Lazarus Come Out From Your Grave

“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”” 

John 11:41-44 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.11.41-44.NIV)

When I was in hospital waiting the MRI scan that would determine my diagnosis, my devotional readings were astonishingly close to the bone. 

UCB’s ‘Word for Today’ was about accepting and embracing change. It was part of a short series that covered the first two days of my recovery from a stroke. I embraced a medication regime, post-stroke fatigue, inability to walk too far outside of my home, inability to support my family with chores, changes to diet, calming down my stressed out wife who had thought she was on the way to losing her husband after losing both of her parents.  

It was a lot in a short space of time. 

But nothing compared to Lazarus. 

Forget fatigue – this guy had been dead for four days and come back from rigour mortis to a picture of health! 

I see four stages to this incredible miracle. 

Firstly, Jesus called; they removed the stone. As we said earlier, they had to be willing to open the grave before Lazarus could be raised. We have to allow God into the smelly and rotting areas of our lives – where our ‘bodies’ lie – before we can be changed by Him. 

Secondly, Jesus called; God answered. This whole miracle was achieved through prayer.  

As Jeremiah taught: 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ” 

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jer.29.13.NIV)

And Jesus Himself: 

“ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” 

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.7.7-8.NIV)

If a miracle is to happen in your life, it will happen through prayer. 

And this won’t be through those wonderful performances prayers you hear in every act of corporate worship. No, this will be achieved through the honest, heartfelt prayers in the quiet place where no-one but God is listening (Matthew 6:5-8). 

Thirdly, Jesus called; Lazarus rose.  

Now, this miracle is a miracle, but it should not be seen as impossible. Why should it be considered impossible that the God who spoke the whole universe into being (Psalm 33:8-9) could summon life back into Lazarus, even after four days? 

But this then causes the question to arise: ‘Why isn’t it happening to me? If Jesus can bring a dead man to life, why am I still sick? Why are my relatives dead? Why am I still facing my pain?’ 

There is a theological answer.  

Miracles are miracles because they are miracles. They are rare. They are not normal. If they were normal, they would not be miracles. And resurrections are the miracles of miracles. For all the thousands of years of the Bible and the millions of people who lived, there were only a miniscule number of people who were raised from the dead. And these were always for a very specific reason. 

On the most part, life is full of entropy and decay. Paul explained that this reminds us of the impermanence of life here and the infinity of life in heaven and makes us long for heaven (Romans 8:18-21). 

Which is all well and good, but it still hurts. 

The only thing that really helps us at all is to trust the Heart behind the hurt and to receive comfort and hope from Him. 

What this miracle teaches us more than anything is that death is not the end. It has been defeated. It is not to be feared because it has been conquered. 

And own day, we too will rise. 

Since even death has been conquered, why should we fear anything else? 

But we must also remember there is a fourth stage: Jesus called; they removed the grave clothes. 

Lazarus could not continue through life dressed as a dead man. He had to lose the bindings he wore in the grave. 

Likewise, when our lives change, there are aspects of our old dead life we must leave behind because they will trip us up and stop us living life as we should. Don’t keep them as souvenirs or mementos. Take them off. Throw them away. Consider them as rubbish (Philippians 3:7-15) that you might truly live. 

As Jesus headed to Bethany, He said this to His disciples: 

“So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ” 

John 11:3-4 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.11.3-4.NIV)

And it didn’t. But I don’t think for one single second that it even crossed the disciples’ mind that Jesus would be glorified by raising Lazarus from the dead.  

Yet He was. 

Fear not, Christian. The power of the One who raised Lazarus from the dead is with you always. Even now.  

He will be glorified through you and your pain. 

Just maybe not in ways that you might imagine.