Fifth Sunday of Lent – March 22, 2026

Lectionary Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45

The Raising of Lazarus

There is perhaps a never more poignant image of death then what we have in the old testament reading from Ezekiel for today (Ezekiel: 37:1-14), with the Prophet being placed by the Lord in a valley of dry bones.  Everywhere he could look, as far as the eye could see, was death and decay; and it is in the midst of this the prophet is posed the question, “Mortal, can these bones live?”  Ezekiel looking at all the signs of death before him, in that moment cannot even begin to imagine the possibility of anything but the death he sees,  and can only give the answer, “O Lord God, you know.” Because though he cannot imagine himself,  he knows however if Life is possible, it is only through God.  “O Lord God, you know.”  

Our gospel reading for today too is focused on death, the death of Lazarus, or more so as it is referred to as ‘the Raising of Lazarus’ (John 11:1-45). Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus have sent a message to Jesus that their brother was ill, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 

And while they were expecting no doubt that Jesus would come with haste to be with them. He doesn’t, there is a delay.  A delay of two days, and they waiting constantly for news that he is near by, we can only imagine how distraught they were that he hadn’t shown up.  

And though we know it was an intentional delay on Jesus part, with him, “telling the disciples, 

“this illness would not lead to death, but was for God’s glory, that the Son of God may be glorified;”  Lazarus do however die, and the sisters suffer that loss, they mourn their brothers passing, and the community mourns with them. 

When Jesus do however return, Martha hearing that Jesus is coming, runs out to meet him, “Lord if you had been here, she says, my brother would not have died.” Her words speaking likely not only disappointment in that he had not come, but also accusation, ‘where were you?’, and we know that pain of wanting to feel God’s presence in our most desperate times and feeling he is no where to be found.  It was at Mary and Martha’s house that Jesus often stopped on the way to Jerusalem, it was his place of rest, and perhaps where he found comfort in the company of them. And so it would’ve been natural for them to expect he would come to their aid. 

And though he did not, Martha still in faith believing, says, “but even now I know God will give you whatever you ask of him.”  Not that Martha was thinking somehow her brother could be brought back to life at this point, for Martha death was something final; but as Ezekiel did in midst of the valley of dry bones, says “Lord God, you know.”  Martha in face of the unimaginable, knew somehow God could do something, even though she didn’t know what it was. 

Jesus responds to her, “your brother will rise again.” While Martha understood this to mean resurrection on the last day, when it was believed that all would be raised from the dead to eternal life.  Jesus however was speaking not of some future time of resurrection, but resurrection as a present day reality.  “I am the resurrection and the life, he says, those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this? He asks her. 

It’s the promise we are all given, that in Christ New life is to be had.  But for the most part as Martha did, we too look to a future reality of New life in the resurrection in death, all the while Jesus intends us to experience New life through him in the reality of our present day lives, what ever the circumstances might be, we can find hope and promise in the immediate, when we look to him.  

Whether Martha understood fully or not she however speaks in the affirmative and answers, “yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”  You might say, here Martha gives a confession of her faith;  and in that she goes out to tell her sister Mary that Jesus is coming and asking for her; Mary runs out to meet him, and falling down at his feet, she too says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Mary who would sit at his feet grasping onto every word he ever shared in her presence; we remember Martha wanting Jesus one time to tell Mary to come and help her in the kitchen, …and Jesus said, Mary has chosen the better thing and it will not be taken from her (Luke 10:  38-42).This was Mary the faithful one, and he could only have heard in her words, not only the despair that was there, but also abandonment, with him not coming to her; and Jesus, no doubt felt that to the depth of his soul, “he was deeply disturbed in spirit, and deeply moved. 

‘Where have you laid him? He asks, and they answered ‘Come and See’.  It is then that, Jesus Weeps.  And while we have all shed our tears in times of loss, for ourselves, as well as for others. We know how overwhelming death can be for us all;  As one who has often sat at the bedside of those who are dying, held hands and walked with many in times of grief; it is not easy to maintain composure when you see and feel the depth of sorrow that is there, and often times in the midst of death, experiencing the tremendous loss and grief that is sometimes felt, one can only shed tears, at the depth of sorrow and suffering that is there. 

But to say that our God, present in Jesus, the Son,  is the one who weeps is something more, it’s earth shaking in a sense because this is our God we are talking about; not a friend, not a neighbour, not a family member, but Jesus, and that speaks to us of the profound love our God has for us all, that he cares so much that he even weeps with us and for us in our Sorrow, our loss; he knows and suffers along with us.  We can take great comfort in that, knowing that we are not alone in our times of despair, we are not alone, in our places of desolation or the feelings of hopelessness as so many experience in the world today, we may not have all the answers we want or think we need; we know however we have a God who knows, understands, and cares with great compassionate mercy and love, and in that there is great promise to be had. 

Arriving at the tomb, Jesus tells them to  remove the stone”.  Martha, the ever busy one, ….”you just got to love her” ….’says, “Lord, already there is a stench because it has been four days.” …..Martha, however as we do often, think only in terms of what we know ourselves, our own expectancies..  And in a climate, where because of the heat, the body would be buried much of the time immediately following death;  Martha was fussing, worrying about the natural effects death would have on the body;  Jesus however reminds her, “did I not tell you’, he says, ‘if you believed, you will see the glory of God.” 

Jesus was inviting Martha, as he do us all, to look not with the expectancy of what we can do ourselves, or what knowledge we or someone else might have; but as he did in asking Ezekiel to prophesy life to a valley of dry bone, to look with the expectancy of what God can do; and in  that we will not only know our God with us, but expect and experience the New Life of promise that he gives. 

Jesus ,crying out in a loud voice, says, “Lazarus come out’, and Lazarus still wrapped in his grave cloths comes out of the tomb; and Jesus says to them, “unbind him and let him go.”  

And perhaps that is the most faithful thing any of us can do, as those at the tomb of Lazarus, it is to be a presence to others in their time of need; to help with the unbinding, as such, whether in times of sorrow and grief, loss and despair, struggle and uncertainty, or fear and desolation; it is to be as one who comes alongside, not to fix anything, not to have all the right answers;  but to be a presence to them in their need, in the way of God’s mercy, his compassion and love, helping unbind the hurt and suffering as is in the world; and in that too we experience the blessing, of new life when we live in him.

The raising of Lazarus as wonderful a miracle as it is, in that a dead man was brought to life, it however is not about one man, or one family only; but here in John’s gospel it is a sign for What Jesus would do for us all, in overcoming death once and for all; and it is holding to that promise that we too know him not only to be present with us in the immediate day of our life, but we experience, the restoration, hope and new life he gives.

May we always hold hope in our God, trusting always in him. “O Lord God, you know.” 

Amen, God Bless. 

Hannah+