Understanding the Word

By Br. John R. Barker, OFM

In Ezekiel’s time, Israel was in exile, estranged from God. Thus in  his vision of the “dry bones” (37:1–14), he sees Israel as truly dead.  This “death” easily led to despair of eventual reconciliation with  God and a return to life. In response to doubts of God’s continued  love of them, Israel receives divine assurance that although they are  dead now, the time of alienation will come to an end. Israel will be  restored to God and to the land. This spiritual rebirth is characterized  as resurrection from the grave. God confirms that Israel remains “my  people,” and will certainly bring them back to life: “I have promised,  and I will do it.” 

For Saint Paul, physical and spiritual death are inherently related.  Bodily death is ultimately the result of sin—the body is dead because  of sin. In Christ, the Spirit of God brings life first by attending to the  condition of sin, conquering it and “replacing” it with righteousness,  spiritual life. This same Spirit is also able to raise the physical body  from the dead, as the Spirit did for Jesus. The Spirit of Christ,  belonging to those who have turned away from “the flesh” (a  metaphor for all that is in us opposed to the will of God), resurrects  us from both spiritual and physical death. 

When Jesus hears that his friend Lazarus is ill, he first says that  the illness will not end in death. One gets the impression from this  that he is not worried that Lazarus will actually die, which would  explain his delay of two days before returning to Bethany. Yet Jesus  knows in fact that Lazarus has died in that time, and we realize that  he has allowed this to happen so that he can “awaken him.” In this  final and most dramatic sign, Jesus allows the death of Lazarus so  that he can publicly raise him from the dead. Such a feat is intended  to provoke belief that he is who he has been claiming to be all along,  the one sent by God, who alone has the power to give life.

Living the Word logo

Copyright © 2021, 2020, 2019, 2012, 2011, 2010 World Library Publications, a div. of GIA Publications, Inc. www.giamusic.com
All rights reserved. Used by permission.