John Chrysostom, On the Four-Day Lazarus

having foreshadowed the energy of divinity, then I pay the ancient debt of humanity, and having loosed the bonds, then I am bound, and through the deeds themselves [I show] that I have authority to lay down my life, and I have authority to take it up again. This is the Savior's teaching through works; for if this were not so, He would not for some reason have reserved the working of the miracle concerning Lazarus, surely when the illness of Lazarus was announced to Him on the way. For, he says, his sisters sent to the Lord, saying, "Behold, he whom you love is ill;" therefore, having heard such a thing, He would not have delayed for long, but just as He did in the case of the centurion and the Syrophoenician woman, and saved the servant of the one who was absent, and the daughter of the one who was absent; so too would He have done in the case of Martha declaring concerning her brother that he was ill.

But now He deliberately awaits death, and the delay lingers, and He postpones His presence by providence, so that He might show the victory over death before the struggle with death; and He postpones for three days, for the proof of a certain death. And with the Jews present He opens the tomb, so that He might make heralds of the miracle out of those who were driving Him away; and through prayer and the invocation of the Father He raises Lazarus, so that He might not seem to oppose the laws of the Creator. And behold for me the paradox; He did not say, "Lazarus, come back to life," but what? "Lazarus, come forth," so that He might teach those present that this is He who calls the things that are not as though they are, so that He might show those present that this is He who is God of the living and not of the dead, so that in time He might display the unhindered nature of the divine command, and remind those standing by of the one who says: "Let there be a firmament; Let the waters be gathered into one gathering; Let the earth bring forth grass; Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls." "Lazarus, come forth;" and this for a greater and more certain faith of those who had gathered, so that the garment and the bonds might witness to the state of death; while the unhesitating obedience and the unhindered fear might proclaim the master's authority. "Lazarus, come forth;" and he who was dissolved stood upright, and he who had decayed perceived; the dead man obeyed, and the bound man ran, and the one who was mourned leaped for joy. But why does the Savior use a shout for the present occasion? For the evangelist says, "Having said these things, he cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.'" And perhaps through the cry He prefigured the future resurrection; "For," he says, "the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised." Having yet many things to say, I am drawn to the present subject, and I am compelled to go from tomb to tomb.

Timely then is also the tomb of Lazarus when examined with tombs; not untimely, as it seems, also is the death of the women celebrated at this very tomb. A tomb there, and a tomb here; but the tomb of Lazarus, being opened, reveals the power of Christ, while the tomb of the women, being closed and active, proclaims the grace of the Savior; there, a dead man running out of the tomb, beyond nature; here, women running to the tombs, contrary to nature; there, a sign of divine power; here, a proof of noble purpose; there Lazarus ..... the ..... of death ..... boldly understands; there, a return to life after death, and here, life; there, death is violently plundered; here, death is manifestly trampled upon; Him, death having lent to life, quickly took back again; rather, he says, "Women received their dead by resurrection," God having commanded this; but these women leaped from a temporary life to an endless life, mother and daughters, who have gathered us together today; a pious mother having endured the pangs of childbirth, daughters inexperienced in birth pangs, a mother who set aside virginity for the birth of virgins, a mother who travailed in purity, a mother who according to the law of nature bore virgins.

θεότητος ἐνέργειαν προμηνύσας, τότε τῆς ἀν θρωπότητος τὸ ἀρχαῖον ὄφλημα καταβάλλω, καὶ διαλύσας τὰ δεσμὰ, τότε δεσμοῦμαι, καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν [ἐπιδείκνυμι] ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Αὕτη τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔργων διδασκα λία· εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, μηδὲ λόγῳ τινὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸν Λάζαρον θαυματουργίαν ἐταμιεύετο, οὐκ ἂν δή που προαγγελθείσης αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀσθε νείας τοῦ Λαζάρου· Ἀπέστειλαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀδελ φαὶ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον λέγουσαι, Ἴδε ὃν φι λεῖς ἀσθενεῖ· οὐκ ἂν οὖν τι τοιοῦτον ἀκούσας ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀνεβάλετο, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου καὶ τῆς Συροφοινικίσσης ἐποίησεν, καὶ τοῦ μὲν ἀπόν τος τὸν παῖδα, τῆς δὲ ἀπούσης τὴν θυγατέρα διέσω σεν· οὕτως ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Μάρθας περὶ ἀδελφοῦ δη λούσης ὡς ἀσθενεῖ πεποίηκεν.

Νῦν δὲ ἐξεπίτη δες ἀναμένει τὸν θάνατον, καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει ἡ παρολ κὴ, καὶ τὴν παρουσίαν ἐκ προνοίας ὑπερτίθεται, ἵνα τὴν κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου νίκην πρὸ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου πάλης ἐνδείξηται· καὶ τρεῖς μὲν ἡμέρας ὑπερτίθε ται, πρὸς ἔλεγχον τῆς ἀκριβοῦς τελευτῆς. Ἰουδαίων δὲ παρόντων ἀνοίγει τὸν τάφον, ἵνα κήρυκας τοῦ θαύ ματος ἐργάσηται τοὺς ἐλαύνοντας· δι' εὐχῆς δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπικλήσεως ἐγείρει τὸν Λάζαρον, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τοῖς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ἀντιτάττεσθαι νόμοις. Καὶ βλέπε μοι τὸ παράδοξον· οὐκ εἶπεν, Λάζαρε, ἀνάζησον, ἀλλὰ τί; Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω, ἵνα διδάξῃ τοὺς παρόντας ὡς οὗτος ἐκεῖνος ὁ καλῶν τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα, ἵνα δείξῃ τοῖς παροῦσιν ὡς οὗτος ἐκεῖνος ὁ Θεὸς ζώντων καὶ οὐ νεκρῶν, ἵνα ἐν καιρῷ τὸ ἀπαρ εμπόδιστον τοῦ θείου προστάγματος ἐπιδείξηται, καὶ ἀναμνήσῃ τοὺς περιεστῶτας τοῦ λέγοντος· Γενη θήτω στερέωμα· Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα εἰς συν αγωγὴν μίαν· Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου· Ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω· καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς μείζω καὶ βεβαιοτέραν πίστιν τῶν συνδραμόντων, ἵνα ἡ μὲν στολὴ καὶ τὰ δεσμὰ τῇ νεκρότητι μαρτυρήσῃ· ἡ δὲ ἀνυπέρθετος ὑπακοὴ, καὶ ὁ ἀνεμπόδιστος φόβος τὴν δεσποτικὴν αὐθεντίαν κηρύξῃ Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω· καὶ ὁ διαλελυμένος ὠρθοῦτο, καὶ ὁ σεσηπὼς ᾐσθάνετο· ὁ νεκρὸς ὑπήκουεν, καὶ ὁ δεσμώτης ἔτρεχεν, καὶ ὁ θρηνούμενος ἐσκίρτα. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ κραυγῇ κέχρηται πρὸς τὸ παρὸν ὁ Σωτήρ; φησὶν γὰρ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, Ταῦτα εἰπὼν, φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκραύγασεν, Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω. Καὶ διὰ τῆς βοῆς τάχα τὴν μέλλουσαν προϋποτυπώσας ἀνάστασιν· Σαλπίσει γὰρ, φησὶν, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἀναστήσονται. Πολλὰ ἔτι ἔχων λέγειν, ἐπὶ τὴν προκειμένην ὑπόθεσιν ἕλκομαι, καὶ ἀπὸ τάφου πρὸς τάφον με ἐλθεῖν ἀναγκάζομαι.

Εὔκαιρος δὲ ἄρα καὶ ὁ τοῦ Λαζάρου τάφος τάφοις ἐξετασθείς· οὐκ ἄκαιρος, ὡς ἔοικεν, καὶ ὁ τῶν γυναικῶν θάνατος ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν τάφον ἑορταζόμενος. Τάφος ἐκεῖ, καὶ τάφος ἐνταῦθα· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τοῦ Λαζάρου τάφος ἀνοιγόμενος τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν ἐμφανίζει, ὁ δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν τάφος κεκλεισμένος καὶ ἐνεργῶν τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος χάριν κηρύττει· ἐκεῖ νεκρὸς ὑπὲρ φύσιν τὸν τάφον ἐκτρέχων, ἐνταῦθα γυναῖκες παρὰ φύσιν τοῖς τάφοις προστρέχουσιν· ἐκεῖ θείας δυνάμεως σημεῖον, ἐνταῦθα προαιρέσεως γενναίας τεκμήριον· ἐκεῖ Λάζαρος ..... τὰς τοῦ θανάτου ..... εὐθάρσως ἐπίσταται· ἐκεῖ μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἀναβίωσις, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ζωή· ἐκεῖ θάνατος βιαίως λῃστεύεται, ἐνταῦθα θάνατος προδήλως πατεῖται· ἐκεῖνον ὁ θάνατος δανείσας τῷ βίῳ πάλιν διὰ τοῦ τάχους ἀνέλαβεν· μᾶλλον δὲ, φησὶν, Ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦτο Θεοῦ κε-λεύσαντος· αὗται δὲ ἀπὸ προσκαίρου ζωῆς πρὸς ζωὴν ἀπέραντον μετεπήδησαν, μήτηρ καὶ θυγατέρες, αἱ σήμερον ἡμᾶς συναθροίσασαι· μήτηρ εὐσεβὴς ὠδῖνα ὑπενεγκοῦσα, θυγατέρες ὠδίνων ἀπείραστοι, μήτηρ λύσασα παρθενίαν εἰς γένεσιν παρθένων, μήτηρ ἁγνείας ὠδίνασα, μήτηρ κατὰ φυσικὸν νόμον παρθένους γεννήσασα.