Augustine Sokolovski
The event of the resurrection of Lazarus is described in chapter 11 of the Gospel of John, verses 1 to 45. It is a very long text, occupying almost the entire Gospel chapter. In the Orthodox tradition, the Resurrection of Lazarus is celebrated on the Saturday before the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem and forms a semantic unity with it.
The other Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, do not mention Lazarus. Perhaps this is why there is an opinion among commentators that the fourth Gospel was written not only by St. John, but also by Lazarus himself. In other words, Lazarus, the righteous man and friend of Christ, as Scripture and Tradition call him, was one of the authors of the Gospel. This is a very bold hypothesis.
After all, unlike the other evangelists, Lazarus was not one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. But neither was John the Baptist. This happened because every human vocation is personal, unique, and one-of-a-kind. The apostleship is also a calling based on divine election. But none of the vocations are exclusive.
John the Baptist was called to bear witness to the coming of Christ the Messiah into this world and to prepare the people for it through repentant immersion in water. In Greek, the word baptism literally means immersion. Baptism symbolized death and farewell to the former life and marked the beginning of a new life in the Kingdom of the Messiah.
Lazarus became a living testimony that Jesus is truly the Messiah, definitively, irrevocably, and unconditionally. According to the Gospel text, Lazarus remained in the tomb for days. In the language of Holy Scripture, the third day is the moment when all human hope is doomed. The third day is the moment when all human speech falls silent, and action ceases so that God can act. Finally, the third day is the time when the deceased is finally and irrevocably dead.
The great biblical prophets raised the dead. But none of them could break the time limit that God Himself had established. In the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus accomplished this.
During His earthly life, the Lord Jesus performed many good works. But none of them surpasses what was done for Lazarus. The Lord truly raised him from the world of the dead, called him from where no one ever returned. It is a great blessing, and a great grace that the Lord has prepared for His friend. Friendship in Jesus Christ is more than a kinship; it is the readiness to do the greatest and most incredibly good for others.
The resurrection of Lazarus is a great celebration. The divine service marks this event with festive texts. With the resurrection of Lazarus, the Messianic Kingdom of Christ drew ever closer, to an incredible degree. Just a little longer, and it was destined to arrive in Jerusalem. Thus, in Palestine, once in history, for just a few moments, the Kingdom of God truly came to power.
Before the beginning of Holy Week, let us try to perceive the resurrection of Lazarus and the Lord's entry into Jerusalem in this joyful perspective. During these two days, let us congratulate one another with the words: Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. The Messiah, the Savior, the Chosen One, and the One, Jesus Christ, has come into the world.