Lazarus Saturday.
Hebrews 12:28-13:8. John 11:1-45.
Read John 11:1-45
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
The raising of Lazarus is the last great miracle of Christ, the last glimpse of His Glory before the Night of the Passion. John the Evangelist portrays this event as an eyewitness, with remarkable, almost tangible authenticity. You see literally every touch: the timidity of the disciples, their hesitation, and finally their determination to face the danger. Jesus with eyes full of tears, the sisters at the tomb, overwhelmed by grief, Martha’s embarrassment, the rolled away stone and the mighty call of Jesus which was heard in the entire Judea : “Come out, Lazarus!”. The One who would soon have to pass through the gates of death Himself reveals Himself as its Lord.
When reading this Gospel account, one cannot help but wonder: for what purpose did the Lord bring His friend back to life? After all, in the future he, like other people, was condemned to die anyway. There are many attempts to explain the miracle of Bethany. Here are at least three of them.
It is interesting to note that Jesus intentionally waited for two days, so the resurrection of Lazarus would take place on the fourth day. According to the Jewish law, the relatives of the deceased were supposed to open the cave in which their loved one was buried on the third day for the last time in order to make sure that he or she is instantly dead. On the third day the cave was supposed to be sealed and kept closed for the entire year. Therefore, by opening the tomb of Lazarus on the fourth day, Jesus demonstrates to everyone that there could be no doubt that Lazarus was actually dead.
On the other hand, by breaking off the seals on the tomb, Jesus for the last time breaks the Jewish law emphasizing that the life of a person is more important than preservation of the rules and traditions.
But above all, probably Jesus’ intention was to show to his disciples that He has power over life and death. The resurrection of Lazarus was to prepare them for the Paschal Mystery of death and resurrection of Christ Himself. Beyond any doubt, it prepares us for our own paschal mystery as well.