Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus performed miracles. He healed those who were sick. He multiplied bread and fish so that crowds could be fed. Perhaps the most incredible miracle that He performed, aside from His own resurrection, was raising a man from the dead. After all, there was no denying His power and authority for anyone who experienced that miracle.
John 11 tells the story of a man, Lazarus, who was very sick. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were dear friends of Jesus. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was very sick (verse 3). Any reader of this story would expect Jesus to go immediately to Lazarus, but instead, Jesus said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this" (verse 4). Then, He waited two days to go to Lazarus. By the time he arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, Lazarus had died. Mary and Martha questioned His timing. They did not understand why He delayed in coming to Lazarus. Finally, after Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus went to Lazarus' tomb. He called out, "Lazarus, come out!" (verse 43). Immediately, Lazarus came out of the tomb, and many people believed in Jesus after seeing this resurrection (verses 44-45). No one can argue that Jesus had power that only the Son of God would have after seeing Jesus raise the dead. This, my friends, is why Jesus delayed in going to Lazarus. Through the resurrection of Lazarus, He displayed His power and glory. He was preparing for His own death and resurrection from the dead. However, unlike Jesus, Lazarus would die again one day.
Jesus’ resurrection power is too good to keep to ourselves. We have to share with the people around us all that He has done. The world is in great need of the eternal life that He offers. Will you spread that good news today?
One of the ways we can share with others about Jesus’ power and authority is by sharing the Bridge Diagram with the people around us. Watch the Bridge Diagram video here (the segment 4 video) and practice sharing it three times today. The more comfortable you become practicing this diagram, the better prepared you will become to share about Jesus' incredible power that overcame sin and death so that we can experience eternal life with Him one day.
1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.
30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
