John 11

When I am called for the anointing of the sick, I always check if the person is in critical condition. It’s because it would be everybody’s grief and a priest’s nightmare if the priest arrives too late to anoint, for a sacrament is to be given only to the living.

In the gospel books, when people ask Jesus to come for healing, he usually responds without much delay. And many times, he voluntarily heals them. And as in the account of healing the centurion’s slave, he healed even without personally seeing the sick. But today’s episode of reviving Lazarus from death is an exception.

If you read the entire episode, you will notice that Jesus was almost intentionally delaying in leaving for the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Jesus had received the request of the sisters to visit their brother Lazarus because he was very sick. But he stayed two more days where he had received the news. In the passage, St John does not give any reason why Jesus didn’t leave. By the time Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, Lazarus had been dead for four days already.

I cannot imagine that I can delay the anointing of the sick for one hour. If I delayed it for four hours, I would accuse myself of willful negligence. But for four days? This is absolutely unacceptable. There can be no excuse!

In the meantime, how would Martha and Mary have felt? Wouldn’t they get mad and angry? They could felt more hurt because Jesus had been very close to them. They were not strangers to Jesus. As we read in the sisters' request, Jesus loved Lazarus. But why this delay?

This delay made sure everybody knew that Lazarus was really dead. He was in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus arrived at Bethany. There could be no return, no reversal of his death, all believed. Now against the stench of death, Jesus reveals his power over death. Jesus had revived two others in the gospels – Jairus' daughter who had just died lying on her bed and the widow’s only son in Nain who was being carried in the casket. Some might raise doubt if these two were really dead. But Not about Lazarus. He was already decomposing. Against this decomposing body, Jesus shows his divine power over death.

But there is another reason for the delay. Before Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb, Jesus confirms the faith of Martha. Here, as we heard in the gospel, Martha witnesses to the two most critical articles of Christian faith – the Incarnation and the Resurrection: Jesus is the Son of God, and he is the resurrection and life.

This divine delay brings more than a person out of death. This divine delay tests Martha. She could have got angry with Jesus. But she still trusts him even when Jesus is late. And Jesus makes her faith mature. She witnesses the divine power of Christ.

God’s delay is never late. His delay is always on time.