5th Sunday of Lent

Today’s gospel begins by relating that a certain man, Lazarus, was ill.  Jesus is sent word of his illness – because of his deep friendship with the man and his two sisters Mary and Martha – yet he stays on another two days where he is.  When he does deem it time to head out for Bethany we are told that his disciples caution him against it saying, “Rabbi, the people there were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”  But his mind was firm…they would return to Bethany.  Here the courageous apostle Thomas says, “Let us go and die with him” – hardly a doubting Thomas he encouraged them to put all their trust in Jesus.  Jesus explains that Lazarus has died and that they are going to go to him.  John the evangelist points out that by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.  By indicating four days John makes it abundantly clear that Lazarus was indeed dead.  Shortly before arriving at the village Jesus is met by Martha who tells him “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”  Jesus tells her, “your brother will rise again” and he says “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, even though they die, will live.”  Then he asks her, “Do you believe this?”  She replies, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.”  After meeting Mary, Martha’s sister, Jesus begins to weep and is ‘greatly disturbed’.  Some even question, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”  Then Jesus came to the tomb itself.  “Take away the stone” he commands.  Martha protests, “Lord, already there is a stench because it has been four days.”  But Jesus was resolute, after praying to the Father Jesus faced the dark tomb and called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  And the dead man came out still wrapped in burial clothes.  And Jesus said, “Unbind him and let him go.”

When Jesus said those words, “Lazarus, come out!” it was both a literal command and a higher calling.  On the level of literal command Jesus’ words meant simply ‘come out from the tomb’, but they also had a secondary significance.  The word used for the command is unusual and is used only in one other place in Scripture, where Jesus invites (indeed commands) the rich young man to ‘follow me’.  Thus when Jesus calls to Lazarus into the dark of the dreary tomb he not only calls him in body but calls him to follow him in discipleship and conversion.  This fifth Sunday of Lent can we not see ourselves in that tomb – a place of darkness and lack of life – and can we hear Jesus voice calling out to us, calling us to leave that dark place of sin behind and to come follow him?  We are to hear his voice above the crowd speaking to us from beyond the grave of our poor choices as he seeks to, as the first reading indicates, open our graves and have us rise from them.

‘Lazarus, come out!’ invites us to hear the Scriptures speaking to us directly.  Sin in our lives is a type of bondage, a type of tomb, a type of death.  Jesus is standing at the tomb-like places in our life and in our society and beckoning us, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The places of darkness are often in areas of our own life, excesses, addictions, laziness, the coldness of heart that sometimes we allow to develop in us.  The places of darkness in our society, places where the loss of life happens as if by routine, at the Morgentaler clinic, among the homeless poor, those with mental health problems left to slip through the system, the lack of financial stability for so many.  These are the highways and byways where Jesus continues to stand marginalized and alone.  And we are to echo his voice so that others may live more decently – so that the most defenseless may live at all…for there are no rights at all when the fundamental right to life is undermined.     

“Lazarus, come out!”  These are words that are meant to cement our identity as Christ-followers, we are to come out of the shadows of our indifference and follow him, the Christ, the one who is the resurrection and the life.  Like Mary and Martha we are to lean into our faith when the going gets tough, when the losses stack up and threaten to overwhelm us.  When it seems we are a cog in a gigantic wheel and have no say in the right ordering of things.  When it appears the worst has happened we are to listen for that voice, ringing out in the midst of our tomb, ‘come out’ and believe…’come out’ and trust…’come out’ and pray…’come out’ and carry the cross which seems too much for you…for you are never alone and the one who beckons you is faithful, even when the most difficult is allowed to take place.  Do not give up hope.  Do not surrender hope.  It is then that He is calling you.