Homily 3
Homily on Lazarus of the Four Days
By St. Amphilochios of Iconium
Homily on Lazarus of the Four Days
By St. Amphilochios of Iconium
Bring again to the forefront the Evangelist John; for it is good to consider the firstfruits of the resurrection. For you heard him recently stating: "Six days prior to the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He raised from the dead." Did you see the firstfruits of the resurrection prefigured in Lazarus, which the faithful crowd recognized? The crowds recognized it, and the high priests, having transformed the miracle into a source of malediction, derided it. Indeed, they conspired against the resurrection of Lazarus, for after his resurrection, as you have heard, they plotted to kill him. Do you see the absurdity of envy? The One whom the Lord raised, they intended to kill, not realizing that even if they kill him, the Lord would easily raise His friend again. They conspired to kill Lazarus; nothing so greatly disturbed the Jews as the resurrection of Lazarus. This miracle alone they could not slander. They slandered the sight of the man born blind, saying: "This is not he, but someone like him." They slandered the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, saying that she was merely in a deep sleep and not delivered from a complete death. They slandered the resurrection of the only son of the widow, claiming that he had merely appeared to be dead and was not swallowed by the tyranny of death. They slandered the dried fig tree, asserting that it had simply been pruned and not withered by a commanding word. They slandered the transformation of water into wine, claiming that the guests at the banquet were already intoxicated and did not perceive the mockery. Only the resurrection of Lazarus were they unable to slander.
They saw Lazarus; a dignified man. They followed the funeral, they saw the tomb sealed, and Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, lamented according to custom, as in a funeral feast. They knew that he had been deposited in the tomb for exactly four days, and that a person four-days-dead always began to have his flesh decompose, his bones rot, his nervous system dissolve, his internal organs separate, and his belly to become bloated. Knowing these things, when they saw the resurrection of Lazarus all at once, whole and perfect as if carved from a lathe, shining forth with the power of life returned, they were troubled. They were on the verge of passing out, unable to find reasons for an excuse, as to how they would slander the resurrection of Lazarus, which the deed of the Lord had brought about. What does it mean, that this was prepared by the deed of the Lord? Listen briefly. When Lazarus naturally shed the present life, the Lord was not physically present in Bethany to bodily eyes, but by His divinity He was present everywhere and filling all things.
For after four days of Lazarus being buried, Jesus came to Bethany to raise His friend from the dead. When the Lord arrived in Bethany, Martha, the sister of Lazarus, heard and ran to Him, hastening to present a fervent appeal. Falling at His feet, she said to the Lord: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. And now I know that whatever You ask God, God will give You."
But the Lord, being long-suffering, answered and said: "What do you say, Martha? You call on the Lord, yet you do not understand the Lord? Was I not here? Wait a little; for soon you will learn about your brother. For your brother will rise again. I understand you, Martha; for you are intoxicated with sorrow – as it was said of her: someone who is intoxicated with good things stumbles – when you come to your senses, then you will be restored."
She said: "One who is intoxicated by beautiful things may stumble; when you awaken, then you will gain self-control."
"For your brother will rise again."
And Martha, having conducted herself in such a manner, replied to the Lord, saying: "I know that he will rise on the last day."
And the Lord said to her: "Why are you faltering, O Martha? Why do you long for the resurrection with distant hopes? The resurrection speaks to you, and speaks concerning the resurrection. I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall live."
As the Lord spoke, a small multitude of the city of Bethany gathered before the presence of the Lord, not to marvel, but to laugh. For they had no hope that a four-day dead man could arise. What then did the Lord say? When He saw such a great crowd rushing in, and recognizing that they were worthy and capable of bearing witness to the forthcoming resurrection by Him, He replied to them, "Where have you laid Lazarus?"
Did not the Master of the place know the location? He knew the place, but He set forth a plan so that, once again compelled, all might follow Jesus, in order that having perceived the resurrection with their own eyes, they may become undisputed heralds. "Where have you laid him?" And they, when questioned, said to him: "Come and see."
As the Lord walked and hurried towards the tomb, the crowd following behind questioned themselves, saying: "Why does this man want to see the tomb of Lazarus? If he is the Son of God, will he raise him? For we do not know of those who have recently died, whom he has raised. How then do we know if they were given over to complete death? He will raise him, and we take knowledge that he is truly the Son of God."
Wherefore Martha, having considered these words, came to the Lord, and she said to Him, "Where are You going, Master? Why do You want to see the tomb of Lazarus? What pain of ours do You want to return to life? What mourning do you want to awaken? Why do you want to see the tomb? For there are no dreams, O Master; He already stinks, for it has been four days."
And the Lord to Martha: "Didn't I tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God? You say to me that he already stinks. Your sister stinks, and you are smoking with disbelief? I wish to see the tomb of My friend."
Having said this, the Lord was approaching the tomb. And upon drawing near to the tomb, He saw only the monument, and immediately He wept. What need is there to weep for one whom He was about to raise? He wept. For what reason? Hear wisely. The Lord conducted all things with wisdom; for He wept at the tomb, so as to make public the opinion of those who would follow, what suspicion they hold concerning Him. Therefore, as they saw Him weeping, the crowds that followed, suffering human emotions once more, began to speak among themselves and say: "Behold how he loved him. Could not the one who raised the dead and restored sight to the blind do so that this one would not die, if indeed He loved him so much?"
And the Lord, seeing them still speaking humanly, answered them: "It would have been futile for me to preserve the life of Lazarus as I did with Elijah and Enoch, but none of you understand that by My will the life of Lazarus is restrained. Therefore, I permitted him to be swallowed by death, so that you may accurately learn that I have authority over life and death." And immediately the Lord said to them, as you all know clearly: "Roll away the stone." He permitted the Jews: "Roll away the stone." See how wisely He established precise witnesses of the resurrection of Lazarus. "Roll away the stone." He permitted the disciples to move mountains with words, yet He Himself did not roll away the stone? But always wisely, as He had foretold, He said to the Jews, "Roll away the stone," so that from the corpse you may learn that he is rotten and not stolen. "Roll away the stone."
And as they rolled away the stone they began to grumble — for the stench of the corpse was crushing them. When the stone was rolled away by those present, the Lord immediately cried out, saying: "Lazarus, come forth. The Master calls, no one contradicts. Lazarus, come forth; inform Martha your sister that I command and do not plead. Lazarus, come forth. Before I descend, come out; the promise is in you, but the fulfillment is in Me. Lazarus, come forth."
When you hear, O friend, "Lazarus, come forth," do not imagine that the Lord has called with many voices. He spoke once, and he whom He had fashioned was raised. For He did not weep as Elijah did, nor was He perplexed as Elisha was. With a single utterance, He awakened the one who was sleeping beside Him, saying: "Lazarus, come forth." A single sound and various miracles. The Lord merely called out: "Lazarus, come forth," and immediately the flesh was restored, the hair was reestablished, the sinews were knit together, the veins were filled with pure blood. Hades beneath, struck by this, sent forth Lazarus. The soul of Lazarus, being restrained and interceded for by the holy angels, was merging into its own place. And the most glorious aspect of all was that he was bound by wax at his feet and visage, yet he walked unhindered. Therefore, the Lord more forcefully commanded the present crowd, saying: "Loose him and let him go." See the work of the Lord and how wisely He arranges all things.
For the information of those present, it was said: "Loose him and let him go; as you have rolled away the stone and shown the tomb, and you have shared in the stench, and you have loosened the burial cloths; some to keep as a blessing, others to guard as witnesses. If the chief priests and the Pharisees disbelieve that Lazarus has not risen, show the tombs; reveal the burial cloths as the paralytic did with his mat."
Let us, bearing the branches of the palms, say: 'Hosanna in the highest; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' To Him be the glory and the power with the most holy and life-giving Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.