![]() Only the one true God could have performed such an awesome and breathtaking miracle, and through this miracle the Father and the Son were glorified, and many believed (John 11:4, 45). The Father wanted these witnesses to know that Jesus was the Son of God, that Jesus was sent by God, and that Jesus and the Father had the same will in everything (John 11:4, 40–42). So Lazarus spent four days in death’s grave before Jesus publicly called him back to life. ![]() But preventing a death might be considered by some to be a chance circumstance or just a “minor” miracle, and this was not a time for any doubt. If Jesus had been present when Lazarus was dying, His compassion would have caused Him to heal His friend (John 11:14–15). The original language indicates that our Lord wept “silent tears” or tears of compassion for His friends (Romans 12:15). Yet He could not help but weep when confronted with the wailing and sobbing of Mary, Martha, and the other mourners (John 11:33). Jesus did not weep over the death itself since He knew Lazarus would soon be raised and ultimately spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus wept (John 11:35) when He gathered with the sisters and others mourning Lazarus’s death. John 11:1–45 concerns the death and resurrection of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha and a friend of our Lord. When Jesus wept, He showed all these things. In the Gospels our Lord wept as He looked on man’s misery, and both instances demonstrate our Lord’s (loving) human nature, His compassion for people, and the life He offers to those who believe. Remember that we can also ask God to perform miracles in our lives.Two passages in the Gospels and one in the Epistles (Hebrews 5:7) teach that Jesus wept. Jesus, however, tells us that the woman’s “many sins have been forgiven - as her great love has shown."Ĭontemporary theologians regard Jesus’s actions in resurrecting Lazarus as a central miracle, which sets up a series of events leading to the Crucifixion of Christ and His resurrection from the dead by His Almighty Father. The anointing, described in Luke 7:36–50, is slightly different where the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with perfumed oil is regarded as a sinner. The anointing of Jesus is reported in four different gospels of the New Testament: Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 7, and John 12. Jesus is telling us to revere Him as the son of God while also predicting His death. ![]() You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." ( John 12:7-8) "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. "Leave her alone," (referring to Mary), Jesus replied. This moment gives Jesus another opportunity to instruct us when he tells Judas: This simple act of humility incurs the criticism of the apostle Judas (who later betrays Christ). His friendship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus includes a story where Mary anoints Jesus’s feet with oil six days before Passover. Jesus’s tears for his friend Lazarus show us the Lord as a man grieving for a friend. The story of Lazarus teaches modern Christians about how we can have eternal life if we follow Christ. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. The central message in the story is contained in Jesus’s words to Lazarus’s sister Mary when He says: Lazarus emerges from the tomb while still wearing his grave clothes. Then, Jesus raised His friend from the dead by calling out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out” ( John 11:43). ![]() Upon seeing Lazarus lying dead in the tomb, “Jesus wept” ( John 11:35). ![]() Jesus intends to travel to Bethany and tells his disciples that Lazarus’s “sickness won't end in death.” He knows that Lazarus’s illness and death “happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” ( John 11:4). The disciples warned Jesus about going back to Judea, as previously the Jews had tried to stone Him there. Jesus delays visiting them for two days, knowing full well that he can perform a miracle and restore Lazarus to life. Jesus learns that Lazarus of Bethany is gravely ill and that his sisters require his presence and assistance. Significantly, Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were close friends of Jesus. The story of Lazarus described in John 11:1-44 tells us that Jesus has power over life and death. ![]()
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