Participation

Participation

John 11:38-44, NKJV

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Setting the Scene

Martha couldn’t help but be practical—inside that tomb was a mess she didn’t want to clean up. And she knew she would probably be the one to have to do it! How often we forget that Jesus’ power to intervene isn’t sidetracked by complications or “stench.” How often does Jesus have to remind us, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Once the stone was rolled away, Jesus prayed aloud in the same intimate format he taught his disciples, addressing God as Father (see Matthew 6:9-13). He meant his prayer to be overheard, referring to his listeners as he thanked God for having “heard Me,” indicating the Father’s agreement and blessing over what Jesus was about to do. Then he called to Lazarus by name, not only confirming what he had previously declared, “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live” (John 5:25, NIV), but also narrowing his summons to a specific person. Who knows how many people might have sprung to life if Jesus had simply commanded, “Come out!”

Lazarus’s raised and restored body appeared in the cave entrance, awkwardly moving while still bound by cloth graveclothes.

Getting Personal

Since you have been brought into eternal life in Christ, what former habits or troubles has Christ removed, like graveclothes, from around your life?

When were you last surprised to see the glory of God?

The belief that leads to seeing the glory of God often manifests itself in a willingness to remove obstacles, like stones and wrappings. These are preliminaries and follow-ups to the real miracles, but they allow us to see better what we might not otherwise see at all—God’s glory.

Talking to God

No matter how old you were when you came to Christ, you can imagine how your life might have been without his love and grace. Thank God for giving you abundant, eternal life. Thank him for being “the resurrection and the life.”