A Matter Of Death And Life

March 9, 2008     Lent 5 A

Ezekiel 37:1-14             Psalm 130

Romans 8:6-11         St. John 11:1-45

The three readings of this Sunday fit together beautifully, for all concern the resurrection to newness of life. The passage from Ezekiel concludes and interprets the vision of the valley of dry bones (obviously a battlefield) that are gradually restored to life. The interpretation identifies the bones with Israel in exile, and the resurrection of the bones with Israel's restoration to its homeland after the Babylonian Exile.

However, it is interesting to note how the text shifts from the dry bones to graves: "I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves." This shift suggests that already by Ezekiel's time the expectation of a general resurrection at the last day was beginning to emerge, an expectation that was to be developed in later apocalyptic literature.

But that is not the point here. Rather, the language of this future hope is transferred to Israel's return from exile. It will be like resurrection from the grave. In this figurative resurrection God will bring his people to newness of life and put his Spirit within them.

This two-level theme, the restoration of God's people and the eschatological resurrection of the dead, thus start hand in hand as they will continue through apocalyptic literature to the New Testament.

The same two-level use of language is continued in the Epistle lesson. The first level, that of resurrection from the dead, is now applied to Christ. God raised Jesus from the dead by his Spirit (see Rom 1:4). Now Christians, through their baptism, have received the indwelling of the Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead: "your spirits are alive because of righteousness."

This is the second level, the restoration of the people of God to newness of life (note the words "because of righteousness"; as we saw on the third Sunday of Lent, the new life created by the indwelling Spirit is the effect of justification).

Finally, the first level of resurrection is still expected for Christians, too: "he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies." The risen life of the Church in the Spirit is an anticipation of the general resurrection at the last day.

The biblical hope is not a belief in the intrinsic immortality of the person, as though there were some part of us, such as the soul or the spirit, that is in and by itself immortal. The whole person, body, soul, and spirit, is subject to decay and death.

But Christ has broken this subjection; he has burst the bonds of decay and death by his resurrection from the dead, in which he was raised to a totally transformed existence.

Through baptism believers have received the indwelling Spirit, as a result of which resurrection and renewal of the whole person, body and soul, has been initiated.

True, even the bodies of Christians are still subject to sickness, decay, and death. But the indwelling Spirit is a sign in our mortal bodies that foreshadows the beginning of a new life that cannot be destroyed by death.

The present indwelling of the Spirit is an anticipation of the complete renewal of life that will come at the general resurrection.

Let us turn, finally, to the Gospel. According to the story, Lazarus has died. Martha and others believe that had he arrived on time, Jesus might have prevented Lazarus' death or raised him up immediately. As John writes this story for his community, Martha represents that grieving community in asking the perennial question: "If Jesus gave us eternal life, why are believers still dying?" John's story offers a challenging response.

Like other New Testament communities, that of John experienced a great crisis of faith when any believer died. If Jesus gave us eternal life, why must we still die? The evangelist therefore has added symbolic interpretations to this story of the death of Lazarus, the faithful disciple whom Jesus loved (11:5,36).

Martha represents the community with its real but inadequate faith:  "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died." If only Jesus had not left at his ascension, he would still be with the community and believers wouldn't die. After all, whatever Jesus asks of the Father will be given, won't it? (v. 22).

John's Jesus must correct this misunderstanding. He is indeed "the resurrection and the life" (v. 24). But resurrection does not mean the restoration of life to a corpse, it entails rather a transformation of life.

Moreover, the eternal life that Jesus gives his followers does not abolish death but rather transcends it. To continue to believe this firmly is the challenge posed to the survivors by each believer's death.

Through Martha, Jesus addresses believers of all times: "Do you believe this?" Her perfect answer ought to echo through the ages:  "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."

Faith in the risen Jesus is not fully developed until it enables a believer to face physical death with the firm confidence that the present possession of eternal life is not simply a pledge of resurrection on the last day but is rather a present and continuing participation in the life of the ever-living Jesus now, at this moment. Those who believe in Jesus never truly die.

What scientifically minded Western believers must recognize in the story of Lazarus is that Martha pronounces her confession of faith as a response to Jesus who reveals himself as the resurrection and the life. Her faith does not depend upon or flow from seeing her brother raised from the dead. Proof begets knowledge; faith does not rest on proof.

The statement, "I am the resurrection and the life," is especially significant in John's Gospel. John is selective in reporting the miracles ("signs") of Jesus: he recounts only seven.

In this carefully chosen series, the raising of Lazarus is the final and, therefore, climactic sign.

Earlier in this gospel, Jesus taught that he has power to give life:  "just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes" (5:21: see also 3:15-16; 5:24; 6:40; 10:10). In raising Lazarus, Jesus demonstrates that he, indeed, raises the dead and gives life.

"The resurrection and the life" has a present and future focus. Jesus is the source of life now for believers; he means this in not only a spiritual sense, for the dead Lazarus, indeed, finds actual life in Jesus.

But as wondrous as is the raising of Lazarus, it is merely resuscitation, for he will die again. For this reason, Jesus makes the even more astounding claim: he is the resurrection.

By this he signifies that he will raise all who believe from death to eternal life?a life that does not end. Yet life now and life to come are not unrelated: each is an aspect of the other. The raising of Lazarus from physical death to life is a demonstration of the power Jesus has to raise the dead to eternal life: "whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live."