Again the Lord spoke to the disciples;

But they did not understand that the Redeemer referred to death as sleep,

For who can die if he loves Christ? How can he fall if he eats the living bread?^[1] KONTAKION ^[1]

The Creator of all spoke on behalf of the disciples, saying: Friends and companions, our friend has fallen asleep.

He was secretly teaching them in advance, because he knows and cares for all things—

Let us go, then, let us advance and see the unusual tomb,^[1]

And let us cause the mourning of Mary and Martha to cease

As I raise up Lazarus from the tomb,

When they heard these words, the apostles as with one voice cried out to the Lord,

Sleep exists for man for his safety and not at all for his destruction.^[2]

And so He spoke to them openly: He is dead.

As mortal I am away from him; but as God, I know all things.

If we truly arrive in time, KONTAKION ^[1] LAZARUS BEGINS TO BE WHAT HE HAD BEEN. POTAMIUS OF LISBON Lazarus, this intimate friend of God, died, as is known through the testimony of the Gospel. According to John, for forty years he had compensated for the losses of the flesh by the actions of his will. And so after a quick death which was due to his earthly frame, that is, to earth itself more than humanity—according to the book of Genesis^[1] the rich fluidity of clay is responsible for us as well—while Christ the judge was far away, imparting the gifts of salvation on the borders of Judea, Lazarus was buried and placed in the tomb in order that he might begin to be what he had been—clay. ^[2] NO HINT YET OF THE MIRACLE TO COME. CHRYSOSTOM When he said, He sleeps, he added, I go to awake him. But when he said, He is dead, he did not add, I go to raise him. For he would not foretell in words what he was about to confirm by his deeds. He is always teaching us not to look for glory and not to make promises without a reason for doing so. ^[1] PHYSICIANS NORMALLY DO EVERYTHING TO SAVE LIFE. EPHREM THE SYRIAN All physicians wear themselves out for their patient lest he die. But Lazarus’s physician was waiting for his death in order to show his victory over death. ^[1] JESUS HEALS DEATH. AUGUSTINE He had been sent for in order to restore Lazarus from sickness, not from death. But how could the death be hidden from him into whose hands the soul of the dead had flown? ^[1] ESTABLISHING THE DISCIPLES’ FAITH. HIPPOLYTUS Is he who does not desire the death of a sinner,^[1] now glad of the death of a friend? I rejoice, [Jesus says], not for my own sake, nor for the sake of the dead, but for your sake. For I need this death as the foundation for your faith. ^[2] CHRIST’S LOVE WOULD HAVE OVERCOME HIM. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA Here it is as though Jesus says, If I had been there, he would not have died, because I would have had pity on him when he was suffering only a little. But now in my absence his death has taken place, so that, by raising him to life I shall bestow upon you a great advantage through your faith in me. And Christ says this, not to indicate that he is only able to do his divine work when present, but rather to show that if he had been present he would not have been able to neglect helping his friend who was dying. ^[1] THOMAS LATER BECOMES THE MOST ZEALOUS OF ALL THE DISCIPLES. CHRYSOSTOM Some say that Thomas himself wanted to die. But this is not the case. The expression is rather one of cowardice. And yet Christ does not rebuke him but instead supports his weakness. The result is that in the end he became stronger than them all—in fact, invincible. For the wonderful thing is this: We see one who was so weak before the crucifixion become more tenacious than any of them after the crucifixion and after he comes to believe in the resurrection. This is how great the power of Christ was. The very man who dared not go in company with Christ to Bethany, the same person, while not seeing Christ, ran practically through the entire inhabited world, living in the midst of nations that were full of murder and wanting to kill him.^{[1] [2]} THOMAS EXPECTS DEATH WHEN HE SHOULD EXPECT LIFE. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA There is audacity in Thomas’s words, but also timidity. It was the outflow of a devout heart, but it was mixed with a small faith. For he does not endure being left behind and even tries to persuade the others to adopt a similar resolution. Nevertheless, he thinks that they are destined to suffer [death] at the hands of the Jews, even against the will of Christ. . . . He neglects to look at the power of the Deliverer as he should have. And Christ made them timid, by enduring with patience beyond measure the sufferings he did experience at the hands of the Jews. Thomas therefore says that they should not separate themselves from their teacher, although undoubted danger lay before them. So, perhaps with a knowing smile, he said, Let us go, that is, Let us die. Or, maybe he meant, If we go, we certainly will die. Nevertheless, let us not refuse to suffer, for that would be too cowardly. Because if he raises from the dead, fear is superfluous seeing that we have someone who is able to raise us again after we have fallen. ^[1] THOMAS MUST DIE WITH JESUS IN ORDER TO LIVE WITH HIM. ORIGEN Perhaps Thomas also knew that it would not be possible to live with Jesus except by having died with him, as Paul taught.^[1] But those who disagree say that he said this because he suspected the envy of the Jews that would arise from the resurrection of Lazarus, and the ensuing danger. ^[2]

Taking pity on the tears of Mary and Martha,

In considering the tomb and those in the tomb, we weep,

They have come from temporal life, released from its sorrows;

Why, then, do we weep in vain? Why do we not trust Christ, as He cries:

The man of faith always has power for whatever he wishes,

This faith is a great possession; if a man have it, he has control of everything. KONTAKION ^[1] BELIEVERS ARE ALWAYS ALIVE. METHODIUS Here he says believers live; they never die. Their bodies die but are brought back to life again. ^[1] FAITH IS THE LIFE OF THE SOUL. AUGUSTINE What does this mean? He who believes in me, though he were dead. Just as Lazarus is dead, yet shall he live, for he is not the God of the dead but of the living. Such was the answer he gave the Jews concerning their fathers, long ago dead, that is, concerning Abraham and Isaac and Jacob: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob: He is not the God of the dead but of the living. For all live unto him.^[1] Believe then, and though you were dead, yet shall you live; but if you do not believe, even while you are alive you are dead. Let us prove this also by the fact that if you do not believe, though you live you are dead. To one who was delaying to follow him and saying, Let me first go and bury my father, the Lord said, Let the dead bury their dead. But come and follow me.^[2] There was there a dead man needing to be buried, there were there also dead people to bury the dead: the one was dead in the flesh, the others in soul. And how does death come to the soul? When faith is wanting. How does death come to the body? When the soul is wanting. For faith is the life of the soul. ^[3] LIVING IN THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION. CYPRIAN The apostle Paul reproaches and rebukes those who show sorrow for those who have left this world. I would not, he says, like you to be ignorant, my dear brothers and sisters, about those who are sleeping, so that you feel sorrow like those who have no hope. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will bring those who are asleep in Jesus with him.^[1] Those who show sorrow at the departure of their friends reveal their own lack of hope. But we who live by hope and believe in God and are convinced that Christ suffered for us and that he rose again, who remain with Christ and find our resurrection by him and in him, why should we either show reluctance when we ourselves have to depart or lament and grieve for others who depart as though they were dying forever? Christ himself, our Lord and God, tells us, I am the resurrection and the life, he that believes in me, though he should die, shall live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. If we believe in Christ, let us put faith in his words and promises. Since we shall not die once and for all, let us pass into Christ in joy and confidence since we shall live and reign with him forever. ^[2] THE GRACE OF THE GENERAL RESURRECTION. ^[1] WHETHER A QUESTION OR A STATEMENT. ORIGEN The Savior does not inquire Do you believe this? in ignorance as to whether Martha did or did not believe what was said. Rather, he did so in order that we, or indeed those who were then present, might learn from her answer what her disposition was. But another will say that it is not a question but a statement: You believe this. In this case, Martha then completes the Savior’s statement saying, Yes, Lord, and not only do I believe what you now say, but I believe now that you are the Christ, something I also believed before. And I believe that you are the Son of God who comes into the world and lives with all who believe in you. ^[1] MARTHA’S AMEN ON BEHALF OF LAZARUS. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA Having previously explained the force of the mystery in himself and shown plainly that he is by nature life and true God, he demands assent to the faith, furnishing in this matter a model to the churches. For we should not vainly cast our words into the air when we confess the venerable mystery but rather fix the roots of the faith in heart and mind and then allow it to bear fruit in our confession. And we ought to believe without any hesitation or double-mindedness. . . . Nevertheless, it is necessary to know that we make the confession of our faith to God, although we are questioned by others, I mean those whose responsibility it is to minister in sacred things, when we say the I believe at the reception of holy baptism. Certainly therefore to speak falsely and to slip aside toward unbelief is a most awful thing. . . . In a certain way, as Lazarus was lying dead, the assent to the faith is demanded of the woman on his behalf. The same can be seen in the churches when a newborn child is brought either to receive the anointing of the catechumenate or to be fully initiated into the Christian faith at holy baptism. In these instances, the person who brings the child repeats aloud the Amen on the child’s behalf^[1]. . . something we also see in the case of Lazarus and his sister. Martha wisely and prudently sows the confession of faith first so that afterward she may reap the fruit of it. ^[2] ASKED ONE THING, ANSWERS ANOTHER. CHRYSOSTOM Martha seems not to have understood his words, that is, she saw that he meant something great but did not see what that was. She is asked one thing and answers another. Yet for a while at least she had this in her favor, that she moderated her grief. Such was the power of the words of Christ. This is why Martha went out first and Mary followed. For their affection for their teacher did not allow them to feel their present sorrow so strongly, so that the minds of these women were truly wise as well as loving. ^[1] MARTHA CONFESSES CHRIST. TERTULLIAN Martha confesses him to be the Son of God, being no more astray than Peter and Nathanael, though even if she had been astray she should at once have learned [the truth]. For the Lord, for the raising up of her brother from the dead, looked up to heaven and to the Father and said, Father—evidently a son [speaks]—I thank you that you hear me always: for the sake of these multitudes that stand by, I said it that they may believe that you have sent me.^{[1] [2]} BELIEF ^[1]

Why did Christ weep except to teach us to weep? ^[1] JESUS SHOWED THERE ARE LIMITS TO GRIEF FOR CHRISTIANS. BASIL OF SELEUCIA Jesus wept by the tomb in order to give a limit for grief to lovers of Christ. By weeping, he ordained a law with his tears. He wept, he did not lament, or wail, or moan, or rend his garments or tear his hair. He defined the bounds of grief [as extending] only as far as the first tears. For why do you weep for a corpse that will be raised? Why do you weep for one who is awaiting the trumpet? Why do you lament as a corpse one who is [merely] sleeping? Why do you trouble one who is in repose with your cries? Christ is arisen and became the firstfruits of those that slept.^[1] On hearing of one who is asleep, do not lament him as a corpse. Moderate your love by means of your tears. Do not offend the one who has experienced the resurrection by weeping immoderately.^[2] For it is on this account that he is weeping by the tomb and allowing himself to suffer now, in order that he may expel your grief. ^[3] JESUS’ MOTHER GAVE HIM THE GIFT OF WEEPING. IRENAEUS Why did he come down into [Mary his mother] if he were to take nothing of her? If he had taken nothing of Mary, he . . . would never have wept over Lazarus. ^[1] JESUS’ TEARS ARE LIKE THE RAIN THAT WATERS THE EARTH. EPHREM THE SYRIAN His tears were like the rain, and Lazarus like a grain of wheat, and the tomb like the earth. He gave forth a cry like that of thunder, and death trembled at his voice. Lazarus burst forth like a grain of wheat. He came forth and adored his Lord who had raised him. ^[1] JESUS WEEPS FOR ALL HUMANITY. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA The Jews thought that Jesus wept on account of the death of Lazarus, but in fact he wept out of compassion for all humanity, not mourning Lazarus alone but all of humanity, which is subject to death, having justly fallen under so great a penalty. ^[1] WICKEDNESS ^[1]