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Free Holy Week Resources and Parent Guide

We are delighted to share a guest blog post today by a dear friend, Fr. Joseph Abraham, a Coptic Orthodox Priest at Christ the Savior American Orthodox Church in Chatsworth, California (and a proud user of the BtO curriculum). Fr. Joseph and Shereen met both pursuing their Masters in Orthodox Theology through the Antiochian House of Studies, along with others who were passionate about Orthodox Youth Ministry. Their small group have stayed in touch despite spanning state lines from California to Chicago to Ohio to Washington, D.C. 

In his post below, he shares some thought provoking parallels between the empty tomb and miracle of Christ and Lazarus and how the parallels may help guide our journey through the week of Pascha. As another tool to help with Holy Week, please check out our free Holy Week resources! We have a page of free downloads for Elementary kids, Middle School, and High School Our resources also contain a guide for parents to discuss getting the most out of Holy Week with your little ones! Check out the page HERE.

BtO wishes you a blessed Holy Week!

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PASCHA: A Journey from One Empty Tomb to the Next

Pascha is right around the corner, and there’s one profound event in the Coptic tradition that both paves the way into this amazing week and magnifies the salvific work of Christ. This event—Lazarus Saturday—mysteriously parallels the death and resurrection of Christ in several ways. There are five notable parallels that contain a tremendous amount of beauty and depth. In meditating on these parallels between Christ and Lazarus, we’ll discover plenty of meaning to benefit our spiritual life. 

The first parallel is that both Christ and Lazarus entered into Hades. They both entered this realm of death and returned alive again. But the difference is that one entered as captive while the other entered as conqueror! There’s a tradition that Lazarus never smiled again after Christ raised him from the tomb because of all the darkness and despair he witnessed in Hades. For Lazarus, as for anyone who departed without the hope of Christ’s resurrection, death was a tragic end. For Christ, death was the path to new life. What was once a tyrant, became the victim of Christ’s conquest. He defeated death by His death. “By descending into hell, He made hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh… It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the Unseen” (St. John Chrysostom). We now approach death with the confidence that one who descended into Hades defeated death and gave us new life.

The second parallel is that both Christ and Lazarus were both buried in grave cloths; however, the difference was one exited the tomb while still wrapped with the cloths but the other left them behind. Lazarus, came out of the tomb, with “his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face” (Jn 11:44). Whereas Peter “went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head.. folded together in a place by itself” (Jn 20:7-8). The significance of this difference lies in the meaning of the grave cloths. It’s not difficult to realize that the grave cloths represent death itself, as only those who are dead are wrapped with them. For Lazarus to rise with the grave cloths still wrapped around him is to indicate that death still has a grip on him. Lazarus is raised, but he has not overcome death itself. He is raised only to die once again. On the other hand, Christ is risen in victory over death. For Christ to rise while leaving the grave cloths behind is to indicate that death has no grip on Him. He has “loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:24). And so, if we are risen with Christ, death has no grip on us. The one who has died and risen with Christ is truly loosed from the shackles of this world and will never experience the second death—eternal condemnation. The one who is risen with Christ will live forever.

The third parallel is that following the resurrection of Christ and Lazarus they were both seen alive, but there’s quite a contrast between the witnesses present at the actual time of their resurrection. For Lazarus, the event was a public spectacle. For Christ, the event was a hidden mystery. Everyone saw Lazarus rising from the tomb, no one saw Christ rising from the tomb. Undoubtedly, both of these events were glorious. In fact, there’s nothing more glorious! Interestingly, the glory of one was publicized, whereas the glory of the other was hidden. There was a multitude of Jews present to witness the spectacular moment of Lazarus exiting the tomb, yet no one witnessed Christ triumphantly rising from the tomb. This is the mystery of God’s divine humility. The most magnificent moment in the history of the world was accomplished in humility, totally hidden. The shame and humiliation of Christ on the cross was a public event, whereas the glory and honor of His resurrection was hidden from the entire world. What a paradox! This is the standard of perfection. This is what it means to be crucified and risen with Christ—to accept shame and humiliation openly and to hide from all honor and glory.

The fourth parallel is that both Christ and Lazarus were buried with a stone covering their tomb. The only difference is how this stone was removed. When Christ approached the tomb of Lazarus he instructed them to take away the stone. He could have certainly done this Himself with ease, but the people needed to do this themselves for a reason. In a sense, they had a crucial part to play in the raising of Lazarus, for salvation is the cooperation of man with God’s grace and the collaborative work of the community together. Of course, this also illustrates God’s desire to utilize us unworthy sinners to accomplish His miraculous works. On the other hand, when Christ rose from the dead, it was apparent to Mary Magdalene that the stone had already been taken away from the tomb. No one took part in removing the stone. The meaning behind this is clear. It was God, and God alone, who overcame death! The new life we receive in the resurrection is entirely a gift from God alone! It’s the work of Him alone, just as Christ declared, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (Jn 10:17-18). Christ rose from the dead without the help of man, so as to teach us that He alone can raise us up from the corruption of sin. While totally helpless, we’re still confident in the power of His resurrection and the salvation He granted us. With this in mind, we can learn to pray the most sincere prayer, “Lord, I can’t, but You can!”

The fifth, and last, parallel is the most profound and paradoxical of all. The aftermath of both the resurrection of Christ and the raising of Lazarus left a slew of astounding effects. The connection in these effects is undeniable, yet totally contrary. In summary, Lazarus’s resurrection resulted in the death of Christ, while Christ’s resurrection resulted in the life of humanity. Christ always had a target on His back throughout His ministry but it got serious after the raising of Lazarus. “From that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews” (Jn 11:53-54). Lazarus became a living testimony of the power and authority of Christ, and the popularity of Lazarus only amplified their malicious intent to put Him to death, which indeed they did. On account of Christ’s resurrection, on the other hand, the entire human race is granted life! We are granted victory and boldness. “Now that the Savior has raised His body, death is no longer terrible, but all those who believe in Christ tread it underfoot as nothing, and prefer to die rather than to deny their faith in Christ, knowing full well that when they die they do not perish, but live indeed, and become incorruptible through the resurrection” (St. Athanasius).

With these beautiful parallels in mind, we can walk with Christ from Lent to Pascha, from the tomb of Lazarus to the tomb of Christ, to ultimately rise with Christ and live with Him in the newness of life!