Homily on the Resurrection of Righteous Lazarus
Homily 25
By Theophanes Kerameus (+ 1152)
Homily 25
By Theophanes Kerameus (+ 1152)
1. Today, the Evangelist John, who reclined on the breast of Christ, sets before us a rich table — and this is the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus. As bread he offers the narration of the story, and instead of condiments he sweetens the table with theological meanings. Therefore, sharpening both our hearing and our mind, as good fellow-diners, let us enjoy with great appetite these spiritual foods. The detailed narration of the miracle, of course, requires much time and discourse. We, however, leaving aside the many points and what those before us have explained, shall touch upon the most important.
2. At that time “a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, from the village of Mary and Martha” (John 11). Here the Evangelist uses a more precise narration, namely he mentions both the name of the town, the sick man, and his sisters — something he does not do in another miracle. And I think that from these details he shows that this Lazarus is different from the poor Lazarus about whom the most divine Luke spoke in the parables (cf. Luke 16:19–31). Rather, however, this was done because it is John’s custom to begin from sensible things and gently lead the discourse to higher realities; just as he did in the account of the Samaritan woman and of the blind man, so here also he sets the event so that it may be understood both spiritually and historically. It will become clearer, then, what we must understand about Lazarus and the village and the rest. And this will be altogether evident if we present the translation of the names into the Greek language. Lazarus, therefore, means “the one who is helped.” Bethany, again, means “house of obedience.” Bethany, therefore, is an image of that heavenly dwelling. For in it the Son of God, Jesus, manifested His glory to men. Lazarus, moreover, signifies our own nature, which was in need of God’s help. For when our nature became sick with the illness of disobedience, it fell upon the bed through the increase of sin and was delivered over to the death of sin. This teaching is also connected with the fact that Lazarus was a friend of the Lord. For Christ said to His sacred disciples: “You are My friends” (John 15:13). And there is also the saying of Holy Scripture which says that the wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of an enemy (cf. Prov. 27:6). This shows us that God is our friend, and the “wounds” are the corrective discipline of the flesh which comes for our salvation.
3. “It was Mary who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped His feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was sick” (John 11:2). What the myrrh signifies, and what the offering of it means, and the wiping of His feet with the hair of her head, will be explained later. For now, however, let us begin the narrative. Since he was about to mention shortly afterward the anointing with myrrh, he here makes mention of it beforehand.
4. “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, saying: Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” (John 11:3). Why do they not go themselves and personally bring Him the message? They had great boldness and great familiarity toward Christ. This they showed also by that sorrowful phrase: “Lord, he whom You love is sick.” For they almost express indignation and are astonished that the friend of the Master should fall ill. And they saw their brother approaching death. They did not go themselves to Christ because they feared lest they be absent and not hear or see Lazarus for the last time. And perhaps also the fact that the Savior was staying in the wilderness made them reluctant. For Christ was not then dwelling in the city, but in the region beyond the Jordan. Nevertheless, they are reproved for having erred greatly in not doing what was right and fitting. For they ought to have emulated the Shunammite woman, who even when her child had already died did not despair nor hesitate to run to Carmel (2 Kings 4:5).
5. “When Jesus heard this, He said: This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). And yet he came to death. How then did He say “not unto death”? He said it because it was proper to call death that which is only a temporary departure. Did Lazarus then die so that God might be glorified? Certainly not. Rather, Lazarus died by necessity according to nature, since death is joined to human nature. But death became the occasion for the manifestation of God’s glory. For here the word “ἵνα” (“that” / “in order that”) does not indicate cause, but outcome. And many times Holy Scripture uses this expression. For example, the Prophet Isaiah says: “He has blinded their mind, so that they might not see who see” (Isa. 6:19; John 12:40). And the Apostle Paul says: “The law entered, that the trespasses might abound” (Rom. 5:20). And in other places one may find the true meaning from the outcome of the matter. And the glory of God here means that which will be manifested through the resurrection of the dead man. For it would not have been so great a miracle to heal Lazarus while sick as to raise him when dead to life. Sickness is understood in three ways. For “sick” is also he who departs from the faith and in some way is shaken, concerning whom the Apostle Paul says: “Receive the one who is weak in faith” (Rom. 14:1). Sickness is also bodily illness, as here: “he whom You love is sick.” Sickness also consists in the plots and persecutions against the faithful by their enemies, as the Lord said to Paul: “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Observe, therefore, how here He dimly indicated all kinds of sickness: the faith of the disciples in Him, the instability of the women, the sickness of Lazarus, and the plotting of the Jews — all of which, indeed, resulted in His glory. For His disciples and Lazarus’ sisters were strengthened in faith, the dead man lived again, and the mystery accomplished through the Cross was confirmed. The glory of the Son of Man — that is, of Christ — was manifested also in raising the dead Lazarus. For it was not so great a glory to heal him while sick as to raise him four days after his death. In a hidden way, however, Christ also pointed to the glory of the Cross, of which He said: “Now the Son of Man is glorified” (John 13:31). For the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection became the pretext for the greater fury of the Jews and their plot against the Savior. And, as I think, He says these things also concerning human nature. For the sickness that befell the entire human race through the disobedience of Adam became the cause of the glory of God’s Incarnation — since His condescension truly brought about such great glory.
6. “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). The Evangelist John, knowing the difference between love (agapē) and friendship (philia), and that for God — who is perfect, indeed beyond perfect — what is fitting is the perfect, that is, love (for He Himself is love, as he clearly declared in the Catholic Epistle [1 John 4:8]), while for us it is more fitting to come into His friendship. Knowing this firmly, the Evangelist says that Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. But Martha and Mary, since they were still imperfect, say, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick,” because they did not know the distinction between love and friendship. The same also the Jews said, when they saw the Lord weeping: “See how He loved him.”
7. “So when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He remained in the place where He was two more days. Then after these two days, He says to the disciples: Let us go again into Judea. The disciples say to Him: Teacher, just now the Jews were seeking to stone You, and You are going there again?” (John 11:6–8). Christ waits two days, allowing nature to act according to its course, so that, by permitting death to hold Lazarus, the miracle might appear greater. For if He had immediately gone to Bethany, Lazarus would not have died. For it is impossible, when Life is present, for death to act. But the disciples, hearing “let us go again into Judea,” and fearing lest the Teacher fall into the hands of the furious Jews, did not dare openly to contradict Him; yet they tried to dissuade Him indirectly, saying: “Teacher, just now the Jews were seeking to stone You, and You are going there again?” And what did the Savior answer? Again, through visible things, He raises their mind to higher realities, saying:
8. “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him” (John 11:9–10). What He means is this: You are greatly afraid, thinking that I will be stoned by the Jews, but you have fallen away from right reasoning. For if the day is divided into twelve hours, and whoever walks in it travels safely without stumbling, how is it that you fear for Me, who am the Light of the world?
For if the sensible light enables those who see to avoid obstacles, much more the true and divine Light will be superior to stoning. This is the outward meaning. But we must also investigate the inner and hidden meaning, for the seeming inconsistency of the statement shows that something deeper is concealed.
For neither does everyone who walks at night necessarily stumble, nor does everyone who walks by day proceed without hindrance. Since He divided the day into hours, but mentioned the night without speaking of hours, He mystically indicated the future, calling Himself day and light, since the faithful are also called sons of light and of the day (Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5). Perhaps for this day David said: “By day I shall not be afraid” (Ps. 55:3). And of this light the Evangelist John said: “The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).
The twelve hours are His disciples, to whom He entrusted the preaching. Therefore, whoever walks the path of life in the light of the Savior and in the teaching of the disciples will not stumble. And He called faith in Him the light of this world, because faith operates in this world. Night, which has no hours, is the deep darkness of unbelief; in it, if someone walks, he stumbles and shatters the foundations of his soul by colliding with Christ, the cornerstone, who is also called a stone of stumbling (1 Peter 2:8). By saying these things, the Lord also alludes indirectly to Judas, who senselessly deserted and fell away from the hours of the noetic day, to which he belonged, and because he walked in the darkness of avarice, he stumbled so miserably.
9. “These things He said, and after that He says to them: Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him” (John 11:11). Christ reveals His necessary journey toward the Jews by speaking of Lazarus’ sleep. He also shows His authority to raise Lazarus and that his death was like a sleep, only somewhat longer than usual. He said, “Lazarus has fallen asleep,” for it is not so easy for someone to awaken a sleeping man as it is for Him to raise the dead. It is customary for Him to call “asleep” the one who is about to live again. Thus He also said concerning the daughter of Jairus, “She is not dead, but sleeps” (Luke 8:52). The disciples, not knowing that death is called sleep, said: “If he has fallen asleep, he will recover” (John 11:12), perhaps even prophesying unknowingly, for death became for Lazarus the cause of salvation.
10. “Then Jesus told them plainly: Lazarus has died” (John 11:14). Observe how in all the words of the narrative He sows deeper contemplation. For when He said that Lazarus had fallen asleep, He called him a friend: “Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep.” But when He said, “he has died,” He called him simply Lazarus. For the friends of Christ, death becomes sleep and rest; but for those whose death is the separation of the soul because of a corrupt life, they are unworthy to be called friends of God.
11. “And I am glad for your sake… that I was not there” (John 11:15). “I am glad,” He says, “for your sake,” because My not being in Bethany becomes the cause of your greater faith. For if Christ had been present, He would have healed Lazarus while sick, and this great miracle of his raising would not have taken place. Observe, therefore, how by His words He shows His two natures: that He said from afar “Lazarus has died” belongs to His divinity, while “I was not there” belongs to His humanity.
12. “Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to the other disciples: Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (John 11:16). The most wise and great Chrysostom says that Thomas spoke these words timidly and somewhat reluctantly; since Christ was going to die and, as it were, running toward danger, let us also fulfill His will and die with Him. Thus says Chrysostom. But another interpreter says that Thomas’ words are words of courage: since the other disciples were shaken, Thomas gives them boldness. To me, however, it seems that he speaks somewhat weakly in faith, yet he shows great love for the Teacher. For it was a sign of unbelief to consider it dreadful to go with Christ, yet it was a sign of courage to be willing to die with Him. Thus he encourages his fellow disciples to prefer death with their Teacher rather than separation from Him.
13. “So when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been four days in the tomb” (John 11:17). He waited two days, then told the disciples of Lazarus’ death, and after two more days arrived at Bethany, finding Lazarus already four days in the tomb — showing that this was truly a work of God among men. Just as, over four periods, He allowed human nature to remain in the insensibility of impiety, and then visited it again. Let us consider these four days: the first from Adam until the flood; the second from Noah to Abraham; the third from Abraham to Moses; and the fourth from Moses until Christ. During these four “days,” our nature was held in the tomb of unbelief.
14. “Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia (about three kilometers)” (John 11:18). He clearly indicates the distance, showing that the village was near, so that many Jews could come to console the women. For they were noble and well-known, being daughters of Simon the Pharisee and living according to the Law. This ensured many witnesses to the miracle. Allegorically, Bethany signifies the present world, while Jerusalem signifies the heavenly city, from which human nature fell into sin and death. The Lord came to it after the four days mentioned above. He also mystically indicates the distance between the spiritual and the sensible: the soul’s three powers and the five senses, symbolized by the fifteen stadia (three groups of five). These became the means by which we were separated from God.
15. “Now when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, but Mary sat in the house” (John 11:20). Why did Martha not take her sister with her? She wished to meet Him privately, so that the Jews — hostile to Christ — would not follow. Since Mary represents theoria and Martha praxis (as earlier teachers explain), it shows that praxis approaches God first, though knowledge often precedes by sensibility. Martha says: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). See how her faith wavers: she believes He could have prevented death if present, but not that He is present everywhere as God. When He says, “Your brother will rise again,” she answers: “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day” (John 11:23–24). Soon she will understand and confess Him as God. For human nature will indeed rise at the last day and cast off corruption.
16. “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, even if he dies, shall live” (John 11:25). For Christ truly became resurrection and life for our fallen nature, delivering it from the death of sin. Whoever believes in Christ, even if he necessarily undergoes this bodily death, shall live that blessed life and shall not die the death of the soul. With these words He also overturns what Martha said thoughtlessly: “I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You” (John 11:22). For if Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, He certainly has no need to ask. Marvel, therefore, at the indescribable power of the Savior: how, together with His word, He poured into Martha’s soul such great knowledge that she was lifted from low thoughts and uttered that theological confession: “Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (John 11:27), agreeing with the first of the disciples, for Peter also confessed Christ in the same way. The phrase “who was to come into the world” is prophetic; for Christ came not only to Israel, but to the whole world. Or perhaps it refers to the world of virtues, into which Christ comes. Thus it is clearly shown here that the practice of virtue gradually raises one to theoria.
17. “Having said these things, she went away and secretly called her sister Mary, saying: The Teacher has come and is calling for you” (John 11:28). It appears that she called her sister by the Lord’s command. Indeed, it was not false when she said, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you,” but the Evangelist John, wishing to proceed quickly to the main events, omitted mentioning this earlier. She called her sister secretly, avoiding the hostile thoughts of the Jews who were with her. And Mary, as soon as she heard, rose and went quickly, so that she reached the place where the Lord was, where He had just been speaking with Martha.
18. “When she heard it, she rose quickly and went to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him” (John 11:30). At the call to praxis, theoria is quickly stirred and finds the Lord outside the village — that is, outside this sensible world — perceiving the divine beyond all sense and understanding.
19. “Then the Jews who were with her in the house, comforting her, when they saw Mary rise quickly and go out, followed her” (John 11:31). According to this type, the Jews who were consoling Martha and Mary symbolize faith, hope, and love — virtues which, as from the heavenly Jerusalem, send peace into the soul. These accompany Mary as she hastens to receive true life.
20. “Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was, saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him: Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). Her words agree with Martha’s — sisterly words, kindred voices. Yet Martha is not said to have fallen at His feet nor to have spoken with tears, while Mary does both. She desired to touch those feet beside which she had once sat and tasted the nectar of the Lord’s teaching. These beautiful feet she now desired in another way: before she sat near them, now she embraces them repeatedly, washing them with tears, anointing them with myrrh, and wiping them with the hair of her head.
Thus the theoretic soul, aiming at spiritual ascent, first sits at the mystical feet and seeks truth; then, being initiated, touches them by drawing near spiritually; afterward, it anoints them with the myrrh of true knowledge and wipes them with insensibility to the passions — for the hair signifies lack of sensation. The feet of Christ are those things accessible to one purified from materiality. Mary’s weeping signifies the soul gathering itself inward and consenting to withdraw from sensible things as it ascends to theoria, inflamed with divine eros, and pouring out as tears all superfluous and unworthy thoughts. For tears are the moisture produced from sorrow, pressed forth like drops from the brain through the eyes, by which nature expels what is excessive.
21. “Jesus, when He saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, groaned in spirit and was troubled” (John 11:33). Just as Christ was truly God, so also He was truly man, and He accepted the blameless passions of our nature, showing condescension — yet He was never overcome by them, but experienced them only when, where, and as much as He willed. When His holy flesh inclines toward sorrow, He does not allow grief to become uncontrolled, but by the power of the Holy Spirit restrains it. This is what is meant by “He groaned deeply,” leading it to moderation — namely, to shed tears quietly, just enough to show His human nature. He did not weep loudly, but shed tears; for loud weeping involves outcry.
He wept, not denying His likeness to man, but mingling the divine with the human. As man He sheds tears, giving us an example, setting a measure for how much we should grieve and weep for the dead. He does not weep for Lazarus’ death — for how could He, knowing that shortly Lazarus would rise? Rather, He weeps to show His consubstantiality with our nature, and to instruct us. He weeps also for the fall caused by sin, which dragged human nature into misery and united it with death, which must be healed. He weeps foreseeing the blindness of the Jews, who, instead of being corrected by this great miracle, would become even more hardened in envy.
He weeps also for Lazarus — not because he died, but because he will live again. For Lazarus, being righteous, pious, and a friend of Christ, had finished his course gloriously and was about to rest in honor, as Solomon says: “When a righteous man dies, he shall be at rest” (Wisdom of Solomon 4:7). Since Christ was about to raise him again for His own glory, He wept, as if saying: Shall I call back into the storm of life one who has reached the harbor? Shall I bring back to struggle one who has already been crowned victor?
And He asks, “Where have you laid him?” (John 11:34), not because He did not know, but, as said, mingling divine and human actions, and so that many might come and witness the miracle. Indirectly, He also reproves Mary and Martha, as mentioned earlier, for not having the same faith as the Shunammite woman. For she did not bury her child, but laid him on a bed and ran with faith to the prophet; whereas they, when their brother died, buried him. Yet she went to a man, Elisha, while these came to God.
22. “Then Jesus, again groaning within Himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a large stone lay upon it” (John 11:38). Troubled again with grief, He rebukes death, which dared to seize the Master’s friend. That cave — dark and underground — represents the life of mankind, into which we were miserably cast after the fall, or it signifies the shadowed letter of the Law. The stone lying upon it represents the obscurity of the letter of the Law.
Why, then, does Christ not remove the stone by His word alone, or, while the stone is still at the entrance, not raise the dead? Because it is not necessary to perform miracles where there is no need. This, indeed, is a sign of great restraint. Moreover, for them to remove the stone was beneficial, so that they might sense the heavy stench of the dead and be convinced that the resurrection was not imaginary, nor that another was raised in his place. Therefore He says, “Take away the stone” (John 11:39), and you will see the dead man lying there and rising at My voice as from sleep.
His word also contains a reproach for their unbelief. For He commands them to remove themselves the stone of hardness — the heaviness filling their souls — so that they might perceive Him who came for the salvation of the world. He also urges them to lift the veil of the Law, so that they may see within it what the Spirit has established in shadow.
In a more mystical sense, He foreshadowed what was to happen. Just as earlier He said, “Destroy this temple” (John 2:19), so now, “Take away this stone,” speaking of Himself. He knew well that they would cry to the ruler, “Take Him away, take Him away, crucify Him” (John 19:15). Thus He foretells what would occur: Remove Me, the cornerstone, whom you rejected, but who became the head of the corner and united the two peoples into one wall. Remove Him and crucify Him — for death will not hold Him. Perhaps it is of this stone — Christ — that the Evangelist later speaks, when Mary came to the tomb and saw the stone removed, saying to the disciples, “They have taken away the Lord from the tomb” (John 20:2).
23. Martha, the sister of the dead man, says to Him: “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been four days in the tomb” (John 11:39). It appears that Martha does not believe the miracle, for great and supernatural things are not easily believed. Moreover, out of reverence and respect, she did not consider it proper for the Lord to approach the tomb because of the corruption of the body. For it is unbearable and repulsive to approach a decayed body, since its foul odor is extremely offensive.
This also applies to our common nature, which, after passing as through four days — from Adam to Christ — fell from its original purpose into the tomb of ignorance and became foul through the stench of impiety. This is what David lamented: “My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness” (Psalm 38:5 [LXX 37:6]).
24. Jesus says to her: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). He reproves her for forgetting what He had said, “Your brother will rise again,” showing that the Father is consubstantial and equal in honor with Him. For earlier He said that this sickness is for the glory of the Son of God; and now He says, if you believe, you will see the glory of God — because the glory of the Father and the Son is one.
25. “Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and said: Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me” (John 11:41–42). By lifting His eyes and giving thanks, He shows that He is not opposed to God. Through the prayer, He reveals His equality with the Father. He does not pray as if needing to be heard, according to Martha’s understanding, but says, “I knew that You always hear Me,” since the Son is consubstantial with the Father and has no need to pray. He speaks this for the people standing around, so that they may understand the equality of Father and Son.
At the same time, He teaches us to reconcile ourselves to God through prayer and to raise the eye of the soul from low thoughts to the heights of theoria.
26. “And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice: Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). When He raised Jairus’ daughter and the widow’s son, He did not cry out loudly, but gently, saying, “Little girl, arise” (Matt. 9:25) and “Young man, I say to you, arise” (Luke 7:14). But here He cried out with a loud voice. Why? Because those had just died, and their souls were still near their bodies (for the Fathers teach that until the third day the soul visits the body). But Lazarus’ soul, being called from afar, required a loud voice.
Also, since He had said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (John 5:25), He fulfills that promise. With His powerful voice He gives life, showing that just as the Father gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills. This voice will sound like a trumpet at the last day, and the dead will rise.
Perhaps He cried out loudly to show that His word is active, mighty, and powerful. So great was the power of His voice that the strength of Hades was destroyed, the soul quickly returned, and the body — already decayed — was reconstituted. Thus the great, supernatural, and unexpected miracle was accomplished.
For this was not the healing of one near death, like the centurion’s servant, nor the raising of a child just dead, like Jairus’ daughter, nor a young man being carried to burial, like in Nain — but a man long dead, already decayed, who returned to life at a single command, coming forth bound with grave cloths.
That he walked while bound hand and foot, with his face covered, was no lesser miracle than the resurrection itself. Moreover, since the Jews used myrrh and aloes in burial — which are adhesive substances — it must be considered how great the power of the word was to separate these from the body. Therefore Christ said, “Loose him and let him go” (John 11:44), so that even the unbelieving might be convinced through all their senses: seeing the dead man, hearing the voice, smelling the odor, and touching the wrappings.
This loud voice signifies the preaching of the gospel, by which human nature — bound hand and foot by sin and dead in unbelief — comes to true life, having the covering removed from its eyes and being loosed by the Apostles and teachers to walk toward blessed life.
27. Lazarus represents our nous, which is a friend of Christ, since it was created in His image. Martha, whose name means “the one who labors,” represents the body. Mary, whose name means “lady,” symbolizes the soul, which rules the body.
These must mourn when the nous falls into the death of sin, bringing with it the “Jews,” that is, the confession of sins (for this is what the name “Jew” signifies). When one weeps, the Lord appears and, through the Gospel, calls out, removes hardness, and raises the fallen nous.
Then, casting away sin, and being loosed by Angels and priests, the person sits at the same table with the Savior, is initiated into the knowledge of the Holy Trinity, and hastens toward Them with longing. For to this Trinity belong honor and glory unto the endless ages. Amen.
Source: P.G. 132. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
