SCRIPTURE 11:1-44
the raising of lazarus.
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is 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 ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.
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. Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed* and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”
LAZARUS, COME OUT!
REFLECTION
In this scripture passage of the raising of Lazarus, we read about GLORY, LOVE, COMPASSION, FAITH, RESURRECTION, AND ANOTHER EPIPHANY.
Jesus loves Martha, Mary, and Lazarus but does not immediately go to them, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
When Jesus does decide to go, he is rebuked by his apostles, Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus reminds them He is the Light of the world. If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world Choose light over darkness!
Jesus tells his apostles, I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. The apostles may not understand Jesus’ purpose to affirm their faith. Just like we may not understand God’s providence in our lives. Thomas the apostle speaks up, “Let us also go to die with him.” Are we willing to follow Jesus wherever He may lead us?
When Jesus does arrive, Martha approaches Jesus and expresses her faith, 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 then stretches Martha’ faith like He sometimes pushes us farther than we might want to go. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus receives exactly the response He hopes for from a faithful disciple. Martha said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Do we believe and express that belief of Martha’s to others?
Jesus asks Martha to show Him where they have laid Lazarus. And Jesus wept. Jesus knows what He is about to do but in His humanity and divinity shows compassion for those who mourn. Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted!
Many of those accompanying Martha questioned Jesus a man who opened the eyes of the blind, couldn’t He do something to save the one He loved. Of course Jesus could, but raising the dead would be much more dramatic and revealing of His divinity that others might believe He was truly the Son of God.
They took away the stone covering the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus prayed, Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” Do we pray to the Father before significant events?
Lazarus, come out! Lazarus walked out, another Epiphany of Jesus, Son of God, Savior of the world. Throughout the Gospels Jesus has shown us who He is. Who do we say Jesus is? What impact does our belief have in our lives?
“But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. Matthew 16:16 Faith in Jesus is revealed by the Father. Pray for that faith!
SCRIPTURE 11:45-54
raising of Lazarus brought to Pharisees and chief priests.
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.”
But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.”
He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.
IT IS BETTER FOR YOU THAT ONE MAN SHOULD DIE,
SO THAT THE WHOLE NATION MAY NOT PERISH.”
REFLECTION
The chief priest called together the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin back then was like our Supreme Court with leaders, presided over by the chief priest, Caiaphas. The question before them is a political one even though held in temple and made up of high priests.
What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation. They are more concerned for their secular world than whether this Jesus may be the long awaited Messiah.
Caiaphas thinks he has the answer, it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” While Caiaphas was looking for a secular solution, the irony is that yes it is better spiritually that Jesus dies for the salvation of the world, a new exodus from sin, to eternal life.
So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews. Although Jesus knew his passion, death, and resurrection lie ahead, it was not yet his hour. Jesus had more evangelizing, more healing, and more catechizing of his disciples before He left this world.
We the mystical body of Christ (the Church) today are the beneficiaries of this public ministry, institution of the sacraments, and founding of his church upon Peter the Rock. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
Jesus loves His Church. Do we love the church warts and all? All means for salvation are found in the Sacraments ministered today in the Catholic Church.
In the Catholic Mass we celebrate the wedding feast of the Lamb as they are celebrating it in heaven. We will never be as close to heaven on earth as we are in the liturgy of the Mass.