Fr. Michael Williams

Imagine if one of your closest friends or a member of your family was seriously ill. As soon as you found out about it you would probably make haste and go to see them, putting aside the things that you may have been doing. If people are ill we normally respond fairly quickly and make every effort to see them, especially if the illness is serious. I know if I get called to go to the hospital I try to get there as quickly as possible so as to see the sick person.

But after Jesus had been told that his friend Lazarus was ill, Jesus seems to take his time in going to visit his sick friend. In fact by the time Jesus makes the short trip to Bethany Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. Jesus has not only missed the last few days of Lazarus’ life, he has also missed the funeral.

However, Jesus was not being callous by delaying his visit. On the contrary he responds to the news of Lazarus’ illness by saying, “This sickness will not end in death but in God’s glory”. Jesus’ stalling tactics were well thought out. Through this event Jesus would demonstrate that he has authority over death. Jesus is the Lord of the living and the dead. The raising of Lazarus from the dead “is a sign of Christ’s power to give life to people” (Navarre).

Jesus has the authority to give life to those who believe in him. He tells Martha, “If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”. We know that Lazarus believed in the Lord, but

it also appears that our own faith in Christ can have a powerful effect on others. Martha’s great faith in the Lord plays its part in the raising of Lazarus. She says to Jesus, “Whatever you ask of God, he will grant you”. She believes that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God”, which gives him a unique authority as Lord. It is soon after Martha’s profession of faith in Jesus that Jesus raises Lazarus.

As believers we hope that Jesus will one day raise us up to the eternal life of heaven. Because “for the believer death is not the end; it is simply the step to eternal life, a change of dwelling place” (Navarre). Having faith in Christ opens the way to eternal life. As one of the prayers for a funeral Mass says, “Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven” (Preface for Christian Death). The raising of Lazarus in today’s gospel is a sign that God will raise us up too.

As Mary interceded for Lazarus, we too can intercede for those who are sick or those who are dead in sin. We can ask the Lord of Life to restore them. Martha’s faith moved Jesus to remove the tombstone holding Lazarus. May our faith and trust in the Lord be like Martha’s who was utterly certain of Christ’s authority over all things, even death itself.