“Lazarus, Come Forth!” – Christ the Lord of Life and Death

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen. May the blessing of the Father who calls us and His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and transforms us be with us all, that we may hear His word and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Amen.

Today, the Church sets before our eyes the final great sign before the Passion. It is the sixth day of the seventh week of the Great Lent, and the day we commemorate Lazarus Saturday—the miracle that proclaims: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

Before Christ ascends the Cross, He descends into the tomb. Before He is bound, He frees the bound. Before He dies, He commands life. And with one mighty voice, He shouts: “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43)

This shout is not only for Lazarus. It is for you. It is for me. It is for every soul that has grown cold in the grave of sin, every heart sealed behind the stone of despair.

1. The Lord Who Weeps

Let us first pause before the tears of Christ. The Gospel tells us that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). He, the Lord of glory, stood before the tomb, not with indifference, but with compassion. He did not weep because He lacked power, for He is the Resurrection. He wept because He shares our grief, and through His Incarnation, He bore the weight of our sorrows.

St. Ambrose says it beautifully:

“He prays as Son of Man, and commands as Son of God.”

Here, we behold the full union of Christ’s divinity and humanity. He feels our pain. He mourns with Martha and Mary. And yet, He also commands death itself, not by pleading with it, but by authoritatively commanding it to release its prisoner.

2. Come Forth: The Divine Authority of the Cross

This miracle is a foretaste of the Cross and the Resurrection. The Church, in her wisdom, places this event on the eve of Passion Week, not only as a demonstration of Christ’s power but as a declaration of His divine purpose.

Why is this miracle placed here?

Because Christ did not approach the Cross in weakness, but with authority. He said of His life:

“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” (John 10:18)

The raising of Lazarus shows us that when He dies, it is not because He was overcome, but because He chose to descend into death to destroy it.

And just as He cried, “Lazarus, come forth!”—on the third day, He will shout again in Hades, calling all who have fallen asleep to rise.

St. Aphrahat the Persian Sage once proclaimed:

“By faith, Lazarus was raised, and the dead came out. He broke the bonds of Hades, calmed the waves, and raised the poor.” And he ends by saying: “All these were done by faith.”

3. Tombs of the Soul – Where Have You Laid Him?

Beloved, Christ asked, “Where have you laid him?” (John 11:34). He wasn’t lost. He knew where Lazarus was. But He asks because He wants us to bring the buried things in our hearts into the light. The sealed places. The forgotten grief. The wounds we’ve accepted as permanent.

St. Ambrose meditates deeply on this moment:

“He says: Where have you laid him? That is, in what state of sin has he died? In what depth of corruption? Let Me see him, so that by his tears, I may be moved to raise him.”

Today, the Lord asks you:

Where have you laid your hope? Where have you buried your love, your purity, your joy? Where has your faith been entombed?

He stands before your soul’s grave and weeps—not because He is powerless, but because He longs to resurrect what you have given up on.

4. The Mystery of Entry and Exit

In these final days of Lent, the Church arranges a beautiful tapestry:

  • Last Sunday: The blind man is cast out of the synagogue.

  • Wednesday: Christ promises, “He who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

  • Today: Christ calls the dead to come out.

  • Tomorrow (Palm Sunday): Christ enters Jerusalem to be crucified.

“He went out to raise Lazarus. He entered to offer Himself.”

In the words of the Church:

“He who has authority over life and death, descended to the gates of Hades and raised us.” (Wisdom 16:13)

What a divine reversal!
  • The world pushes out the faithful, but Christ brings them into life.
  • The world condemns, but Christ redeems.
  • The world seals tombs, but Christ rolls away stones.

5. A Resurrection that Prepares Us for the Cross

The miracle of Lazarus is not an end—it is a beginning. It is the entry gate to Holy Week.

  • On Saturday, Christ raises Lazarus from a tomb.

  • On Sunday, He cleanses the Temple.

  • On Friday, He descends into Hades.

  • On Pascha, He tramples death by death.

The raising of Lazarus proclaims:

“I am not afraid of death. I go to defeat it.”

6. Our Response: Remove the Stone

The miracle did not begin with “Lazarus, come forth.” It began with a command to the people:

“Take away the stone.” (John 11:39)

Beloved, there are stones in our lives. Stones of pride, secrecy, stubbornness. Today, the Lord cannot raise what we still keep buried. But if we obey and roll away the stone—He will call us by name.

May we respond to Him not as spectators, but as participants. Let your soul hear His voice. Let your heart come forth.

Conclusion:

As we stand at the threshold of Holy Week, let this Lazarus miracle awaken us. Do not enter Passion Week asleep. Do not watch the Cross from a distance. Come forth from sin. Come forth from death. Come forth into light.

Let the words of Christ echo not just in Bethany, but in your heart:

“Lazarus, come forth!”

And may we all rise—today and on the Last Day—because we have heard His voice.

May the Lord bless us, transform our hearts and minds, that our homes may stand on the Rock, our hands serve in the harvest, and our hearts long for Heaven. Amen.