Homily - Fifth Sunday in Lent - March 13, 2005

 

 

Remember the story of the eaglet that somehow ended up in a chicken barnyard. The eaglet was raised with the chickens, pecking at corn and strutting around the chicken coop. One day a mountain man, passing by, recognized the bird, now a fully grown eagle, and asked the farmer if he could work to rehabilitate it.  The farmers said, “Go ahead, but it’s useless.  All that eagle knows is pecking corn like a chicken.”

 

The mountaineer began weeks of rigorous training with the eagle, forcing it to run after him so that it had to use its wings.  Many times the eagle fell out of limbs of trees onto its head. One day, finally, the mountaineer took the eagle to the top of a mountain and held it above his head on his wrist. Giving an upward thrust to his arm, he sent the eagle into the sky with a “Fly!”

 

The eagle circled and wheeled upward, straining, till soon it took off in a majestic sweep and looked directly into the sun.  It was gone. It had regained its nature. It was an eagle once more.

 

The Eagle did not belong in a chicken barnyard.

Lazarus did belong entombed with the stone rolled back.

You and I, as Baptized children of God are not supposed to be bound, entrapped, enslaved, and afraid.

 

Ezekiel the ancient prophet reminds us of God’s promise that our graves will be open – God’s spirit will animate us – we will be brought back to that place where we should be.

And Paul in his letter to the community in Rome tells his people that the Spirit will give life to us    - will raise us to the heights that were meant for us.

 

Jesus who brought the woman at the well to an awareness of who she really was and who gave sight to the man born blind so that he could see the wonders of God  calls to the tomb and brings Lazarus out to be unbound, free and full of life.

 

Jesus’ raising of Lazarus is in fact a continuation of his freeing work.  This most dramatic example of Jesus’ saving love corresponds to the many times that he confronted people’s deaths and brought them to life.

 

Those who were alienated by others were constantly being unbound by Jesus’ saving action:

The poor who had no value in the sight of others were enriched by him.

The powerless, the women and the children were embraced by him anointed by him.

Those who were full of disease and thus symbols of sin for some were healed and given dignity.

Those who were steeped in sin were forgiven.

Those who did not belong because of their beliefs were invited.

 

Jesus’ ministry was to roll back the stone and unbind the bound.

And that is his ministry still.

 

Edward Hays in his Lenten Meditation “The Ascent of the Mountain of God” says that in fact Jesus entered into other people’s hells, he embraced their death, he was one with them in their disease and that is how he raises them up.

 

The tendency is to avoid the disease – to shun the sinner – to avoid death. And the result is no life. But Jesus doesn’t follow the trend. He is all things new – he makes all things new. And so Lazarus lives – and so the alienated are welcomed – the sinner healed.

 

We continue our Lenten Journey. We would hope to experience resurrection. But the message of Jesus’ call and Jesus’ action is that we cannot do this as a solo act.  We will not experience new life unless we raise others up as well. Unless like Jesus we are willing and daring enough to embrace the alienation that we and others fell – unless we touch people’s brokenness and sickness – unless we are willing to love the sinner – we will not soar as we are supposed to – we will not become unbound as we should.

 

We need to call with Jesus to ourselves and others to “Come out”

 

The safer track for Jesus would have been to avoid Judea – to avoid Lazarus and the rest.

The safer thing for Jesus would have been to avoid the tax collectors and the prostitutes and the other unsavory sorts. People would have been more comfortable with a Jesus who stayed in the temple saying nice things.

 

And then perhaps there would not be the Cross. But of course there wouldn’t be the Resurrection.

 

In the last part of our Lenten Journey will we take the safe route? Will we avoid the Cross- the things and ways that might make us and others uncomfortable?

 

Jesus invites us to the Resurrection.  Will we embrace His Way?