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Gospel: John 11: 19-27
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
What makes this Gospel scene so tragic is the fact that Jesus knew that Lazarus was ill four days ago! But he waits until now – until Lazarus is dead – to visit him.
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
A true – and crushing – line.
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Is a heartbroken Martha rebuking Jesus for his delay? Or is she demonstrating her faith in his power to give life?
Probably both.
In that moment, Martha represents so many of us. She’s wavering between certainty and doubt, between fear and faith. She knows that Jesus had the power to save her brother.
But he chose not to.
And she’s struggling to understand why.
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It’s only with hindsight that we see Christ’s reasoning.
The raising of Lazarus becomes the final miracle that Jesus performs before the Last Supper, leading to his own death and resurrection.
Before being laid in the tomb, Jesus wants to firm up his disciples’ faith.
He wants them to see that he not only has the power to bring people back to life physically; he will raise us up eternally.
In the words of Saint Paul, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”
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When we feel like Martha – when we stand at the grave and weep – remember the bigger picture; Christ has been raised from the dead.
And so shall we.
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Image credits: (1) Church of Jesus Christ (2) Medium (3) Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls