WITNESSING GLORY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” He said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

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!”

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

John 11:38-44

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After Mary came to Jesus, followed by a group of Jews who had come to console her in the wake of her brother Lazarus’ death, we witnessed a very emotional scene filled with the tears found in the midst of deep grieving. Even Jesus was deeply moved by the moment and wept.

Well, the sadness didn’t last long because Jesus had work to do, work that only He knew about. For as today’s scripture passage opens, Jesus comes to the tomb where Lazarus was laid to rest. Scripture tells us it was a cave with a stone across the entrance. Ironically, He would end up in the same kind of tomb after His crucifixion.

Once at the tomb, we find Jesus giving a simple command:

“Take away the stone.”

But Martha, who had now joined their company, objected. She was concerned about the stench of death that might come rolling out of the tomb if the stone was removed as Lazarus had already been inside for four days.

Martha’s words came a very short time before Jesus said this to her, well before there was a crowd present:

“I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (v. 26)

To which Martha replied:

“Yes, Lord. I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

This exchange came after Jesus assured her that her brother would rise again and now that time had come but not before Jesus reminded her about their conversation, saying:

“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

And with that, the stone was taken away from the tomb entrance.

What did Jesus do next?

Well, what He didn’t do is immediately command that Lazarus rise. Instead, He said these words, while looking up toward the heavens:

“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.”

Why did Jesus do this first?

He told us through His proclamation of thanksgiving, making sure all gathered knew He was about to do something that would help those gathered know that the power He possessed was given to Him by none other than the very God they worship. Jesus had said over and over again that He was one with His Father God in heaven. Now He was about to show them.

And with that, Jesus “called in a loud voice”:

“Lazarus, come out!”

And Lazarus did just that, “his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.”

Imagine if you had been present and witnessed this glorious miracle. How could you not believe that Jesus was who He said He was after seeing His action?

Perhaps the people were simply awestruck for Jesus had to tell them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Lazarus had been brought from death to life and free from the tomb that once held him captive. He was granted new life by the grace and love of God through His Son Jesus.

The good news that comes from this is that it is a preview of what is still to come for anyone else who is in Christ Jesus. For God so loved us all that He did not wish for us to perish and if we place our belief in Jesus, then we will not die but rather be granted a new life, a life eternal with God and Jesus. Just as Lazarus rose and shed his grave clothes to live again, so too will every Christian, all by the power of God and through the justification and judgment intervention received through His Son.  

The people gathered at the tomb, a crowd that included Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, had witnessed glory first hand. On the resurrection day for every Christian, they will witness it themselves and bask in that glory forever.

It’s no wonder the Gospel means “good news”.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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