John 11:40-43
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will 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!”
Martha was being practical, as usual. Jesus had ordered the stone covering Lazarus’ tomb rolled away and since his body had been in there for four days already, she was worried about the odor. Perhaps he just wanted to see the body of his good friend one last time? It was certainly a strange request…like telling your army to march around a walled city for several days and then blow your trumpets and yell. God’s ways are not man’s ways (Is. 55:8) and we all need to learn to be more open to the creative ways in which the Lord can work in our lives.
“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Jesus didn’t need Mary and Martha to have faith in order for him to raise Lazarus from the dead, but by believing in who he was, they would see much more than a miracle…they would see the Glory of God. People all over the world see God’s handiwork every single day (Rom. 1:19), yet they give him no glory for it. They appreciate the creation but not the creator, and in doing so, they miss the bigger more glorious picture. Jesus wanted Mary and Martha to grasp the biggest truth of them all—that the God of heaven and earth was with them, for them, and had come to provide the ultimate victory of death. The Glory of God is always far more than what we can see with our eyes!
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”
It was important for people to understand that the Father and the Son were one, which is why Jesus prayed openly and loudly. The Scottish minister Marcus Dods noted, “No pomp of incantation, no wrestling in prayer even; but simple words of thanksgiving, as if Lazarus had already returned.” The Father was working mightily in his Son, which verified that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. Jesus also modeled for us what we should be about each and every day—our Father’s business.
“Lazarus, come out!”
Many have quipped that if Jesus had not specified Lazarus by name, the entire population of that graveyard would have come back to life! It’s not far from the truth. In John 5:28 Jesus foretold of a time when every person in a grave would hear his voice, but that day had not yet come…even though the power was readily available. Lazarus, of course did come out. Jesus fought death, defeated it, and plundered the grave of his friend. He wants to do the same thing in your life. First, for the eternality of your soul, and second, to help you walk in the freedom from sin he died to purchase for you.
