Jesus Revealed Pt. 11 - I AM The Resurrection And The LifeSample

Jesus raises Lazarus  

Thoughts on the Passage

“If you believe you will see the glory of God?”

Neither Mary nor Martha really believed that Lazarus would be raised from the dead. Martha had an understanding that yes, someday Lazarus would rise from the dead, but now was not that time. Mary was just too broken to even get there. So Jesus goes to the tomb and asks them to take away the stone. It sounds like a small thing to do, but it is powerful. It is a step of obedience to what Jesus asks of them. They obey because Jesus said it needed to be done. They obeyed because Jesus said they would see the glory of God. They obeyed….

They obeyed and they waited.

They probably did not understand what was coming. They probably did not hear Jesus speak the words of John 5:29 where He said that the dead would hear His voice and rise. They probably did not know that it could apply to this moment. 

But it did. 

“Lazarus, come out!” 

This was not a request – it was a command. It was not a declaration, it was a command. It was not given gently or quietly, it was a loud command. Jesus is the One who is the Resurrection and the Life, and He has spoken to death to release this man. Death obeys immediately.

Application

Yesterday, we waited in grief with Mary. 

Today we take the step of obedience that was all Jesus required. Jesus releases life.

Today, we obey and wait again. This time we wait for Jesus to speak words of life. So listen to what Jesus says and be obedient. Now He can act to bring glory to the name of our God.

Time to Pray

Father, yesterday I ended by just waiting. I had things that just were too big for me to believe. Everything I did failed and I saw no hope or reason for it to work out. Today, I want to hear You speak. I want to hear You speak words to me that require a step of obedience by me. I want to obey even if it seems foolish or unreasonable. I want to so that You can speak again – and have the glory of God revealed. So I wait again. You waited until Lazarus was dead four days – it was over. But it was not over, because You had not yet spoken. Now I wait again for You to speak into this situation. I want death to give up this promise that You have given to me. I will wait for Your voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.