·        2 James Lloyd Breck, Priest, 1876

·        3 Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253

·        4 Martin Luther King Jr., Pastor, Civil Rights Leader, 1968

·        5 Pandita Mary Ramabai, Prophetic Witness and Evangelist in India, 1922

·        6 Daniel G. C. Wu, Priest and Missionary among Chinese Americans, 1956

·        7 Tikhon, Patriarch of Russia and Confessor, 1925

·        8 William Augustus Muhlenberg, Priest, 1877. Anne Ayres, Religious, 1896

Ezekiel 37:1-14

It is likely that Ezekiel was among those deported when the Babylonians first took Jerusalem, in 598 BC. He opposed a political solution to Judah’s woes, espousing instead the notion of Israel as a community faithful to God in religious observance and obedience. Vv. 1-10 are a vision, a prophecy, and vv. 11-14 the interpretation. The “valley” is probably the Tigris-Euphrates plain. The scene the “spirit” of God shows the prophet is of an arid place, perhaps the site of a battle. The bones are “very dry”, long lifeless; they symbolize the exiles, who lack hope of resuscitation of the kingdom of Israel: see v. 11a. Contrasting with the dead bones are “breath” and “spirit” – both ru’ah in Hebrew. See especially v. 9. In vv. 12-13 the metaphor shifts to “graves”. God will renew the covenant, restoring Israel – but probably spiritually rather than literally. Perhaps v. 13 led to the Jewish notion of the resurrection of all at the end of time.

Psalms

Psalms is a collection of collections. The psalms were written over many centuries, stretching from the days of Solomon's temple (about 950 BC) to after the Exile (about 350 BC.) Psalms are of five types: hymns of praise, laments, thanksgiving psalms, royal psalms, and wisdom psalms. Within the book, there are five "books"; there is a doxology ("Blessed be ... Amen and Amen") at the end of each book.

Psalm 130

This is a prayer for deliverance from personal trouble, but it ends with a message to all people. The “depths” are the chaotic waters, separation from God – as in Jonah’s prayer from the stomach of the great fish (Jonah 2:2). May God be attentive to my pleas. God forgives, so he shall be “revered” (v. 4). If God were to record all our misdeeds, how could anyone face him? He is merciful by nature, so I eagerly await his help, his “word” (v. 5), a prophecy from him. I wait as do watchmen guarding a town from enemy attack (v. 6). Perhaps (v. 7) the psalmist has now received a prophecy of salvation which he tells to all Israel: wait in hope for God; he offers unfailing “love”, freedom from grievous sin.

Romans

Romans is the first epistle in the New Testament, although not the first to be written. Paul wrote it to the church at Rome, which included both Jews and Gentiles. His primary theme is the basics of the good news of Christ, salvation for all people. The book was probably written in 57 AD, when Paul was near the end of his third missionary journey around the Eastern Mediterranean. It is unusual in that it was written to a church that Paul had not visited.

Romans 8:6-11

Paul has written that, as a result of God's love shown in the liberating act of Christ's death and resurrection, we are empowered to live a new life, one of freedom from sin, from the finality of death and the Law. As experience shows, the Christian is able to live a life for God, in the Spirit. Christian life is bound up in the Spirit, and not by the desires of the flesh. Now he explains the difference between what he calls living in the Spirit and living according to the flesh : two very different mindsets (v. 6). A person whose mind “is set on the flesh” (v. 7), whose view is limited to the natural world, is at enmity with God because he is fundamentally unable to obey God's law – he lacks the power to transcend his inner conflicts, and “cannot please God” (v. 8). On the other hand, Christians are in the Spirit (v. 9) and the “Spirit ... dwells in you”, i.e. the Spirit fills and motivates our lifestyle. Attachment to Christ (belief in him) is only possible in this kind of relationship: Christ and the Spirit come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time.

h/t ontreal Anglican

Paul has written that, as a result of God's love shown in the liberating act of Christ's death and resurrection, we are empowered to live a new life, one of freedom from sin, from the finality of death and the Law. As experience shows, the Christian is able to live a life for God, in the Spirit. Christian life is bound up in the Spirit, and not by the desires of the flesh. Now he explains the difference between what he calls living in the Spirit and living according to the flesh : two very different mindsets (v. 6). A person whose mind “is set on the flesh” (v. 7), whose view is limited to the natural world, is at enmity with God because he is fundamentally unable to obey God's law – he lacks the power to transcend his inner conflicts, and “cannot please God” (v. 8). On the other hand, Christians are in the Spirit (v. 9) and the “Spirit ... dwells in you”, i.e. the Spirit fills and motivates our lifestyle. Attachment to Christ (belief in him) is only possible in this kind of relationship: Christ and the Spirit come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time

Verse 1: “There is ... no condemnation”: Christians do not live under the threat of judgement, doom and death: see also 2 Corinthians 3:7-9. [ NOAB]
Verse 2: “law”: The Greek word, nomos, qualified by “Spirit” (and later by “sin and death”) does not mean Mosaic law. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “you”: The Greek word is singular. Some important manuscripts have me rather than you. While this fits better with the foregoing (especially 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”), scholars believe that me is a copyist’s correction. The principle here is lectio difficilior potior, Latin for the more difficult reading is the stronger (i.e., more likely to be original). The logic is quite simple: it is more likely that a copyist would correct a difficult or improbable phrase to make it more straightforward or more accurate, than that the copyist would intentionally make a text more difficult. So the more difficult is likely to be original, while the less difficult is most likely a copyist's correction. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “free from the law of sin and of death”: A summary of the discussions in chapters 5-7: the tyranny of sin and death is broken. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “law”: Here, Mosaic law. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “weakened by the flesh”: The good the Law might have achieved was rendered ineffective by the human self dominated by indwelling sin (see 7:22-23). The Law told humans what to do, and what not to do, but it supplied no power to surmount the opposition to it coming from human inclination to sin. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “by sending his own Son”: Note the emphasis: this implies the bond of love between the Father and the Son that is the source of human salvation. See also 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and Romans 3:24. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “the likeness of sinful flesh”: Paul is careful in his wording. Jesus was truly human, but he did not commit sins; however he did suffer the effects of it. [ NJBC] [CAB]
Verse 3: “to deal with sin”: A footnote in the NRSV notes that sin offering is another translation. The reasoning of the translators is probably that the Greek word, hamartia, meaning sin, occurs in the Septuagint translation in the sense of sin offering in Leviticus 4:24; 5:11; 6:18. “Deal with” sin means take it away, expiate it. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “he condemned sin in the flesh”: The Father passed definitive judgement on the force that Adam’s transgression unleashed in the world ( 5:12), and thereby broke its dominion over humans – in making Christ a human, and in his resurrection. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: In this way, through the principle of new life, the uprightness that Mosaic law demanded is finally obtained. [ NJBC]
Verse 6: “death”: i.e. total death, including spiritual death. Definitive separation from God.
Verse 9: “since”: The Greek words, ei per, can be translated if, in reality.
Verse 10: The same idea is found in Galatians 2:20 and Ephesians 3:17. [ NOAB]
Verse 10: “if Christ is in you”: See also 2 Corinthians 5:17. For the Spirit being in you, see v. 9. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “the Spirit is life”: A scholar translates this as your spirit is alive: in contrast to the “body”. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “him”: i.e. the Father. This verses stresses the essential oneness of God. See also John 5:21. [ NOAB]
Verse 11: “will give life to your mortal bodies”: i.e. the resurrection of Christians. See also 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Philippians 3:10, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14. [CAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “his Spirit”: i.e. Christ’s Spirit. It is the spirit as related to the risen Christ that is the life-giving principle. [ NJBC]
Verses 12-17: The Holy Spirit does not make slaves of us, but rather “children of God” (v. 14). [ NOAB]
Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [ NJBC]

John

John is the fourth gospel. Its author makes no attempt to give a chronological account of the life of Jesus (which the other gospels do, to a degree), but rather "...these things are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." John includes what he calls signs, stories of miracles, to help in this process.

John 11:1-45

Jesus is beyond the reach of the Jewish religious authorities, across the Jordan when Martha and Mary (in “Bethany”, near Jerusalem) send a message to him (v. 3): Lazarus, a follower, is ill. Jesus says that his illness is not terminal, rather it will show the “glory” (v. 4, power and authority) the Father has bestowed on the Son. We will see why Jesus delays (v. 6). He urges the disciples to return to “Judea” (v. 7) with him, but they remind him of what happened when he was last there (v. 8). Jesus replies with a parable: there is still time (“hours of daylight”, v. 9) to do God’s work; harm will not come to him “during the day”. Those who do dark deeds will fail because I am not in them (v. 10). His words in v. 11 are ambiguous, as v. 13 explains: the disciples think that Lazarus’ sleep indicates that he is getting better (“all right”, v. 12), but Jesus clarifies: “Lazarus is dead” (v. 14). Note Jesus’ clairvoyance. Restoring Lazarus to life will be a greater opportunity (than just healing him) for strengthening the disciples’ faith in Jesus (v. 15). Thomas shows courageous loyalty.

People thought that one’s soul hovered around one’s body for three days, but when Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead for “four days” (v. 17). (Bodies were buried on the day of death.) Per custom, many have come to “console” (v. 19) the sisters. Perhaps Martha sets out to warn Jesus of the rites while Mary receives mourners (v. 20). Martha rebukes Jesus for his tardiness but shows her confidence in his ability to heal (v. 21). She goes further: perhaps because the Father grants the Son whatever he asks, Jesus will restore life to Lazarus (v. 22). She, as many did, believed in “the resurrection [of all] on the last day” (v. 24), but this is small comfort to her now. Jesus identifies himself as he who raises believers from death (“resurrection”, v. 25) and who is the principle of “life”. Physical death is normal, even so life in Christ will continue, and this life cannot be taken away by the death of the body. Martha affirms her faith in Jesus in terms used earlier by Andrew, Nathanael and those present at the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Jesus and Martha are still outside Bethany. She discerns that Jesus wishes to speak to Mary. She tells Mary “privately” (v. 28) either so she can escape from the visitors or to shield Jesus from any who plot against him. The visitors see Mary leave, and follow her. Mary’s words to Jesus echo Martha’s. Jesus is “disturbed” (v. 33) inwardly by the crowd’s attitude towards death; his humanity shows in v. 35, causing some to say that he weeps at the loss of a friend, but others criticize him: if he’d been here earlier, being a miracle-worker, he could have healed him! (v. 37). Martha warns him of the “stench” (v. 39) of the decaying corpse. Perhaps Jesus prayed at v. 33; now he publicly thanks the Father – to help the crowd understand that his power is from God, and not magic. Being bound in a burial shroud, Lazarus needs unbinding (v. 44). Many believed because of the miracle (v. 45), but others told the Pharisees about it (v. 46).

Jesus is beyond the reach of the Jewish religious authorities, across the Jordan when Martha and Mary (in “Bethany”, near Jerusalem) send a message to him (v. 3): Lazarus, a follower, is ill. Jesus says that his illness is not terminal, rather it will show the “glory” (v. 4, power and authority) the Father has bestowed on the Son. We will see why Jesus delays (v. 6). He urges the disciples to return to “Judea” (v. 7) with him, but they remind him of what happened when he was last there (v. 8). Jesus replies with a parable: there is still time (“hours of daylight”, v. 9) to do God’s work; harm will not come to him “during the day”. Those who do dark deeds will fail because I am not in them (v. 10). His words in v. 11 are ambiguous, as v. 13 explains: the disciples think that Lazarus’ sleep indicates that he is getting better (“all right”, v. 12), but Jesus clarifies: “Lazarus is dead” (v. 14). Note Jesus’ clairvoyance. Restoring Lazarus to life will be a greater opportunity (than just healing him) for strengthening the disciples’ faith in Jesus (v. 15). Thomas shows courageous loyalty.
People thought that one’s soul hovered around one’s body for three days, but when Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead for “four days” (v. 17). (Bodies were buried on the day of death.) Per custom, many have come to “console” (v. 19) the sisters. Perhaps Martha sets out to warn Jesus of the rites while Mary receives mourners (v. 20). Martha rebukes Jesus for his tardiness but shows her confidence in his ability to heal (v. 21). She goes further: perhaps because the Father grants the Son whatever he asks, Jesus will restore life to Lazarus (v. 22). She, as many did, believed in “the resurrection [of all] on the last day” (v. 24), but this is small comfort to her now. Jesus identifies himself as he who raises believers from death (“resurrection”, v. 25) and who is the principle of “life”. Physical death is normal, even so life in Christ will continue, and this life cannot be taken away by the death of the body. Martha affirms her faith in Jesus in terms used earlier by Andrew, Nathanael and those present at the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Jesus and Martha are still outside Bethany. She discerns that Jesus wishes to speak to Mary. She tells Mary “privately” (v. 28) either so she can escape from the visitors or to shield Jesus from any who plot against him. The visitors see Mary leave, and follow her. Mary’s words to Jesus echo Martha’s. Jesus is “disturbed” (v. 33) inwardly by the crowd’s attitude towards death; his humanity shows in v. 35, causing some to say that he weeps at the loss of a friend, but others criticize him: if he’d been here earlier, being a miracle-worker, he could have healed him! (v. 37). Martha warns him of the “stench” (v. 39) of the decaying corpse. Perhaps Jesus prayed at v. 33; now he publicly thanks the Father – to help the crowd understand that his power is from God, and not magic. Being bound in a burial shroud, Lazarus needs unbinding (v. 44). Many believed because of the miracle (v. 45), but others told the Pharisees about it (v. 46).

The raising of Lazarus is the crowning miracle or sign (see 12:17-18), revealing Jesus as the giver of life (see 5:25-29), and precipitating his death (see 11:53). To one scholar, this is the third (and last) of the second group of signs. As such, it corresponds to the healing of the man at Beth-zatha (see 5:2-15). To other scholars, it is the seventh sign. [ NOAB]

Verse 1: “Lazarus”: A common name at the time. [ JBC]

Verse 1: “Bethany”: Separated from Jerusalem by the Mount of Olives. There was also another Bethany across the Jordan, as 1:28 tells us: “This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing”. [ JBC]

Verse 1: “Mary and ... Martha”: In Luke 10:38-42, Mary and Martha live in an unnamed village near Jerusalem. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “anointed the Lord ...”: 12:1-8 tells us of Mary anointing Jesus feet. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “‘This illness does not lead to death’”: Jesus is clairvoyant, but to what extent? The story tells us that Lazarus did die, but not in a terminal way.

Verse 4: “God’s glory”: John tells us in 2:11: “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him”. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “loved”: The Greek word, egapa, has the sense of response to human need. John shows that Jesus is not indifferent to the sisters’ plight. [ BlkJn]

Verse 8: For the stoning of Jesus during his previous visit to Jerusalem, see 10:31, 39. [ JBC]

Verses 9-10: 9:4-5 say: “‘We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world’”. [ JBC]

Verse 11: “has fallen asleep”: A common New Testament description of death: see Matthew 9:24; Mark 5:39; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10. (In several of these verses, the NRSV has died; however, the Greek can also be translated fell asleep.) [ NOAB]

Verse 12: “he will be all right”: BlkJn translates this as will get better. If Lazarus is over the worst of his illness, the disciples see no need to hazard a visit to Judea. The Greek word, sosthesetai, also means will be saved: see also 10:9. (Our word salvation comes from a Latin word meaning health .) The disciples have stumbled on the truth that the raising of Lazarus is an acted parable of the saving power of Christ.

Verse 15: The disciples already have some faith acquired through the showing of God’s glory – at the wedding feast at Cana (see 2:11). [ JBC]

Verse 16: “Thomas”: He is mentioned in the synoptic gospels only in lists of the twelve: see Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13. He emerges in this gospel especially in connection with the great mysteries of Christ’s glorification: see also 14:5; 20:24-29; 21:2. [ JBC]

Verse 17: Comments: Bodies were buried on the day of death: See Acts 5:5-6, 10 (Ananias and his wife).

Verse 19: Jewish mourning ceremonies were elaborate. They were attended by many and lasted about 30 days. [ NOAB]

Verse 19: “Jews”: John writes from outside Israel.

Verse 20: As in Luke 10:38-42, Martha is active and an organizer, while Mary is quieter and more contemplative. [ NOAB]

Verse 22: “whatever you ask of him”: This anticipates what Jesus tells his disciples about prayer: in 15:16, he tells them “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name” and in 16:23: “Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you”. [ BlkJn]

Verse 24: Note that Martha speaks only of resurrection, and not of judging and judgement. Popular belief (especially among Pharisees) was that all Jews (and, for some, Gentiles as well) would be raised. [ JBC] Their fate would depend on their state of integrity from God’s viewpoint.

Verse 24: “on the last day”: This phrase occurs in the New Testament only in John: see also 6:39-40, 44, 54; 12:48. [ BlkJn]

Verse 25: Jesus modifies Pharisaic doctrine. His words are not only about resurrection but also about the fate of those faithful to him. Jesus is not only the agent of final resurrection but also gives life now: see also Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:12; 3:1. Mere physical death can have no hold over the believer. [ NOAB]

Verse 26: The believer has passed from the death of sin into life: see also Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: “‘I believe’”: BlkJn translates this as I am convinced.

Verse 27: “‘the Messiah’”: An affirmation made by Andrew in 1:41. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: “‘the Son of God’”: An affirmation made by Nathanael in 1:49. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: “‘the one coming into the world’”: An affirmation made by those present at the Feeding of the Five Thousand in 6:14. [ BlkJn]

Verse 28: We aren’t told that Jesus has committed to raising Lazarus. In faith that he will, Martha simply goes to fetch Mary [ CAB] as does Andrew, in fetching his brother to Jesus (see 1:41) and as does the Samaritan woman in fetching men from her city (see 4:28-30). Martha, the organizer, assumes that Jesus wishes Mary to be present.

Verse 33: “moved”: Another translation is troubled. Jesus is stirred with indignation, probably at the power of death. In 12:27, he says “"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 34: “laid”: i.e. buried. [ NOAB]

Verse 35: Jesus realizes that the miracle he is about to perform will precipitate a final clash with the authorities, and so bring about his own death – a prospect from which he instinctively recoils.

Verse 35: A sign of Jesus’ humanity. [ NOAB]

Verse 38: “cave”: Tombs were carved out of the limestone rock, either out of the ground or out of a rock face. A stone formed a slab or door to cover the entrance. [ BlkJn] The NRSV translation assumes that Lazarus was placed in a tomb in a rock face.

In Israel, spices were used to arrest the odour caused by decay but not, as in Egypt, to arrest decay.

Verse 40: Actually, Jesus has told the disciples, but not Martha, that they “would see the glory of God”; however revelation of his glory is implied in Jesus’ conversation with her in vv. 23-26. God will act to reveal his power as life-giver. [ NOAB]

Verse 42: “I knew”: It is helpful to make an insertion here, so the reading becomes I, for my part, knew. [ BlkJn]

Verse 42: “always”: BlkJn translates this as every time.

Verse 42: Comments: to help the crowd understand that his power is from God, and not magic: See also 3:17; 5:36, etc.

Verse 43: “cried with a loud voice”: 5:28-29 says that the hour is coming when all in the tombs (as Lazarus is) will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done what is good to resurrection life. The raising of Lazarus is a fulfilment of Jesus’ words in Chapter 5. [ NJBC]

Verse 44: The resurrection of the body is not the same as resuscitation of corpses, as Paul shows: see 1 Corinthians 15:42ff. This is not the resurrection and not a resurrection – it is resuscitation, a foretaste of the resurrection.

Verse 44: Corpses were completely bound up, with the feet bound at the ankles, so Lazarus could not possibly walk. He might have been able to shuffle to the entrance – so he would need to be unbound. [ BlkJn]

Verses 46-53: Members of the Sanhedrin meet, fearing that the Jesus movement may provoke Roman intervention, which could lead to the destruction of the temple and of the Jewish state.

The stories in the synoptic gospels in which Jesus restores life to a person concern one who has just died, but this miracle is a sign that Jesus really is the power of life evident in resurrection: he calls to life a person already buried in a tomb.

© 1996-2017 Chris Haslam