Scripture Readings: John 11: 17 – 44
John 11 begins with a significant reference to glory. “This illness does not lead to death; rather, it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (v. 4). The story of the raising of Lazarus marks a turning point in the narrative concerning the one who is the resurrection and the life (v. 25).
Jesus is not in a hurry to the place of his dying friend. When Jesus finally travels to see his long-time friends to share their grief and to reveal the glory of God, he does so even though the journey may be dangerous. He sees beyond the present to a future in which God’s hand is at work and the word of the Lord does what is impossible.
When Jesus arrived in the house, Martha charged out to meet Jesus while Mary stayed at home. Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Mary and Martha interact with Jesus individually, but they say the same thing: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (vv. 21, 32). Whether their statement is a confession of faith or an accusation, but their words echo repeated assertions that Jesus is the one who brings life.
In the small town of Bethany, Lazarus’ funeral was a major event, but none of the Lord’s followers understood how Jesus is our life. Weeping and lament fill the air as family and friends gather to mourn Lazarus’s final sleep. Martha, Mary, and all mourners thought that Jesus should have been there to prevent Lazarus’ death. In those days, people treated death as the end of life, as the final defeat, a sign that God had abandoned them, and the presence of death meant the absence of God.
However, Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again. I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus said future resurrection was impossible without him. He also said that real life is possible only through him. This life is both spiritual and eternal, and it comes only to those who believe in Jesus. This is another one of the Lord’s seven “I Am” statements in this Gospel. Verse 26 seems to indicate that whoever is alive and believing at the time of the Lord’s return will never die. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
“Yes, Lord,” Martha replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” She confessed that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore the Son of God, and that he was sent into the world by the Father. In faith, the presence of death does not signal the absence of God. For Christians, physical death is not the end. Seeds may look dead, but for those who believe enough to plant them, they bring new life.
When Jesus approached the tomb, he wept. John used a different word compared to the weeping of Mary and the Jews. Jesus’ tears emerged for a different reason, not grief over Lazarus. People’s unbelief and theological ignorance also seem to have contributed to Jesus’ grief. But here, Jesus loves his dear friends, is deeply moved, and even weeps. The emotional intensity deepened as Jesus approached the tomb, deeply moved.
Jesus calls Lazarus our friend (v.11). He comforts the sisters of Lazarus. Jesus is our friend as he was a friend to the family of Lazarus. May we shed tears for and with others who have lost loved ones just like Jesus. Along with Lazarus’ family, Jesus’ disciples learned that Jesus was not just their friend, but also their life.
Jesus performed three resurrections in the Gospels: the widow’s son, Jairus’ daughter, and Lazarus. Here, Jesus calls Lazarus back to life, but it was the role of the community that rolls away the stone and unbinds Lazarus from the trappings of death according to Jesus’ words. Are we considering the possibility of resurrection, anticipating that we stand at the tomb of suffering and pain, and listening for the voice of Jesus? As individuals and communities, may we be ready to roll away the stone and unbind those whom God delivers.
Though Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, he urged those who were alive and well, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Jesus invites us to roll away barriers and release persons and communities from the darkness and storms of life. We believe in Jesus and the death and the resurrection, but everyone requires caring communities that are willing to nurture and strengthen them until they can walk alone. For everyone and every community, the effort for unbinding and letting go is required to remove the grave of self-doubt, social isolation, and oppression. May we tear away the wrappings of fear, anxiety, loss, and grief and become unbound people from sin and darkness.
We can discover the faith of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, or the onlookers in this story. However, Jesus’ life-giving action is not dependent on human faith. Lazarus comes out of the tomb at Jesus’ word, and many of those who see believe.
Having seen what Jesus has done, many of those who stay with Mary and Martha believe, and their faith was deepened and enlightened. Thomas also evokes faith, seeing Christ who is crucified yet risen, evokes faith. However, in John 20:29, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Faith is not based on seeing.
We believe God even when we cannot see him working in our physical eyes. To the sisters in their grief, the disciples in their bewilderment, and to all who seek faith for life at any age, Jesus calls for faith first and sight later.
Moved by Mary’s weeping, Jesus asks, “Where have you laid him”? (v. 34). Ordering the stone to be taken away from the tomb (v. 39), he cries out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (v. 43), and the man who has been dead for four days comes forth from the darkness. Death is overcome, and it was a sign of God’s glory. Jesus sees beyond death to God’s infinitely greater power and demonstrates with thanksgiving and authority that his vision is true. Jesus’ word reverberates throughout the tomb, awakens Lazarus’s lifeless body, and revives life.
When our world or people seem to be socially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally dead, may we pray for the power of resurrection in Christ and strive to unbind those who are bound by the reality of war, poverty, disease, abuse, and oppression. God will remove the grave of darkness from our lives and set us free. Many bindings in our world seem impossible to unbind, but the word of the Lord frees us every day.
In our lives, we often forget the places as inhabited by the spirit and the hand of God. Jesus knew the presence of God’s power in that place of grief and showed hope that nothing is impossible with God. Jesus stands outside Lazarus’ tomb in the place of grieving. Even in our place of grieving, may we appreciate the presence of God’s power and encounter Jesus who stands outside the darkness and storms of our lives. I pray that God’s glory will be revealed through our faith and life.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)
