About the four-day Lazarus. Word 1st

Any divine teaching usually has in mind the benefit of inquisitive people, especially holidays, which always occur at a certain time; they could be compared to streams of water to which thirsty people strive and which, serving to quench thirst, are all the more pleasant for those who use them. But why did I need such a preface? Lazarus, a four-day dead man, was resurrected during these very days of fasting. At this time, Christ was already pursuing his saving passion, showing miracles before the miracles, establishing a new holiday before the holiday, and showing the deed before the deed, so that when He was ascended to the cross, His disciples would not doubt the resurrection of their Teacher, but would believe that He fell to death for the sake of others, but He Himself could not endure anything terrible from death. So, it is quite fair - both in terms of time, and in the form of our own benefit, and for the sake of the upcoming holiday - for us to take part in the joy of the resurrection of Lazarus, not only to take part in mourning him, but also to share the triumph and joy of the good women who surrounded Mary, and to honor our mentor Jesus with attention to the story told about this event. Undoubtedly, whoever honors His friends does something pleasant to Himself: being a lover of humanity, He usually always appropriates to Himself the honor shown to them. He himself said in the Gospel: “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matthew 10:40). “There was a sick man,” says the evangelist, “Lazarus from Bethany, from the village where Mary and Martha her sister lived” (John 11:1). The story pours out without embellishment from the lips of an ingenuous writer: it was not for nothing that John was a fisherman. When he began to describe the amazing miracle, he did not try to please the listener with his choice of expressions. And see for yourself that this is so. He described that the miracle took place in Bethany, the way it was performed, indicated the women who were present, described what was said, what was done, where they met the Teacher, how He cried, how they asked Him, how they reproached Him, complaining to the Lord Himself that He was not near the dying Lazarus, did not close the gates of mortals with a word, did not hold back the waves of destruction: after all, of course, with a helmsman, the ship would have been saved. And he wrote this while in Ephesus, so that, due to lack of covetousness and poverty, he would not even use his own ink and paper. Meanwhile, when John described this, everyone flocks to see the coffin of the deceased - kings, simpletons, judges, barbarian tribes, crowds of soldiers. What am I saying - a coffin? The resting place of Lazarus became a church. Everyone strives to pray where Jesus prayed, benefiting from the fellowship in action. “A certain Lazarus was sick from Bethany, from the village where Mary and Martha lived.” Let no one disdain the place: God is everywhere - in the village, in the city, and in the mountains; He sees everything. God is everywhere, but He pays attention not to the place itself, but to the disposition of pious people. Lazarus was sick, the illness overcame him. The pious women - Mary and Martha - were not confused by this misfortune, did not despair in view of the attacks of illness, did not look for medicine, did not call on either their neighbors or a doctor, since it was unnecessary to look for any doctor when they had Jesus. They knew where to expect salvation, and when the brother was exhausted, they sent messengers (to Jesus) with news of the threatening death (Lazarus). So you, too, when the servants of darkness take away your sick son, or mother, or brother, or in general anyone from your household, go to Jesus - not a man, not a servant, but your prayers, much more reliable than people - and imitate Mary and your sister. What are they saying? They do not ask Him: pray; They don’t say: hurry up, or: come, give grace, but what do they say? "God! behold, the one you love is sick” (John 11:3). Death lies in wait for Your absence and kidnaps Your friend. Intercede for Lazarus, kidnapped, oppressed, struck by many arrows, and fever, and sorrow, and a cloud of evils; it is not even known whether you will find your friend (alive). Jesus heard and said to them: “This sickness is not for death, but for the glory of God, that through it the Son of God may be glorified” (John 11:4). What is there to be surprised about? Is it the wisdom of what was said? Is it a prophecy? Is there a way to implement it? Is it a command beyond man, or inexpressible love for mankind, or meekness of words, or honor given to the Father? Everything here is God's. As God, He predicted: “this disease does not lead to death,” and a little later he confirmed this with deeds. He gave glory to God, showing at the same time that the glory of the Father and the Son is one. He consoled his sisters with His word, giving them good hope that “this disease is not unto death.” Lazarus does not die. Of course, if he does not give in to death, then he remains alive. But he both gives and does not give. After all, if someone gives back what he took, then, in essence, it turns out that he did not take it. After these words, Jesus, according to the evangelist, “spent two days in that place” (John 11:6). Why did He stay two more days? He delayed so that Lazarus' death would become certain, so that the rushing wave would sink the ship. After all, if He had been in Bethany, the disease would not have gained power over Lazarus, but the favorable turn of the disease would have been explained by natural causes; and even if this had been attributed to Jesus, then, of course, the miracle would not have been so amazing. And so, the common destiny of people is that death overtook Lazarus and kept him in its bonds. When this happened, Jesus, not being present at the death of his friend, not touching him, not being an eyewitness to the event, says to His disciples, who were in the dark: “Our friend Lazarus fell asleep; but I go to wake him up” (John 11:11). These words are a great consolation for people: death here is considered a dream, death is turned into salvation. So, let no one despair for the dead: for God, everyone is alive, awake and falling into sleep according to His will. The disciples, not suspecting the secret meaning of His words, say to Him: “Lord! if he falls asleep, he will recover” (John 11:12). For patients, sleep is considered a natural medicine. “Then Jesus said to them plainly: Lazarus is dead; and I rejoice for you” (John 11:14–15). Who could be satisfied with death? Who would rejoice over a dead friend? It is as if one should lament and grieve in the event of the loss of loved ones. But Jesus says: “I rejoice for you that I was not there” (John 11:15). After all, if I had been there, the fever would have been stopped with a word, and the miracle would have been smaller or even considered an ordinary thing. Now I stayed here so that the wolf could completely steal the sheep. Indeed, He had already become the prey of death - and then God wiped away every tear from every face on earth. They set off and hastened to Bethany, arriving there not to put out the fire, but to see only the ashes left by the fire - arriving already when traces of the shipwreck could be found, because it was already stinking, being four days old. In the event of a shipwreck, it is possible to find the skeleton of the ship, collect the planks, pick up the spacers, save the rudder for use on another ship, and, with great effort, even save some of the cargo. But in relation to Lazarus, all this was difficult: here the end had already come, and things had reached the point of stench. The sadness was in full swing, the dead man was already lying under the gravestone. Many of the Jews, says the evangelist, came from the city to comfort the sisters of the deceased. Here, as the evangelist says, are witnesses to the impending miracle, so that this deed does not happen as if by stealing, but is an undoubted proof of the truth. Jesus came, the helmsman came after a shipwreck, the doctor after death. And why did you come here, Lord? To listen to reproaches for indifference to the fate of a friend, for allowing his death, for not providing assistance to him in view of his imminent death? Martha heard, and little caring about her sad appearance, runs towards Him and begins to bitterly reproach the Savior: “Lord! If You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). In the presence of the shepherd, how would a sheep perish? When a general fights, how would the gates open? In the light of the sun, how can they steal gold? "God! if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Without faith, this word is unfounded: after all, when the master came, the opportunity arose to restore the collapsed vessel again. “Jesus says to her: Your brother will rise again. Martha said to Him: I know that He will rise again on the resurrection, on the last day. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection” (John 11:23–25). So why are you looking for what you already have? Wait a little and you will see grace. Martha heard and believed; She encourages her sister, and everyone runs away together, crying and those who came for consolation. Again Jesus - among the people, everywhere - both at marriage and in sorrow, helping believers in their difficulties. Seeing sadness and tears, Jesus says: “Where have you laid him” (John 11:34)? Why are you asking this, Master? While you were away, You knew about the death (of Lazarus), but having arrived here, you do not know the place where he was buried, but you ask: “Where did you lay him?” Show Me, He says, those who buried, dressed and bound the deceased. Let them, witnesses of My future miracle, come here and acknowledge their participation in this matter, so that later, when they see the one they buried resurrected, they will not attribute his death simply to a deception of feelings. The Omniscient One came to the tomb, allowing Him to be led by others; to top it all off, here He shed a tear. Why are You crying if what You promised is true, if You yourself want to resurrect him? The Lord mourned the man, thereby testifying to His love for mankind, and perhaps He also mourned the ingratitude of the Jews, that even after this miracle they would still persist in their unbelief. And then some of them already said: “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have ensured that this one also should not die” (John 11:37)? Of course he could. Why do you rush to slander? Wait and see what He will do. Jesus tells them: “Take away the stone” (John 11:39). Strange order! He who breaks down the copper gates and destroys the iron gates of death says: “Take away the stone.” Why, O Lord, do You not remove the stone with Your word? Take away the stone - He says, you yourselves, slanderers, unbelievers, deceivers; take it, touch it, verify it, so as not to disbelieve again, make sure of what you see. It is not a shadow that should come out of the coffin, not a ghost: they do not need to remove the stone that blocks the exit. “The sister of the deceased, Martha, said to Him: Lord! already stinks; for he was in the grave four days” (John 11:39). Of course, he, a slave, should have not appropriated to himself what distinguished the Master. The Master, by his own promise, rose on the third day, and Lazarus is raised on four days: a slave is another thing, a Master is another. They say to Him: “Lord! already stinks; for he has been in the grave for four days.” For God, this is not much: not yet dry bones, not yet a complete absence of flesh and life, as once in the vision of Ezekiel, - and meanwhile that horde of the dead, covering the earth (with their bones), already deprived of everything - both soul, and feelings, and the ability to perceive, and the spirit of life, rose up at the tombs, showing clear evidence of the coming resurrection. Martha fell silent. They rolled away the stone. Everyone was in great tension, neither alive nor dead; Hell itself probably experienced the same thing, since the gates of death were already shaking. And the Lord Jesus, first of all, begins with doxology. He raised, says the evangelist, his eyes to heaven, pointing out to those from where He himself came, and thanked the Father for us, saying: “Father! I thank You that You heard Me” (John 11:41). Having the source of life in Himself, He does this because Mary and Martha told Him exactly this: we know “that whatever you ask of God, God will give you” (John 11:22). Seeing some of their instability in this thought, He says to them: you know that the Father will fulfill every request of mine; try to strengthen yourself in this thought worthy of Me and the Father. And then he adds: “Father! I thank You that You heard Me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but he said this for the sake of the people standing here” (John 11:41–42). Do you see that He himself does not need prayer, but does this in view of the unbelief of those around him? You always, he says, listen to Me. Don’t ask when exactly, because no matter how much we research, we cannot understand it. He had everything by nature, like the Son, but mentioned the Father, giving honor to Him, in order to show to the ignorant the complete agreement between the Father and the Son. And then, having confirmed the faith and strengthened the thoughts of the listeners, He proceeds to the work itself. "Lazarus! get out” (John 11:43). He does not repeat the words so that only one will rise, so that the whole multitude of the dead does not rush towards Him in a disorderly crowd. I'm calling one dead man, don't come, everyone. The time has not yet come for that commandment when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of man and, having heard; will come to life. In the meantime, let only one come here, let one be freed, as a friend of the only Only Begotten - I require only one prisoner. Let none of the inhabitants of the underworld resist My command - neither the gatekeeper of darkness, nor the gloomy prison guard, nor the key keepers of the underworld, eagerly awaiting their captives. Let this be your first lesson in how to give Mine. And you, hell, be silent, close your lips, do not be surprised, obey the Lord, do not hide behind anything. The man is already escaping from your confines. "Lazarus! go out”: be a conqueror of death by virtue of My command, be a victor by depriving hell of its prey. Here I am still bound, although already crowned as the conqueror of death. Lazarus came out of the tomb: bound, he was already walking; He came out tied up all around, but was already moving all over. The whole view around him - both on his hands and on his feet - was wrapped in shrouds, according to the local burial custom. But he was not yet completely freed from death and the grave. A new command from Jesus follows: “Untie him, let him go” (John 11:44). Why didn’t the (funerary) clothes fall off by themselves from the one who escaped the bonds of death, who was not held back by the gates of the underworld? You, who bound him earlier, will free him yourself to see once again the work of your hands. And the Pharisees, when they heard all this, formed a new council, saying among themselves: “What should we do? This Man does many miracles” (John 11:47)? Great accusation! The dead are awakened, death is put to death, Lazarus rises from the dead, and the Jews are drawn to spiritual death. So, do not leave your advice unfinished, but continue the accusation and say: what should we do when, a few days later, the sun darkens in the sky, the earth shakes, unable to bear what is happening on it, the veil inside the church is torn apart, many dead come back to life? Tell me again: what should we do when the church is destroyed, the service stops, the city is burned, we are expelled and others become heirs in our place? What should we do when everything passes to others - prophets, apostles, priesthood, fasting, holidays, service - and God allows it? Think about this, seek advice about this. The words of those speeches of yours are useless to you; the decision is unchanged: “Speak the word, but it will not come to pass” (Isa.8:10). Once and for all, God has given to those to whom He has given to always rejoice, always to celebrate, to renew the celebration year after year, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith”