Jn.11:1-45
“The Glory of God is man is fully alive.” (St. Irenaeus) Today we are invited to reflect on the third aspect of Jesus’ mission – Jesus the source of life. From the gospel account, it is very clear that Jesus was very close to the family of Lazarus. God chose Lazarus to manifest his glory. Jesus came to know that Lazarus was ill but he remained there for some more time because he knew that the sickness of Lazarus would not end in death and he would survive.
Jesus knew for sure that it was not safe for him to travel to Judea at this juncture but he takes up this journey out of his immense love for this family. First Jesus meets Martha on the way and she was broken at the sad demise of her beloved brother and she pours out herself to Jesus: “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” They thought that Jesus became late, therefore, he was conquered by death. Jesus makes her understand that what he is going to do for her brother. He says to her” Your brother will rise.” Mary who has been regular for the teachings of Jesus says that I know he will rise in the resurrection of the last day. She could not imagine the immediate resurrection experience that her brother going to have because a dead man couldn’t come back to life again. Anyhow Jesus taught them that he is the master of life and teaches them that “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”
Again on the way Jesus meets the second sister Mary She too expresses the same feeling that if he had been there her brother would not have died. By seeing her deep sorrow Jesus too weep with her. It was something quite strange in the gospel, very rarely Jesus weep. Here Jesus knew that He is going to raise Lazarus from death then why did he cry? It presents to us the compassionate heart of Jesus that cries with those who are crying. He was deeply human. He loved Lazarus so dearly and his death was heartbreaking for him too, therefore, he joins with the morning family in their sorrow. Jesus asks them to remove the stone of the tomb, but they were hesitated to do that and Martha tells Jesus that it is already four days are over and the dead body would be stinking. Jesus tells her that if you believe you would see the glory of God. Anyhow they all felt strange at the deeds of Jesus because a dead man coming back to life seems to be impossible.
In the book of Ezekiel, we see that the son of man gives life to the dry bones through God’s word. Similarly, the decayed body of Lazarus receives life through the words of Jesus: “Lazarus come out,” and the dead man came back to life. Jesus says: “unbind him, let him go free.” Jesus is not only liberating him from the clutches of death but also all that bound him.
Dear friends as we are in the middle of the Lenten journey let us examine and see are we bound by something that prevents us from being fully alive? Jesus is the source of life, when we surrender our life at his feet and acknowledge his life-giving presence sincerely, he would visit us and renew our life with his grace, whatever be the decayed state that we are and liberate us from all that prevents us growing into his person. May this Lenten season lead us to spiritual renewal and may his life-giving words help us to be fully alive.