Fifth Sunday of Lent, 2023
By Sister Ruth Ksycki, OSB
Two sources which were especially helpful to me in preparing this reflection are:
“A Mystical Portrait of Jesus: New Perspectives on John’s Gospel by Demetrius Dumm, OSB and The Wisdom Commentary on John’s Gospel by Mary L. Coloe, PBVM. I begin with quotes from them.
Demetrius Dumm says: “Lazarus, the subject of the story…spends most of his time in the grave, and when finally released is not given a single word to say. The story is not just about a certain Lazarus who lived many centuries ago. It is about “Every [one], since all human beings are ill with the incurable disease of mortality.” Lazarus simply represents all of us as we come to Jesus to seek healing and life.”
In the Wisdom commentary on this passage from John’s Gospel, Mary Coloe says that the introduction (vs.1-6) shows a number of textual difficulties: 1) Martha does not appear in the earliest versions of John’s gospel as edits show. 2) Mary is referred to as Mary of Bethany. Magdala as a town did not exist. From the root word it was probably a nickname meaning ‘Mary the Tower’ or ‘Mary the Great’. 3) Biblical scholar Elizabeth Schrader considers that “these editorial changes would be a major diminishment of Mary Magdalene’s role in the 4th Gospel. Instead of one woman speaking the crucial Christological confession (v. 27), anointing Jesus (v12.3, standing at the cross (19:25), and being the first person to witness the risen Jesus. (20:11-17), these pivotal moments in the narrative have been divided among 3 women” (Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene, and Martha.)
Against this background, I would like to focus on Jesus and Mary as the pivotal persons in this gospel story.
All of us have experienced dying and rising with Jesus. In simple and profound ways we have faced the “incurable disease of our mortality” daily: letting go of old ways of thinking and doing, to loss of physical and mental capabilities, to loss of our sisters, family members and friends. With the sources I have mentioned, I ponder what the story might mean to us today as human beings loved by God.
The story opens with Jesus receiving the message that his friend Lazarus is very ill. He seems to do nothing about going to see his friend, Lazarus. Some commentaries interpret this as the 2 days between Jesus’ death and resurrection. It might, however, be Jesus in his own humanity, feeling sad knowing his friend is sick unto death. Or, maybe he is conversing with his Father about what he should do with the power He has been given. How might he be able to give his disciples and Mary insight into the mystery of dying and rising in the love that the Father has for us. Jesus knows his time is short, and his disciples still don’t seem to get his message. Isn’t this similar to what we experience when we have to confront some form of dying in our own lives? We are sad and have to struggle with ourselves to know what to do, how to continue serving and loving. It can be a lonely time.
Jesus then proceeds to Bethany amid the great consternation of his disciples. “Weren’t they just trying to stone you there? Instead of responding, Jesus talks about light and darkness, walking and stumbling. He says “Lazarus is asleep, and I am going to awaken him”…Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” Jesus is showing them that love is not always about being safe. It can call us to dangerous or difficult places in life, but God’s love is always present and life-giving.
When Jesus enters Bethany, Mary is at home probably weeping, surrounded by friends to comfort her. She is in that lonely place of anguish. When she receives the word that Jesus has arrived, she goes quickly. Her Jewish friends think she is going to the tomb. When she comes to Jesus, she falls at his feet and says “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus probably said the same things he said to Martha, with special emphasis on “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in me, even if they die, will live’’ When Mary and her friends continue to weep, Jesus is deeply troubled.” Even Mary, his close friend, does not seem to have comprehended his words about dying and rising. How often as we face the daily dyings in our life, have we asked the ”why” and “if only” questions.
Then Jesus asks, “Where have you laid him?” They say, “Sir, come and see.’ And Jesus wept.” Then, he asked them to remove the stone, and he prayed: “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd here, I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me. And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ Lazarus came out tied in burial bands and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said: “Untie him and let him go.” When we have pleaded with God in the midst of our daily dyings, what is the stone that needs to be removed and the binding to be untied before we can be set free? Is it control, fear, anger, pride, perfection?
If we look further into Mary’s life, we see that the experience of the resurrection of Lazarus must have been one of those moments of awe that led her to deeper faith in Jesus. It is what the Wisdom commentary calls a glimpse of “eternity life now.” Mary then goes on later to anoint Jesus, stand at the foot of the Cross, keep vigil at his grave and be the first to see the Risen Christ, and bring the Good News to others.
A profound statement by Demetrius Dumm may give us an insight into what Jesus was trying to say: “The words ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’ imply that resurrection and life are inseparable from Jesus and that all who remain attached to him cannot fail to participate in them. To be one with Jesus is to be part of life…those who live and believe in Jesus, by participating in his love for others, will never have to die. Though they indeed will expire, it will be a death that is no more than a final opportunity to love and trust as they give themselves for others in obedience to God’s will…Death will be just another way of loving.”
Isn’t that what Benedict meant when he said, “we, [as human beings] shall run the way of God’s commandments with expanded hearts overflowing with the inexpressible sweetness of love…and by patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may be found worthy to share in his kingdom.”