Carravaggio "Pieta" - a detail from the above painting of the raising of Lazarus
Detail of Jesus from the above painting
5th Sunday of Lent A
Readings: Ezekiel 37:12‑14 Romans 8:8‑11
John 11:1‑45
As we move ever closer to the memorial of Jesus' death, this Sunday's readings remind us of the triumph of the resurrection which lies beyond the cross. Even in the depths of our sorrow over sin during this Lenten season, let us sing with resurrection faith the refrain of the responsorial psalm: "With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption" (Ps 130).
The first reading proclaims God's power to bring the Babylonian exiles back to life by restoring them to the land of Israel. It is the conclusion of Ezekiel's famous vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). Thinking that God has abandoned them, the exiles are crying out, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off" (Ezek 37:11). In the midst of this despair Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy to the dry, lifeless bones, and, by the power of God's spirit, they are joined together and given life again. In the Lord's name he goes on to announce: "O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel." Ezekiel concludes by assuring the exiles that the Lord's promise is irrevocable: "’I have promised, and I will do it,’ says the Lord."
In the Romans reading Paul is both celebrating God's triumph over sin and death through Jesus' resurrection and encouraging the Roman Christians that "he who raised Christ from the dead will bring your mortal bodies to life also through his Spirit dwelling in you." In this section he contrasts the way of the flesh with the life of the spirit. For Paul, the flesh represents the baser desires of our human nature apart from God’s guidance, our sensual instincts which can lead to sin. The Spirit, in contrast, is the power of God unleashed by Jesus' resurrection which enables us, even while living in our mortal bodies, to pursue a life of justice and charity. Christians are now dead to sin (the flesh) but alive in the spirit through the power of God.
The Gospel story of the raising of Lazarus is the last and the greatest of the miracles in John’s Gospel. It reveals Jesus as “the resurrection and life” who triumphs over death and gives lasting life to whoever believes in him. Like all the signs in John, this is a symbolic story in which Jesus is challenging his hearers, and us, to see the sign as a revelation of his glory. For example, when Jesus first hears the news that Lazarus is sick, he solemnly announces to his disciples: “This sickness is not to end in death; rather it is for God's glory, that through it the Son of God may be glorified.” This statement not only refers to Jesus' raising Lazarus, but also to Jesus' own death and resurrection which is his hour of glory in John's theology. The raising of Lazarus sets these events in motion. When many Jews come to believe in Jesus after the raising of Lazarus, the leaders begin to plot to kill him (see 11:45‑53).
The dialogue with Martha challenges her to move beyond simply believing in Jesus' power to resurrect a corpse or even a belief in a general resurrection of the dead on the last day, a view held by the Pharisees. When Jesus finally arrives, Martha says to him, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would never have died. Even now I am sure that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” When Jesus assures her, “Your brother will rise again,” she thinks he is speaking of “the resurrection on the last day.” But Jesus challenges her with the proclamation: "I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in me though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?". At this point neither Martha nor the other witnesses believe fully in Jesus as “the resurrection life. As Jesus begins to weep before the tomb, some in the crowd say, “He opened the eyes of that blind man. Why could he not have done something to stop this man from dying?” When Jesus commands that the stone be taken away from the cave, Martha herself expresses doubt: “Lord, it has been four days now; surely there will be a stench!” In contrast to the disbelief of all
around him, Jesus is confident and prays only “for the sake of the crowd, that they may believe that you (the Father) sent me.”
The actual miracle is a dramatic demonstration of Jesus' power and the liberating effects of the resurrection. It is accomplished simply by his command: “Lazarus, come out!” We are told that when "the dead man came out, bound hand and foot with linen strips, his face wrapped in a cloth," Jesus then commands: “Untie him and let him go free.” This causes “many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, to put their faith in him." As we move closer to Holy Week, let us enter its mysteries with the same faith.
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