John 11:45-53
Have you ever witnessed something so powerful that it changed the way you saw the world? Have you ever been confronted with a truth that challenged your assumptions and forced you to respond? When faced with Jesus—his miracles, his love, and his call to transformation—how do we react?
Friends, we are approaching the end of the season of Lent—a sacred time of deep reflection, repentance, and renewal. This season invites us to slow down, examine our hearts, and contemplate the mystery of Christ’s incarnation—God stepping into our world to bring liberation and new life. As we walk this journey, we are called to deepen our understanding of Jesus' mission and its profound impact on our faith and daily living.
In our reading today from the Gospel according to John, we witness Jesus performing one of his greatest miracles: raising Lazarus from the dead. Many who saw this extraordinary act believed in him. Yet, others—those unwilling to accept the truth of his identity as the Messiah —viewed his growing influence as a threat. The chief priests and Pharisees, aware of the power of Jesus’ works, feared losing their authority and control over the people. Instead of embracing his miracles as signs of God’s kingdom, they perceived them as disruptions to their established order.
Amid their deliberations, Caiaphas, the high priest, makes a statement heavy with irony and divine purpose: “One man should die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” Though spoken from a place of fear and political calculation, his words unknowingly reveal God’s greater plan. Jesus would indeed die—not as a political scapegoat but as the sacrificial Lamb who gathers and redeems all of God’s scattered children, including you and me today.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus stood with the weak, the poor, the sick, and the excluded. He embodied the kingdom of God by bringing healing, restoration, and justice. His radical love disrupted the structures of power, leading to his rejection and condemnation. Yet, in faithfulness to the Father’s mission, he willingly embraced the cross so that we might have life.
Friends, the forces of fear, jealousy, and despair are still at work in our world today. As followers of Jesus, how do we respond? Do we cling to control, resisting the transformation Christ offers, or do we surrender in faith, trusting in God’s redeeming love?
Sisters and brothers in Christ, the season of Lent is not merely a season of sorrow or penitence; it is a time of transformation. It calls us to reorient our hearts toward Christ through repentance, prayer, almsgiving, and a renewed commitment to love. As we journey toward the cross and the glory of the resurrection, let us remember this truth: Love does not kill. It is the absence of love, rooted in fear, jealousy, and despair, that leads to destruction.
May this holy season awaken in us a deeper desire to follow Christ with humility and faith, embracing the new life he freely gives—today and always. Amen.
Meditation by the Reverend Canon Robin Pierre
Missioner for Haitian Ministries
Diocese of New Jersey