Martin G. Collins
December 2, 2017
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These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. John 11:11
As Jesus leaves for
Bethany, He gives those around Him a softened description of death, saying,
“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him
up” (John 11:11), to
indicate that it is temporary. His disciples think He refers to natural sleep
and that Lazarus would recover from his sickness. Then Jesus tells them
plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”
We must learn to see death from
God's perspective. Christ has power over life and death. In this case, He
was willing to resurrect Lazarus from death to physical life. He used
Lazarus' death to perform a miracle that would glorify God and identify
Himself as the Messiah, the Savior of mankind.
Job shows that he knew
the answer to his own rhetorical question: “If a man dies, shall he live
again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change
comes” (Job 14:14). After a
person dies, he will be resurrected at the appropriate time. Jesus prophesies
in John 5:28-29:
“[T]he hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His
voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of
life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation.”
The lesson of this breathtaking miracle is that
Christ is the regenerator of the dead, spiritually and physically. He is able
to regenerate the hearts and minds of those who are spiritually dead in their
trespasses and sins. He brought the body of Lazarus back from corruption, and
so He is able and willing to deliver people from their abominable sins. His
life-giving miracle of grace is as truly remarkable as His powerful and
miraculous ability to resurrect.
— Martin G. Collins
To learn more, see:
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Resurrection of Lazarus (Part One)
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Resurrection of Lazarus (Part One)
Read more from The Berean, here
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