Death Of Lazarus : Witnessing The Power of Jesus

The Death of Lazarus : Witnessing the Power of Jesus

Jesus, once more deeply moved , came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone, laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone.” He said. “But Lord, “ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor , for it has been there four days .” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 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 people standing here , that they may believe that you send me. “

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, came 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 : 38 - 44

Jesus did perform many great miracles. All his miracles are unique and cannot be duplicated. One of the greatest miracles that really made the Jewish priests very anxious was the resurrection of Lazarus.

Before Christ advent, there was no record in all Israel history that a man who was dead for several days and already in advanced stage of decomposition had been brought back to life. Previously there were records of bringing back to life a person dead for several hours as in the case of Elijah and Elisha. But resurrecting a dead person who was already dead for several days and was already decaying, there was no previous record. Only Jesus was able to do this.

This is the main reason I believe why Jesus furtherly delayed his coming to Bethany though already heard about Lazarus condition in an earlier time . That he will be able to perform a far greater miracle which is bringing back a decaying dead to life rather than just simply healing a sick man. And the resurrection of Lazarus did really reveal the glory and power of Christ.

Applying to our very own lives as Christians, we should never be disheartened by God’s delays to our prayers. God’s delays do not mean unanswered prayers but it could mean that God is about to reveal greater manifestations of His glory in our lives.

I believe with all my heart , the resurrection of Lazarus is the greatest miracle of Jesus. For this miracle reveals something about the future of a believer in Christ. Jesus says in John 11:25-26;

“ I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Because of this miracle, resurrection of Lazarus, we can fully rely on Jesus words. It once again proves that Jesus word is powerful. By just simply pronouncing, a great miracle took place. He is indeed the Messiah who was to come to the world .

As a Christian we have indeed a great future in the Lord. We too will experience resurrection. Our bodies will not remain in decaying, we will rise again to see the glorious Kingdom of God. Death is not the end of a Christian journey , it is just the beginning . For in Christ we have a great hope and future beyond death’s door. Truly Christ is awesome. A blessed All Saint’s Day to you all !

In God’s rich mercy,

Cristina Santander