Jesus and Lazarus
I love the story of Jesus and Lazarus. I relate the story below so we're all on the same page. This story lends so much insight into the mind of God and His attitude toward human beings, His tremendous, out-of-this-world kindness, and grace. And, it contains the shortest sentence in the King James Bible: "Jesus wept." For those who think men cannot or should not cry, look at our Savior crying over His friend Lazarus, even though he was about to raise him from the dead. So, let's get started.
***
11 Now a certain man was
sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped
his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death,
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days
still in the same place where he was.
7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea
again.
8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to
stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man
walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no
light in him.
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our
friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had
spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent
ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four
days already.
18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them
concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and
met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died.
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God
will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ,
the Son of God, which should come into the world.
28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her
sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place
where Martha met him.
31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her,
when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her,
saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down
at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not
died.
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping
which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come
and see.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes
of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It
was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that
was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead
four days.
40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41 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.
42 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.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go.
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things
which Jesus did, believed on him.
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them
what things Jesus had done.
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and
said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the
Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same
year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die
for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year,
he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather
together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him
to death.
54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went
thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and
there continued with his disciples.
55 And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the
country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they
stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a
commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they
might take him.
***
What a wonderful story. I cannot relay the many things this brings to mind. So let me simply state what it means to me. Lazarus' resurrection is the perfect picture of salvation. We are dead in sin (and Lazarus was truly dead because in Jewish tradition, if someone was dead three days, they were truly dead) and God raises us from the dead by accepting the gift of salvation. But the pictures don't stop there. When Jesus gave his disciples charge, He said certain signs will follow those who believe. One of those is casting out devils (demons). That part is seen when Jesus tells those ministering to Lazarus to "Loose him and let him go," by taking the grave clothes off. Many Christians are walking around with their grave clothes still on because they never went through deliverance. They still look like the world and smell like the world (Lord, he stinketh). Deliverance was a regular part of Jesus' ministry and His disciples, as well. The only time He balked at deliverance was when a woman who was not a Jew asked for deliverance for her daughter. Deliverance has always been the children's bread and is not meant for unbelievers. The woman proved her faith when she further pressed Jesus for deliverance and Jesus relented. That is the only time he resisted delivering someone from a demon.
Immediately after rising from the dead (salvation), Lazarus was stumbling about, unable to see or walk because he was wrapped head to toe in grave clothes, so he was kind of like a mummy. Maybe he hopped out of the grave. So he needed immediate attention, attention that not all Christians get after they are saved. He needed to be cleaned up ("loose him and let him go," i.e, deliverance). Even though he was brought back to life, he was not a functioning Christian. He needed the next step so he could function in the kingdom of God. In the Christian churches today, we have a whole lot of mummies — those who were saved but never cleaned up — stumbling around, trying to live a Christian life but wondering why it isn't working. They need deliverance. That is one thing that is missing from the churches, and it is vital. Without it, Christians look just like those in the world.
We also see Jesus speaking in a strange way. He says something and then after that says He didn't have to say that but for the sake of those around Him, He said it. He's almost narrating. It makes me wonder how many times He didn't have to say something but said it for the sakes of those around Him and so it would be recorded for our sakes. Probably more times than we realize. Considering how many times we see Jesus misunderstood (even in this account it is many), it is clear He was planting seeds that would grow later. People could not understand why He stayed away when He could have healed Lazarus. It was so He could give us this picture of salvation and deliverance (and I consider healing the same as deliverance because many times after demons were thrown out of someone, they were healed). Because Jesus waited for Lazarus to die, we have this very accurate picture of salvation and deliverance.
Yes, Jesus loved Lazarus. Yes, He cried when He saw he was dead. It moved Him to tears. Now, consider this is a picture of salvation. Consider this is how Jesus sees all those who are lost and dead in their sin, and not just those who belong to Him — ALL. Consider His next move, which is to command Lazarus to come forth (and to live). What compassion. What grace. What mercy. It is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should be saved. Jesus risked going to Judea where His life was in danger just to raise one man from the dead. Also, I can't think of anything most people fear more than death. Here we see a full triumph over death, which is something all believers will experience and can expect. If God never did any other miracle than salvation for His people, they would still be indebted to Him for all eternity. But He offers so much more!
Another thing of note is when a person does the will of God, often they ruffle the feathers of the religious people, the very people who should be overjoyed by a miracle such as this. They sought even more to kill Jesus after each of His miracles. Jesus raised a man from the dead, yet they wanted to kill him. Such is how the religious people will repay those who follow God. The people who kill us think they are doing God a favor. That shows a great disconnect between religious people and pure religion, which is doing the will of God (James 1:27), often at the expense of upholding the law. Often Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which was against the law. But Jesus tells us some things are more important than the law. Those who only want to do what the law says don't understand God at all. We see that plainly in this story. No, Jesus didn't come to destroy the law, but there were times when He made it clear helping people was more important than upholding the law.
Truly, this is a special story. I've only scratched the surface. Many will read this and glean much more from it. I'm just expounding on what I see with my limited vision. But what a wonderful thing to witness. God is in the miracle business. Those who follow Him will see many things like this. "And greater things than these shall you do in my name."
Thank you for reading. And God bless.
I'm very tired after writing so very much over the last few years. I hope to continue writing and thank those who read with all my heart. Please understand that I'm not writing as much not due to a lack of desire, but, rather, low energy. I've had to reconsider my academic path after the whole world went crazy, too. I simply may not have the cognitive reserve to do all the things I want. And, well, a lot of stuff going on right now is more important than my education. Some heavy stuff is going on.
What a wonderful story. I cannot relay the many things this brings to mind. So let me simply state what it means to me. Lazarus' resurrection is the perfect picture of salvation. We are dead in sin (and Lazarus was truly dead because in Jewish tradition, if someone was dead three days, they were truly dead) and God raises us from the dead by accepting the gift of salvation. But the pictures don't stop there. When Jesus gave his disciples charge, He said certain signs will follow those who believe. One of those is casting out devils (demons). That part is seen when Jesus tells those ministering to Lazarus to "Loose him and let him go," by taking the grave clothes off. Many Christians are walking around with their grave clothes still on because they never went through deliverance. They still look like the world and smell like the world (Lord, he stinketh). Deliverance was a regular part of Jesus' ministry and His disciples, as well. The only time He balked at deliverance was when a woman who was not a Jew asked for deliverance for her daughter. Deliverance has always been the children's bread and is not meant for unbelievers. The woman proved her faith when she further pressed Jesus for deliverance and Jesus relented. That is the only time he resisted delivering someone from a demon.
Immediately after rising from the dead (salvation), Lazarus was stumbling about, unable to see or walk because he was wrapped head to toe in grave clothes, so he was kind of like a mummy. Maybe he hopped out of the grave. So he needed immediate attention, attention that not all Christians get after they are saved. He needed to be cleaned up ("loose him and let him go," i.e, deliverance). Even though he was brought back to life, he was not a functioning Christian. He needed the next step so he could function in the kingdom of God. In the Christian churches today, we have a whole lot of mummies — those who were saved but never cleaned up — stumbling around, trying to live a Christian life but wondering why it isn't working. They need deliverance. That is one thing that is missing from the churches, and it is vital. Without it, Christians look just like those in the world.
We also see Jesus speaking in a strange way. He says something and then after that says He didn't have to say that but for the sake of those around Him, He said it. He's almost narrating. It makes me wonder how many times He didn't have to say something but said it for the sakes of those around Him and so it would be recorded for our sakes. Probably more times than we realize. Considering how many times we see Jesus misunderstood (even in this account it is many), it is clear He was planting seeds that would grow later. People could not understand why He stayed away when He could have healed Lazarus. It was so He could give us this picture of salvation and deliverance (and I consider healing the same as deliverance because many times after demons were thrown out of someone, they were healed). Because Jesus waited for Lazarus to die, we have this very accurate picture of salvation and deliverance.
Yes, Jesus loved Lazarus. Yes, He cried when He saw he was dead. It moved Him to tears. Now, consider this is a picture of salvation. Consider this is how Jesus sees all those who are lost and dead in their sin, and not just those who belong to Him — ALL. Consider His next move, which is to command Lazarus to come forth (and to live). What compassion. What grace. What mercy. It is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should be saved. Jesus risked going to Judea where His life was in danger just to raise one man from the dead. Also, I can't think of anything most people fear more than death. Here we see a full triumph over death, which is something all believers will experience and can expect. If God never did any other miracle than salvation for His people, they would still be indebted to Him for all eternity. But He offers so much more!
Another thing of note is when a person does the will of God, often they ruffle the feathers of the religious people, the very people who should be overjoyed by a miracle such as this. They sought even more to kill Jesus after each of His miracles. Jesus raised a man from the dead, yet they wanted to kill him. Such is how the religious people will repay those who follow God. The people who kill us think they are doing God a favor. That shows a great disconnect between religious people and pure religion, which is doing the will of God (James 1:27), often at the expense of upholding the law. Often Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which was against the law. But Jesus tells us some things are more important than the law. Those who only want to do what the law says don't understand God at all. We see that plainly in this story. No, Jesus didn't come to destroy the law, but there were times when He made it clear helping people was more important than upholding the law.
Truly, this is a special story. I've only scratched the surface. Many will read this and glean much more from it. I'm just expounding on what I see with my limited vision. But what a wonderful thing to witness. God is in the miracle business. Those who follow Him will see many things like this. "And greater things than these shall you do in my name."
Thank you for reading. And God bless.
I'm very tired after writing so very much over the last few years. I hope to continue writing and thank those who read with all my heart. Please understand that I'm not writing as much not due to a lack of desire, but, rather, low energy. I've had to reconsider my academic path after the whole world went crazy, too. I simply may not have the cognitive reserve to do all the things I want. And, well, a lot of stuff going on right now is more important than my education. Some heavy stuff is going on.
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