![]() ![]() ![]() Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. This is why Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Perhaps Jesus would have prevented Lazarus from dying if He had come earlier, but this was not the way for God to receive glory though. When Jesus finally arrives at Martha and Mary’s, “he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days”(John 11:17), but Martha gives Jesus a slight rebuke for arriving late, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Why was Jesus glad He wasn’t there? He could have kept Lazarus from dying, but He waits and says the reason was “so that you may believe,”and believe they will! That explains why He waits and why He said earlier that “This illness does not lead to death. That’s why Jesus says something interesting, saying, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. Most people might have expected Jesus to rush to Lazarus side before He died, but He didn’t, but don’t most of us expect Jesus to come to our rescue quickly, but we forget, Jesus is interested in glorifying God (John 11:4). The Raising of Lazarus, 1517 1519, Sebastiano del Piombo Lazarus DiesĪfter Jesus learned that Lazarus was gravely ill, He stayed right where He was for two more days. Without God, we’d have died in our sins, having no hope of heaven. It was by the grace of God alone, through His Spirit, that we were raised to new life in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote that “you were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), however, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”(Eph 2:4-6). The name Lazarus comes from the Greek word “Lazaros” and means “whom God helps,” and God did help Lazarus, and no one was in greater need of help than Lazarus, who was four days dead! Yes, God would help Lazarus by Jesus Christ, as He has resurrection power in His words, and He is God, so Lazarus was a person “whom God (Jesus) helps.” Really, we’re all like the dead man Lazarus…worse than for days dead. “missionary of mercy” by Pope Francis in 2016.In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and teaches us about patience and the resurrection of the dead on the last great day. Amen.įather John Paul Mary Zeller is a member of theįranciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word and resides in ![]() God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. As an early Church Father says, to restore the life of grace in a soul that has fallen into grave sin is a greater achievement than the creation of the world. Some of the most beautiful words that I have ever heard as a penitent and have the privilege to utter as a priest of Jesus Christ are the words of absolution. Jesus still calls out to each one of us when we go astray: “Lazarus, come out!” The confessional has been referred to as a tomb, where a dead Lazarus goes in repentant, confessing his sins and willing to make amends, and, by the power and grace of Jesus Christ, shows how we are restored to life by absolution. This passage of the raising of Lazarus from the dead has been looked upon as how the early Church looked upon how we are restored and made new at baptism as well as how we are restored if we have destroyed the free gift of sanctifying grace by committing mortal sin after baptism. ![]()
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