Martha said to her sister Mary –“The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Comment: The preceding part of John’s gospel tells how, after hearing that Lazarus had died, he delayed for two more days before He went to Bethany the village where Lazarus and his sisters lived. He met Martha at the cave where Lazarus was buried. Often used at funerals, this statement of Jesus followed – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Martha said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Now follows the staggering event recorded as today’s reading! Jesus weeps; the stone is moved after people had been made aware of the stench of a 4 day old dead decaying body; Jesus commands and the now alive Lazarus still wrapped with strips of linen dragging from his hands and legs; the dead man is set free! It seems as if the watchers believed what they saw – some praised God; some planned to kill Jesus as we will see tomorrow. Do you believe this actually happened? Not all do! I do.
Prayer: Lord I do believe that You are the Christ the Son of the Living God when occasionally my Faith wavers, please help me to overcome any doubts.
As I read it! 