I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

In the Gospel of John, signs are indicators of the power of God. They point to Him and can be seen only through the eyes of faith. The raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-45) is the greatest of the signs performed by Jesus. It reveals that He is the Lord of life. He has authority over life and death. It also prefigures His death and resurrection and our  resurrection too as His disciples. The meaning of the name Lazarus is God is my help. He represents all of us loved by Jesus. His sisters, Martha and Mary in Bethany sent word to Jesus that the one He loves is ill. Yet He did not act immediately. He stayed for two days where He was. He delayed His return to Bethany. In  fact, He was already late when He came because Lazarus was already dead for four days. Why did He delay? Why did He not act immediately? This reveals God’s ways that confound us. We experience His absence and silence. This is a hard lesson to learn. Things are in God’s terms not us.  realities are in God’s timing not us. He alone is in control and in charge. He makes all things beautiful in His time. Therefore, the heart of spiritual life is radical trust in the presence of a providential God. When Jesus encountered Martha, she said that her brother would not have died if He had been there with them. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise!” Martha misunderstood Him when she said, “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus declares solemnly, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Everyone who believes in Him will not die but may have eternal life. We find our resurrection in Him by being grafted unto Him and we live. Because of our faith in Him, our life is no longer defined by death but by a radically new form of life. What happened to Lazarus is not yet resurrection, only a sign of what is to happen in the tomb of Jesus. Lazarus is restored to life and not resurrected to the new life. He will also die later. In the raising of Lazarus, death is conquered momentarily. But in the resurrection of Jesus, death is conquered definitively. In is resurrection, there is no earthly body emerging from the tomb, only the empty tomb. It reveals that He will never die again. He defeats evil, sin and death forever. He fulfills the work of new creation. And death has no power over us anymore. A blessed Holy Week to all!