ to help her in Luke 10, and here she is also gently corrected as to His authority and her faith (to which she responds with a great confession of faith).  As such, He reveals to her His power and authority as God and divine, a tremendous revelation indeed.  In Jesus' love for these two sisters, so much is revealed to us.  His relationships with women are revelatory and contradict all custom.  We recall that John has also given us the story of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4, to whom Jesus first revealed Himself and the power of worship in spirit and truth.  Here in this story of Martha and Mary, we see His closeness to both of them -- how important He is to them, and how important they are to Him.  Indeed, John shows how important they are to the whole story of Christ and His ministry through this last seventh sign that will seal His fate with the authorities.  In His love and regard for these sisters, Jesus shows us that each of us have a pathway to our faith in Him.  It matters not at all that Martha is the one concerned with social service and hospitality, while Mary's character is so different.  Both must come to faith in Him and both are beloved by Him.  Neither does it matter, even in the traditional culture in which they live, that they are women.  Faith is for all of us, our relationship to Christ is equally strong and personal.  We are all called to the same confession of faith.  We must also comment on the relationships here with women, and recall that it was John the author of the Gospel who would become child to Mary, the mother of Christ, according to His word on the Cross (19:26).  John's revelation to us of Christ's own expression of identity to the various women in this Gospel is important in this light; it tells us about the relationship to Mary, and her traditional role in the Church as one who fully and first of all accepted faith in Him.  John illustrates this with her role in the first sign in the Gospel, at the wedding in Cana (2:1-12).  There, Mary's faith is fully evident in her promptings to the stewards and to her Son; she needs no convincing nor education as to His identity.  Let us consider the variety and richness and wisdom we receive in the Gospel.  As each of us is to receive Christ, let us understand that our Church is not to be one that produces cookie-cutter followers.  The saints of the Church emerge as individuals with unique personas and a myriad of expressions of full faith, an ongoing revelation of the Holy Spirit and Christ's ministry in the world, male and female and from all walks and ways of life.  It is the ongoing revelation of holiness in the world.  Do you believe this?

Lazarus, come forth! Loose him, and let him go

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

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

- John 11:28-44

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 You are 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 Mary was sitting in mourning in the house, while Martha had gone out to meet Christ as He approached.  My study bible points out that Mary approaches Christ with the identical words that Martha used (see above), "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  But while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds.  Her brother Lazarus is raised 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?"   Here we are given a great picture of the humanity of Jesus, and His great compassion, His empathy and love for His friends.  My study bible says that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit (further on in the following verses) to show that He had fully taken on human nature and was subject to grief as any man would be.  It says that "weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  In the Eastern Church, one hymn at Compline on the Saturday before Holy Week says, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."  Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the Bible, but so full of poignancy and powerful meaning for us.

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  My study bible says that though Martha's faith had increased, she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold back the stench of decomposition for a short time.   Emphatically the text is telling us that Lazarus has not only died, but his body is already breaking down, decomposing.  Icons of this scene depict bystanders covering their noses.

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   My study bible suggests here that Jesus is showing His divine will was one with the Father's, and that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's.  He deliberately 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 notes that Christ calls Lazarus forth not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  It says, "This shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself."  We need to understand all this as part of the seventh and final sign in this Gospel, and as building up to Holy Week, with witnesses present from Jerusalem who come from among those influential in the leadership of the temple.

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."   Traditionally, it's seen that Lazarus comes out bound in graveclothes as a sign that he will need them again; his resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  By contrast, Jesus' graveclothes are left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  My study bible says, "Unlike Lazarus's, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature; He will never die again.  This sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but in the words of the hymn for the day, it also 'confirmed the universal resurrection,' proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).

I think that Jesus' words, "Loose him, and let him go," apply to so many things in our lives, and can be applied in so many ways as true words of resurrection and the promise of life abundantly that He has made.  While we understand this spectacular sign as that which caps off all of His ministry, and which is just so astounding that it will put the seal on His fate with the temple authorities at Jerusalem (who already seek to find an accusation for which they can put Him to death), we also see everything in this ministry -- including this astonishing seventh sign -- as those things that teach us about Christ and the qualities belonging to Him, and how His ministry works in the world.  The picture of Lazarus walking out of his tomb, still wrapped in graveclothes, is not something to forget.  It makes a vivid impression on the imagination.  It lends itself to so many interpretations, and so many understandings.  He has not just beaten death; this is a picture of a captive being set free, it's a picture of a beloved brother being returned alive to his sisters, and it's a picture of a man who was fully bound and is now released, unbound.  Christ has taught that it is the truth He bears for us that makes us free, and this is the ultimate truth:  that He is the resurrection and the life, as He has said to Martha in yesterday's reading.  His input into our lives, our participation in Him, renders us freed from so many things, whatever it is that binds us and brings some form of death into our lives.   This scene illuminates great truths about Christ for all of us, but it is His illumination that sets us free in our own lives, each in our own way, as we bring everything to Him, to His light.  He has taught that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin, but there are all kinds of "sins" we may be a slave to that limit us and take away our freedom.  Addiction is one such limitation that is a slavery that we can think of.  But there are also all kinds of other things in which we "miss the mark" (the meaning of the Greek word for sin) that may bind us to slavery and death in our lives.  We may think we're not "good enough" for Christ, that our pains and problems and difficulties are just too unimportant for Him.  This is a lie, a thing that binds, a form of sin ("missing the mark") and slavery that keeps us from His light, His illumination and His resurrectional life of abundance that He wants to share with us.  It keeps us from fully participating in His life, and whatever it is that keeps us from Him is truly "missing the mark."  It goes against what He teaches us about relationship to His sheep.   We may stay away because we feel unworthy of His love, but this is another false front, another lie, another form of slavery.  God's love is pure grace, and "worthiness" really has nothing to do with it.  Grace doesn't require a payment because no payment could possibly equal the value of the grace.  It's a free gift, an expression of God's love -- it's a strange form of self-centeredness and "missing the mark" that censors the potential of such a relationship of love and grace where God has done the offering and given us His Son for our salvation.  Lazarus in those graveclothes symbolizes us walking out of darkness and into the light; one can just imagine the blinding light, the difficulty of seeing, the overwhelming astonishment that makes this scene nearly unbelievable to those present.  It is said of Lazarus that later he himself became a hunted man, wanted by the authorities because he had been the subject of this great miracle by Jesus.  He lived in Cyprus, we are told, and was ordained the first bishop there.  In addition to whatever else is said of him, it's said that he never smiled in the years after his resurrection, except for once.  He saw someone stealing a clay pot, and joked, "The clay steals the clay."  Perhaps living with the weight of such a life experience and witnessing the death of Christ was the cause, we don't know.  Perhaps it was the sense of missing His friend Who so loved him.  But in the joke, "the clay steals the clay," we can understand the perspective of one who knows what death is -- even a living death without the light of Christ.   Let us remember this picture of Lazarus walking from the grave still bound in the graveclothes; it applies to all of us.  Our lives may not be "the same" after His light has touched them, but resurrection is like that.  It is to be transfigured by His light, and to bear it into the world.