As we will discover, the miracles that Jesus performed were supernatural signs that demonstrated He truly was from God. Only God could do the miraculous actions that Jesus regularly performed, and they served to validate His divinity. In His itinerant ministry, Jesus developed friends and supporters from all around Judea and Galilee. They frequently would meet His physical needs and provide a place for Him to stay and rest. Such was the case with a family from Bethany, on the east side of the Mt. of Olives, only a couple of miles from the Temple in Jerusalem. Lazarus, and his two sisters, Martha, and Mary, loved the Lord and regularly opened their home to Jesus and His Disciples. Jesus dearly loved this family. However, when word came to Jesus while He was up in Galilee, that Lazarus was gravely ill, Jesus waited several days before responding to this health emergency. But it was all part of His sovereign plan. Before Jesus could return to Bethany, Lazarus died. In the tradition of the Jews, Lazarus had to be buried within 24 hours of his death. Several days later, Jesus arrived in Bethany and found Martha and Mary overwhelmed with grief for their dead brother. They were also disappointed that Jesus had not tried harder to get there before Lazarus passed away.
But Jesus declared that things were not hopeless. He asked Martha if she really believed in the resurrection. She affirmed she did but only in some eschatological way. Jesus was about to prove to both Martha and Mary that resurrection was possible because God was in their midst. Things got interesting when Jesus commanded them to open the sepulcher of Lazarus after he had been dead for 4 days. To everyone’s amazement and shock, Jesus raised Lazarus back to life to the glory of God!
As you reflect on this passage, answer the following questions:
- What was Jesus’ purpose for delaying His return to Lazarus’ home?
- Did Lazarus’ sisters demonstrate faith and confidence in Jesus? Why or why not?
- What was the result of the news that Lazarus was resurrected from the dead? What did the religious leaders do upon hearing the news of this miracle?
Comments are closed