THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

John 11:41-46 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. (Also See John 11:1-40)

Although the raising of Lazarus is a rather long narrative, most of it can be paraphrased in order to discuss in greater length the main message by which Jesus taught the Jewish people then, as well as you and I today. The account of John is the only gospel record of the resurrection of Lazarus. This was an extremely significant miracle. Since John's record was the last of the four written, it is possible that Lazarus was still alive and this event was unknown at the time the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written.

Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary had a loving relationship with Jesus, Who often visited, and was hospitably accommodated in their home in Bethany, a town very near to Jerusalem. Chapter 10 ends with Jesus teaching in an area beyond the Jordan River. As chapter 11 opens we find Lazarus extremely sick, and his sisters sent a message to Jesus with this information. Jesus realized the seriousness of Lazarus' illness but He knew He had the power to intervene on his behalf and, in doing so, bring glory to God. Because of His love for this family, Jesus told His disciples that they should return to Jerusalem. Immediately they reminded Jesus of the danger the Jews posed, that they still desired to stone Him. He told them not to fear because they would travel in the daylight hours and could see and avoid any danger that may surround them. Knowing he was at that time dead, Jesus first told them that Lazarus was only sleeping and He was going to awaken him. Later He told them that he was dead, but He would use the occasion to strengthen their belief in Him as the Son of God. The apostle, Thomas, knew the violent opposition to Jesus by the Jewish leaders. He fully expected to be put to death along with Jesus when they arrived in Jerusalem (See Vss. 1-16).

Arriving in Bethany, which was only a short distance to Jerusalem, Jesus came to the home of Martha and Mary. There He found out that Lazarus had already been entombed for four days. Many Jews were there paying their respects to the family. When it was announced that Jesus was near, Martha went to meet Him while Mary stayed at home. Martha knew that if Jesus had been at their home while Lazarus was still alive that He could have healed Him. When Jesus told her that her brother would be raised from his death, she assumed He meant it would be on the day of resurrection. When asked if she believed that through Him one would never die, Martha confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. Her belief in Christ was the same confessed by the apostle Peter, when asked, whom do men say that I the Son of man am (Matt. 16:16)? This confession was essential for one following Jesus at that time in biblical history, and is necessary before being baptized for the remission of sins today (See Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:35-38).

After this, Martha found her sister, Mary, and told her Jesus was near their town. Immediately Mary went to Him, along with other Jews that were with her in her home. She told Jesus that if He had been with them when Lazarus was sick that he would not have died. With this, she began weeping as did those that came to Jesus with her. Being told where Lazarus was entombed seemed to bear on His human emotions to the extent that Jesus wept. Realizing that all present knew He could have healed Lazarus from his illness, Jesus approached the cave in which he was buried and asked that the stone that covered the grave be taken away. Martha knew that a body dead for four days would have begun to decay and the odor would be noticeable. But Jesus persuaded Martha to open the grave by reminding her of His promise: if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God (See Vss. 17-40 to confirm the events noted above).

Beginning with the lesson text, they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. No doubt Jesus had already been told by His Heavenly Father the action that must be taken, yet to instill faith in those that were about to witness this event, Jesus openly gave all glory, honor, and power to God. He lifted up His eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me. On this occasion, as it was with all miracles that He performed, the reason for doing so was to prove to the world, both then and now, that He was the promised Savior, the Son of God, sent to earth to atone for the sins of the world, redeem all that believe on Him, and offer the hope of eternal salvation to all that obey God's will, submit to baptism for the remission of sins, become His children, and be added to the church that would bear His name.

And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. To cry with a loud voice, carries the meaning that Jesus spoke these words with a divine authority, the same voice of authority that will be heard on the last day on earth - Resurrection Day (See 1 Thess. 4:13-17). If ever there was infallible miracles proving, beyond any doubt, that Jesus is the promised Savior, and Son of God, this certainly is among them. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. People of the earth never before, and will never again until the Day of Judgment, witness a more astonishingly wonderful event - the restoring physical life once again to a body that was dead and buried. The man Lazarus, his body, once dead, now alive, coming from the entombment cave in which he was laid, and still wearing the cloth wrappings that had bound his once dead body. To the onlookers, and probably more specifically to Martha and Mary, Jesus said, Loose him, and let him go. The grave clothes, which bound him, were to be taken from Lazarus that he could walk about freely and be seen by all present on that day.

The result then was the same as it should be today. Having witnessed these things, either through the eyes of those that were present on that day, or through the eyes of Holy Spirit-inspired writers that recorded this event, should come to the same conclusion. Throughout the entire world, all men and women that have open and receptive hearts, that are truly seeking the hope of eternal life in heaven, must believe on Him as the Son of God and Savior of the world. All doubt should have been lifted after this divine display of God's power through Christ Jesus by the raising of Lazarus. However the same two classes of people existed then as now - some believed and some continued to disbelieve Jesus to be the Savior. It seemed on this occasion those that rejected Jesus went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Indeed, to obstinately resist and deny the deity of Jesus and His mission on earth after witnessing an irrefutable miracle such as this, is the work of Satan and his followers. The saddest part of this lesson is that most of the world, both then, as well as today, despite this miracle, rejects Jesus as the Son of God and, thereby, lose all hope of eternal salvation that God promised through Him.