His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.
Diocese of Belleville
Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 22, 2026, 10:00 AM Mass
Ss. Peter and Paul Parish
"Are We Among The Many Who Believe in Him?”
(John 11: 1-45)
(This is the text as originally written. During the actual delivery, some passages were omitted and other comments were added spontaneously. Nota bene: This text has not been thoroughly proofread. Therefore, there may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
“After seeing Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, many of the Jewish people believed in Him.” Why only many? Why not all, or at least most? Wouldn’t you think that ALL or at least most of the crowd would have believed in Jesus, after witnessing such an astounding sight as a man dead for four days raised to life again? But the gospel clearly says only “many” believed. Other than the account of the resurrection of Jesus Himself, almost no other gospel story is more startling, more challenging, and, let’s face it, more difficult for many people to believe than this morning’s story from John c11, v1-45 in which Jesus of Nazareth raises Lazarus from the dead.
This is the last of John’s three great stories of faith that we hear during the final weeks of Lent. It follows the Samaritan woman at the well who comes to believe that Jesus can give her the living waters of eternal life and the man, blind from birth, to whom Jesus gives physical sight as a sign of the spiritual sight that comes through eyes of faith.
Now, we hear the climatic story of a dead man restored to life. These stories form a Lenten catechesis designed to prepare all of us, especially candidates for Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist for Holy Week and Easter. The narratives are intended to compel us to think seriously and examine the depth of our Christian faith. But, since we hear these three New Testament stories year after year, we may not be moved at all to confront the profound questions of faith prompted by this reading. We cannot assume that simply because we are in church this morning, we are among the “many” who believe in Him.
* * * * * * *
Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that His close friend, and their brother, Lazarus is very ill. Jesus tells His disciples, this illness does not lead to death; rather it is for the glory of God (Just as the blindness of last week’s blind man was for the glory of God. ) Though Jesus deeply loved Lazarus and his two sisters, He deliberately waited two days before leaving for Bethany. But then He tells his disciples that Lazarus is sleeping and He will go and wake him up. The disciples think Lazarus is resting to recover from his illness. They think this is just as well since the last time Jesus was in Bethany, just two miles outside of Jerusalem, the Pharisees had plotted His death. Lazarus’ sisters’ message only said their brother was ill. Jesus says bluntly, “Lazarus is dead.” This is John’s way of letting us know that Jesus is fully aware of everything that is going on.
(Jesus is taking His time before performing His greatest sign, one that will surpass all others with the exception of His own resurrection. John seems to suggest that Jesus’ final sign will be a definitive act that will overcome the questions of those who doubt that He is the Messiah. )
* * * * * * *
When He arrives, Martha says to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of Him.” Jesus says, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replies, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus announces, “I AM the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will live.” Do you believe this?” She answers, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God…” (John 11:17-27)
Jesus asks Martha and Mary, “Where have you laid him?” “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. The Jews commented, “See how He loved him!” (Why did Jesus weep? Is this simply human grief because a man He personally deeply loved is now dead? If that is the reason, why didn’t He arrive earlier and heal Lazarus BEFORE he died? Was He overwhelmed by the sorrow of Martha and Mary and their relatives? Is He experiencing some inner turmoil because He knows this final great sign will not convince the Pharasees that He is “the Christ” and that it will lead to His death? ) Why do you think Jesus wept?
(“Jesus wept” is shortest verse in the entire Bible. (John 11:35) There are only two other texts that say Jesus cried. Both are at the end of His life. The first is His final entrance into Jerusalem when the crowd greets shouting “Hosanna” and placing palms at his feet. Luke (19:41) says Jesus wept grieving that the people have rejected Him and foreseeing the destruction of Jerusalem; and the second is Hebrews (5:7) in the garden of Gethsemane before He is arrested Jesus prayed with "loud cries and tears.")
Then Jesus says, “Take away the stone.” Martha, cautions, “Lord, because he has been dead for four days, there already is a stench.” Jesus retorts, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” After praying that the crowd would believe that God sent Him, Jesus cries out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth!” The dead man comes forth, bound with burial cloths. Jesus tells them, “Untie him, and let him go free.” (John 11:38-44)
The final line of the story is, “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.” (John 11:45) Many, not most, not all. I suppose this is better than “some,” or “a few,” but it is just “many.”
* * * * * * *
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Are we among the many who believe that two thousand years ago a Jewish man called Jesus, thought by many to be “the Christ”, literally raised a man named Lazarus from the dead? This is the great question we cannot avoid this morning. This story is a central hurdle of faith that cannot be ignored if we are to make it to Holy Week in good faith.
Some Christians respond, “If Jesus did not raise Lazarus, did God not raise Jesus? I believe God did raise Jesus! It does not bother me that Matthew, Mark and Luke, who wrote their Gospels earlier than John, do not tell the story of the raising of Lazarus. John is deliberately stressing the divinity of Christ. I am not disturbed by any of the objections of modern biology about the irreversibility of death. Jesus is the Son of God, and He has the power to raise the dead. This is my clear and unshakable Christian faith.”
Other Christians respond, “I am a committed Christian and I strive to live each day faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ. But I think it is impossible for an educated contemporary person who really understands modern science to believe that a person who was truly dead could be brought back to life even by Jesus. This is a metaphysical impossibility. I have seen death close up and I know it is irreversible. It is one thing to accept Jesus’ one-of-a-kind resurrection as a glorified body. But it is something else to accept that Lazarus returned to a normal life, grew old, and later died again. I do not think that the resurrection of the dead at the end of time is a return to normal, bodily life requiring food, drink, and rest. It is a spiritual resurrection of a body transformed by the Holy Spirit. I think the story is a great parable about faith. But I do not think God expects me to take this story literally. This does not mean that I do not have faith. Nor does it make me any less a Christian.”
Still others respond, “If that’s what the Catholic Church teaches, then that’s what I believe. I trust the testimony of Scripture and the judgement of faithful Christians through the centuries who are smarter than I am.” And others respond, “I try not to think about the really hard religious questions like the Holy Trinity, the raising of Lazarus, the resurrection of Jesus, life after death and Heaven and Hell. I just live my day-to-day life hoping it’s all true. For me, it’s all a great mystery.” There are some who are like St. Augustine of Hippo who prayed, “Lord, I do believe; help me in my unbelief.”
Only you and God know how you respond.
Jesus speaks to each of us this morning saying, “I AM, I AM the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will live. Do you believe this?” If we answer as Martha did, “Yes, Lord!”, then we will not allow any excuse to keep us from participating in the celebration of the Sacred Triduum-Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. We will not be amongst those who just show up on Easter Sunday for the Easter lilies, and the singing of the “Alleluia Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. (We all know that for many Americans, Easter is nothing more than Easter Parades, Easter baskets, Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, and yellow marshmallow chicks.) But this cannot be so for us. Not if we are among the Many who believe in Him.
We will recommit ourselves to being a community of Foot Washers, listen attentively to the Lord’s Passion, and celebrate the resurrection of Christ Himself with the newly initiated members of the Church singing, “Christ our light!
For then we will know: It is Easter! It is Easter. It is Easter. It is Easter, Easter that Lasts forever! Alleluia!
Praised be Jesus Christ. Both now and forever. AMEN!