Homily for 5th Sunday of Lent
The common thread running through all three readings today is 'death and resurrection'. Ezekiel's prophesy is shocking in its directness: 'I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people.' The incident from John's gospel is of course well known to us: Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead after the intervention of the dead man's two sisters. This section of John's gospel is a 'curtain-raiser' for the last dramatic act: next Sunday, with the entry of Our Lord into his own city, we begin the solemn celebration of his Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Ezekiel is a fascinating figure. He was one of those deported to Babylon in 597 BC. In fact he had foreseen the disaster, and he warned his people to mend their ways. If the people of Israel continued to behave in this manner, the destruction of Jerusalem and exile was inevitable, according to Ezekiel. Understandably, he wasn't the most popular figure in the Jerusalem of his day! However, his 'promised doom' became a reality. He and his people were carried off into exile.
But exile transformed Ezekiel. A peddler of gloom and doom in his homeland, he now becomes a preacher of confident hope in exile. Exile is the context of our first reading. The 'graves' Ezekiel has in mind are the 'graves of exile'. He holds out this hope to his despondent people: if they place their confidence in God, they will be transported from the bitter experience of exile to 'a joyful Jerusalem'.
The incident recorded in the gospel will be familiar to many. A family member, Lazarus, has fallen gravely ill. His sisters, Mary and Martha, are worried. It is obvious from the text that the family has been close to Jesus. Jesus has been a frequent visitor to their home, it would seem. They send a message to Jesus: 'The man you love is ill.' The request is not made explicit, but friends do not have to be explicit.
One of the primary concerns of John's gospel is 'to show forth the glory of God' so that all might believe. This is the purpose of the resurrection of Lazarus, according to the evangelist. Through this 'sign', Jesus prepares his followers for the future that lies in store for himself. He is preparing them for 'Holy Week', if you like.
It is instructive to note how Jesus involves others in his works of healing. He invites the bystanders to roll back the stone from the tomb of Lazarus. (You will recall the rolled stone will become an issue in the resurrection accounts of Jesus himself. Angels are said to have rolled back the stone.) Other bystanders are asked to involve themselves in other ways in the resurrection of Lazarus: "Unbind him, let him go free."
That same invitation is issued to every Christian. We are asked to help our fellow human beings from their tombs. Hatred, jealousy, gratuitous violence, substance or sexual addictions, or whatever may entomb them. All are awaiting resurrection and liberation. Easter sustains this hope.