John Chrysostom, On Martha Mary and Lazarus

Boastful are the words, hear the Lord saying through the prophet: Hear all these things, you leaders of the house of Jacob, and you remnant of Israel, who abhor judgment, and pervert all that is right, who build Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquities; and again: If you stretch out your hands to me, I will turn my face from you; and if you multiply your prayer, I will not listen; for your hands are full of blood? What then says the evangelist? Six days before the 61.703 Passover Jesus came to Bethany. The Lord who came to Bethany, He is also present here; for this present house is properly called Bethany, since Bethany is called the house of peace, and the house of peace is this present house of the Lord, in which we inhabitants cry out to the master of the house each day: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. He who came to Bethany, He is also present here; but He is present not as one who was absent, but as one who is, and is present, and is coming.

The prophet, foreseeing this coming of the Lord, said: Behold, the Lord comes with strength, His arm with authority. Behold, the Lord comes with strength. True is the saying, With strength the Lord comes. How with strength? As one who plundered hades, as one who gave Lazarus a taste of the resurrection, as one who filled the world with countless benefactions. Behold, the Lord comes with strength. For who is stronger than He who said, Lazarus, come forth? Behold, the Lord comes with strength. He who is not absent comes; for you have heard, Let us go out to meet Him who is present and coming, not by treading the earth with the movement of our feet, but by purifying our souls with the improvement of our ways. Let us go out to meet the one who is present, giving thanks; let us do what the sister of Moses did; let us raise voices more effective than hers, since the devil who was drowned in the lake of water is also more terrible than Pharaoh. Let us therefore embrace the symbols of victory, not timbrels held in the hand, but also shoots of palm branches; let us cry out with our brothers of the same faith, what we have just heard: Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Isaiah the prophet, foreseeing this kingly coming of the Lord, said, as I said before: Behold, the Lord comes with strength, as one who raised the dead; and not simply the dead, but those who had decayed, dissolved, dripped with ichor, lost their hair, raising Lazarus on the fourth day from the tombs, as you heard the evangelist saying: Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. What thing like this did Moses do, as our Master Christ did? Moses indeed put to death; for he did not give life. Let the children of the Jews therefore be ashamed, who praise Moses, and revile the Master Christ. But immediately a Jew jumps in saying: Was not a dead man raised among us? Did not Elijah the prophet raise the son of the widow of Zarephath? And Elijah was a man.

How then are you proud of your teacher, testifying to a divine power in him, because he raised Lazarus from the dead? What are you saying, O Jew? Do you compare Elijah, and the Master Christ? A servile instruction is one thing, and a divine authority is another. For unless you first understand the manner of the raising of the dead, you will not perceive the meaning of the divine authority. Listen intelligently: the dead man in the time of Elijah, the son of the widow of Zarephath, although he was given over to death, yet it was not because of natural failure, but for the instruction and affliction of Elijah, so that Elijah might be bent from his hardness of heart to compassion. For once Elijah, as you clearly know, being angry with the house of Ahab, and with the Israelite people because of the transgression of Jezebel, declared with an oath, saying: As the Lord God lives, there will be in these years neither dew nor rain on the earth, except by my mouth. With this waterless decree of Elijah the God of all was not pleased, but he fulfills

κόμπος τὰ ῥήματα, ἄκουε τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα πάντα οἱ ἡγούμενοι οἴκου Ἰακὼβ, καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ βδελυσσόμενοι κρῖμα, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφοντες, οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες Σιὼν ἐν αἵμασι, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ἀδικίαις· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐὰν ἐκτείνητε τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν πρός με, ἀποστρέψω τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν· καὶ ἐὰν πληθύνητε τὴν δέησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι· αἱ γὰρ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις; Τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής; Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ 61.703 πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. Ὁ εἰς Βηθανίαν ἐλθὼν Κύριος, αὐτὸς καὶ ὧδε πάρεστιν· ὧδε γὰρ κυρίως Βηθανία ὁ παρὼν οἶκος ὀνομάζεται ἐπεὶ Βηθανία οἶκος εἰρήνης λέγεται, οἶκος δὲ εἰρήνης ὁ παρὼν τοῦ Κυρίου οἶκος, εἰς ὃν ἡμεῖς οἰκήτορες καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν πρὸς τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην βοῶμεν· ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία. Ὁ εἰς Βηθανίαν ἐλθὼν, αὐτὸς καὶ ὧδε παραγίνεται· παραγίνεται δὲ οὐχ ὡς μὴ παρὼν, ἀλλ' ὡς ὢν, καὶ παρὼν, καὶ ἐρχόμενος.

Ταύτην τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἔλευσιν καὶ ὁ προφήτης προθεωρήσας ἔλεγεν· Ἰδοὺ Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται, ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ μετὰ κυρίας. Ἰδοὺ Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται. Ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος, Μετὰ ἰσχύος ὁ Κύριος ἔρχεται. Πῶς μετὰ ἰσχύος; Ὡς τὸν ᾅδην σκυλεύσας, ὡς τὸν Λάζαρον τῆς ἀναστάσεως γεύσας, ὡς μυρίας εὐεργεσίας τὸν κόσμον ἐμπλήσας. Ἰδοὺ Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται. Τίς γὰρ ἰσχυρότερος τοῦ εἰπόντος, Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω; Ἰδοὺ Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται. Ἔρχεται ὁ μὴ ἀπών· ἤκουσας γὰρ, Ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ παρόντος καὶ ἐρχομένου, οὐ γῆν βαδίζοντες τῇ τῶν ποδῶν μεταστάσει, ἀλλὰ τὰς ψυχὰς καθαίροντες τῇ τῶν τρόπων βελτιώσει. Ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ παρόντος εὐχαριστοῦντες· ποιήσωμεν ὃ ἐποίησεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ Μωϋσέως· δραστικωτέρας ἐκείνης φωνὰς βάλωμεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ χαλεπώτερος τοῦ Φαραὼ ὁ τῇ λίμνῃ τοῦ ὕδατος καταποντισθεὶς διάβολος. Ἀσπάσωμεν οὖν τὰ τῆς νίκης σύμβολα, οὐ τύμπανα χειροκρατούμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ βαΐα φοινίκων βλαστήματα· βοήσωμεν μετὰ τῶν ὁμοπίστων ἀδελφῶν, ἅπερ ἀρτίως ἠκούσαμεν· Ὡσαννὰ, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου, ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ταύτην τὴν βασιλικὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἔλευσιν Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης προθεωρήσας ἔλεγε, καθὼς προεῖπον· Ἰδοὺ Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται, ὡς νεκροὺς ἐγείρας· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς νεκροὺς, ἀλλὰ σεσηπότας, διαῤῥυέντας, ἰχωροστατήσαντας, τριχορυήσαντας, τεταρταῖον τὸν Λάζαρον ἐκ τῶν τάφων ἀναστήσας, ὡς ἤκουες τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος· Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Τί τοιοῦτον Μωϋσῆς ἐποίησεν, οἷον ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν Χριστός; Μωϋσῆς μὲν ἐθανάτωσεν· οὐ γὰρ ἐζωοποίησεν. Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν λοιπὸν Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, οἱ τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐγκωμιάζοντες, καὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν λοιδοροῦντες. Ἀλλ' εὐθέως Ἰουδαῖος παρεκπηδᾷ λέγων· Καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀνέστη νεκρός; οὐκ ἤγειρεν Ἠλίας ὁ προφήτης τὸν τῆς Σαρεπτίας χήρας υἱόν; ἄνθρωπος δὲ ὁ Ἠλίας.

Πῶς οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου ὑμῶν μεγαλοφρονεῖτε, θεοδυναμίαν αὐτῷ μαρτυροῦντες, διότι ἤγειρε Λάζαρον ἐκ νεκρῶν; Τί λέγεις, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε; συγκρίνεις τὸν Ἠλίαν, καὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστόν; Ἄλλο παιδεία δουλικὴ, καὶ ἄλλο ἐξουσία θεϊκή. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἔγνως πρῶτον τὸν τρόπον τῆς νεκρεγερσίας, οὐ μὴ συνίδῃς τὸν λόγον τῆς θεϊκῆς ἐξουσίας. Ἄκουε συνετῶς· ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἠλία νεκρὸς, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς Σαρεπτίας χήρας, εἰ καὶ θανάτῳ παρεδόθη, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ διὰ τὴν φυσικὴν ἔκλειψιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ παιδείαν καὶ θλῖψιν τοῦ Ἠλία, πρὸς τὸ καμφθῆναι τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐκ τῆς σκληροκαρδίας εἰς συμπάθειαν. Ὀργισθεὶς γάρ ποτε ὁ Ἠλίας, καθὼς ἴστε σαφῶς, τῷ οἴκῳ Ἀχαὰβ, καὶ τῷ Ἰσραηλιτικῷ λαῷ διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν τῆς Ἰεζάβελ, μεθ' ὅρκου ἀπεφήνατο λέγων· Ζῇ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ ἔσται τὰ ἔτη ταῦτα δρόσος, ἢ ὑετὸς ἐπὶ γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου. Ταύτῃ τῇ ἀνύδρῳ ἀποφάσει τοῦ Ἠλία ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς οὐκ ἠρέσθη, πληροῖ δὲ