When the Dead Live
John 11 has the account of Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life after he had been dead four days. Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick but delayed going to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He said that Lazarus' sickness was for God's glory, so that God's son would be glorified through it. (Verse 4) He also said in speaking to the disciples, "For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe." (Verse 14) Jesus knew he was going to raise Lazarus and he wanted this to teach something to the disciples.
The scripture says that it is appointed unto man to die and we all know that is our destiny unless the Lord returns before our time. Death entered into the world because of sin in the Garden of Eden and has been passed upon the human race. There is something about the death of a loved one that touches us at the deepest level. Jesus was deeply moved when he saw the weeping of Mary and the Jews who had come to comfort Mary and Martha. And he himself wept. We are told twice that Jesus was deeply moved. (Verses 33 and 38). Heb. 5:15 tells us that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. Isa. 63:9, in speaking about the Israelites says "in all their distress he too was distressed." God feels what you feel!! He understands our grief and empathizes with us.
Martha and Mary both believed in the Resurrection of the dead. Martha said, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus told Martha, "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." Verse 25. Wonderful words of hope!!! In John 5:25 Jesus said "the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live." I Cor. 15;55 also has words of hope. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?'" Death is not final. We will rise to live forever!!!
Besides underlining the hope of the resurrection and the power of God to defy death, I believe there is another lesson in this chapter. There are many who are spiritually dead; perhaps some of them your loved one. Martha thought Lazarus had been dead too long and that there would be a bad odor if they opened the grave. There are those dead in the sin of the world that we might think are too far gone. Where we see stinking flesh, God sees life. They certainly do have the odor of sin. But Jesus is calling them to come forth and live. Just as Lazarus was all bound up in the grave clothes, those without the Lord are bound by many things and the Lord is saying "Take off their grave clothes and let them go." Sometimes it a process to become unwound from the things of the world and we can participate in that process as we teach and disciple those who come to the Lord.
Let's be ready to roll some stones away from some spiritual graves and loose some spiritual grave clothes. God wants to resurrect people from their spiritual death.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - 2 Chronicles 10-11, Ezekiel 45, John 12
God is good all the time,
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