The Raising of Lazarus
Giotto di Bondone, 1305
My dear friends,
John 11:32-44 recounts the extraordinary miracle of Lazarus's resurrection by Jesus. Traditionally, this passage is often revisited on All Saints' Day as a reminder and a symbol of hope for the resurrection of the dead. However, today, let us explore this passage not as a distant hope for future resurrection, but as a profound teaching that guides us in our spiritual journey in the here and now. Let's draw upon the symbolic content of the story to discover insights that we can apply to our spiritual development in this very moment, in this very body and mind that we are fortunate enough to inhabit.
she knelt at his feet and said to him,
"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews
who came with her also weeping,
he was greatly disturbed in spirit
and deeply moved.
He said, "Where have you laid him?"
They said to him, "Lord, come and see."
Jesus began to weep.
So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
But some of them said, "Could not he
who opened the eyes of the blind man
have kept this man from dying?"
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed,
came to the tomb. It was a cave,
and a stone was lying against it.
Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the sister of the dead man,
said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench
because he has been dead four days."
Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that
if you believed you would see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus looked upward and said,
"Father, I thank you for having heard me.
I knew that you always hear me,
but I have said this
for the sake of the crowd standing here,
so that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out!"
The dead man came out,
his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth
and his face wrapped in a cloth.
Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go."
These verses bring forth the emotions of grief and sorrow, as Mary and the Jews who accompanied her were weeping for Lazarus. Life is characterized by suffering, but it is through understanding and acceptance of this fact that we can cultivate compassion and begin the journey towards enlightenment.
We see that Jesus, moved by the sorrow of those around him, also wept. This showcases the interconnectedness of human emotions and experiences. Like ripples in a pond, our feelings, whether of joy or suffering, affect those around us.
Jesus said to them, "Take away the stone." This stone can be seen as a symbol of our own ignorance, the root cause of suffering. It is the ignorance of thinking we are separate, independent entities rather than interconnected parts of a whole. Removing this stone, this ignorance, is the first step towards enlightenment, towards understanding the ultimate truth of the universe.
Then Jesus prayed and thanked God, demonstrating the faith he had. This can be seen as a kind of mindfulness, a complete and utter focus and awareness, combined with an inner tranquility and faith in the rightness of the universe. We must cultivate such mindfulness in our lives, connecting with the present moment with full awareness and a quiet mind.
Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." This could be interpreted as a call to awaken from the deep sleep of ignorance. Lazarus, wrapped in grave-clothes, symbolizes us in our unawakened state, bound by the shrouds of delusion and ignorance. Jesus' call is a call to spiritual awakening, to recognize and realize our own true potential for compassion, wisdom, and enlightenment.
Lastly, Jesus commanded, "Unbind him, and let him go." This echoes the Buddhist principle of liberation from the cycle of suffering. It is a call for us to unbind ourselves from the chains of our desires, our prejudices, and our ignorance. We must let go of our attachments, our fears, and our misconceptions in order to truly be free and to live compassionately and mindfully.
Even though this passage is from the Christian tradition, it carries universal spiritual teachings that are relevant to us all. The story of the resurrection of Lazarus calls us to acknowledge our interconnectedness, to develop our capacity for compassion, to be mindful, and to awaken to our true potential. Through these practices, we can unbind ourselves from our self-imposed limitations and experience true freedom and peace.