The town of Bethany was on the side of a mountain ridge, and Lazarus was buried in a cave, a common place of burial in that land. Martha and Mary and their friends led Jesus to the place. All were weeping, mourning for Lazarus.
A stone was over the opening of the cave and the Lord said for them to take it away. Martha thought that should not be done, because the body would already be decaying. But Jesus reminded her that He had said she should see the glory of God, and He had told the disciples that this sorrow would produce glory for the Son of God, which soon was shown them.
Waking the Dead
The stone was taken away and Jesus prayed and gave thanks to God that His prayer was heard; then He called with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
“And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin.” It was their custom to wrap cloth closely about the face and limbs of a dead person. But those tight bindings around Lazarus did not hinder his obeying the voice of the Lord Jesus, neither was the power of the Lord prevented because his body was decaying.
Lazarus stood before Jesus, and the sisters and all the people saw him alive again. Jesus told them to loose him of the bindings so he could be free to walk among them. All of them could have called ever so loudly, and Lazarus could not have heard; how wonderful the power of the Lord was!
Wonder, Joy and Sympathy
The joy of Martha and Mary is not told, but it must have been a time of wonder and awe for all. It was a time by that cave for praise to God and to His Son for such a change from death to life. Many of the friends who had either not known Jesus before, or not fully believed in His power from God, believed Him then. We would suppose that every person who stood by that cave and saw Lazarus come before them alive would have believed in Jesus, as One from God, but it seems they did not.
Jesus had before raised two persons who had died, a young girl and a young man. However, they had not been dead long and not buried, so the power of the Lord was more felt in the raising of Lazarus (Mark 5:35-43; Luke 7:11-16).
The Lord Jesus’ words and care to Martha and Mary seem written that all since who believe in Him may be comforted in sorrow. Even many boys and girls know that sorrow.
His promise was very sure, “Thy brother shall rise again.’’ But he knew there was a time of sorrow and He wept with them. Perhaps the most comfort is in the words that the sorrow would be for the glory of God and for the Son of God. So we may believe there is glory to God in some way now also, and know that to bear sorrow patiently while He comforts us, honors Him.
Further Meditation:
1. How was the resurrection of Lazarus different than the resurrections of the others in the gospels?
2. Why is the Lord Jesus called “the firstfruits” of those that arise from among the dead when others like Lazarus had been raised before He was?
3. Christ Tempted and Sympathising by W. Kelly presents the One who went through so much on earth with perfect holiness. He’s the One who wept at Lazarus grave but didn’t come earlier because He was perfectly fulfilling His Father’s will. You might enjoy that presentation of the perfectly holy and yet tender One by reading this pamphlet.