Season of Apostles
APOSTLES FIFTH SUNDAY
JOHN 11:1-16
LET US ALL GO AND MAY DIE WITH HIM
INTRODUCTION
When Jesus revealed his divine
identity, the Jewish leaders accused him of blasphemy and attempted to
stone him to death. So, Jesus moved out from Judea across Jordan. Then
he received the message that Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary,
was seriously sick. After waiting two days, Jesus decided to go to
Bethany, in Judea, to meet the family of the deceased. The apostles were
reluctant to accompany Jesus, and they dissuaded him from going there
because of the life threat. Thomas took a bold step and persuaded his
colleagues to accompany Jesus, even if the journey would end up in the
martyrdom of all of them. Thus, the first part of the narrative of the
sickness, death, and raising of Lazarus becomes the focal point of
Thomas motivating the apostles to support Jesus at a time of crisis.
After the reception of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the
apostles daringly preached the gospel. All of them, except John, became
martyrs. Let us also commit ourselves to follow Jesus along with the
church he established.
BIBLE TEXT (JOHN
11:1-16)
(Jn 11:1) Now,
there was a man named Lazarus who was from Bethany, the village of Mary
and her sister Martha. (2) It was the same Mary who anointed the Lord
with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. Their brother Lazarus was
sick. (3) So the sisters sent this message to Jesus, “Lord, the one you
love is sick.” (4) On hearing this Jesus said, “This illness will not
end in death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may
be glorified through it.” (5) Now Martha and her sister and Lazarus were
friends of Jesus; (6) yet, after he heard of the illness of Lazarus, he
stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (7) Only then did he
say to his disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.” (8) They replied,
“Master, recently the Jews wanted to stone you. Are you going there
again?” (9) Jesus said to them, “There are twelve hours of the daylight,
are there not? Whoever walks in the daytime does not stumble, for he
sees with the light of this world. (10) But if anyone walks by night, he
will stumble for there is no light to guide him.” (11) After that Jesus
said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to
wake him.” (12) The disciples replied, “Lord, if he is sleeping he will
recover.” (13) But Jesus had referred to Lazarus’ death, while they
thought that he had meant the repose of sleep. (14) So Jesus said
plainly, “Lazarus is dead (15) and for your sake I am glad I was not
there, so that you may believe. But let us go there, where he is.” (16)
Then Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also
go that we may die with him.”
INTERPRETATION
While Jesus was walking in the temple area on the
Portico of Solomon, the Jews ask him, “How long are you going to keep us
in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” (Jn 10:22-42). As
part of his answering, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” The Jews
picked up rocks to stone him, accusing him of blasphemy. Jesus further
clarified, “The Father is in me and I am in the Father.” The Jews again
tried to arrest Jesus. But he escaped from there and went across the
Jordan to the place where John first baptized. People kept coming to
Jesus, and they believed in him.
The Greek word for “now” and “but” are the
same. So, this expresses the contrasting situation that developed from
the previous events. Jesus had escaped from the stoning and arrest
attempt of the Jewish leaders by moving to Jordan. The sickness of
Lazarus, the dear friend of Jesus, obliged him to return to Bethany.
Lazarus, in Hebrew, Eleazar means, “God has
helped.” Jesus used this name for the poor man in the parable of the
Rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31). In that parable, the rich man begged
Abraham to send Lazarus to his father's house to warn his five brothers
about the place of torment in the afterlife. Abraham's reply was, “If
they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded if someone should rise from the dead” (Lk 16:30). In contrast
to this story, Jesus raised Lazarus back to earthly life to share with
the people his experience in the afterlife. Many people believed in
Jesus because of Lazarus’ resurrection. However, the Jewish leaders,
instead of accepting Jesus as the Messiah, attempted to kill Lazarus and
crucified Jesus.
Bethany was a small village about two miles
(Jn 11:18) south-east of Jerusalem at the slope of Olivet on the way to
Jericho. The literal meaning of Bethany is “House of Dates” or “House of
the Afflicted.” It shared its border with Bethphage and was part of the
Mount of Olives. Biblical references to Bethany are:
1. The hometown of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus,
who were the best friends of Jesus, and he used to visit them.
2. Jesus raised Lazarus there (Jn 11:1-44).
3. Simon the Leper gave a dinner for Jesus at
his house in Bethany when a woman anointed the feet of Jesus (Mt
26:6-13; Mk 14:3-9).
4. Jesus prepared for his triumphant entry
into Jerusalem from here by sending two disciples to get the clot for
his ride (Mk 11:1-2; Lk 19:29-30).
5. Jesus cursed the fig tree here (Mk
11:12-14).
6. After his solemn entry into the Temple and
driving out the unjust merchants and money changers there, Jesus went to
Bethany for an overnight stay (Mt 21:17).
7. Jesus led his disciples to Bethany, where
he blessed them and ascended to heaven (Lk 24:50-53).
8. The second coming of Christ must be at
Bethany (Acts 1:11; Zec 14:4).
Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus were
close friends of Jesus (Jn 11:5). They lived in Bethany and invited
Jesus as their guest. He had enjoyed their hospitality (Lk 10:38-42; Jn
12:2). The evangelist identifies Bethany as “the village of Mary” to
distinguish it from another Bethany beyond Jordan (Jn 1:28) where John
used to baptize.
Though Martha was the eldest among the three,
the evangelist gives prominence to Mary here because of her special role
in the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus started preaching at her house, she
halted what she was doing and fully engaged in listening to him. When
Martha complained to Jesus against her sister for not helping in the
serving, Jesus appreciated Mary’s approach (Lk 10:38-42). A week before
the crucifixion, while Jesus was dining at their house, “Mary took a
liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and
anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was
filled with the fragrance of the oil” (Jn 12:3). According to Matthew
and Mark, this happened at the house of Simon the Leper (Mt 26:6–13; Mk
14:3–9). When Judas criticized her for spending so much money instead of
helping the poor with it, Jesus justified her, “The poor you will always
have with you; but you will not always have me. In pouring this perfumed
oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial” (Mt 26:11-12).
Hence, the evangelist gave prominence to Mary than her sister.
Martha must be the eldest in the family
because John gives her name prior to the others in 11:5 and 11:19.
Martha represents hospitality, service, and responsibility in the
family. She welcomed Jesus into her house (Lk 10:38) and prepared food
for him and his companions (Lk 10:40). She served food for Jesus and the
guests (Jn 12:2). So, she got less opportunity to listen directly to
Jesus while he was at their home. After the death of Lazarus, “When
Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat
at home” (Jn 11:20). Some interpreters consider Martha as married, and
Mary and Lazarus single, who had a close affection for Jesus.
The house is not known in the name of
Lazarus, and the evangelists list him last (Jn 11:5) because he was the
youngest among the three. Jesus raising him from the dead is our hope
for the afterlife. Mary and Lazarus might have been more popular in the
ancient church. Like Mary, we have to listen to the Word of God and
worship Him. Martha is a model for Christian service. So, both represent
prayer and charity that Jesus taught.
The evangelist distinguished this Mary who
washed the feet of Jesus from other women with the same name in the
gospels, especially the sinful woman who washed the feet of Jesus at a
Pharisee’s house (Lk 7:37-38). John was referring to a later event that
happened after Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb. One week prior to the
crucifixion of Jesus, the family offered him a dinner. While Martha was
serving and Lazarus was reclining at a table with Jesus, “Mary took a
liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and
anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was
filled with the fragrance of the oil” (Jn 12:3).
When Lazarus was critically ill, his sisters
remembered the healing power of Jesus and his generosity to help those
in distress. They wanted Jesus to come and heal him. Their faith in the
healing power of Jesus is clear from Martha's words to Jesus later,
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (Jn 11:21).
So, they sent messengers to Jesus, believing that he would come,
especially because of his special affection to Lazarus and to
themselves. Jesus’ love for Lazarus is clear from the weeping of Jesus
at Bethany and from the response of the Jews, “See how he loved him” (Jn
11:36). When Jesus spoke of Lazarus to his disciples, he used the
expression, “Our friend Lazarus.” (Jn 11:11).
Martha and Mary did not specify the details
of the sickness or what they had expected from Jesus. The message to
Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick,” is an affectionate expression
of the sisters’ appeal for help during that crisis. They believed that
Jesus, who healed many strangers, would come to their relief instantly.
They let Jesus decide whether he should come and heal Lazarus or heal
him from where Jesus was because he had healed others from remote
places. Jesus had healed an official’s son in Capernaum (Jn 4:46-54), a
centurion’s servant (Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10), and a Syrophoenician woman’s
daughter (Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30) from afar.
The sisters did not mention Lazarus by name,
because by the statement “the one you love” it would be clear to Jesus
that the person would be their brother. Another person the Bible
specifies as the one he loved was John the Evangelist (Jn 13:23; 19:26;
20:2; 21:7, 20).
Martha and Mary did not go themselves to
Jesus because he was a day’s journey away from Bethany. They had to take
care of their sick brother. So, they might have sent friends or
neighbors to Jesus to communicate the sad news on behalf of them.
When Jesus heard Lazarus was sick, he replied
to Martha and Mary through the messengers, to the disciples, and to the
people standing around him. His were words of hope, though the
recipients could not grasp the meaning of what he said.
Lazarus died from the illness. However, Jesus
said it will not happen, though in a spiritual sense. Life and death
have physical and spiritual meaning in the Bible. Though physical death
is inevitable, Jesus foretold the resurrection from the dead, followed
by eternal reward or punishment, depending upon how one follows the
teachings of Jesus. Therefore, death is not the end, but separation of
the soul from the body for a while until the second coming of Christ.
For the virtuous, death is a passage from this to a life of eternal joy.
For the sinners, loss of spiritual life is the death of the soul that
can lead to eternal punishment. According to Paul, “the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Rom 6:23).
When Jesus said, “This illness will not end
in death,” he foresaw the death followed by his raising of Lazarus from
it. So, this death was temporary, and it was to manifest the glory of
God through Jesus. He predicted the Jews, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death” (Jn 8:51). However, his
listeners could understand it only in a literal sense.
Though Jesus performed countless miracles
during his public ministry, John presents only seven of them, intending
to reveal how Jesus manifested them to glorify God. After the first
miracle at the wedding at Cana, John documents, “Jesus did this as the
beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and
his disciples began to believe in him” (Jn 2: 11). Before raising
Lazarus from the dead on the fourth day, which is the greatest of his
miracles, Jesus said that it was for God’s glory. Isaiah had predicted
the manifestation of God’s glory through the Messiah. “Then the eyes of
the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened; Then the lame
shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy” (Isa 35:5-6).
John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who
is to come, or should we look for another?” (Lk 7:20). His reply was,
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their
sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Lk 7:22). When
Jesus met a man born blind, his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” He replied, “Neither
he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made
visible through him” (Jn 9:2-3). Jesus was not seeking his own glory,
but the glory of God who sent him. “I do not seek my own glory; there is
one who seeks it and he is the one who judges” (Jn 8: 50). Hence,
besides alleviating the sufferings of the people, Jesus used the
miracles to manifest the glory of God through him so people would
recognize him as the Messiah.
The Father and the Son are one with the Holy
Spirit. So, when the Son glorifies the Father through miracle, he also
achieves glory. Jesus told the Jews, “All may honor the Son just as they
honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the
Father who sent him” (Jn 5:23). He continued, “If I glorify myself, my
glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom
you say, ‘He is our God’” (Jn 8:54). After the baptism of Jesus, John
the Baptist saw God the Father glorifying the Son (Mt 3:13-17). Peter,
James, and John watched God glorifying Jesus during his transfiguration
on a mountain (Mt 17:1-8).
The miracles of Jesus, especially the raising
of Lazarus from the dead on the fourth day, convinced people to accept
Jesus as the Messiah. “While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of
Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he
was doing” (Jn 2:23). After the resurrection of Lazarus, “many of the
Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him” (Jn
12:11). Through the miracles Jesus performed, people saw the glory of
God manifested in Jesus. That made them to acknowledge him as the
Messiah.
Though Martha was the eldest, John mentioned
Mary prior to Martha in John 11:1. He qualified Bethany as the “village
of Mary” because of Mary’s special affection for Jesus. Because of that,
she might have been more popular in the early Christian community than
Martha. However, considering Martha as the eldest, John lists her first
here and in 11:19. John records Lazarus last because he was the youngest
in the family.
Though Jesus had friends and supporters in
Galilee and Judea, Martha and her siblings had a close relationship with
Jesus. He could find a place to rest and instruct the people at their
house in Bethany that was close to Jerusalem and on his way from
Jericho. Martha was hospitable to Jesus and Mary was devotional to him
by listening to his preaching and publicly anointing his feet. Jesus
loved Lazarus, who was the youngest in the family, like John was the
youngest among the apostles. The sisters expressed that love Jesus had
to their brother, in their message to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is
sick.”
The messengers took one day to reach Jesus
from Bethany to Bethabara across Jordan (Jn 1:28), thirty miles away
from where Jesus was (Jn 10:40). Lazarus might have died and been buried
on the same day. Jesus spent two days in the same location where he was.
He and the apostles had a one-day journey to Bethany. So, he reached
there on the fourth day after the burial of Lazarus (Jn 11:39).
1. Lazarus might
have died soon after the messengers left Bethany in search of Jesus.
Hence, he could not reach there before the burial. So,
he let the funeral take place and raise Lazarus on the fourth day,
manifesting God’s glory. The other raising from the dead were
immediately after the death and before burial. Hence, the raising of
Lazarus would be a greater manifestation of God’s glory. As with his
first miracle at the wedding in Cana, he might have felt that his hour
for this miracle had not arrived (Jn 2:4). So, he had to wait for an
appropriate time to exhibit the glory.
2. Jesus might have
delayed for assessing the faith of Martha, Mary, and their friends in
the resurrection of the dead. They were expecting Jesus
to come to them immediately. However, they did not see him even on the
day after Lazarus’ death. That time was enough for Jesus to return and
console them. But he delayed two more days. Since Jesus was so close to
the family, that could have caused a faith crisis in them. However, they
did not complain to Jesus. Martha and Mary expressed only their wish,
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (Jn
11:21, 32). Martha did not give up her hope and said to Jesus, “even now
I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you” (Jn 11:22). She
confessed her faith in Jesus, saying, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe
that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the
world” (Jn 11:27).
3. Jesus had a better
plan in mind. Jesus did not respond immediately, not
because of his lack of affection towards Martha and Mary. Though he
loved this family, he purposefully delayed his journey to manifest the
glory of God.
When the messengers of Martha and Mary
reached Jesus, he was outside Judea. The enemies of Jesus were mostly in
Judea, and they had attempted to arrest Jesus and kill him. However, he
had escaped with his own power. They were still waiting for another
opportune time to assassinate Jesus. So, his proposal to the disciples
on the third day to return to Judea was challenging for his team.
Only a few days had elapsed since the Jews
attempted to stone Jesus, accusing him of blasphemy (Jn 10:31-33).
Besides, “They tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their
power” (Jn 10:39). So, it was risky for Jesus and his disciples to
return to Judea. The apostles were more concerned about the security of
Jesus than offering support to their close family in Bethany.
Regardless of the variation in the time of
sunset and sunrise, the Jews considered 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM as night, and
6:00 AM to 6:00 PM as daylight. Day and night have spiritual meaning.
Those who walk with Jesus are in the light and those who are under the
influence of Satan are in darkness.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life” (Jn 8:12). Like the daylight from the sun helps us to walk without
falling, Jesus helps us to walk without falling on our spiritual
journey. The disciples were worried about going with Jesus to Judea.
However, they do not have to worry because the timing of Jesus’ passion
had not yet arrived. It would happen only when the Father determines.
So, they could safely walk with Jesus even amid the enemies. They must
continue the work until the force of darkness takes over. Jesus said,
“The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have
the light, so that darkness may not overcome you. Whoever walks in the
dark does not know where he is going” (Jn 12:35).
Jesus was sure that during his travel to
Bethany to raise Lazarus from the tomb, the enemies could not arrest
him. He knew the duration of his public ministry was at its eleventh
hour and the sunset of the public ministry was nearby. He had to use the
time left efficiently to complete his mission until the enemies take
control over him. Jesus foresaw his resurrection as the sunrise. Thus,
Jesus was easing the fear of the disciples in returning to Judea and
warning them of the dark hours ahead.
From the physical reality of walking in the
light or darkness, Jesus shifts to a spiritual truth. The world entered
spiritual darkness because of the sin of the first parents. Jesus came
as the light of the world to guide us from darkness to the light in
heaven. “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on
those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” (Mt
4:16). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). Jesus came into the
world when the blind leaders were leading the blind because of lack of
light in them. He said about the Pharisees, “They are blind guides [of
the blind]. If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into
a pit” (Mt 15:14). Jesus said to the crowd, “The light will be among you
only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may
not overcome you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is
going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may
become children of the light” (Jn 12:35-36). The disciples were in the
light of Jesus, and they could walk with him and do not have to worry
about stumbling in the spiritual darkness. Though the children of
darkness were plotting to attack them, they were safe with Jesus. As
long as they have the light of Jesus within them, they could see the
right path. If they lose the light, they will slam against the spiritual
obstacles and fall into spiritual darkness. So, like the wise virgins
who brought flasks of oil with their lamps, the disciples should stock
grace from Jesus (Mt 25:1-13) so they have enough light when needed.
The sisters of Lazarus had sent the message
to Jesus referring to their brother as “the one you love” (Jn 11:3).
Jesus confirmed his affection to Lazarus in his address to the
disciples. Jesus said of Lazarus as the friend of the disciples as well
because whenever Jesus went to the house of Martha, the disciples were
with him. They also had received the hospitality of the family and had
developed a friendship with Lazarus. Since the disciples were reluctant
to go to Bethany, Jesus reminded them of their close friendship with
Lazarus to motivate them for the trip to Bethany.
Though Jesus delayed two days, he was
constantly remindful of the sickness and death of Lazarus. Now the time
came for him to go to Bethany to console the grieving sisters and to
raise Lazarus from his tomb. The purposeful delay was to manifest the
glory of God and to bring more people to salvation.
Death has been symbolically expressed as
sleep in the Biblical and non-biblical literature, especially for the
righteous people. It is a softer way of referring to death. Besides, the
human dead body resembles a sleeping person until the body is decayed.
The usage of sleep for death does not always mean hope of resurrection,
especially for the nonbelievers.
Old Testament has several references to sleep
or rest when it mentions death but deals with resurrection only on few
occasions. Referring to the death of Moses, God said to him, “Soon you
shall sleep with your ancestors” (Deut 31:16). God spoke to David
through Nathan, “When your days have been completed and you rest with
your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you” (2 Sam 7:12).
“David rested (slept) with his ancestors and was buried in the City of
David” (1 Kgs 2:10). “Hezekiah rested with his ancestors, and his son
Manasseh succeeded him as king” (2 Kgs 20:21).
Death, like sleep, has hope in waking up
according to Paul (1 Thes 4:13-15). People go to bed at night hoping to
wake up in the morning. Similarly, the righteous sleep in Christ,
believing that God will raise them up at the second coming of Christ as
Jesus promised.
As with Lazarus, Jesus used “sleeping” for
death before racing the Jairus’ daughter from deathbed. (Mt 9:24; Mk
5:39; Lk 8:52). Luke documented Stephen’s death, saying, “he fell
asleep” (Acts 7:60). Paul spoke in the Synagogue, “David, after he had
served the will of God in his lifetime, fell asleep, was gathered to his
ancestors” (Acts 13:36). Paul wrote about the appearance of Jesus after
his resurrection, “to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of
whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:6). He
used the phrase, “those who have fallen asleep in Christ” for the
deceased (1 Cor 15:18). Peter also used “asleep” when he mentioned about
the ancestors who have died (2 Pet 3:4).
The word 'cemetery' comes from the Greek word
'koimeterion' meaning dormitory or sleeping place. It is used for the
land meant for burial. This term was originally used for the Roman
catacombs and later for most burial grounds.
When Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus
fell asleep, he meant a physical death. However, the apostles took that
in the literal sense. Jesus used a tender word to avoid shock feeling
for the apostles who were also friends of Lazarus. Biblically, the death
of a righteous person was also considered as sleep. Since no one
reported the death of Lazarus to Jesus, he came to know it by his divine
intuition.
Just as Jesus used the gentle term “sleep”
for the death of Lazarus, he used another humble team “wake” to refer to
raising Lazarus from the dead. Previously, Jesus had taught, “Amen,
amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead
will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (Jn
5:25). Though Jesus had mentioned this for his second coming, he showed
that during his public ministry, with Lazarus. Another event of
resurrection for a temporary period happened at the death of Jesus. “The
earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of
many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from
their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and
appeared to many” (Mt 27:51b-53). These are assurances of the
resurrection of the dead at the second coming of Christ which Daniel had
prophesied centuries ago: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake; Some to everlasting life, others to reproach and
everlasting disgrace. But those with insight shall shine brightly like
the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever” (Dan 12:2-3).
The disciples took the sleep and waking up in
the literal sense. Jesus had mentioned before, “This
illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the
Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn 11:4). So, they had genuine
reason to believe that Lazarus would not die out of that sickness. Often
Jesus used worldly facts to teach the spiritual matters. Because of the
life threat in Judea, the disciples were looking for an excuse to avoid
the trip there. So, they expressed a general principle that if the sick
person was sleeping, he would recover and wake up by himself. According
to Rabbinic teaching, sleep was one symptom of recovery and a decline in
the disease's violence. Since the self-recovery was happening, they
could avoid that risky trip to Judea.
Jesus often used parables, metaphors, figure
of speech, or symbolism in his teachings. So, often the listeners had a
hard time understanding him. Even disciples misunderstood him, and some
“returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (Jn
6:66). The reason was that he was speaking of a spiritual realm while
his listeners took them in the literal and earthly sense. The same
happened in this case. When Jesus spoke of the death of Lazarus as a
sleep and his raising from the tomb as waking up, the apostles
understood as sleep leading to recovery. So, Jesus had to plainly reveal
them that Lazarus had died.
Since the disciples misunderstood Jesus, he
told clearly that Lazarus had died. However, he
did not express any grief because of his plan to
raise Lazarus from the dead. The disciples might have doubted why Jesus
did not prevent the death of their close friend Lazarus. So, Jesus
explained his intention.
Some miracles had
identified Jesus as the Messiah and increased the people’s faith in him:
1. The divine intervention at
the baptism of Jesus helped to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. When
Jesus came towards John the Baptist, he testified, “I saw the Spirit
come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know
him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever
you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize
with the holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son
of God” (Jn 1:32-34).
2. The disciples of Jesus were
present when Jesus performed the miracles revealing his glory. After
describing the first miracle at the wedding in Cana, John the Evangelist
notes, “Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him”
(Jn 2:11).
3. While Jesus was talking to
some Greeks who approached him through Andrew and Philip, Jesus prayed, “‘I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I
came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from
heaven, ‘I have glorified it and will glorify it again.’ The crowd there
heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, ‘An angel has spoken
to him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come for my sake
but for yours’” (Jn 12:27-30).
4. John wrote as a conclusion of his gospel,
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that
are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come
to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through
this belief you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:30-31).
Though the primary intention of
most of the miracles of Jesus was to help the people in distress, they
helped the disciples who witnessed them to strengthen their faith and
for others to believe in him. That was the reason for Jesus’ response,
“This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that
the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Instead of expressing grief at
the death of their close friend Lazarus, Jesus express joy. That would
seem startling. Jesus was joyful not at the death of Lazarus but at its
outcome of a greater miracle that could reaffirm the faith of the
disciples. However, when he met Martha and Mary, he wept and empathized
with them (Jn 11:35).
If Jesus had reached at the
sickbed of Lazarus, he would have cured him as Martha and Mary told
Jesus (Jn 11:21, 32). He could not resist the request to heal Lazarus.
People would consider that as one among the many miracles Jesus
performed. However, raising Lazarus after his death on the fourth day
was the greatest of all his miracles during his public ministry. That
helped to increase the faith of the disciples and many others in Jesus.
He was joyful about having such an opportunity. So, the intention of the
delay in curing Lazarus was a purposeful decision of Jesus for the sake
of increasing the faith of the public in him.
After two days of delay, Jesus
decided to go to Bethany to help Martha and Mary, to bring back the life
of their brother Lazarus, whereby revealing the glory of God amid the
people there. Though the disciples were afraid of returning to Judea,
Jesus expected them to accompany him to witness what he was going to do.
Thomas is the Hebrew and Aramaic word for twin, and
Didymus is the Greek equivalent of the same. So, he could have a twin
brother or sister who is unknown now. His original name given in some
other books is Judas. John uses Thomas and Didymus together also in
20:24 and 21:2.
In the Synoptic gospels, Thomas is coupled with
Matthew (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15). So, some doubt Matthew as the twin
brother of Thomas. Whereas in Acts 1:13, Philip is coupled with Thomas.
Some believe Jesus gave Thomas that name because of his twin nature in
spirituality. He had doubts followed by firm faith, and fear replaced by
boldness.
Usually, Peter was the spokesperson and leader of
the apostles. Here, Thomas took the lead to motivate the other apostles
to accompany Jesus to Judea, guessing that they also might face
martyrdom. Acknowledging the heroic proposal of Thomas, all the apostles
traveled with Jesus to Bethany in Judea.
Though Jesus told the disciples that daytime was
still available for his public ministry and the night was imminent, the
disciples did not grasp at the moment everything Jesus taught. They were
still in dismay whether they should go with their master to Judea where
there was risk of assault on them (Jn 11:8).
Thomas was sure if Jesus was going back to
Judea, the Jews would kill him. The apostles did not remember that Jesus
escaped all previous assassination attempts on him because his time for
self-sacrifice had not arrived. Probably they thought that he narrowly
escaped during the past attempts. Since the apostles were not warriors
and Jesus did not want them to defend themselves from physical enemies,
he had no way to escape from the trap of the Jews. Thomas did not
presume that Jesus would use any miracle for himself to escape from the
enemies.
Since the apostles were defenseless, they
could also be arrested and stoned to death. They had left everything
and followed their master. So, if the master
would face martyrdom, they also would end up with the same fate. Hence,
Thomas told his colleagues that they should not abandon their master at
the time of his demise. They should also sacrifice their lives for him.
Thomas encouraged the other
apostles to team up with Jesus and travel with him to Judea, expecting
martyrdom. This sentence must be the summary of a motivation speech by
Thomas to persuade the other apostles to accompany Jesus to Judea.
At the last supper, Peter had
expressed his willingness to offer his life for Jesus. Despite the
pledges of Thomas and Peter to sacrifice their lives for Jesus, Thomas
did not accompany Jesus after his arrest. Peter could reach up to the
backyard of Annas. Only John could follow Jesus during the trial and
crucifixion.
MESSAGE
1. Though Jesus was a close
family friend of Lazarus and his sisters, Jesus did not prevent him from
getting sick or even show up on time before his death. Comparable
situation can happen in our lives even when we are close to Jesus. In
our tough times, let us believe that God has a better plan for us which
we may not be aware at present. Let us do not lose our faith when we
have tragedies in our lives.
2. Martha and Mary might have
been disappointed that they did not get the help of Jesus in time to
prevent his death. He did not even show up for the burial. They knew
Jesus was not far away. That was why they complained, “Lord, if you had
been here, my brother would not have died.” Still, they continued their
hope or friendship with Jesus. We should not lose
faith when God delays answering our prayers.
3. When Martha and Mary send a
message to Jesus saying, “the one you love is sick,” Jesus understood it
was about Lazarus. Jesus also used the term “our friend” for Lazarus,
acknowledging his good affiliation with Jesus. Can we also consider
ourselves as close friends of Jesus?
4. The sickness of Lazarus ended
up in the glory of God and gained popularity for Lazarus after his
resurrection and as a popular person recorded in the Bible. Let us
assure ourselves that if we are faithful to God and patient with Him,
our sorrows would turn into joy, as in the story of Job and with
Lazarus.
5. Before receiving the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the apostles were afraid of losing their
lives for Jesus Christ. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon them,
they became bold messengers of Jesus Christ. We also need the guidance
of the Holy Spirit to continue our Christian witnessing in our life
situations.
6. Jesus qualified himself as
the light of the world. We need this light to walk without stumbling and
to attain eternal life in heaven.
7. Jesus presented the death of
Lazarus as a sleep. Let us live and welcome death when it is our time
with the hope in the eternal glory of the righteous.
8. Like Thomas, we should be able to take up risk
in our lives for Jesus and the church he established. Following Thomas’
example, Christians should encourage one another in difficult times.