John 11
11After He had said this, He went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of His death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. 14So then He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."
11After He had said this, He went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of His death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. 14So then He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."
Nearing the end of the Beginning...
Lazarus was dead...Jesus could have gone the same day that He heard of Lazarus' illness, it was only a couple of miles to get to Bethany, his town. Not only that, Jesus stayed two more days after hearing from Martha and Mary that their brother was gravely ill.
Jesus stayed because He knew that if He went before Lazarus died that nay-sayers could claim that Lazarus simply got better. Jesus knew that for His Father to be Glorified that there needed to be empirical proof that Lazarus was, in fact, dead at the time of His visit. Waiting the extra two days ensured that it would be very hard to refute the fact that Lazarus was dead, now is living, and that Jesus is the reason he is alive.
Although, then, as now, there are many that continue to dispute the Saving Grace of Our Father through Jesus. The miracles that Jesus performed in those days were done to convince many that Jesus was from the Father, and therefore God in human form. He still performs miracles today by our prayers and Faith in Jesus as our only Savior. The Saving Grace of Jesus is available to all, along with the Comfort and Counseling of the Holy Spirit and the Blessings of our Father in Heaven! Pray to Him, He always hears our prayers. Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lazarus was dead...Jesus could have gone the same day that He heard of Lazarus' illness, it was only a couple of miles to get to Bethany, his town. Not only that, Jesus stayed two more days after hearing from Martha and Mary that their brother was gravely ill.
Jesus stayed because He knew that if He went before Lazarus died that nay-sayers could claim that Lazarus simply got better. Jesus knew that for His Father to be Glorified that there needed to be empirical proof that Lazarus was, in fact, dead at the time of His visit. Waiting the extra two days ensured that it would be very hard to refute the fact that Lazarus was dead, now is living, and that Jesus is the reason he is alive.
Although, then, as now, there are many that continue to dispute the Saving Grace of Our Father through Jesus. The miracles that Jesus performed in those days were done to convince many that Jesus was from the Father, and therefore God in human form. He still performs miracles today by our prayers and Faith in Jesus as our only Savior. The Saving Grace of Jesus is available to all, along with the Comfort and Counseling of the Holy Spirit and the Blessings of our Father in Heaven! Pray to Him, He always hears our prayers. Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 11
35 Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39"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." 40Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I 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." 43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The 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."
In this final update for this first of a series of twelve paintings based upon Scripture we find the culmination of Jesus' promise that "This sickness will not end in death." is, of course, another example of how Jesus would perform miracles to prove that He came from the Father. The miracles would always be done to the Glory of the Father. Jesus never allowed Himself to in any way overshadow the Father. It was not yet His time to be Glorified, that would come at the Cross.
He used the miracles as absolute proof that He is from the Father, something that would jolt their belief system to the possibility that Jesus was the Jew's promised Messiah. Jesus didn't have to coerce anyone to join Him and His new "Way". He offers us what He has to give and that is eternal Salvation by our believing that He is the only Way to the Father. John 14:6 That Salvation offered by Jesus is what brings us out of the tomb that is sin and into the light of the Lord. Thankfully, He always hears our prayers and promises to always forgive us when we come to Him in true repentance.
Only through the Grace of God when we accept the Salvation purchased for us by our Savior Jesus at the Cross will we hear "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."