Important Feature
Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, to people of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, Almighty God and Father; Lord Jesus Christ, only-Begotten Son of the Father: and You, O Holy Spirit. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father: You take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Lazarus Saturday 2009
Homily of His Eminence, Archbishop Stephen
For Saturday, March 29/April 11, 2009
Lazarus Saturday
(John 11:1-45)
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Today’s reading from the Gospel of St. John tells how Jesus restored his friend Lazarus to life. This is not a resurrection as we assume that Lazarus will die again. This is a sign which points to the resurrection of Jesus. What Jesus does for Lazarus, His heavenly Father will do for Jesus. In His resurrection Jesus will conquer death. Thus, the raising of Lazarus is a preview of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
The raising of Lazarus not only points to the resurrection of Jesus but it also sets it in motion. The last public action by Jesus in John’s Gospel arouses the jealousy and fears of the opponents of Jesus.
The story begins in a curious way. Jesus learns that His good friend Lazarus is very sick. Instead of rushing to the side of Lazarus Jesus decides to remain where He is for two more days before making the journey to His friend. Jesus indicates that He waits two days so that the glory of God might be shown through Lazarus.
The purpose of the raising of Lazarus was that God’s glory might be made manifest through this event. For the Christian community, the raising of Lazarus was a sign that Good Friday was not a defeat but that Jesus had ultimate power over death. It is a sign that Jesus’ passion, death, resurrection and exultation constitute one glorious event in the history of our salvation.
Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick, but Jesus delayed going to Bethany. They believed Jesus would come and heal their brother. Jesus did not delay out of indifference or because He was too busy. Jesus knew there was a more important purpose to Lazarus' sickness that took priority over Mary and Martha's anxiety.
How many times in our life do we believe a matter should be this way or that way? But just like Mary and Martha we do not understand the intent of God! Jesus was firm and even though He loved these people greatly, He put duty first. Sometimes it may appear that God does not care for His people, but could it be that since He knows the future He does not grant the immediate request?
This request is very similar to Jesus' mother's request at the wedding of Cana. It presents a need but does not dictate to the Lord how He should respond. In these requests we have a model of intercession that makes a need known to the Lord with humility and a recognition that it is His will that should be done. Such humility and submission are key characteristics of true disciples.
Jesus had responded to His mother by saying it was not yet His hour, a reference to the cross. Now, however, His hour is fast approaching. Mary and Martha must have known how dangerous it had become for Jesus to be in the vicinity of Jerusalem. They might have known that Jesus could heal from a distance, yet they seem to want Him to come to heal Lazarus in person. Perhaps their anxiety for their brother led them to summon Jesus. But love is the laying down of life, and the sisters seem to think that Jesus would be willing to risk His life for the sake of their brother, whom He loves. Whatever they may have been thinking, we see that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was indeed willing to risk His life for His friend, though He was not at risk of any real danger since He was doing the Father's will and under His protection.
Jesus' love for Lazarus and his sisters teaches us that our faith in God's love, even in the midst of adversity, is well grounded. Even those especially dear to God must endure such things.
When Jesus heard the message He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it”. This response sets the agenda and provides the approach to what will take place. It sets the stage for the glorification of God and His Son through Lazarus’ sickness and death. When Jesus arrives at Bethany, we become witnesses to the divine activities of life-giving and judgment, though here they are more intense for we are close to the cross and resurrection, the ultimate glorification.
Martha has faith in Jesus’ ability to raise Lazarus from the dead but she does not have full faith. Jesus says that He is the resurrection and the life and that the only way to resurrection and life is through belief in Him. Martha has a limited faith and Jesus is attempting to help her grow in faith.
Mary shows her lack of faith through the tears she weeps at the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus becomes disturbed at her tears. We often read this verse as if Jesus is merely sad at the death of His friend. Instead of merely being sad at the death of His friend, however, Jesus is angry at the lack of faith He sees in the lives of Mary, Martha and the Jews. The Gospel shows that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He calls all to believe in Him as their source of life.
Just as in the stories of the Woman at the Well and the Blind Man, those who encounter Jesus are called to grow in faith. Throughout the Gospel both Martha and Mary are called to deepen their faith in Jesus.
In the reading Jesus states, “I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die (John 11:25‐26).” Jesus asserts that for those who believe in Him eternal life has already begun. And those who believe will experience the fullness of life at death.
Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Bound by the trappings of death, Lazarus comes out. He comes out and is set free by Jesus. The story points to the transformation of Lazarus as he is given new life. The story calls for transformation in the lives of those who hear the story. Through faith in Jesus Christ those who hear this story are transformed and begin a new life in Christ.
Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead that took place during Jesus' Perean ministry during the last year of His life, is a spiritually moving and faith building event that truly reveals the nature of real miracles and displays the power of the Son of God (John 11).
We often do not understand the purpose of many of the events of life. In fact, some incidents may be without purpose. However, Lazarus' death had a purpose. His sickness was "not unto death" (John. 11:4). Lazarus' sickness did result in unquestionable death, but death was not to be the permanent end result. The sickness and death of Lazarus had a higher purpose, "for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby". This miracle would also strengthen the faith of Jesus' disciples and many of the observers.
Jesus referred to Lazarus' death as a sleep. The death of saints is often considered to be sleep (Matthew. 27: 52; Acts 7: 60). Such an allusion is not because death is annihilation or unconsciousness, but because sleep is incompatible with suffering, weariness, or pain.
In all that Jesus does we see the glory of God, for we see God's love and life-giving power. Now, in the raising of Lazarus, we will have the most spectacular manifestation of this glory. God is the one who brings life to the dead out of His love for those in such need. This is the heart of the Gospel.
The story of the raising of Lazarus is without question one of the most dramatic stories in the New Testament. It is eclipsed in dramatic impact only by the resurrection of Jesus Himself. God, who created the world from nothing, now displays the same creative power in giving life back to a man who was most certainly dead. The story leaves no doubt. He's been dead four days. In the King James version, when Martha is trying to persuade Jesus not to open the tomb, she says: "He stinketh." And that pretty much sums it up. There's no return, once decomposition has set in. But God’s power supercedes the bonds of death.
This is the moment: Lazarus has just emerged from the tomb. He is standing in the doorway, bound from head to foot with strips of cloth. A cloth is wrapped around his face, but through the gaps in the wrappings, he can begin to make out some familiar faces: Jesus, Mary and Martha, his other friends and family, their mouths hanging open in amazement. Jesus says "Untie him and let him go." With shaking hands, this community of believers begins to unwind the grave clothes so that Lazarus can rejoin the living.
Imagine Lazarus at this moment, gradually coming to the realization of what has happened. He was sick, so very sick, dying, and then. . .well, the memories fade. If his hands weren't tied down, he'd pinch himself to make sure it was real. Yet, this is too weird not to be real. You couldn't dream up something like this. Here he stands, a man who has been given a second chance at life.
They say that when you die, your whole life passes before you. I envision something kind of like that happening with Lazarus when he suddenly realizes he is alive. In the faces of his sisters and his friends, no doubt he sees the opportunity to tie up some loose ends. Maybe there were things he'd said to his sisters and then regretted. Maybe there were some things he had planned to do, but never got around to. Maybe his commitment to Jesus was less enthusiastic than it might have been. Now, he has a new lease on life. There's nothing to stop him. Well, except for those grave clothes - they're a little constrictive. He's as alive as you and I are, but he's still dressed like a dead man.
In this moment, Lazarus becomes a symbol that goes even beyond the wonderful physical healing that he has received. He is a picture of what happens to all of us when we come alive in Jesus Christ.
Before we come to Christ, we are "dead" spiritually speaking. And Jesus calls us out of the tomb into a new life, with new opportunities and challenges we would never have imagined before. Like butterflies, we are new creatures in Christ. But sometimes we have trouble shedding that cocoon. While the new life is coursing through our veins, the trappings of our old life are hard to shake. Habits, beliefs, things we learned in our families, things we've done that haunt us, things people have done to us that wounded us. Behavior patterns that are tough to shake. Though we have been called to new life, the ways of death still cling to us like mummy wrappings. They don't negate the new life that is in us, but they can hold us back from living the new life fully. They constrict us, hinder us, hold us back.
That's where community of faith comes in. When Lazarus came out of that tomb, it was clear that it was Jesus who performed the miracle. There is no mistaking where the power came from. But what is so great about Jesus, is that He lets His followers participate in His miracles. When Jesus fed the multitudes with just a few fish and some bread, the disciples were the table waiters. They held the miracle in their hand, though they knew the power was not their own. And here, they are given the privilege of freeing Lazarus from his grave clothes.
Without the community to unbind him, Lazarus would be left to struggle out of the death bonds himself. This unbinding shows the value of Christian community at its best. Those around Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, have performed crucial ministry. They were there to support them through Lazarus' illness and death. They went to tell Jesus about the illness. And now they have the privilege of setting Lazarus free to live his new life. This is a great illustration of what we can do for each other when God is bringing life out of death.
We can talk to Jesus on behalf of our friends; we can support our friends while they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And when the miracle happens, we can help them shed the cocoon and get into life. How do we do that? Through prayer. Through recovery groups and support groups, through encouragement and education. Through honest feedback: affirming one another's spiritual gifts and call to ministry; and challenging one another in areas where growth is needed.
As we come now to the Lord’s table today, and as we embark upon Holy Week, I want to encourage you to keep in mind this picture of freeing Lazarus from the clothing of death. We don’t need to drum up the miracle. God will do that. First, we come to Christ, partaking of the Lord's Supper -- showing that it is God who brings us life through Christ Jesus. Then, as we pray for one another, for physical healing, for emotional wholeness, and for spiritual well-being, the grave clothes begin to fall away.
Amen.