1468. The Evangelist shows their inflexibility by the fact that after so many confirmations of the truth, after the evidence of so many miracles and wonders, they still persist in their evil. So they sought therefore to take him, to apprehend him, not in order to believe and understand, but in their rage to do him harm; they were even the more enraged because he had more clearly expressed his equality with the Father: they hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return (Jer 8:5).
1468. Pertinaciam autem ostendit per hoc quod post tot veritatis documenta, post tot miraculorum et mirabilium operum argumenta, adhuc in malitia perseverant. Unde quaerebant eum apprehendere: non ad credendum et intelligendum, sed ad saeviendum et ad nocendum. Nam quia aequalitatem sui ad Patrem evidentius expresserat, magis concitati fuerunt; Ier. VIII, 5: apprehenderunt mendacium, et noluerunt reverti.
1469. But our Lord turns away from their rage, and so the Evangelist says, and he escaped out of their hands.
1469. Declinat autem eorum saevitiam Dominus exiens ab eis; unde dicit exivit de manibus eorum.
Here we see, first, that he left them by escaping from their hands. He did this for two reasons. To show that he could not be restrained unless he willed: passing through the midst of them he went away (Luke 4:30); no man takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself (John 10:18). Second, to give us the example of turning away from persecution when this can be done without endangering the faith: do not make your stand against one who can injure you (Sir 8:14).
Ubi primo ostenditur quomodo eos dimisit, scilicet exeundo de manibus eorum: et hoc propter duo. Primo, ut ostenderet se non posse detineri nisi quando volebat; Lc. IV, v. 30: Iesus transiens per medium illorum, ibat. Supra eodem: nemo tollit a me animam meam, sed ego ponam a meipso. Secundo ut daret nobis exemplum declinandi malorum saevitiam, quando sine periculo fidei potest; Eccli . VIII, 14: ne stes contra faciem contumeliosi.
We see, second, where he went when the Evangelist says, he went again beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was baptizing first. The mystical reason for this is that at some time, through the apostles, Jesus would go to convert the gentiles.
Secundo ostenditur quo exiens ierit; unde dicit et abiit iterum trans Iordanem, in eum locum ubi erat Ioannes baptizans primum. Cuius quidem mystica causa est, quod aliquando iturus esset per apostolos suos ad gentes convertendas.
The literal reason is twofold. First, this place was near Jerusalem, and since his passion was near, he did not wish to be too far away. Second, he wanted to recall the witness which John had given there, when he said, behold, the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), as well as the Father’s testimony to his Son, Christ, at the time of his baptism.
Causa vero litteralis est duplex. Una, quia locus erat vicinus Ierusalem, et iam imminebat tempus passionis, unde nolebat se elongare. Secunda, ut reducat ad memoriam testimonium quod illic perhibuit Ioannes dicens: ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccatum mundi, et testimonium Patris et Filii Christo perhibitum in baptismo.
1470. The effect of this turning away was that many were converted to the faith. Three points are made about this conversion. First, many imitated his works; so he says, and many came to him, namely, by imitating his works: come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28).
1470. Effectus autem declinationis fuit conversio turbarum ad fidem: quae quidem conversio describitur quantum ad tria. Primo quantum ad operationis imitationem; unde dicit et multi venerunt ad eum, scilicet per imitationem operum; Matth. XI, 28: venite ad me omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos.
Second, many professed him in word, and they said: John indeed did no sign. By this they profess Christ’s superiority to John. The reason for this was that John was sent as a witness to Christ; thus he should show that he was worthy to be believed and his testimony would be shown to be true. Now this is fittingly done by holiness of life. On the other hand, Christ came as God; consequently, it was fitting that he show the signs of divine power. And so John stood out by the sanctity of his life; Christ, however, in addition to this, performed works which manifested his divine power. This was in accord with the practice of the rulers of antiquity that when in the presence of a higher power a lesser power did not display the insignia of its power. Thus, in the presence of the dictator, the consuls took down their insignia. So it was not fitting that John, who possessed less power, because he was a precursor and witness, should employ the insignia of divine power; only Christ should have done this. They profess the truth of John’s witness to Christ, saying, but all things whatsoever John said about this man, Christ, were true. They were saying: although John did no sign, he nevertheless said all things truthfully about Christ.
Secundo quantum ad oris confessionem; unde et dicebant quia Ioannes quidem nullum fecit signum. Ubi primo confitentur eminentiam Christi ad Ioannem; unde dicebant quia Ioannes fecit nullum signum. Cuius quidem ratio fuit, quia Ioannes missus fuit ut testis Christi, unde oportebat quod fieret fide dignus, et testimonium eius ostenderetur verum: quod quidem fit convenienter per sanctitatem vitae: Christus autem venit ut Deus: et ideo oportebat quod ostenderet in se signa potestatis divinae. Et ideo Ioannes vitae sanctitate pollebat; Christus autem cum hoc exercebat etiam opera potestatem divinam manifestantia. Hic etiam mos servabatur apud antiquas potestates, quod in praesentia potestatis maioris minor potestas non utebatur suae potestatis insignis; unde in praesentia dictatoris consules insignia deponebant. Non ergo decens fuit ut Ioannes, qui minoris potestatis erat, utpote praecursor et testis, in Christi praesentia, divinae potestatis insigniis uteretur; sed solum Christus. Secundo confitentur veritatem testimonii Ioannis de Christo; unde dicebant omnia enim quae dixit Ioannes de hoc, scilicet de Christo, erant vera; quasi dicerent: et si nullum signum fecerit Ioannes, tamen de Christo omnia veraciter dixit.
Third, he reveals the faith in their hearts, saying, and many believed in him. As Augustine remarks, they grasped Christ remaining, whom the Jews wanted to seize waning, because through the lamp they had come to the day. For John was that lamp and gave testimony to the day.
Tertio manifestat cordis fidem; unde dicit et multi crediderunt in eum. Ut Augustinus dicit, Christum apprehenderunt permanentem, quem Iudaei volebant apprehendere descendentem, quia per lucernam ad diem venerant: Ioannes enim lucerna erat, et diei testimonium perhibebat.
Chapter 11
Caput 11
Lazarus
Lazarus
Lecture 1
Lectio 1
Sickness of Lazarus
Infirmitas Lazari
11:1 Now there was a certain sick man named Lazarus, of Bethany, of the town of Mary and her sister Martha. [n. 1472]
11:1 Erat autem quidam languens Lazarus a Bethania, de castello Mariae et Marthae sororum eius. [n. 1472]
11:2 (And Mary was she who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) [n. 1474]
11:2 Maria autem erat quae unxit Dominum unguento, et extersit pedes eius capillis suis, cuius frater Lazarus infirmabatur. [n. 1474]
11:3 Therefore, his sisters sent to him, saying: Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. [n. 1475]
11:3 Miserunt ergo sorores eius ad eum, dicentes: Domine, ecce quem amas, infirmatur. [n. 1475]
11:4 And Jesus, hearing it, said to them: this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it. [n. 1477]
11:4 Audiens autem Iesus dixit eis: infirmitas haec non est ad mortem, sed pro gloria Dei, ut glorificetur Filius Dei per eam. [n. 1477]
11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus. [n. 1479]
11:5 Diligebat autem Iesus Martham, et sororem eius Mariam, et Lazarum. [n. 1479]
1471. Above, our Lord shows his life-giving power by word; here he confirms it with a miracle, by raising Lazarus from the dead.
1471. Supra Dominus virtutem suam vivificativam ostendit verbo, hic confirmat eam miraculo, quemdam mortuum, scilicet Lazarum, suscitando, et
First, we see the illness of Lazarus;
primo ponitur Lazari infirmitas;
second, his being raised from the dead: when he had heard therefore (John 11:6);
secundo ipsius iam mortui suscitatio, ibi ut audivit;
and third, the effect this produced: many of the Jews, who had come to Mary and Martha . . . believed in him (John 11:45).
tertio subiungitur suscitationis effectus, ibi multi ergo ex Iudaeis . . . crediderunt in eum.
The Evangelist does three things concerning the first:
Circa primum tria facit.
first, the illness of Lazarus is mentioned;
Primo ponitur Lazari aegrotatio;
second, his illness is made known: therefore, his sisters sent to him;
secundo languoris denuntiatio, miserunt ergo sorores eius ad eum;
third, we see the reason for his illness: and Jesus, hearing it, said to them.
tertio assignatur praemissorum ratio, ibi audiens autem Iesus dixit eis etc.
Concerning the first he does three things:
Circa primum tria facit.
first, he describes the person who was ill;
Primo describit personam aegrotam;
second, where he was living;
secundo languentis locum;
and third, he mentions one of his relatives.
tertio personam coniunctam.
1472. The one who was ill was Lazarus; now there was a certain sick man named Lazarus. This presents to us a believer who hopes in God, but still suffers the weakness introduced by sin, of whom we read: be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing (Ps 6:2). For Lazarus means one who is helped by the Lord; and so this name signifies one who has confidence in divine help: my help comes from the Lord (Ps 121:2).
1472. Persona aegrota est Lazarus; unde dicit erat quidam languens Lazarus. Per hunc fidelis signatur, qui in Deo sperat, et tamen patitur infirmitatem peccati; de qua dicitur in Ps. VI, 3: miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum. Lazarus enim interpretatur auxiliatus a Domino, unde eum significat qui spem habet divini auxilii; Ps. CXX, 1: auxilium meum a Domino.
1473. Lazarus was at Bethany, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. The village of Bethany was near Jerusalem, and our Lord was often a guest there, as has been said above many times. It means a ‘house of obedience’, and leads us to understand that if one who is ill obeys God, he can easily be cured by him, just as one who is sick and obeys his doctor gains his health. The servants of Naaman said to him: my father, if the prophet had commanded you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? (2 Kgs 5:13).
1473. Locus infirmi erat Bethania; unde dicit a Bethania de castello Mariae et Marthae: quae quidem Bethania villa quaedam erat prope Ierusalem, ubi Dominus consueverat frequenter hospitari, ut frequenter supra dictum est. Et interpretatur ‘domus obedientiae’. Per quod datur intelligi, quod si infirmus sit Deo obediens, potest ab eo de facili curari; sicut infirmus obediens medico, facilius ab eo beneficium consequitur sanitatis; IV Reg. V, 13, dixerunt servi Naaman ad eum: pater, etsi rem grandem dixisset tibi propheta, facere debuisses.
Bethany was the home of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. Martha and Mary represent two ways of life, the active and the contemplative. And we can understand from the above that it is by obedience that one becomes perfect, both in the active and in the contemplative life.
Ista Bethania castellum erat Mariae et Marthae sororum Lazari: per quas duplex vita signatur, activa scilicet et contemplativa, ut sic per hoc detur intelligi quod per obedientiam homo perfectus redditur in vita activa et contemplativa.
1474. His relative was Mary: Mary was she who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The Evangelist describes this Mary by her most famous action so we can distinguish her from the many other women with the same name: Mary was she that anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.
1474. Persona coniuncta erat Maria; unde dicit Maria autem erat quae unxit Dominum unguento. Quia enim mentionem fecerat de Maria et plures mulieres huius nominis erant, ideo ne erremus ex nomine, notificat eam ex notissima actione, dicens quae unxit Dominum unguento, et extersit pedes eius capillis suis.
Still, there is some disagreement among the saints about this Mary. Some, like Jerome and Origen, say that this Mary, the sister of Lazarus, is not the same as the sinner mentioned: a woman of the city, who was a sinner . . . brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head (Luke 7:37). So, as Chrysostom says, she was not the prostitute mentioned in Luke. The Mary mentioned by John was an honorable woman, eager to receive Christ, while the name of the woman who was the sinner was kept secret. Furthermore, the Mary mentioned here by John could have done for Christ at the time of his Passion, because of her special devotion and love, something similar to what was done for him by the sinner out of remorse and love. John, in order to praise her, is mentioning here, in anticipation, the action she would perform later (John 12:1–8).
De hac autem Maria diversitas quaedam est inter sanctos. Quidam enim dicunt, ut Hieronymus et Origenes, quod haec Maria soror Lazari non est eadem cum illa quae peccatrix erat, de qua dicitur Lc. VII, 37, quod attulit alabastrum unguenti, et stans retro secus pedes eius, lacrymis coepit rigare pedes eius, et capillis capitis sui tergebat. Unde, sicut dicit Chrysostomus, haec non fuit illa meretrix quae in Luca legitur. Haec enim honesta fuit et studiosa circa susceptionem Christi: nam peccatricis illius nomen tacetur. Potuit autem Maria ista erga Christum tempore suae Passionis ex devotione et speciali dilectione simile opus fecisse, quod fecit ei peccatrix illa diligens et compuncta: quod quidem factum hic ab Evangelista propter Mariae nominis magnitudinem per anticipationem recitatur.
Others, such as Augustine and Gregory, say that this Mary, mentioned by John, is the same as the sinner mentioned by Luke. Augustine bases his reason on this text. For the Evangelist is speaking here of the time before Mary anointed our Lord at the time of the Passion; as John says further on: Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus (John 12:3). So he says that what the Evangelist has mentioned here is the same event mentioned elsewhere (Luke 7:37). Ambrose maintains both sides. So, according to the opinion of Augustine, it is clear that the sinner mentioned by Luke is this Mary whose brother Lazarus was sick, that is, a consuming fever was wasting his wretched body with its furnace-like flames.
Quidam alii, sicut Augustinus et Gregorius, dicunt quod haec eadem Maria de qua hic agitur, est illa peccatrix de qua agitur Lc. VII. Et argumentum huius ex hoc verbo Augustinus assumit. Nam hic Evangelista dicit antequam Maria ungeret Dominum unguento, quia illud fuit imminente Passione; infra XII, 3, ubi dicitur: Maria ergo sumpsit libram unguenti nardi pistici pretiosi, et unxit pedes Iesu. Unde dicit quod hoc quod hic dicit Evangelista de ea factum, recitatur Lc. VII. Ambrosius autem utramque partem tenet. Secundum ergo opinionem Augustini manifestum est quod peccatrix illa de qua dicitur in Luca, est Maria ista. Cuius frater Lazarus infirmabatur, idest, miserandum corpus eius fornaceis febribus alendum edax incendium assumebat.
1475. The sisters of Lazarus, who were taking care of him, inform Jesus of his illness. Grief-stricken at the misfortune of the ailing youth, therefore, his sisters sent to him, Jesus, saying: Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. This message brings to mind three things for consideration. First, we see that the friends of God are sometimes afflicted with bodily illness; thus, if someone has a bodily illness, this is not a sign that the person is not a friend of God. Eliphaz mistakenly argued against Job that it was: think now, who that was innocent every perished? Or where were the upright cut off? (Job 4:7). Accordingly, they say, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick: for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights (Prov 3:12).
1475. Hic ponitur infirmitatis denuntiatio a sororibus Lazari, quae languenti aderant, et casu dolentes iuvenis aegrotantis, miserunt ad eum, scilicet Iesum, dicentes: Domine, ecce quem amas infirmatur. In qua quidem denuntiatione tria consideranda occurrunt. Unum est, quod amici Dei quandoque corporaliter affliguntur: unde non est signum quod aliquis non sit amicus Dei, si aliquando corporaliter affligatur, sicut Eliphaz contra Iob falso arguit, Iob IV, 7: recordare, obsecro, quis unquam innocens periit, aut quando recti deleti sunt? Et ideo dicunt Domine, ecce quem amas infirmatur; Prov. c. III, 12: quem diligit Dominus corripit, et quasi pater in filio complacet sibi.