This month's "Miracles of God" verse draws inspiration from John 11:17-44 where we read about the gripping miracle of Lazarus being brought back to life. The first video contains the Scriptures and the poetry verse itself, while the second covers the insight and reflection section. May they inspire and encourage us this week! Love Lucy x
The Miracles Of God- Jesus Raised Lazarus from the Dead.
John 11:17-44
“So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that 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, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
“Lazarus came back to life, summoned by his Lord.The Miracles Of God- Jesus Raised Lazarus from the Dead.
John 11:17-44
“So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that 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, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Oh may our lives give glory to the power of our God!
Let’s not put limitations on what our King can do,
But render all to Him, and watch His mighty strength break through!”
Matthew 19:26
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them,
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””
Insight and Reflection
At the beginning of this section of Scripture, we’re told that Jesus came to the tomb four days after Lazarus had passed away. It’s been suggested that Jesus may have chosen to do this, knowing the Jewish superstition of that day which said a soul stayed near the grave for three days after death. By waiting four days, it would now be publicly accepted that there was no hope of resuscitation for Lazarus, rendering the miracle that was to come as a work of God, and God alone.
We go on to read about how Martha was very open with her disappointment at the timing of Jesus’ arrival. She made it clear that she believed Jesus could have healed her brother if He’d only arrived earlier when disease was the issue. Now that death had taken a hold, however, she saw the situation as something beyond even His power. In Martha’s mind, disease was something that could be grappled with, but death was an unconquerable foe.
Jesus goes on to reassure Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Not understanding His full meaning, Martha assumes Jesus is referring to when all those who have died in the faith will rise again on the last day. It hadn’t occurred to Martha that Jesus was meaning Lazarus would rise again that very day, yet what’s interesting is she still shows her faith and trust in what her Saviour has promised for the future. In spite of her grief, sadness and disappointment, Martha communicates she still fully trusts in Jesus which is quite a touching demonstration of her unshakeable faith here.
What Martha didn’t realise, however, is that when it comes to God’s authority and power, there is no difference between disease and death. One is not more problematic than the other for the God whose power knows no boundaries. As Charles Spurgeon once said on this passage,
“Some prayers would be all the better if they were shorter—all the better if they did not so much declare our own will as declare our confidence in the good will of Christ.”
Now might be a good time to ask ourselves: Are there situations in my life that seem so dead they are beyond saving, beyond improvement or resurrection? Do I have the faith of Martha to trust God can still work, even now? Am I praying about this situation or have I given up praying?
Jesus goes on to explain to Martha that He is the resurrection and the life. He didn’t say He understands mysteries about resurrection and life, or have resurrection and life; He boldly claims He is the resurrection and the life! He is the eternal God and the Champion over even the power death.
Jesus then challenges Martha to trust that He is the source of life itself when He says,
“He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus confidently presents Himself as the Champion over death, making clear that while humanity may fear death, the believer does not need to fall into this pit. Death, for the believer, is simply a transition from the old life into the new. Once again, the words of Charles Spurgeon are very insightful on this topic. He said,
“Those that believe in Jesus Christ appear to die, but yet they live. They are not in the grave, they are forever with the Lord. They are not unconscious, they are with their Lord in Paradise. Death cannot kill a believer, it can only usher him into a freer form of life.”
In spite of this beautiful promise for the believer, there’s no denying that death causes immense sorrow and heartache for those left behind. We go on to see in this passage just how grieved our Lord is when He sees and hears our sorrow. We read in verse 33 that Jesus is deeply troubled, groaning in His spirit as He witnesses those who are weeping and mourning. Verse 35 then reveals that Jesus Himself wept.
The Greek word used to describe Jesus weeping in verse 35 (edák-rusen) is different to the one used in verse 33 (klaiontas). The mourners of Lazarus are said to be wailing loudly, as was customary in that culture during a time of mourning. By contrast, Jesus is described as weeping quietly. This is the silent, controlled weeping of one who is deeply grieved and sheds quiet, heartbroken tears or sorrow. It’s been said that Jesus’ sorrow wasn’t predominantly over the death of Lazarus, but rather, over the destruction, power and tyranny of death over all of humanity.
There’s no doubting though, that Jesus shared the grief of those who were mourning, which is so true for us today too. Our compassionate Saviour understands humanity and can identify with our sorrow. There is no shame in our tears, knowing that God hears our heartbroken cries, and brings comfort to those who find themselves in a time of mourning. Another quote from Spurgeon sums up this matter well when he said,
“Sometimes we are told that if we really believed that our friends would rise again, and that they are sae and happy even now, we could not weep. Why not? Jesus did. There cannot be any error in following where Jesus leads the way.”
The text goes on to tell us that Jesus approaches the tomb and asks that the stone be moved away from the entrance. When Martha proceeds to query this action by drawing attention to the fact that there will now be a terrible smell from the decaying body, Jesus replies,
“Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
Jesus was fully capable of performing this miracle without the faith of Martha or Mary, but He’s making the point here that He doesn’t want them to miss out on the joy of working together with God in fulfilling His plan. If Mary and Martha would not believe in what Jesus said, they would still see the end result, regardless, but they would be devoid of the incredible blessing of being a part of this incredible miracle.
Mary and Martha go on to take an amazing step of faith, and obeyed the command of Jesus by rolling away the stone. Not only had their Saviour called on them to confess their faith, but He then called on them to act upon it. Jesus then adopts the traditional position of prayer as He raises His open hands and eyes to Heaven, and gives thanks to God for hearing His prayers. There is no pomp and ceremony about Christ’s words here; His prayer is short and powerful, rooted in the hours of private time He spent in communion with God the Father.
In one authoritative, loud call, Christ calls Lazarus back from the dead. I’ve heard it said of this moment that the loud voice was not needed to make the dead hear. It’s more likely that the volume of Christ’s call here was more for the benefit of the crowd, that they may know this was no work of magic, but the very power of God.
Jesus calls Lazarus to come forth from the tomb, and to the astonishment of all present, the one who was dead, does indeed rise! Here we see Jesus overrule death and put to shame the power of the grave, almost as a sign and a forewarning to death for what He would soon do for one and all. It gives me chills to think of this scene playing out and all the emotions that must have followed from those witnessing this phenomenal miracle. It brings to mind the verse I put at the end of the poem which was Matthew 19:26. It reads,
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them,
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””
Whatever seemingly impossible situations we may be facing today, I pray that this study can encourage us to bring everything before God’s throne in faith. May we not limit our prayers with our own imagination, (or lack thereof!) but instead, commit everything into His mighty, capable hands, trusting that our Saviour can do the impossible!
