Pastor's Message
5th Sunday of Lent
"I am the resurrection and the life;" "Whoever believes in me even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never dies!"
John11:25
The 1st reading today, from the book of Prophet Ezekiel is a well-known prophecy; the vision, of the “Scattered Dry Bones in the Plain.” The People of Israel had made a Covenant with God, but they abandoned Him and, in the process, sucked life out of themselves, leaving themselves empty, dry and cold! Nothing, they created for themselves could help them! Nobody, including their Kings could save them, but only God, who from the beginning, breathed life into them.
Ezekiel in this prophecy, foretold a moment in time when God in His Son, would intervene; gather his people together, and breath life anew into these lifeless bones.
Today, in the Gospel reading, as Lazarus comes out of the tomb alive, Jesus fulfilled Ezekiel's Prophecy; He is “the life-giving-presence among his People.” The raising of Lazarus as in every miracle in St. John's Gospel had the purpose of revealing Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah.
These past Sundays, Jesus has been revealed to us as “the source of the living Water” in his encounter with the Samaritan Woman and last Sunday as the “Light of the World, with the healing of the Man Born Blind.” The Samaritan Woman and the Man Born Blind were depicted as on a journey; A Journey of Faith.
Today, in the Miracle (Sign) of the raising of Lazarus, the “disciple who is on this journey of Faith,” is Martha; the sister to Lazarus. When Martha heard that Jesus was on the way, she runs out to meet him. Her first words were, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died …”
Here, Martha confessed Jesus just as a Miracle Worker; and acknowledged that Christ’s earlier presence would have made a difference in her brother’s life, but Jesus as the miracle worker was absent thus failed to save her brother. Jesus responded to correct Martha’s misunderstanding and informed her that Lazarus will rise! Martha again fails to acknowledge the power of Resurrection in the Person of Jesus and rather schooled Jesus on the Jewish Traditional Teaching about resurrection - “Resurrection on the last day.”
At this moment, Jesus took the initiative away from Martha; and centered the Resurrection on his Person. “I am the resurrection and the life;” “Whoever believes in me even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die!”
Jesus calls Martha to this Faith to which she responded with a better understanding; “Yes Lord.” “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the One who is to come into the world!”
It is one thing, however, to profess Faith, it’s quite another to put that Faith into practice when reality demands! Martha, failed yet again when they came to the tomb; when Jesus requested the stone to be rolled away, she attempted to stop the action; “Lord he has been in the Tomb for four days!” “There is already a stench! Jesus again had to wrestle the initiative from Martha; “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
Adopting a position of prayer and lifting up his eyes to Heaven; Jesus prayed; expressing his gratitude and absolute trust in the communion with the Father, and then commanded Lazarus to come out, and Lazarus walked out bound. Jesus then commanded them; “Untie him and let him go.”
Scripture says; “Many came to believe in Him.” Likewise, Martha, as a disciple, saw and believed in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life.
Martha had ascended from moments of “partial faith” to truly believing in Jesus as the Christ; the Son of God. Like Martha, we are all called to this Faith! Next Sunday, with the Palm Sunday, we begin the final ascend with Jesus to Jerusalem to celebrate yet again, the Solemn Festivities of Our Salvation; Christ's Passion, Death and Resurrection. Let us pray, then, that we may be granted the Grace to Believe. †
