Fifth Sunday of Lent 2026

 

In today’s Gospel, Martha says something that may be one of the most honest prayers in the entire Bible.

When Jesus arrives after Lazarus has died, Martha says to Him:

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

That line probably sounds familiar to many of us. It’s the kind of thing people say when they are grieving, when something painful has happened, when life has not unfolded the way they hoped.

Lord, if you had been here…

If you had been here, this illness would not have happened.
If you had been here, my loved one would not have died.
If you had been here, things would be different.

But notice something important. Martha does not say these words behind Jesus’ back. She says them to Him. Her grief, her disappointment, even her confusion—she brings it directly to Christ.

That’s an important lesson for us. Faith does not mean pretending everything is fine. Faith means bringing our pain honestly to God.

But Martha doesn’t stop there.

She continues:

“But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

That is an extraordinary statement of faith.

Her brother has just died.
She does not understand why Jesus waited.
She does not know what Jesus is about to do.

And yet she still says, “I know God is working through you.”

This is the kind of faith many of us recognize. Not perfect faith. Not faith without questions. But faith that refuses to stop trusting Jesus, even in the middle of grief.

And then something remarkable happens in the story.

Before the miracle, before Lazarus comes out of the tomb, Jesus does something that surprises people.

Jesus weeps.

Standing before the tomb of His friend, the Son of God shares the grief of Martha and Mary. He does not stand at a distance from their sorrow. He does not rush past their pain. He enters into it.

That short verse—“Jesus wept”—is the shortest verse in the Bible, but it may also be one of the most powerful.

It reminds us that God does not watch our suffering from far away.
He stands beside us in it.

And only after sharing their grief does Jesus stand before the tomb and cry out in a loud voice:

“Lazarus, come out!”

And Lazarus walks out alive.

This Gospel shows us something essential about who Jesus is. He is the one who weeps with us in our sorrow, and He is also the one who has power even over death itself.

The same voice that called Lazarus from the tomb still calls each of us today.

There are many things in life that can feel like tombs—fear, regret, grief, sin, discouragement. But Christ stands before those places and calls us to new life.

This Lent we have been reflecting on our theme: “We Are Ambassadors for Christ.” As ambassadors, we carry Christ’s message into the world. And that message is not that life is easy or painless. The message is that even in the face of grief and death, Christ is stronger.

Martha teaches us something important about faith.

Faith is not pretending we are not hurting.
Faith is bringing our hurt to Jesus—and still trusting Him.

Sometimes the most powerful prayer we can say is the one Martha prayed:

“Lord, if you had been here…”

followed by

“But I still trust you.”

And as we approach Holy Week, we remember that the story of Lazarus points forward to something even greater. The one who calls Lazarus out of the tomb will soon face death Himself.

But death will not have the last word.

Because the same Jesus who weeps at the tomb is also the one who brings life where we thought none was possible.