Jesus resurrects Lazarus
The resurrection of Lazarus
This passage narrated by John in chapter 11 presents the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Martha and Mary, after four days from his death.
It is the seventh miracle narrated by John, the last and most powerful one that reveals Jesus as Lord of life and death.
This sign that Jesus gave us proves that he is indeed the beloved Son of God, and God himself
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Gospel - John [11:1-45]
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."...
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him...
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.
Exegesis - John [11:1-45]
This passage presents us the story of the resurrection of Lazarus is the seventh miracle narrated by John, the last and most portentous is the one that reveals Jesus lord of life and death. Jesus had already resurrected the daughter of the head of the synagogue, like the young son of the widow, now he resurrects Lazarus, who had been buried for four days. Everything is a sign that we also need to understand his power, to believe in Him. He had said: The hour will come when all those who are in the tombs will hear my voice and come out, those who have done well for the resurrection of life, those who have done evil for the resurrection of judgment.
John narrates that Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were friends of Jesus, the sisters send a message to the Master to inform him that their brother was seriously ill and ask him to come and free him from the disease. What the message said: “Lord, you see, the one you love is sick”, they did not dare to say: come and heal him immediately! Or maybe it was enough for them that He knew it, as he could not abandon the one he loved. In fact the evangelist emphasizes that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” Jesus replied: This sickness is not for death, but it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
However, having received the news, Jesus did not immediately respond to the invitation, he remained where he was, letting four days pass. Then he said again to his disciples: Let's go back to Judea, where he almost was stoned, and from where he seemed to have left just to escape the stoning.
The evangelist highlights the fear of the disciples in the face of this decision, they well knew that the Jews had tried to stone Jesus and their astonishment emerges from the story: but how do you want to go back there? The reproach is inherent in Jesus' response: “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but if he walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in he”. Probably here Jesus refers to the night of their intelligence, and it is the reproach for their hesitation and their lack of faith, and invites them to follow him if they do not want to stumble.
When they arrived near Bethany, Lazarus has already been dead for four days, the story continues that “he had not yet entered the village” when Martha realized that Jesus had arrived, she went to meet him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha is saddened when she says 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 grant you. It's odd that she didn't ask him to resurrect her brother right away. Was it because she didn't know if he was the real good of her? So she just says: I know you can do it if you want; but it is you who must judge if it is the case, not me. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will grant you.
Jesus replies to Martha: “Your brother will rise again,” she replies: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day”. Jesus replies: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, he will live”. Do you believe it? — Jesus asks Martha — ; And she replies: Yes, Lord, I believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who came into this world, Martha here demonstrates a great faith in Jesus.
Subsequently, Marta goes to call Maria, her sister, telling her in silence: The master is here and he is calling you. In silence, it means in a low voice, the evangelist does not report either where or how or when the Lord had called Mary.
Mary, having reached the place where Jesus was, seeing him prostrates herself before the Master in the presence of all and leads the Lord to be moved, and exclaimed: Lord, if I had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus, seeing her weeping, and the Jews who accompanied her weeping with her, trembled in her spirit, was troubled and said: Where have you laid him? They told him, come and see. They led him to the tomb, which was a cave closed by a boulder. The order of Jesus is peremptory: Remove the stone! Mary, try to dissuade the Lord by saying: Lord, it already stinks, because he has been there for four days. Jesus says to her: Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? Jesus urges her to have faith by telling him that she will see the glory of God because she is about to resurrect a four-day dead who already stinks.
Now the incredible breaks through and overcomes every barrier! Christ breaks down the wall of death, because in him dwells the fullness of God, who is life.
Jesus cries out: “Lazarus, come out!”. The dead man came out, his feet and hands tied with bandages, and his face wrapped in a shroud. Jesus said to them, Free him and let him go.
Lazarus becomes the testimony of what Jesus had announced: “the time has come, and it is this, in which the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have listened to it will live” Jesus has power over death because it also has it on sin, which is the cause. For this reason, in some way, the bandages that bind and wrap Lazarus also represent the bonds of sin.
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