There was a certain sick Lazarus, from Bethany, town of Mary and her sister Marta. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfumes and dried his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus hers was the sick one. 3The sisters sent word to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4When Jesus heard this, he said, “This disease is not fatal, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.6
When he found out that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7After they had finished, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, a while ago the Jews wanted to stone you, and are you going back there?” 9Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in the day? If one walks by day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; 10But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11He said this and added: “Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I am going to wake him up. 12 His disciples said to him, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will be cured.” 13Jesus had said of his death, but they believed that he was speaking of the rest of sleep. 14Then Jesus said to them openly, “Lazarus is dead, 15and I am glad for you that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.” 16Then Thomas, called the Twin, said to the other disciples, “Let us also go and die with him.”
17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem about fifteen stades, 19 and many Jews had come to the house of Martha and Mary to comfort them for her brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus had come, she went out to meet him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give it to you.” 23 Jesus said to him, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha answered him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection, on the last day.” 25Jesus answered him, “I am the resurrection. He who believes in me, even if he dies, he will live; 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?» 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into the world.”
28 Having said this, he went to call his sister Maria and whispered in her ear: “The Master is there and calls you.” 29 She herself, as soon as she heard it, she got up quickly, and she went to him. 30Jesus had not yet reached the town; but he was still in the place where Marta had found him. 31The Jews who were with Mary in her house comforting her, seeing her get up quickly and come out of her, followed her, thinking that she was going to her tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came to where Jesus was, seeing him, he fell at her feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Seeing her weeping Jesus and that the Jews who were with her were also weeping, she was moved inwardly, troubled 34 and she said, “Where have you put him?” They answer him: “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to cry. 36The Jews then said, “See how he loved him.” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t this man who opened the blind man’s eyes have prevented him from dying?”
38Then Jesus was moved again within himself and went to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was placed on top of it. 39 Jesus says, “Roll away the stone.” Marta, the dead man’s sister, answers him: «Lord, it already smells; it is the fourth day. 40 Jesus said to him, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they rolled away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: “Father, I thank you for listening to me. 42I already knew that you always listen to me; but I have said it for those who surround me, so that they may believe that you have sent me.” 43 Saying this, he called out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages and his face wrapped in a shroud. Jesus tells them: “Untie him and let him walk.” 45Many of the Jews who had come to Mary’s house, seeing what she had done, believed in him. Lord’s word.
He account of the raising of Lazarus reminds us once again of one of the most surprising features of God: in Jesus God has become particularly close to us, so sensitive to our pain as to suffer it with us, so close to our need that he brings salvation closer to those who come near. Such a God undoubtedly deserves our faith and encourages our hope.
We have a God capable of having friends. Lazarus’s sisters sent for Jesus with the message that his friend was sick. Too bad we are so used to hearing it and we don’t realize what it means!; Christians have a God who has passed through our world as a friend who is looked for in moments of extreme need; he felt affection for specific people and allowed himself to be loved by them; he was not impervious to the pain of his friends; he allowed himself to be entertained by those he appreciated and his presence was missed; he maintained deep friendships and made himself available to those who wanted his company; he went where he was missed, he made his way to meet those who needed him.
That friendship with Jesus cannot be reduced to an interested relationship does not mean that it should not be a proven relationship. It is not mere coincidence; Jesus had to go through the very human experience of having a close friend die; his man’s heart knew the deep sorrow that the loss of a loved one produces and he was noticeably moved by it; he shuddered before the dead friend and the people could see his grief; Before showing himself as God, capable of bringing his friend back to life, he allowed himself to be seen as a man unable to hold back his tears before his friend’s corpse.
Now, we will have to accept that it is Jesus, the friend, who decides the moment and the ways of his help. It is revealing that Jesus did not respond quickly to the call of his friends; delaying the trip, he left his friends alone in illness and death, this attitude, apparently inexcusable, had a reason; They looked for him as the friend that he was, but he wanted to be much more to them; it was life and resurrection for those who believe in him and his friends found out about it only after the death of his brother. With his delay Jesus discovered to them that more than a simple family friend is the life of those who have died, more than affection and hospitality he seeks blind faith and absolute trust among those he loves. Although he did not want to arrive on time, he was not unfaithful to his friendship, he made himself want more, because he was willing to give more than what was asked of him; the family knew how to wait for him without recriminating his delay and Jesus, from a close friend, became the only Lord.
Let us learn today, from this family that is friends of Jesus, to go to him, because being a friend, he is also life and resurrection what do we need.
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