Fifth Sunday of Lent A: March 26, 2023

John 11: 1-45

Fr. John Tran

This gospel passage from John is a turning point in Jesus life, and in fact, in the life of all humankind. The Synoptic gospels use the cleansing of the Temple by expelling the money changers as the point at which the Jewish authorities turn against Jesus and begin to plot his death. John, on the other hand, uses this incident of raising Lazarus from the dead as the point at which Jewish authorities reach this conclusion. Just a few verses further in John, the high priest declares, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people.” So, from this point on, Jesus’ death is certain. This passage helps us to understand just what the death of Lazarus means.

There are several puzzling things about this incident. Jesus put off going to Bethany after he received word of Lazarus illness. It is surprising that he would wait two days since he apparently loved Lazarus and his sisters very much. Yet Jesus knew that Lazarus would not die when he told his disciples that he was going to wake him up; Jesus even made it clear that Lazarus was not simply asleep, but was dead. And, that Lazarus’ death would make them able to believe in a stronger way.

And yet, once Jesus was there and was confronted with the fact that Lazarus already in the tomb four days, joining in the raw grief of Martha and Mary, Jesus wept. Yes, Jesus was “perturbed and deeply troubled;” was this because his human side was naturally over come, or that the grief of the sisters grabbed his heart, or both? At any rate, the love of Jesus for his friends is very clear, which tells us that his love for us is exactly the same. We, too, are just that dear to Jesus right now.

Now, we might be tempted to think that Lazarus coming back to life is a sign of our resurrection, whether right after we die or at the end of time. But, is this the message Jesus means to give us?

In a short time, when we read of Jesus’ resurrection, the scene is quite different. Then, Jesus’ binding cloths are cast aside, and the head covering is neatly folded in another place. When Jesus does appear to others after his resurrection, he has a new body, a new appearance. People apparently recognize him by his voice and his message, rather than his face.

Yet, here with Lazarus, he is still bound up in his burial cloths, his head is still covered. Surely, this is not as our resurrection would be. These facts point to the fact that Lazarus’ coming back to life was not his resurrection from the shall dead in the same way that Jesus, Lazarus, or each of us shall rise at the conclusion of earthly life; rather, this coming back to life was to his old life and he would have to die again later at the end of it. Rather, Lazarus’ coming back to life means something else.

There is a story from World War II that sheds some meaning. A large group of marines were being shipped back to the United States from Japan to be discharged. A small group of them approach a chaplain and asked to do some Bible study with him; of course, he happily agreed. At one point they were studying today’s gospel passage and one marine said, “Everything in that chapter is pointing at me.” He said that he had been in hell those past six months. He had entered the service right out of college and was sent to Japan after the victory. He had become bored and had gotten into a lot of serious trouble. And even though no one knew of this trouble except God, he felt guilty and that his life was ruined and that he could never face anyone again. He felt as though he had killed himself and was a dead man. “And,” he said, “after reading this chapter I have come alive again. I know that this resurrection Jesus was talking about is real here and now, for he has raised me from death to life.” That realization prepared that marine to have hope in the remainder of his earthly life, that at his final death, resurrection to new life wait for him. In the same way, Lazarus’ coming back to life points to Jesus’ to new life, but it is not that final resurrection. It is rather a sign of hope to those who have not yet experienced a resurrection like that of Jesus. Jesus’ followers would first have to experience his passion and death which would shake them to the core.

So, this returning of Lazarus to his old life is a message to us that Jesus’ resurrection has meaning for our lives today, not just when earthly life is ended and we rise to eternal life. The meaning of Jesus’ life and death is, indeed, the resurrection. Surely that resurrection that each of us will experience at the end of our life; but is also means that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life for me here and now. And this gives us courage, just as it did to that young Marine in the late 1940s. Jesus wants the real me to come out of my darkness and be Resurrection and Life to ourselves and others.