5th Sunday of Lent

March 22, 2026

The Raising of Lazarus

Gospel: John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45 (Shorter form)

³ So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not ^[b]meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” ⁵ (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.) ⁶ So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. ⁷ Then after this He *said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” 

¹⁷ So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 

²⁰ So then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary ^[h]stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” ²³ Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” ²⁴ Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the ^[i]Christ, the Son of God, and ^[j]He who comes into the world.”

³³ Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and ^[k]was troubled, ³⁴ and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could this Man, who opened the eyes of the man who was blind, not have also ^[l]kept this man from dying?”

³⁸ So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time ^[m]there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the ^[n]people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” ⁴³ And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.

Gospel Commentary:

1. The Delay and the Divine Glory (vv. 3–7)

When the sisters send word that Lazarus is ill, they appeal to Jesus’ affection: “He whom you love is ill.” Jesus’ response—waiting two days—is not negligence but a deliberate theological choice.

• The Purpose: The delay ensures that Lazarus is “thoroughly dead” (four days in the tomb), removing any doubt of a medical fluke.
• The Goal: The “glory of God” here is not just a display of power, but the revelation of Jesus’ identity as the source of life.

2. The Dialogue of Faith (vv. 17, 20–27)

The encounter between Martha and Jesus is one of the most significant theological dialogues in the New Testament.

• Martha’s “If only”: Her statement, “Lord, if you had been here,” is both a lament and a profound expression of limited faith.
• The Great “I Am”: Jesus shifts the focus from a future eschatological event (the resurrection at the end of time) to his present person: “I am the resurrection and the life.” * The Confession: Martha’s response—“Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that you are the Christ”—parallels Peter’s confession in the Synoptic Gospels, marking her as a premier disciple.

3. The Shared Path of Sorrow (vv. 33b–45)

Jesus’ emotional reaction (“perturbed,” “deeply troubled,” “Jesus wept”) reveals a God who is not distant.

• The Divine Pathos: Jesus does not stoop to provide an academic lecture on death; he enters into the visceral grief of the community.
• The Command: “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus speaks life into the abyss. The unbinding of Lazarus (“Untie him and let him go”) is a communal act; the miracle is completed by the hands of the neighbors.

Thematic Connection

A Listening and Discerning Church that Walks with the Poor

• Listening: Jesus doesn’t ignore the sisters’ grief or the crowd’s questions. He listens to the “cry of the poor” (those impoverished by loss), validating their pain before offering a solution.
• Discerning: Jesus doesn’t react to social pressure to “hurry up.” He discerns the Father’s timing, teaching us that walking with the poor requires a patient, prayerful understanding of their true needs.
• Walking: By approaching the tomb and weeping, Jesus enters the “stink” of death and poverty. He shows that the Church must be physically present in spaces of despair, not just watching from a distance.

Reflection Questions:

1. The “Stink” of Poverty: Martha was worried about the smell of the tomb. What are the “unpleasant” or difficult realities in our local neighborhood (e.g., homelessness, addiction, or neglected elderly) that we are currently avoiding because they are uncomfortable to encounter?
   
2. Listening vs. Lecturing: When someone in our community is suffering or in financial need, do we first “weep” with them and listen to their story, or do we immediately jump to giving them advice and “fixing” them from a position of superiority?
   
3. The Work of Unbinding: Jesus brought Lazarus to life, but he told the neighbors to “Untie him.” What is one specific, hands-on action our parish can take this month to “untie” someone from a burden (like a debt, a legal hurdle, or social isolation) so they can truly walk free?