Sunday 22 March 2026

Psalm 130

Background
Today is often called Passion Sunday, and Christians find themselves preparing for the drama and suffering that reaches its climax on Good Friday. It can be a sombre time, but today’s reading reminds us of the hope that can look beyond death.

The story of Lazarus is a long and complex one. We can best read it as an important turning point in John’s Gospel. From one perspective it is the climax of Jesus’ public ministry and the last of the signs that are such important signals of who Jesus is and what his life means. The first sign is at a wedding (John 2:1-11), where water is transformed into wine; the last is at a funeral, where death gives way to life.

Like all of these signs, the raising of Lazarus is a powerful expression of how Jesus embodies a love that is both human and divine. Perhaps surprisingly, this is the first time in John’s Gospel that we read of Jesus’ particular love for an individual. Jesus is clearly moved by the plight of his friend and his grieving family. Jesus weeps out of a compassion that is both genuinely human and truly divine. This is also the first time that Jesus prays in John’s Gospel: “Father, I thank you for having heard me” (v. 41). Then, in a dramatic climax, Lazarus emerges from the tomb to rejoin his sisters, Martha and Mary.

From another viewpoint, this episode marks an intensification of the journey towards Jerusalem, and to the arrest, torture and death of Jesus at the hands of the Roman authorities and with the complicity of religious leaders.

At the heart of the passage is the message that John wants us to hear loud and clear: “I am the resurrection and the life”. (v. 25) Although Jesus’ journey seems to be heading for inevitable suffering and death, there is a deeper truth, that Jesus represents a life that transcends death. To trust and follow Jesus is a journey of hope, not of despair.

To Ponder:

• Read the passage slowly. Which character do you identify with most closely?
• What feelings and concerns come through when you read the story as this character?

Prayer
Almighty God, your son came into the world to free us all from sin and death. Breathe upon us with the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life with Christ, and serve you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. (Methodist Worship Book: Collect for Passion Sunday)

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Richard Clutterbuck
Richard is a supernumerary presbyter, living in Gloucestershire after a ministry that has taken him to Tonga, London, Gloucester and Belfast. He was formerly Principal of the West of England Ministerial Training Course and of Edgehill Theological College.