“17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away. 19 Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.’ 23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24 Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ 25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ 27 Martha said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’
The Gospel of John is one of the later writings of early Christianity; it was written around 100 AD. The Gospel of John paints portraits of various people who came into contact with Jesus and either began their journey of faith or continued on it – more committed than ever. And we encounter many personal situations in which the people, and Jesus too, are sensitively portrayed, with their emotions and their faith. This is also the case in the passage concerning the death of his friend Lazarus. His sisters, Mary and Martha, who are also closely connected to Jesus, first tell Jesus that Lazarus is seriously ill. Jesus reacts to this bad news with a statement of faith: Lazarus will recover.
But when it becomes clear that Lazarus is dead, Jesus is portrayed in all his humanity. Something important shines through: even Jesus’ faith is challenged by the death of his friend. Jesus, too, finds it hard to accept that life is hard to bear when death plays a part.
But Jesus’ faith does not see death as the end, but as the beginning of a life with God. “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26), Jesus asks Martha, Lazarus’ sister. There is perhaps a hint here that Jesus wants to reassure himself, along with Mary and Martha, that his faith is true.
Life after death is a reality that is hard to imagine, but an incredible hope. The resurrection of Lazarus is a prolepsis, a kind of foreshadowing of what is to come, namely Jesus’ own resurrection. Anyone familiar with zombie apocalypses will see similarities: the linen cloths, the focus on a voice that only the dead man hears, and thus the detachment from the real world. But the story is not meant to frighten, but to bring joy.
That is what John wants to convey, with Jesus at the centre. To this end, he portrays Jesus’ humanity much more vividly. Joy and sorrow with Jesus are shared and doubled – and thus so much easier to bear.
Aleksandra Brand