Lazarus Rising
The Gospel of John records,
“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”
When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
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.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
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.”
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 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 11:17-44
Here is the story of Lazarus as recorded by the apostle John. Like all the gospels John’s was written within living memory of the events.
Like all the miracles Jesus performed if not true and proven to be a lie would be detrimental to the cause of the fledgling Christian movement.
Especially something like raising a man from the dead. This is an incredible claim at any time. Yet early Christians and Christians to this day believed this.
So Christians then and now are either believing a lie that has lasted centuries or the truth. It’s the same for not only the story of Lazarus but all that is said in the New Testament.
Within the New Testament there are if you think about it incredible statements made about Jesus. Foremost Jesus claim to be the Son of God the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate.
Jesus said,
“I and the Father are one.”
John 10:30.
He also said,
“...I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
To claim to be equal to God under Jewish law at the time was a serious crime punishable by death,
When Jesus was on trial before Pilate the Jews reminded the Roman governor of that law. John’s gospel records,
“The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
John 19:7
Jesus knew all about the law yet up to his dying breath he never wavered in His claim to be God. Luke’s Gospel records Jesus while on the cross as calling out to God the Father asking forgiveness for those who are crucifying him. Luke records,
“ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34a
C. S. Lewis points out,
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Within the story of Lazarus lies a question that I believe all people must answer. When speaking to Martha the sister of Lazarus,
Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
This is a question you must answer. This is a question that everyone who hears about Jesus must answer.
Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it
The Gospel of John records,
“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”
When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
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.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
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.”
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 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 11:17-44
Here is the story of Lazarus as recorded by the apostle John. Like all the gospels John’s was written within living memory of the events.
Like all the miracles Jesus performed if not true and proven to be a lie would be detrimental to the cause of the fledgling Christian movement.
Especially something like raising a man from the dead. This is an incredible claim at any time. Yet early Christians and Christians to this day believed this.
So Christians then and now are either believing a lie that has lasted centuries or the truth. It’s the same for not only the story of Lazarus but all that is said in the New Testament.
Within the New Testament there are if you think about it incredible statements made about Jesus. Foremost Jesus claim to be the Son of God the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate.
Jesus said,
“I and the Father are one.”
John 10:30.
He also said,
“...I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
To claim to be equal to God under Jewish law at the time was a serious crime punishable by death,
When Jesus was on trial before Pilate the Jews reminded the Roman governor of that law. John’s gospel records,
“The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
John 19:7
Jesus knew all about the law yet up to his dying breath he never wavered in His claim to be God. Luke’s Gospel records Jesus while on the cross as calling out to God the Father asking forgiveness for those who are crucifying him. Luke records,
“ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34a
C. S. Lewis points out,
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Within the story of Lazarus lies a question that I believe all people must answer. When speaking to Martha the sister of Lazarus,
Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
This is a question you must answer. This is a question that everyone who hears about Jesus must answer.
Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it
