Lazarus, Come Forth

Between verses 43 and 44 of John 11, there's drama. Breath is suspended. Eyes are glued. If this happens, everything changes.

Scripture Focus: John 11:38-44

Jesus comes to the tomb. He's deeply moved again—not just with sorrow, but with deep resolve to fix this. Death, the enemy that has plagued humanity since Genesis 3, is about to meet its match.

He gives a command: "Remove the stone."

Martha, even Martha who had just confessed faith, interjects: "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days (John 11:39)." Needless to say, Martha was not expecting a miracle. No. She says, "What are you thinking, Jesus? The stench is going to be unreal. Don't roll away the stone."

Interesting isn't it?

It just goes to show us—no matter how much we've been exposed to God's kindness and power, naturally speaking, our hearts are prone to disbelief and to faithlessness.

But they remove the stone. And Jesus prays—not for Himself, but "because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me (John 11:41-42)."

Then He cries out with a loud voice—mega voice. He's not being discreet. He's shouting. Everyone gathered, everyone mourning, all the masses—hundreds of people are watching.

And He doesn't give an invitation. He gives a command: "Lazarus, come forth!"

Now pause.

Insert yourself into the drama. You hear a carpenter looking into a dark tomb telling a guy that's been dead for four days, "Come on out." No one is batting an eye. No one is whispering to each other. No one's like, "Hey, what's about to happen?"

Eyes are glued. Breath is suspended. If this happens, everything changes.

Verse 44 is, in its truest sense, amazing: "The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth."

A decaying heart begins to beat. Nerves begin to fire. Blood pulsates through the body. And Lazarus doesn't slither out of the tomb—he walks. He went from death to life.

How did God create the world?

Hebrews 11:3 says "by the word of God."

Psalm 148:5 says "the Lord merely spoke and the heavens were created. He breathed the word and all the stars were born."

How did God create? With His voice. "Let there be light. Let there be plants. Let there be people." Boom. Boom. Boom.

And here is that same voice standing alongside one of the hills and mountains that He has made. But instead of it being a scene of beauty, it's a scene of death because of what sin had brought into the world. And because of that, once again, He's deeply moved in a way where He says, "I'm done with this."

He shouts—and death has to obey.

But what's the paint point of the story?

Listen—this is a sign of your spiritual condition. You aren't just confused and need some wisdom. You aren't just broken and need to be straightened. You aren't just hurt and need to be healed. You're dead and need to be made alive.

What the dead need is a resurrection. And the same voice that called Lazarus out of the tomb is the same voice that can call you out of spiritual death today.

Stay dialed in.