Father Robert (Bob)'s homily for this Fifth Sunday of Lent; Have you ever been in a hospital waiting room? You wait for news from the doctor and hope for a miracle, while praying with all your heart and making promises to God?
May my loved one recover, may he undergo this operation and I promise to do this or that. Then the doctor comes out and you know immediately, from his look, that it is bad news. For a time, you may feel that God has let you down.
We can feel like Martha in today's gospel. She is angry with Jesus. The story seems polite.
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
No, in reality, she was very upset. He had healed so many people he didn't even know. Now, when his best friend needs him, he is out of town. Against all expectations, he delays two days. When he finally arrives, some of the mourning Jews are not particularly impressed by Jesus' tears.
Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? But Jesus' love for Lazarus goes beyond what his sister had silently asked for. Do not let him die. Listen again to the dialogue between Martha and Jesus. Jesus says to her:
"Your brother will rise again."
Martha replied:
"I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus said to her:
"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
In other words, eternal death is not the separation of soul and body. It is the separation of the soul from God. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. This is so important that Jesus asks her:
"Do you believe this?"
I wonder if she paused before answering yes. Then Jesus does something unexpected. He orders the stone to be rolled away from the tomb. Then he calls Lazarus in a loud voice:
"Come out."
Imagine the scene: hundreds of people standing, waiting to see what he will do. I am sure the silence was deafening; you could have heard a pin drop. Jesus' voice rings out in the hills:
"Lazarus, come out."
To everyone's surprise and dismay, Lazarus emerges from the darkness of the tomb. Jesus orders:
"Unbind him, and let him go."
This is probably one of Jesus' greatest miracles.
Probably the one that sealed his fate. The raising of Lazarus was the pivotal moment in the plot to kill Jesus. Jesus' popularity reached a critical level after this miracle. The level of threat to the leaders of the status quo was therefore overwhelming. From this moment on, they will plot openly against him.
Also read | Passion of Christ Show – The Celtic Passion
Ironically, it is the act of giving life back to a friend that will set in motion the events that will lead to Jesus' death.
One could say that by standing before Lazarus' tomb and calling him to come out, Jesus was changing places with Lazarus. There are many lessons to be drawn from this gospel. But perhaps it all comes down to how you answer the question Jesus asks Martha. I am the resurrection and the life. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
I leave you with the same question: Do you believe this? Do you believe this?
Homily for this Sunday by Father Robert Warren, Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, Garrison, NY