11:1 thru 11:44 (Mar 12)

"Take away the stone," Jesus says (v38). Just like that, he removes the barrier between death and life. Once more, John repeats the heart of the gospel: "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" (v25-26). The disciples were afraid to go near Jerusalem - afraid for their lives - since the crowd had just tried to stone Jesus there. And then they see Jesus' power over death.

Many in the passage question Jesus: why did he allow Lazarus to die? They believed in his power to heal and cannot understand why he did not come at once. Jesus tells the reason to his disciples: so that God's Son may be glorified through it (v4). The "bad" and "evil" event of Lazarus' death was an opportunity for Jesus to be glorified. For people to put their faith in Jesus. To show that Jesus has the power and authority to bring the dead back to life. To demonstrate that Jesus is more than a prophet, more than a "healer" - he is God's divine Son.

The fact is, Jesus will allow us to die like he allowed Lazarus to die. He tells us to believe in him, and we will live again. When we put our trust in Jesus, we too can bring glory to God. Our life, and our death, are an opportunity for this. Jesus does not just quietly raise Lazarus. He proclaims the work of God. He gives glory to God so that the crowd can hear. We, too, are called to proclaim the work that God has done, and is still doing, in our lives.