Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 29, 2020 - 5th Sunday of Lent - A
[Ezek 37:12-14; Rom 8:8-11; John 11:1-45]Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." [John]
SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020 FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
[Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45]
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." [John]
The increasing dramatic tension in the Gospel According to John hits a peak with the raising of Lazarus from the dead! It is important to understand this sign in the light of Jesus' words to Martha and his own subsequent death and resurrection. Lazarus would die again. What Jesus does to him is more like resuscitation. The "life" that Jesus promises is eternal life which transcends physical life. This "life" begins with faith in Jesus as the one whom God has sent. Martha's profession of faith is the only one possible in the Gospel According to John. (Sometimes we let Thomas' words, "My Lord and my God!" overshadow Martha!)
Death and resurrection are taking on greater depth to us in this Year of the Virus. As of this writing, thousands of our fellow human beings have succumbed to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Many more thousands have fallen ill and survived. When this plague has run its course, we will experience a kind of resurrection. But if it is only to return to practices that made this virus so deadly, we can count on the next one to repeat the sorrow. Our faith in Jesus and eternal life can help us immensely in facing our current challenge, but, like Lazarus, we will still face our human mortality. Conversion of life remains a constant challenge.
Our strange celebration of Holy Week can remind us how important this time is to us, and the profound truth that Martha professes. AMEN