More Than Just a Story - the Book of JohnSample

What I love about the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is that the timing is so close to when Jesus was crucified and risen from the dead.

I want to focus only on the words that Jesus spoke during this passage:

“Roll the stone aside” (verse 39).
“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” (verse 40).
“Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” (verses 41-42).
“Lazarus, come out!” (verse 43).

I love the imagery and similarities between the words Jesus spoke when Lazarus was raised and when Jesus Himself was raised from the dead. Jesus saying, “Roll the stone aside,” reminds me of Luke 24:2-4, 6-7:

“They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
“He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee—that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Jesus was showing us that it is not impossible for a man to be raised from the dead so that when the stone was rolled away from His own grave, we might believe in Him.

God always hears us when we call out to Him. That is all He is asking of us—to believe that Jesus came to die for our sins so that we may be raised from our own death and have eternal life with Him. We learned this earlier in John 3:15-16:

“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

These words weren’t just for the people around Lazarus’s tomb—they are for you and me today.

Later, in verses 50 and 52, while the religious leaders are plotting to kill Jesus, there is another illustration that Jesus’s death unites the nation of God’s children:

“You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” (verse 50).
“And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.” (verse 52).

Once again, we are shown that Jesus saved us and united us through His death and resurrection. That He is the way, the truth, and the life. We learned this in John 14:6:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Don’t just read the words Jesus spoke as if they’re from a past story—these words are for you. Today, here and now. Jesus is speaking to you, calling you to roll aside the stone of your sins, to believe in God’s glory, to trust that He came to save you, to know that He hears you when you call out to Him, and to step forward into the eternal life He offers.

God is calling out to you. Are you willing to step out in faith and trust Him?

Reflection Song: You Came (Lazarus) by Bethel Music & Amanda Cook.