If Jesus had not mentioned Lazarus by name, all who were in their graves would have come forth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go” (John 11:43-44). “He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Martha still didn’t understand what Jesus was about to do and what He will do for others someday. After this, “Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days”(John 11:39). When the Lord finally arrived, “Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled”(John 11:33), so much so that He wept (John 11:35).

Do you believe? Martha did believe in the resurrection and in Christ (John 11:24), so her theology was right. Do you believe this” (John 11:25-26)? Ask yourself that. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. This is why Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Perhaps Jesus would have prevented Lazarus from dying if He had come earlier, but this was not the way for God to receive glory though. When Jesus finally arrives at Martha and Mary’s, “he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days”(John 11:17), but Martha gives Jesus a slight rebuke for arriving late, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Why was Jesus glad He wasn’t there? He could have kept Lazarus from dying, but He waits and says the reason was “so that you may believe,”and believe they will! That explains why He waits and why He said earlier that “This illness does not lead to death. That’s why Jesus says something interesting, saying, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. Most people might have expected Jesus to rush to Lazarus side before He died, but He didn’t, but don’t most of us expect Jesus to come to our rescue quickly, but we forget, Jesus is interested in glorifying God (John 11:4). The Raising of Lazarus, 1517 1519, Sebastiano del Piombo Lazarus DiesĪfter Jesus learned that Lazarus was gravely ill, He stayed right where He was for two more days. Without God, we’d have died in our sins, having no hope of heaven. It was by the grace of God alone, through His Spirit, that we were raised to new life in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote that “you were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), however, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”(Eph 2:4-6). The name Lazarus comes from the Greek word “Lazaros” and means “whom God helps,” and God did help Lazarus, and no one was in greater need of help than Lazarus, who was four days dead! Yes, God would help Lazarus by Jesus Christ, as He has resurrection power in His words, and He is God, so Lazarus was a person “whom God (Jesus) helps.” Really, we’re all like the dead man Lazarus…worse than for days dead. In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and teaches us about patience and the resurrection of the dead on the last great day.

Lazarus raised from the dead