FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT A

[cappie]

Christians have some very distinctive, and some very special, things to say about death—about both real, physical death and about the other deaths, the smaller deaths, the endings and changes and losses that we seem constantly to be experiencing. In fact, we say much the same thing about both types of death. What it is can be found in both Ezekiel and John.

The bones Ezekiel is looking at and talking to is Israel. The great nation God had raised up to be a blessing for all the world is gone. There are a handful of exiles in Babylon with a few memories, fewer hopes. So with Lazarus. Lazarus, like Israel, was dead. Graveyard dead. In fact, Lazarus was dead three days, and the rabbis taught that after that long, all that was left was corruption.  Now. Death ruled over Lazarus.So, Ezekiel looked over the valley of dry bones, and Jesus looked at the stone in front of the cave where his friend’s body lay.

When we Christians  look at death with the eyes of Ezekiel, and of Jesus,  we see what they saw.

The first thing they saw was the reality and the sheer power of death. Ezekiel was struck mute (a very rare event). And Jesus was shaken; he was deeply troubled; he wept.  There is nothing in this world stronger or more final than death, and there is nothing in this world that can rebuild what death tears down.

 Death is real and it’s powerful and it hurts and it destroys. Jesus and Ezekiel both saw that. But they saw something more. What Ezekiel saw, and what Jesus saw, was that God was Lord, Lord even over death. God was Lord even over a dead Israel—and so God, and God alone, could call Israel back, and give it new life, and new direction. The wonderful part of this story is  that the Spirit of the Lord would not be stopped, and that even death could not destroy the purposes of God.

So with Lazarus. The real point of his story is not that Lazarus came back. Before too long, Lazarus died again, and Jesus wasn’t there, and Lazarus stayed very dead. The real point is that Jesus is Lord of the living and the dead, that the voice of Jesus carries even through the walls of the grave, and his word is the strongest word, and the last word. That’s the good news, that’s what we Christians see that the world does not see.

We see, that the word of God, and the purposes of God, and the love of God cannot be silenced, cannot be stopped, and will not be stopped.  .

At the same time, notice that these stories give us no information about the mystery of death itself.  Death remains the great unknown. Nor do these stories promise that everything will be alright, or that they will be terrible, as we count such things.

Lazarus doesn’t become a celebrity. And Israel never again became what it used to be or what it wanted to be. The dry bones formed into something very different, something less powerful, but truer to its mission. The promise of new life is not a promise that we are in charge and that we will get what we want.

The promise is better than that. The promise is that God, in Jesus Christ, is Lord even of the dead, even of death itself. And that what he says, goes. That’s what we Christians see. Alas, we can see no farther. But we can see that. Of course, we want more, we want some power and some control in all of this. But we don’t get any of that.

Instead, in the face of death, we are told first that death is stronger than we are and that we have neither knowledge about nor power over death. And then we are told that Jesus is Lord, Lord of all—Lord of life and of death.

So, we must choose.  We must choose to despair or to trust; to give up or to go on; in faith. That choice is not made for us but is instead given to us. And that choice can be terribly hard.  For we see all that the world sees, and yet we see more. We see that the dry bones, even our dry bones, can live once more. And we see that the word of Jesus has power. “Come out,” the Lord calls. “Come out” into different life, into new life.   “Come out” in trust and in hope.

 

[BarbTherese]

10 hours ago, cappie said:

And Israel never again became what it used to be or what it wanted to be...................... The real point is that Jesus is Lord of the living and the dead, that the voice of Jesus carries even through the walls of the grave, and his word is the strongest word, and the last word. That’s the good news, that’s what we Christians see that the world does not see.........................we want some power and some control in all of this. But we don’t get any of that.........................So, we must choose.  We must choose to despair or to trust; to give up or to go on; in faith. That choice is not made for us but is instead given to us. And that choice can be terribly hard.  For we see all that the world sees, and yet we see more. We see that the dry bones, even our dry bones, can live once more. And we see that the word of Jesus has power. “Come out,” the Lord calls. “Come out” into different life, into new life.   “Come out” in trust and in hope..

 Just what I needed........and I thought reading the above and your whole homily for Sunday, just what we all need in The Church today...........a comment too on the world at this time.  Just what we all need to hear, methinks.  Thank you very much for posting these homilies, cappie, very much appreciated 🏆

Something might be dy-ing (a process of) but  in Faith something is breaking through and will have the last Word.  

Edited March 25, 2023 by BarbTherese

[Norseman82]

The story from Lazarus' POV:  

 

[BarbTherese]

Basis in truth with plenty of poetic licence.........and that is the artist's imagination at work and a Gift.