Lazarus Lives – Am I alive?

Wilson SVD

Fifth Sunday of the Lent

                Ez 37: 12-14; Rom 8: 8-11; Jn 11: 1-45

Most of us have stood at the tomb, faced an open grave, either buried or scattered the

ashes of our beloved ones. We all know well what it is like, to be confronted by the stark realities of death and the flood of conflicting emotions that comes along with it. The story of Lazarus being raised from the death in John 11: 1-45 is developed around such situation that brings alive the conflicting emotions of losing the dear ones. This is an occasion to encounter concretely Jesus in his divinity and in his humanity.

As per me, the historicity of this event is of less importance and there are certain aspects of the story that interests me and I would like to discusses on two of the features in this miracle story:

1.     God acts in His own time. 

2.     Lazarus lives – Am I alive?

1. God acts in His own time

The death of Lazarus is to be seen as an occasion for a divine intervention that would glorify God. According to the gospel, Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary was seriously ill and his sisters sent a word to inform Jesus. Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. The Greek verb used here is philein (φιλεῖν) – it describes the real love and trust among the friends and so, here it indicates the genuine friendship that existed among Jesus, Lazarus and his sisters. We need to note the separate mention of the three persons by name and this is probably meant to lay stress on Jesus’ affection for each of them individually. He did not simply love the family but he loved Martha, he loved Mary and he loved Lazarus. There was a genuine love and friendship among them. i.e. God loves each one of us individually and personally.

One of the things that interests me in this episode is, in spite of the close friendship, Jesus does not immediately come to attend his suffering friend. He takes time. ‘A friend in need is a friend in deed,’ an old cliché; we would expect Jesus to take action immediately on receipt of the news about Lazarus's illness. The message of the sisters is a plea for help, a petition in desperation, probably their only source of support was their sick brother. But Jesus simply remained where he was for two days and continued his work. When Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus delayed and why did he not show up before his friend could die? It is not that Jesus deliberately allowed his friends to suffer bereavement in order that he might perform a spectacular miracle. I am convinced that Jesus delayed because he wants us to know that he is not moved by any external forces or emotional attachment but solely by his determination to do the will of God. Hence, God acts according to His own time and His own will and everything has a purpose, the purpose is ‘the glory of God.’ Jesus (God) is not be coerced, not even by his dearest friends.

In the tomb, nothing can be more powerful than tears, Jesus was disturbed in spirit and he wept. He was a human being, full of compassion but his compassion is not to be manipulated by external compulsions. Jesus is not a magician to be impressed by whims and fancies. Tomb is a symbol of pain, loss, grief, aching heart and a place where myriad feelings can flood our hearts. The closer Jesus gets to Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the more deeply he feels their pain and grief. This miracle story assures us that we are not abandoned by God in times of trouble. God is not impassive in the face of our problems; Jesus wept. God feels with us and He loves us in ways more than we can comprehend.  When our prayers are not answered as quickly as we expect, it does not mean that the delay is out of unconcern rather it is a purposeful delay. The delay could be for a day, a week, few months or years. Like Lazarus, we may be even decayed but we will not be abandoned. We can trust our God even when he seems to be absent. God weeps with us, shares our grief and acts at His own time and would definitely remove the stones at an opt time and makes fully alive. God will be glorified through our sufferings. God is present in our sufferings; He is suffering with us.   

2. Lazarus lives – Am I alive?

No elaborate embellishment; Lazarus is raised over the flood of Jesus’ tears. Raising someone from death is a work of God. God nurtures life and only He can sustain life. Jesus cries out with a loud voice into the silence of a dead man’s tomb and Lazarus comes forth from the cave tightly bound in the clothing of death. This image is very striking and captures my attention. Lazarus is raised from dead and he is emerging out of the cave tightly wrapped in the clothing of the death and he did not come forth in dazzling robe. From this perspective, I consider it an imagery that is pregnant with profound meanings and implications. Death is a physical state when one stops breathing, feeling and thinking, in other words it’s when one stops living. I perceive death of Lazarus as a symbolic representation of death of many aspects of our lives. One of the facts of our lives is, many of us are alive but dead long ago, probably waiting for the day of our burial. Many of us are just alive but are dead long ago; could be we are spiritually dead, death of humanness, death of values and principles, death of inner freedom, death of confidence, death of joy, death of relationship, etc. We are wrapped tightly in these clothes of death. As Lazarus we need to raise from the cave and unwrap these clothing of death. We see a huge increase in the number old age homes around; is it not a sign of death of love?  We see a considerable escalation in orphanages, homes for HIV/AIDS infected and affected; is it not a sign of death of values? Poor becomes poorer and the rich continue to amass wealth; is it not a sign of death of humanness? Increase in violence, division, enmity; is it not a sign of death of humanity? We notice, a growing tendency to be politicians and perpetuators of caste and groupism in the garb of religious men and women, is it not a sign of death of commitment? When I am compulsively addicted, slave to sin and negativity, is it not that I am dead? When I distance myself from God and church activities, is it not that I am dead? The story of Lazarus exhorts us to die with our old self and from our old attitudes (egoism, arrogance, pride, selfishness, etc). We are invited to feel God’s presence and carry out an inner search to diagnose; Am I alive or dead? where is God calling me to come alive?  Jesus visited Lazarus tomb and brought him back to life. May God visit us that we may celebrate life for life is beautiful…….