In today’s Gospel reading, we hear John’s detailed account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead – the final and most dramatic of Jesus’ signs before his own death. It’s a story many of us know well, so it can be easy to move through it quickly. The ending is already clear to us. We know that he himself will rise from the dead and open eternal life for us. The miracle feels almost expected.
But those standing outside the tomb that day did not know the ending.
Mary and Martha only knew their brother had died. The disciples only knew that Jesus had waited too long to come. The crowd only knew that a grieving family stood beside a sealed tomb. Nothing about the moment made belief easy.
Even when Jesus ordered the stone removed, doubt must have lingered in the air. Martha herself protested: “Lord, by now there will be a stench.” Death, after all, had already done its work. And yet it is there – in the confusion, grief, and uncertainty – that Jesus speaks: “Lazarus, come out.”
When we place ourselves among those gathered at the tomb, the miracle becomes even more striking, but it also becomes more relatable. Because even those who witnessed such an astonishing sign did not suddenly become perfect believers. John’s Gospel tells us that some believed – but others went away questioning and plotting. Among those who believed, few would remain with Jesus until the end.
We shouldn’t be surprised. Our own lives are not so different.
We see signs of God’s work around us, and we hear his promises week after week. But doubt still creeps in.
We wonder whether God is truly present in our suffering. We question whether forgiveness is really meant for us. We struggle to believe that Christ gives himself to us in something as simple as bread and wine.
Faith does not erase every question.
That is why Lent invites us to walk slowly through these moments. It calls us to stand near the tomb, to gather in the Upper Room, and to walk the road to Calvary. Because it is there that we are reminded of the truth at the center of our faith: Jesus himself entered the tomb, and on the third day he rose again.
The risen Christ still comes to us. He meets us in our weakness. He calls us out of the places of death we cling to. And every Sunday he gives himself to us again at the altar, calling us to share in his life – today, tomorrow, and forever.
Rianna Edwards
Director of Evangelization & Youth Ministry
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