Alive In ChristSample

 Roll Away the Stone

When I hear the phrase “roll away the stone,” I think of Easter. I think of the stone being rolled away, the tomb being empty, and everyone proclaiming that Jesus has risen! The story of Lazarus gives us a preview of what is coming. Little did the witnesses know that they would be reliving a similar scenario in the near future with Jesus being the one in the tomb. They were about to be a part of not only a life-altering miracle, but also a prophetic picture of what was to come. 

In this miracle of Lazarus, Jesus is preparing His disciples for what would become the new foundation of the Christian faith. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He was buried in a tomb, the stone was rolled away, and He was raised from death. By defeating death, He made a way for all believers to have eternal life in Him.

However, at this point in the story, Lazarus was dead and Jesus told the people at the grave sight to “Take away the stone.” Jesus then called out in a loud voice, ”Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus came back to life and came out of the tomb wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus then instructed him to “Take off the grave clothes.” He called Lazarus out of the tomb by name, leading him out of death and into the light of life.

This is also a symbolic picture of what happens to us when we experience new life in Christ. We’re dead in our sins and Jesus calls us out by name, leading us out of death and into eternal life with Him. When we put our faith in Him, He rolls away our heart of stone and replaces it with a new heart of flesh. His spirit lives in us. He then removes our grave clothes and replaces them with robes of righteousness. Like Lazarus, we come to life and become a new creation!