Jesus raised Lazarus and Passover is near. The Jews will seek to kill Lazarus and Jesus. God will fulfill His plan without negating the people’s free will as to their belief or rejection of Christ.
The Hour is Coming
Today’s Gospel captures a crucial moment foreshadowing Jesus’ Passion and emphasizing God’s divine plan of salvation. The Gospel account places the people of the time at a crossroads. Jesus had performed perhaps His greatest miracle. The hour was approaching not only for Our Lord to fulfill His mission but also for the people to decide whether they would accept Him or reject Him.
The Obedience of Faith Versus Personal Autonomy
Saint John tells us that many who saw Lazarus rise from the dead believed in Jesus. This was the proper and humble response to Christ’s final sign. Incredibly, others who witnessed the same compelling power of God, refused to believe. Instead, they ran to the Pharisees, not out of faith, but most likely fear of what the miracle meant for their status quo, as Jews, and a people under Roman occupation.
I am tempted to affirm, “If I had been there, surely I would have been one of the believers!”
Yet have I not at times, even frequently, rejected God’s grace through my sin? Is not sin a rejection of Jesus in preference for a lesser good?
Every day as was the case then, some people experience God’s grace and respond with appropriate faith, while others harden their hearts, cling to a desire to control rather than submit, or to self-pride rather than humility.
St. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, reminds us that as an Apostle, Paul sought to bring about the obedience of faith, one that submits obediently to God rather than self. See Rom 1:5 & 16:26.
Caiaphas’ Wrongful Standard
As high priest, Caiaphas declared that “it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to perish.” Jn 11:50.
Perhaps in an abstract situation where a person’s selfless voluntary act of dying for a greater cause results in a nation being saved, we can agree with Caiaphas, after all that precisely describes Jesus’ plan.
We know from Catholic Social Justice teachings that we cannot do evil to bring about good. We cannot intentionally kill an innocent person so that others might live. Caiaphas had it wrong when he participated in condemning and delivering Jesus to death.
Applying This Message Today
Reflecting on the Gospel passage, we see that we are also presented with a fork in the road, as we anticipate the week before Good Friday. Christ’s Passion was not merely a historical event, but also a personal invitation for us to enter into the more profound mystery of faith and salvific unity with God. Will we believe and remain in Him or yield to the attraction of personal power, prestige, and earthly treasure?
Alternatively, will we permit fear, pride, or worldly concerns to diminish our faith? If so, let us pray for the courage needed to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. cf. Mt 16:24
