Fifth Sunday of Lent

March 22, 2026

John 11: 1-45

The elephant in the room is Lazarus. In a sense he is a focal point of this passage, and yet we never think too much about him. His name is a from of the Hebrew Eleazar meaning “God is my help.” Who was he? And, more importantly, what does he tell us about Jesus? And finally, what does Lazarus and his relationship with Jesus tell us about ourselves?

Although we hear of Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, we only learn of him in the Gospel of John. In Luke, Mary is praised for her faithfulness in listening to Jesus’ words; in this chapter of John, Martha is praised for her faith in Jesus as the Christ. What about Lazarus? We know that Lazarus was a beloved friend of Jesus; a person very important to him. The sister are confident enough in Jesus’ love for their brother, that they send word to him when he is away that Lazarus is sick, apparently gravely so. Jesus is concerned but states, “Our friend...is asleep, but I am going to wake him.” It is sure that Jesus knew that Lazarus would die, yet he did not go immediately. Later Jesus said that Lazarus had died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.”

It is clear that Jesus loved Lazarus, and loved him dearly. When he arrived and found him buried, and his sisters in tears, Jesus himself wept. He wept even though he knew what he would do. The human emotion ran very deep. So, the fact that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead did not free him from his feeling of loss for his friend. Had Lazarus been hoping that Jesus would arrive before he died? Had Lazarus been concerned? Or, had he had full trust in the love of his friend and belief that he was the Christ, that he waited patiently, even in death, that his Lord would come to him? Did he have the trust and patience of the Man born Blind? Whatever the case, Lazarus did have the same confession of faith that Martha had given, and the same trust in his words that Mary did. We know that after he was raised from the dead, Lazarus had a double effect on the Jewish establishment: for some, he brought them to believe in Jesus; for others, he became a hated threat to right belief and authority. Some believed, some wanted him dead.

What Lazarus tells us about Jesus is that he has a love for another human that is very great. Even though Jesus would make use of raising Lazarus from the dead, he could weep. For us, Lazarus gives us the confidence to believe in the love Jesus has for each of us. Lazarus points to the gift that Jesus gives to every human, that is, the trust in being raised up from the dead, just as Jesus himself would shortly be raised. Lazarus provides the last great sign Jesus would give pointing toward the meaning of Jesus’ life among us. And in Jesus’ resurrection soon to come, this gift of victory over death is given to us all.

In this last Sunday before Holy Week, with its sorrow and joy, we are given hope. A hope that will stay with us even though we, like Jesus, know that the passion is followed by resurrection and the promise of a sure life in Christ and becoming children of his Father. So, Lazarus is not only an incidental character in today’s gospel. Rather, he is a mirror of our own relationship with Our Lord. Lazarus’ name, Eleazar, meaning “God is my Help,” is our name as well.

Fr. John Tran