The gospel text for this fifth Sunday of Lent is the long, richly detailed story of the raising of Jesus’ best friend from the dead.
Who wouldn’t consider this dramatic event the greatest miracle performed by Jesus during his earthly ministry?
Can you imagine any greater demonstration of Jesus’ power and authority than him standing before Lazarus’ tomb and, in front of many witnesses, commanding the dead man to “Come out”?
What could possibly be a greater testimony to Jesus’ identity than the stumbling appearance of a man who had been four days in the grave, his shrouds and stench still clinging to him?
Yet, if we read the John’s Lazarus story with careful attention to the layers of detail, this miracle also reveals as much failure as success: 1) the failure of faith from the discip…