The Stench of Death: 5th Sunday of Lent

The Stench of Death

The Stench of Death pervades the liturgy on this 5th Sunday of Lent. And not just figuratively. Consider today’s Gospel. Jesus approaches the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who had been buried four days earlier. When Jesus instructs those present to move away the stone sealing the tomb, Lazarus’ sister Martha objects.

“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.” (John 11:39)

If you know little boys, you won’t be surprised to learn that I was particularly fascinated by Martha’s remark when I was a youngster. But I can really appreciate it in a different way now. It reminds me of the opening words of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.* “Marley was dead: to begin with.” After musing on Marley’s absolute deadness for a few brief paragraphs, Dickens observes:

There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.

I Will Open Your Graves

In a similar way, Jesus wants everyone to understand that Lazarus is well and truly and thoroughly dead. The Lord delays coming, in fact, precisely so that Lazarus is so dead that his body is observably decomposing. If Lazarus is not indisputably dead, nothing miraculous can come of his story. Nobody can say that Lazarus was only unconscious, and that Jesus simply woke him up.  Lazarus was, as Dickens would put it, as dead as a doornail. His return is a true return to life. One who was truly dead lives again.

Now, the raising of Lazarus is more than just a foreshadowing or precursor to Christ’s Resurrection.  Lazarus can’t bring himself back to life.  Only God can bring the dead back to life. We see that in the first reading:

Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people! (Ezekiel 37:12-13)

A Real Death

Jesus has done what only God can do. When the time comes, he’ll bring himself back as well. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The death of Lazarus points to the fact that Jesus, too, will really die. I just mentioned above that he’s truly God. But he’s also truly man. He needs to die, die a real death, just like Lazarus, before he rises again.

And of course, if Jesus needs to die, you and I must surely do the same. The good news is, if he can bring Lazarus back, he can bring us back as well. And not just to this life, but to eternal life with him.

Passiontide

By the way, at one time the 5th Sunday of Lent was Passion Sunday. The Gospel reading was the Passion Narrative from one of the synoptic Gospels. Passion Sunday signaled the final a sharp turn into the final two weeks of Lent, the Passiontide. The Lenten observances of these last two weeks focused more explicitly on the events surrounding the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

The 1969 reform of the liturgy moved Passion Sunday back one week to join Palm Sunday in a single liturgical celebration. Nonetheless, while the Church no longer officially acknowledges Passiontide by name, today still marks more intense immersion in the Passion. The raising of Lazarus is Jesus’ last public miracle before his own suffering and death. It’s a powerful reminder that we need to pass through the stench of death before the Resurrection.

Featured image top of page: Raising of Lazarus by Nathaniel Westlake, 1884.

Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down (Music for Lent)

This performance is from the Southern Gospel Revival Series.  Jamie Wilson sings lead and plays the banjo. Courtney Patton, Drew Kennedy, Ben Hester, Marty Durlam, and Jesse Fox are the backing musicians.

*This is not to say that Dickens had Lazarus in mind when composing A Christmas Carol. He most certainly did, however, when he wrote A Tale of Two Cities. In any case, if you’re interested in a more seasonal discussion of A Christmas Carol See my December 22nd post “Bless the Little Saints: St. Servulus.”