Lazarus of Bethany, Friend of Jesus

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. (Jn 11:1-5)

What can you expect from a man who is presented in such a "prosaic" way by the Evangelist John? Moreover, before you hear his name, you will know that he is sick. Then you will read not about him, but about his sister Mary and what she did (the scene of the anointing of the Lord's feet). And again, his illness is recalled. Two verses that describe him. And in such a rudimentary way – he is ill and is the brother of Mary and Martha. The beginning is indeed prosaic.

Here he is, Lazarus of Bethany. Friend of Jesus.
How old was he? What did he do? What kind of man was he? Nothing is known. You will not even find in the pages of the Gospel a single word that he spoke. Contrary to the words of Mary and Martha, his were not remembered and written down. It was as if he was in the shadow of his sisters.

Affectionate words and gestures
But there must have been something about him that captivated the Master of Nazareth. Something that gave birth to a relationship of friendship between them. In our passage we find the lights that, from different sides, reveal to us the truth of this friendship.

The first light comes from the Evangelist, who recorded that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus". The second is the sisters' words to Jesus: "Lord, behold, the one whom you love is sick". The third is the reaction of the crowd to Jesus' behavior, "And the Jews said, Behold how he loved him!" Finally, the strongest light, the radiance emanating from Jesus himself. The Master's words: "Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep, but I go to wake him." And gestures: he was moved in spirit and wept. This show how close and important Lazarus is to Him.

Loves/friend/moved/wept. Words of tenderness wrap around this passage, like a thread of love that unites Jesus and Lazarus. Words of friendship, gestures of tenderness. This is all important. However, male friendship is based more on concreteness, on making decisions, on acting for the benefit of the other.

Everything under control
What will you do when you find out that your friend is seriously ill? You will call, write an e-mail, go to visit him... You will definitely be worried and interested in the patient's condition.

What does Jesus do when he receives news that his friend is sick? He stays two days longer at his place of stay. He lets Lazarus die. And even more – he was four days late for the funeral of a friend (!), who now lies in the grave and already stinks. How can we explain this paradoxical split between declared friendship and love and inaction in the Master? Therefore, it is not surprising that the sisters of Lazarus vehemently reproach Jesus: "If you had been here, our brother would not have died!"

The key to understanding this situation is a few chapters later. Jesus himself gives it: " This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (Jn 15:12-13).

The Master of Nazareth did everything he could to make sure that his friend Lazarus died. Jesus knowingly led Lazarus through death. For what purpose? The death of a friend is to serve the greater glory of God and the fulfillment of Jesus' mission. Indeed, this glory was revealed when Jesus entered Jerusalem. As the Evangelist John described this scene: " So the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from death continued to testify. This was [also] why the crowd went to meet him, because they heard that he had done this sign." (Jn 12:17-18). The solemn entry of Jesus, the joyful "Hosanna" and the palm branches thrown are the "fruits" of Lazarus' death and resurrection. And everything in this scene looks correct. From the beginning, Jesus seems to be in control of the death of his friend. He "used" it, as it were, to make the final sign confirming his divinity and mission.

In the name of love
But Jesus' trip to Bethany was not a rescue operation of his friend aimed at doing good PR. The Master of Nazareth has nothing of the falsehood of a politician who, accompanied by cameras, appears in a place affected by flooding and tries to raise the popularity bars by preying on the suffering of others. The scene preceding the resurrection of Lazarus tells us that Jesus leaves Jerusalem, where he was almost stoned, and withdraws beyond the Jordan. Jesus risks his life by returning to Judea. And the disciples are convinced that if he goes to Jerusalem again, he will not return alive.

That is why the disciples' question sounds dramatic: "Rabbi, the Jews have just tried to stone you and are you going there again?", and Thomas's words – "Let us go together to die with him" are not just a pious metaphor. Thomas knows that Jesus will be killed when he goes to Jerusalem. The decision to go to Bethany, to Lazarus, is a death sentence for Jesus. Thomas and the other apostles were right. After raising Lazarus (of course, such a great miracle could not go unnoticed by Jesus' enemies), Caiaphas gathers the High Council. As the Gospel says, "And then they decided to kill him."

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." The price of saving a dead friend is the death of Jesus. The Master lives as he preaches. Lazarus will indeed come out of the tomb, but because Christ will take his place.

Lazarus is separated from all in the land of the dead. He cannot act, he is passive, bound with bands, and his grave has been closed with a heavy stone. Lazarus is no longer a friend to Jesus, but Jesus remains a friend to him. It is the Master's friendship that brings him resurrection. Jesus is the one who shouts aloud the name of his friend. He awakens him from death and calls to come outside, beyond the grave. Finally, he orders to be freed him from the armbands which restrain the body.

A friend is one who lets something die in his friend. He will agree that a loved one goes down to the grave of his life. In this experience, he does not abandon him, but seeks the fulfillment of God's will. He is ready to go where his friend lies.

A friend knows the name of the one who lies in the grave. He can awaken him from the sleep of suffering. He will remind him of his real name and pull him out from the place of death. Finally, he will pull out from his friend what hampers his freedom. Bands of fear and helplessness that trap like a cocoon, not allowing the larva to turn into a butterfly.

And if necessary, if the situation demands it, the friend will not hesitate; he will do all this at the expense of himself, in the name of love, which is called friendship.

fr. george