Day 46-Saturday, March 30th
John 11:28-44
Come Forth

As Jesus continues to make His way along the road to Bethany, Mary (the other sister of Lazarus) comes to meet Jesus on the road, falling at His feet. Like her sister Martha, Mary also expresses that she believes that Jesus can heal Lazarus.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. John 11:32-24 NIV

One of the key emphases of John 11 is the beautiful balance between the deity of Jesus and the humanity of Jesus. Deeply moved by the grief of Mary and Martha and their friends and family, John records that Jesus wept with the group. Stop and take a moment to picture this scene. The Creator of the Universe weeping with His creation.

Arriving at the tomb, Jesus instructs that the stone be rolled away. The crowd protests because Lazarus has been dead for four days and they fear the stench of the body.

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 he has been there four days.” John 11:38-39 NIV

Jesus dismisses this concern and offers a prayer for all to hear.

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 the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come 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 11:41-44 NIV

At the command of Jesus, Lazarus comes out of the tomb with the grave clothes still wrapped around his body. What a sight that must have been!!! Surely the crowd gasped in amazement! Of all of the amazing works of Jesus, this one was in a different category. Let’s consider the implications of the raising of Lazarus in our own lives.

Dead in the tomb, the words of Jesus raise Lazarus to life. Jesus spoke and Lazarus rose from the dead. Lazarus didn’t decide that he would believe in Jesus and then come out of the tomb, rather Jesus spoke and Lazarus responded to His call. Theologically, understanding the difference is crucial to understanding the way salvation works in our hearts. We don’t find Jesus, He comes to us and calls us to Himself. That’s not to say that we are robots who have no choice when Jesus calls, and who play no part in our salvation experience. Jesus calls us and draws our hearts to Him, and we respond by faith. It is a beautiful and powerful mystery.

Today, on silent Saturday of Holy Week, Jesus is in the tomb with the grave clothes still wrapped around His body. In just a few short hours, the Lord Jesus will be raised to life. The disciples will be amazed and surprised which seems odd since they were aware that Jesus held the power over life and death based on His raising of Lazarus.

May we not be surprised when the power of Jesus brings resurrection to our hearts and to the hearts of those who believe.

Questions to consider:
How would you have reacted to the raising of Lazarus from the dead if you had been an eyewitness?
How would seeing this strengthen your faith and belief that with God anything is possible?

Scroll to Top