Up from the Grave, He Arose—Lectionary Reflection for Lent 5A (John 11)
John 11:1-45 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “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.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him.
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In
John’s account of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus had been in Jerusalem, where he had
encountered opposition after several healing events. When it looked as if
things were getting out of hand Jesus headed across the Jordan to where John
had been baptizing. While there he did a bit of preaching, drawing more
followers from those who came out to hear him (John
10:22-42). At about the same time, back in the vicinity of Jerusalem, a man
named Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, got sick. According
to John, Mary was the one who anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet
with her hair (Jn. 11:2; Jn
12:1-8). Knowing that Jesus both
loved Lazarus and had the power to heal him. After all, he had healed many
strangers. Wouldn’t he want to do the same for his friends?
The
primary characters in this story, besides Jesus, are Lazarus, Mary, and Martha,
a seemingly wealthy family living outside Jerusalem in Bethany. These names
appear also in the Gospel of Luke. There is a Lazarus who appears in one of
Jesus’ parables, but that is not the Lazarus of John. Luke’s Lazarus is the
poverty-stricken man who gets to rest in the bosom of Abraham while the rich
man suffers torment (Lk.
16:19-30). As for the sisters, Martha and Mary, they also appear in Luke,
but without Lazarus (Lk
10:38-42). Luke simply locates them in a certain village, perhaps in
Galilee. So, whether John’s sisters are the same as Luke’s is ultimately a
matter of speculation, but it is worth taking note of here.
The
sisters send word that the one Jesus loves is ill. This suggests a deep
relationship between Jesus and the family, especially Lazarus. Jesus responds
to the news by casually setting it aside, telling his followers that this is
not a sickness that leads to death. However, as in other signs in John, this
illness will reveal God’s glory and that of the Son of God. Even though we’re
told Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, he decides to delay his travels by
two days, staying put even as Lazarus nears death. It seems rather cruel. If
Jesus can heal Lazarus why delay? Once he’s dead, what can Jesus do for him?
Finally,
Jesus tells the disciples it’s time to go back to Judea to see Lazarus. His
disciples warned him that the religious leaders will stone him if he returns.
Jesus sets aside their concerns, speaking here as he does elsewhere in John of
walking in the light. Their opponents stumble because they wander about in the
dark of night. They can’t see the things of God, because they don’t have the
light of God in them. Nevertheless, it’s time to go, no matter what will
happen. As for their friend Lazarus, he’s asleep and they need to wake him up.
Of course, the disciples misunderstand Jesus. They’re thinking he needs an
alarm clock, whereas Jesus is using sleep as a euphemism for death. The reason
for the delay was so God’s glory could be revealed by another sign. This time
the sign was the biggest of them all—he would wake up Lazarus by raising him
from the dead. Yes, “up from the grave” he would arise. When Jesus finally told
them directly that Lazarus was dead and that he had waited this long for their
benefit so that they might believe. At that point, Thomas (Didymus), who must
see to believe, responds by telling his fellow disciples that they should go so
that they might die with him. Of course, this trip back to Judea will lead to
Jesus’ death (not by stoning but by crucifixion by the Romans), but the
disciples don’t die. Thus, there is a bit of irony in Thomas’ words to his
friends.
Now
that has headed back to Judea and the house of his friends, Lazarus has been
dead for four days. In other words, Jesus’ delay didn’t change anything. But by
now, Lazarus most assuredly is dead as he’s been in the grave for four days.
When Jesus arrives, he discovers that a great crowd of mourners has gathered,
which is to be expected for someone who appears to be a person of wealth and
importance. As for Jesus, Lazarus and
his sisters appear to be counted among Jesus’ closest friends. In fact, John
tells us that Jesus loves Lazarus (hon phileis). This may explain
why Jesus weeps when he approaches Lazarus’ tomb. That emotional response,
however, leaves us wondering why Jesus delayed coming to Bethany.
Jesus’
arrival in Bethany leads to confrontations with the two sisters that reveal
certain theological dimensions of the story. The sisters, each individually,
want to know why Jesus delayed answering their call. If only he had come earlier,
he could have healed their brother. But, interestingly, Martha hasn’t given up
hope that Jesus can do something. After all, she believes God will do whatever
Jesus asks. So, there might still be hope. How does Jesus respond to their
questions? “Your Brother will rise again” (Jn. 11:24). Martha knows that. She
believes that on the last day, the dead will rise. She’s a believer in the
resurrection. That’s great, but that’s not her immediate concern. She wants her
brother back now. In other words, she’s not interested in the eschatologically
defined resurrection. She wants resuscitation!
Jesus responds to that declaration by telling her “I am the resurrection
and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and
everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn. 11:25-26). In making this claim, John reveals his belief
that eternal life begins now and can be enjoyed in this life. This is an
expression of an inaugurated eschatology; such that eternal life may extend
into the next life but has a present dimension. Now, as we’ll see, Jesus is
going to give Martha what she wants, but he wants to know whether she believes
he is the resurrection and the life. With that Martha makes her confession of faith:
“Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming
into the world” (Jn. 11:27).
Whether
Martha fully comprehends what she has just confessed, she allows John to reveal
something important about Jesus’ messianic mission. Marianne Meye Thompson writes that “Martha’s
affirmations about Jesus cannot be understood simply in light of contemporary
messianic expectation. Here the two beliefs— that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of
God, and that he can and will raise the dead— are brought together, so that to
confess Jesus as Messiah is to confess him as the one who has the power of
life” [Meye Thompson, John (NTL), p.
246-247 Kindle]. That has implications both for the present and the future.
Having
had this theological conversation with Martha, in which Jesus reveals himself
to be the “resurrection and the life,” Martha calls on her sister Mary to let
her know that Jesus wanted to see her. Though Martha told her this privately,
the crowd sees her get up, so they follow her, believing that she might be
going to the tomb to mourn. But, instead, she heads toward where Martha had
left Jesus. Mary makes the same plea to Jesus as Martha did, claiming that had
he come when called he could have healed Lazarus. John tells us that when Jesus
saw Mary weeping and the crowd following her, he became “greatly disturbed in
spirit and deeply moved.” That declaration is puzzling. What does John mean
here? Is he angry? If so, about what? Could it be due to a lack of faith on the
part of either Mary or the crowd? Or is it a matter of compassion for those who
grieve? It could be either or both. Whatever the explanation, Jesus wants to
see the tomb. When he got there, he began to weep. Again, we’re not sure why,
but again Jesus shows emotion at the death of his friend. Having arrived at the
tomb, Jesus asks that it be opened. When Jesus makes the request, Martha
reminds him that the body has already begun to decay, and as the King James
puts it: “he stinketh.” If Lazarus’ body is already decaying (remember that
Jews didn’t normally embalm the dead), what purpose would it serve? Of course,
Jesus doesn’t want to see the body. He wants to wake Lazarus up. Once the
stone is rolled away, Jesus shouts at the corpse: “Lazarus, come out!” To everyone’s
surprise, a corpse emerges from the tomb, with hands and feet bound and face
wrapped in a cloth. Jesus told the people to unbind Lazarus who is very
much alive. Now, of course, he would die again at some point, but for now, he’s
back among the living! Many who come from Jerusalem to share in the mourning
for Lazarus now believed that Jesus possessed the power of life.
Now,
not everyone believes, but that’s not part of our reading. The religious
leaders in Jerusalem become concerned at this display of power. Will they lose
their grip on things? (Jn. 11:46-53) But for our purposes, many believe this sign that Jesus
has the power of life. Those who believe can begin experiencing the blessings
of resurrection now. Of course, when it comes to Lazarus, this is a temporary
restoration. Eventually, he will die, as we all do, but for now he can serve as
a sign of the power of the resurrection. It also serves as a precursor to
another resurrection. That of Jesus. So let us sing:
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
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