May I speak in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – Amen
In the medical profession Lazarus Syndrome is a modern phenomenon described as a spontaneous return of cardiac activity after death. The condition gets its name from the narrative of John 11, the Raising of Lazarus, where, as we have just heard, Jesus resurrects Lazarus of Bethany in the presence of his sisters Martha and Mary.
Miracles are just as compelling today as they were in the time of Jesus. In one case of modern day Lazarus Syndrome, a 91-year-old woman having been declared medically deceased, awoke 11 hours later with a craving for tea and pancakes!
Lazarus Syndrome is not the only miracle to confound doctors. Readers of popular spirituality books will be familiar with the term, Near-Death Experience (NDE), where the patient, recalling their own death, describes religious experiences, before returning to their body and the human lived experience. One of the most well known NDEs is documented in Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife. Published in 2012, the title remained on the New York Times best sellers list for a year. The book is compelling as it documents a medical doctor’s personal experience following a deep coma due to bacterial meningitis. Before his illness, Dr Alexander practiced and taught neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr Alexander says that his experience revealed to him and gave him faith in the love, mercy and power of God, belief he didn’t have before his experience.
Throughout the Bible, miraculous healing is seen as a revelation of God to ordinary people. In John 11, the raising of Lazarus occurs in Bethany, a village two miles outside Jerusalem. It is here that the seventh of the miraculous signs performed by Jesus is said to have occurred, the first sign being turning water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana.
Seven donates perfection and completion in Judaism and the fact that seven miracles were recorded in John’s Gospel is significant in revealing the identity of Jesus as God. King David referred to the number seven in describing the perfect nature of God when he wrote that the Lord’s words are ‘like gold refined seven times’ (Psalm 12:6). Similarly, when Isaiah described the prophesised Messiah, he listed seven attributes the Saviour would embody (Isaiah 11:1-2). Jesus used seven metaphors to describe Himself as the path to salvation, in John’s Gospel.
In Bethany, the village of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus, this seventh sign follows the healing of a blind man in John 9, which took place in Jerusalem. The story of the raising of Lazarus of Bethany starts when Jesus is outside Judea, beyond the Jordan (John 10). This is significant. Firstly, it indicates that Jesus, having been rejected by Jewish authorities in Judea, was ministering among Gentiles, the people outside the Jewish religious establishment. This shows to us the limitless nature of God’s mission through Jesus to people of different backgrounds, nations and cultures. Secondly, Jesus was at the place (in Bethabara), where John the Baptist had previously baptised new believers. John was a prophet who foreshadowed and prepared the way for the coming Jesus (Isaiah 40:3–5; John 1:23). The fact that Jesus himself is located outside Judea indicates a prophetic spiritual journey is underway for Jesus’ disciples and his followers in Bethany.
We learn from the narrator that Lazarus, the ‘one whom Jesus loves’ is unwell. This identifies Lazarus as a disciple. On receiving the message, Jesus dismisses any urgency saying Lazarus illness will not lead to death but to a revelation of God. The resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26), which foreshadows Jesus own death and resurrection. Jesus remains outside Judea for a couple of days more before announcing to his disciples that their friend Lazarus had died and that they would therefore depart for Bethany. In answer to the concerns of the disciples about the hostility of the Jewish authorities in Judea, Jesus assured them that this journey would take place by spiritual daylight, rather than by the spiritual darkness which would surely follow.
By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Martha, upon hearing that Jesus was on his way, went to meet him. Meanwhile, Jews visiting from Jerusalem were already mourning and weeping (v.33) alongside Mary, inside Lazarus’ home. The concern of the Jews is quite a contrast to their ambivalence to Jesus’ healing ministry described elsewhere in John’s Gospel. This, and the presence of the Jews in Lazarus’ home indicates that the household in Bethany was a respected Jewish family.
Although in Luke 10, the seemingly more contemplative Mary is understood has having taken the better part. In John’s Gospel Martha’s understanding of Jesus identity is possibly at a more spiritually mature stage to Mary’s. Martha was possibly older than Mary, since her name is the feminine form of ‘master’ in Aramaic. Martha also have been older than Lazarus. On meeting Jesus, outside Bethany, Martha confesses an implicit faith in Him (v. 21), saying, Ί know that even now God will give you whatever you ask’ (v. 22). Jesus responds by saying ‘Your brother will rise again.’ (v.24). At this point Martha’s understanding extends only as far as accepted Jewish teaching that her brother will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (v. 24). However, Jesus proclaims, Ί am the resurrection.’ With this, Martha’s traditional Jewish eschatology makes way for Christological confession. Martha declares ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world. ’With this proclamation, Martha demonstrates completed faith (v.20.31). She has journeyed from taught knowledge to personal understanding and belief (v. 22, 24, 27). Martha then goes and calls for Mary. Like the Samaritan woman in John 4, her discipleship is proven through her encouragement of others. Mary falls at Jesus’ feet, echoing her sisters cry: ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Indeed, Mary’s grief is so intense that Jesus himself weeps and is shown to the tomb by the mourners. Unlike Martha whose spiritual completion is evident in her faith in resurrection, Mary shows passion, with no progression from partial understanding to the completed faith of her sister at this point. At the tomb Jesus reminds Martha of the need for faith in God to see his Glory. Indeed, despite the heckling and disbelief of the Jewish authorities, Jesus addresses Lazarus by name, the stone is rolled away from the tomb. Lazarus is indeed raised, walking from the tomb in his shroud.
So, what is Lazarus Syndrome for us? How might we be changed? What does the resurrection and the life mean for us in the here and now? For Lazarus, his death experience is not described as a heavenly future, but as an earthly life with Jesus. In chapter 12, after Lazarus is raised, Jesus and Lazarus are sharing food at the table. In calling Lazarus out by name, Jesus calls each one of us out of the spiritual slumber of our own self-interest into new life. Modern day religious experience, like the miracles of Jesus ministry deepens faith, love of God and relationship to other people. This is an active spirituality of participation where the quality of relationships matter. As St Paul later said of resurrection to life in Christ, ‘we will not die, but we will all be changed,’ Death of self is thus spiritual life – Amen
Intersessions:
In the evening: peace; individuals and their needs. Particularly for the tragic loss of life at a Halloween event in Seoul, Korea and the victims of air strikes in Ukraine. We take a few moments to pray for the needs of those known to us
We pray for the Church around the world, particularly in area’s of climate emergency, poverty and danger. At home we pray for those in food and energy poverty with the winter ahead.
We pray for Bishops, synods and all who lead the Church, particularly around discernment over what it means to live in love and faith together as a Church. We also especially pray for the candidates called in the appointment process for the next Lord Bishop of Winchester
We pray for leaders of the nations, particularly those involved in conflict and our new UK Prime minister, Rishi Sunak and all those in government with him.
We pray for leaders involved in Novembers UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Egypt
Finally, we bring to God what is on our own hearts – Amen
The Grace: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen.
