Lazarus Saturday
John 11:1-45; Heb. 12:28-13:8
Today is Lazarus Saturday and marks the end of the 40 days of Lent. Today and tomorrow we have a small and joyous break before we enter into the many beautiful and sombre services of Holy Week and then of course the Great Paschal service.
Jesus starts His last journey leading to His final goal, His voluntary death on the cross for the life of the world, by very publically raising Lazarus who had already been dead for 4 days back to life. Lazarus was very dead. There was a thought among certain Judaic sects that the soul hung around for 3 days after death, so 4 days would take care of any attempts to explain the raising of Lazarus some other way. Martha was alarmed when Jesus said to roll away the stone from the grave “By now there is a stench” she protests. Many Icons show those witnessing the scene holding their noses. This was a hot country and serious decomposition would have set in by 4 days. Bethany was only a couple miles outside of Jerusalem and there were great crowds in Jerusalem for the Passover.
When Jesus and His disciples arrived, many Jews were there with Mary and Martha – who were prominent citizens – comforting them on the tragic loss of their dear brother Lazarus. This was big news. The scripture says that when Jesus returns shortly after this and stops and has supper with Mary and Martha and Lazarus on His way into Jerusalem, that “a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” As Christ approached His final days He is allowing Himself through His miracles revealing His Divinity to become well known. This is the fullness of time, His journey to the cross and resurrection is almost finished, and He was now putting the conditions in place for the spread of the gospel and birth of His Church which would soon follow after Pentecost.
Two of His followers Luke and Cleopas, walking down the road to Emmaus would soon ask the stranger travelling with them “are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” This stranger was of course Jesus Christ Himself, but he wanted them to now see that He was truly God and would be with them always, from then until He returned once again physically at the end of the age. He would be with them physically in the breaking of the bread, in the Eucharist, communion and thereby would be available to all who came to seek Him, and not just to the few whom He was able to be with physically in His human body as He had been up to now with them. He therefore hid from them Who it was they were conversing with while they talked and fully revealed Himself to them when He broke the bread, whereupon He disappeared physically from them while remaining with them in the breaking of the bread. He remains with us in the Eucharist until His second coming!
Now at the raising of Lazarus, Christ was no longer saying, “tell no one” and keeping as low a profile as possible as He went about constantly healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and casting out demons. Christ was showing His power over death and putting hope into the hearts of His disciples, to give them some encouragement to sustain them during His upcoming crucifixion. This was a powerful demonstration of Christ’s power over death, but the Father’s are quick to point out that Lazarus is being resurrected temporarily; he is still bound in his grave dressings and will once again die.
When Christ rises from the dead in a week from now on Pascha, His grave clothes are left behind as he tramples down death, and paves the way for our resurrection through His death and resurrection. Death no longer is to be feared! It now becomes the entrance into the Kingdom of heaven for us who put our hope in Him. Now, through death comes life. Through His death Christ entered Hades itself and destroyed its power and set the captives – our human race bound by sin – free. This is a graphic foreshadowing demonstrating Christ’s power over death. Hades and the devil are seriously rattled. Let me read you a couple lines from the Compline service for Lazarus Saturday.
“I implore you Lazarus said hell, rise up, depart quickly from my bonds and be gone. It is better for me to lament bitterly for the loss of one, rather than of all those whom I swallowed in my hunger.. Why do you delay Lazarus? cried hell. Your friend stands calling to you ‘come out.’ Go then and I too shall feel relief. For since I swallowed you, all other food is loathsome to me. O Lazarus, why do you not rise up swiftly? cried hell below lamenting. Why do you not run straight away from this place? Lest Christ take prisoner the others, after raising you.”
Hades’ worst fears are about to be realized in 6 days, but for now Lazarus being snatched from death is a suitable warning shot across the bow of Hades formerly impenetrable ship.
And so today we celebrate the beginning of the end of death’s reign upon the human race. We see the love of God in sending us His own Son to provide a way back home for us. Who were lost in our sin. With Mary and Martha we joyously celebrate first the bodily resurrection of Lazarus, but much more permanently the soon to come the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, leading us back home to our heavenly Father through our own bodily resurrection unto life eternal. Glory to Jesus Christ!