Fifth Sunday of Lent
Over the last three Sunday’s we have heard three rather long and dramatic episodes from the gospel of John. In many ways there are common themes that run between each of these three stories that are significant for us. As a reminder, two weeks back we had the story of the Samaritan woman, last week we read the story of the healing of the blind man and this week we have the reading of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. In these common themes, I would like to draw the practical implication for us today.
The first common theme in each of these stories is the fact that there is the main characters of these stories come to recognize Jesus very gradually. Jesus is first thought of as an ordinary man, then a prophet, then messiah. In the end, Jesus asks Martha the same question he asked the Samaritan woman and the blind man, “Do you believe?” And each of them says, “Yes Lord, I believe.” For each of them that was a life-changing and a life-transforming moment. It was a salvation experience! They experienced hope, love, and life as God lifted them out of their despair. My dear friends, we are here at this Eucharist and the same Jesus is here both in Word and Sacrament. This is our salvation experience! Let Jesus change us. Let Jesus transform us. Let Jesus save us.
The second common trend in each of these stories is that there are challenges to the profession of the Samaritan woman, the blind man and Martha. The Samaritan woman had to face her past. She had to overcome her insecurities, her sinful life, her pretensions, and her self-sufficiency in order to confess Jesus. Her demons were within her. The blind man, on the other hand, faced obstacles from the outside. The Pharisees grilled him numerous times about the healing. He was insulted, called names and even thrown out of the synagogue because he defended Jesus and the miracle. But it was Martha who faced the greatest obstacle – death. I think that the Gospel readings are saying to us that nothing – not our inner demons, not outside opposition, not even death – can come between God and us. Jesus is presented as the hope of the entire human race. Jesus is our healing, Jesus is our peace, Jesus is our reconciliation, Jesus is our life, Jesus is our resurrection. Jesus eliminated the most hopeless words from the dictionary – death and despair. For those who believe, there is only life and hope.
The third common theme is the interaction between Jesus and the characters involved. Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman “living water.” In Jesus God intervened to save her. Jesus healed the blind man. In Jesus God intervened to save him. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus wept. Imagine that! Jesus wept. That is the entire incarnation story. Each of us like the Samaritan woman, like the blind man, like Martha has a story. Some of it is good, some of it is sad; some of it is sinful, some of it is holy; some of it is tragic, some of it is heroic; some of it is shameful, some of it is heroic. Jesus embraces it all. In that weeping at the tomb of Lazarus God tells us how much he loves us. We see God’s weeping most of all on the cross. The Cross is God’s tears. The cross is God’s tears for our sins, for our selfishness, for our death. And having nailed our sin and shame and death itself to the cross, he invites us into his own eternal life. Just like Lazarus is brought to life at the tomb, we are brought to life at the cross. And that is our hope
This Eucharist captures the entire depth of these three events. Here Jesus transforms our lives; here Jesus heals our soul of its blindness; and here Jesus offers us eternal life. May we come to Jesus like each of these three people in total surrender and in total trust. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph