Lazarus Raised and the Call to Rejoice
…this: that He will raise even the foreign nations. Here, then, are three different kinds of the dead. But when He raised Lazarus from the tomb, four days dead, a man made up of the four elements, who already stank (John 11:39), who had decayed, who had been mastered by worms, it was made known to the rulers and authorities in heaven and to those on earth (Ephesians 3:10) that He will raise all humanity, made up of the four elements, even if it has stunk in the sin of the transgression, even if it has rotted in the impiety of idolatry, even if, as by worms, it has been mastered by demons and taken captive to do their will (2 Timothy 2:26).
When they saw this, the angels in secret and human beings openly were astonished and amazed, and they began to cry out and say: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). They praised Him not only as a worker of signs, but also as the King who took captive the whole captivity that the devil and death had held captive since time began (Psalm 68:18; Ephesians 4:8). For these reasons and others like them, the divine prophets proclaim Him King.
Now the prophets we have named are hosts who feed rational souls. As the months of the year, each in its turn, feed human bodies, so they too, each in turn, or rather all together, feed the souls of the faithful at each feast and at all times, and they make Christians drunk with divine teachings, as one of them says somewhere: “They will be drunk with the richness of Your house” (Psalm 36:8).
Come, then, all who love the kingdom of the Lord, let us listen, and they will tell us what the great Zechariah, glorious among the prophets, prophesies to us about it. Let us understand the good news the herald announces as he runs ahead of the kingdom long before its time. Come, as rational guests, let us enjoy the words that come from the mouth of God through Zechariah, our spiritual host; for it has fallen to him to feed us at this feast, as the Lord says: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Since sorrow is hateful to people and joy is longed for, he begins his cry with joy, saying: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion” (Zechariah 9:9). “Rejoice greatly,” the prophet cries to those in captivity. “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33). Why “Rejoice”? And why “greatly,” and “be glad and delight” (Zechariah 2:10)? Because He who brings you back has come, as the father of the King who brings you back foretold, saying: “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we became like those who are comforted; then our mouth was filled with joy, and our tongue with gladness” (Psalm 126:1–2).
“Rejoice,” he says, because you are returning from captivity to the demons and from exile in this age to the Jerusalem above (Galatians 4:26), which your father Abraham awaited (Hebrews 11:10), as the blessed apostle Paul says somewhere: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the festal gathering and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22–23). That is the place from which “pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away” (Isaiah 35:10), where all the righteous dwell and rejoice. Then it is “be glad and delight” (Zechariah 2:10) and “rejoice greatly, O daughter,” plainly the daughter of this Zion.
“And why,” she asks, “should I rejoice greatly, O prophet?” “Rejoice,” because that dreadful one will no longer take you captive; and “greatly,” because the One who rescues you is not like the other kings: He is an eternal King, and His kingdom is eternal, as the angel Gabriel says to His mother, the Virgin Mary: “And of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). And as His kingdom is eternal, so your salvation is eternal. That is why he says: “Rejoice greatly; proclaim, O daughter of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 9:9).
“What shall I proclaim, O prophet?” Proclaim thanksgiving, praise, and hymns to your King, who came down from the heights of heaven to save you. Proclaim: “Hosanna in the highest, from where You came to save me; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9).
And look with me at the evangelist, how he proclaims Christ as twofold. When he says, “Hosanna in the highest,” he shows the exalted nature of the Godhead; and when he says, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” he signifies the substance of His humanity, the blessed seed with which blessed Abraham was blessed, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed (Genesis 22:18). For he says: “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father…” (Mark 11:10)
Greek
εἰς τοῦτο ὅτι καὶ τὰ ξένα ἔθνη ἐγερεῖ. Ἰδοὺ τρεῖς διαφοραὶ τῶν νεκρῶν. Ἐγείραντος δὲ τὸν Λάζαρον τὸν τεταρταῖον νεκρὸν ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου, τὸν ὑπὸ τεσσάρων στοι χείων συσταθέντα, τὸν ὀζέσαντα, τὸν σαπέντα, τὸν ὑπὸ σκωλή κων κυριευθέντα, ἐγνωρίσθη ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ταῖς ἐπουρανίοις καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις, ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων συσταθεῖσαν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐγερεῖ, κἂν ὤζεσεν ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τῆς παραβάσεως, κἂν ἐσάπη ἐν τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας, κἂν ὡς ὑπὸ σκωλήκων, ὑπὸ δαιμόνων κατεκυριεύθη καὶ ἐζωγρεύθη εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων θέλημα. Ταῦτα οὖν ἰδόντες οἱ ἄγγελοι κρυπτῶς καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φανερῶς ἐξέστησαν, καὶ ἐξεθαμβήθησαν, καὶ ἤρ ξαντο βοᾶν καὶ λέγειν· «Ὠσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, ὠσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.» Οὐχ ὡς σημειοφόρον δὲ μόνον ἐπῄνουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς βασιλέα τὸν αἰχμαλωτίσαντα πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τοῦ θανάτου αἰχμαλωτισθεῖσαν αἰχμαλωσίαν. Ἕνεκεν τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων βασιλέα αὐτὸν κηρύττουσιν οἱ θεῖοι προφῆται. 4 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ προειρημένοι προφῆται ἑστιάτορες τῶν λογι κῶν ψυχῶν ὑπάρχουσι καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ μῆνες τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ κατὰ μέρος τρέφουσι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα σώματα, οὕτως καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ μέρος ἢ μᾶλλον κοινῶς τρέφουσι κατὰ ἑορτὴν καὶ πάντοτε τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν πιστῶν, καὶ μεθύσκουσι ταῖς θεϊκαῖς διδασκαλίαις χρι στιανούς, καθώς που εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν φησι· «Μεθυσθήσονται ἀπὸ πιότητος οἴκου σου.» ∆εῦτε ἀκούσωμεν καὶ διηγήσονται ἡμῖν, πάντες οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ κυρίου, τί περὶ αὐτῆς ἡμῖν προφητεύει ὁ μέγας Ζαχαρίας, ὁ ἔνδοξος ἐν προφήταις. Συνίωμεν τί ὁ κῆρυξ εὐαγγελίζεται, προτρέχων τῆς βασιλείας πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου. ∆εῦτε ἀπολαύσωμεν, ὡς λογικοὶ δαι τύμονες, τὰ διὰ στόματος θεοῦ ἐκπορευόμενα ῥήματα διὰ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἑστιάτορος Ζαχαρίου· αὐτῷ γὰρ ἔλαχε θρέψαι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ ταύτῃ, καθώς φησι ὁ κύριος ὅτι «οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στό ματος θεοῦ.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ λύπη παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μισητὴ τυγχάνει, ποθητὴ δὲ ἡ χαρά, ἀπὸ χαρᾶς ἄρχεται βοᾶν λέγων· «Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών». «Χαῖρε σφόδρα», βοᾷ ὁ προ φήτης πρὸς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν. «Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ.» ∆ιὰ τί «Χαῖρε»; Καὶ διὰ τί «σφόδρα» «τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου»; Ὅτι ἥκει ὁ ἐπιστρέφων σε, καθὼς προανεφώνησεν ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ ἐπιστρέφοντός σε βασιλέως λέγων· «Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιών, ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι· τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως.» 5 «Χαῖρε,» φησίν, ὅτι ὑποστρέφεις ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τῆς ἐξορίας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου εἰς τὴν ἄνω Ἰε ρουσαλήμ, ἣν ἐξεδέχετο ὁ πατήρ σου Ἀβραάμ, καθώς που ὁ μα κάριος ἀπόστολος Παῦλός φησιν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ «προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων, πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ κριτῇ θεῷ πάντων καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετε λειωμένων.» Ὅθεν «ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καὶ στεναγμός», ἔνθα πάντων τῶν δικαίων εὐφραινομένων ἐστὶν ἡ κατοικία. Τότε «τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου» καὶ «χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ» ταύτης τῆς Σιὼν δῆλον. «Καὶ διὰ τί», φησίν, «σφόδρα χαρῶ, ὦ προφῆτα»; «Χαῖρε», διότι οὐκέτι ὁ δεινὸς ἐκεῖνος σε αἰχμαλωτεύσει, «σφόδρα» δέ, διότι οὐχ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ 2 βασιλεῖς, οὕτως ὁ ῥυόμενός σε, ἀλλὰ βα σιλεὺς αἰώνιος καὶ αἰωνία αὐτοῦ ἡ βασιλεία, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ παρθένον Μαριάμ· «Καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος». Καὶ καθὼς αἰω νία αὐτοῦ ἡ βασιλεία, οὕτως αἰωνία σου ἡ σωτηρία. ∆ιὰ τοῦ το οὖν· «Χαῖρε σφόδρα· κήρυττε, θύγατερ Ἰερουσαλήμ.» Τί κηρύξω, ὦ προφῆτα; Κήρυττε τῷ βασιλεῖ σου, τῷ κατελθόντι ἀπὸ τῶν ὑψωμάτων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ σῶσαί σε, εὐχαριστίαν, δοξολογίαν, ὑμνολογίαν. Κήρυττε· «Ὠσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, ὅθεν παρεγένου τοῦ σῶσαί με, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνό ματι κυρίου.» Καὶ σκόπει μοι τὸν εὐαγγελιστήν, πῶς διπλοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύττει· ἐν τῷ γὰρ λέγειν· «Ὠσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις», τὴν ὑψηλὴν τῆς θεότητος φύσιν δηλοῖ, ἐν δὲ τῷ λέγειν· «Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου», τὴν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος οὐσίαν σημαίνει, τὸ εὐλογημένον σπέρμα ᾧ εὐλογήθη ὁ εὐλογημένος Ἀβραάμ, ἐν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ εὐ λογηθῆναι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς· «Εὐλογημένη γάρ», φησίν, «ἡ ἐρχομένη βασιλεία τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν