The Resurrection And The Life

Lazarus was dead. He died, as all men die, because it is appointed so for these bodies as a result of sin and as a consequence of the Fall, ‘The wages of sin is death’. Our God says, ‘the soul that sinneth, it shall die’ and ‘sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death’. Yet there was something special about the death of Lazarus. While it followed the ordinary course of fallen nature it would be employed by the Lord Jesus to bless His church. The death of Lazarus, or rather his being raised from the dead by the Lord, would inspire the faith of the Lord’s disciples, sweeten the lives of those He loved and glorify Christ’s own name.

A momentous miracle

Of all the miracles Jesus performed the resurrection of Lazarus excels the rest. As the Saviour approached His own death it seems the evidences of His divinity reached their peak. Four days Lazarus had lain in the tomb following his death. For him to be raised to life and returned to his family required his corrupt and decomposing body be restored and for it to be reunited with his already glorified spirit, retrieved from heaven. This must be a divine act. Who but the omnipotent God of heaven and earth could do such a thing?

‘If thou hadst been here’

Martha and Mary were convinced of the Lord’s power to help their brother and preserve his life, if only He were present. They sent for the Lord to come when Lazarus was sick. Despite their confusion that the Lord had not arrived in time Martha made her view clear, ‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died’. Mary too, ‘fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died’. Such was their confidence in the power of the Lord.

The limits of faith

Yet these very expressions of faith reveal the boundaries of the sisters’ understanding. It did not require the Saviour’s presence to safeguard Lazarus’ health. Infinite knowledge and infinite power meant Jesus both knew Lazarus’ state and could prevent his death from any distance. The limited faith of the sisters drew pity rather than censure from the Lord. When He heard their groans and saw their tears our Saviour joined His groans and tears with theirs. Such is the empathy of our loving Friend to our troubles and His sympathy for our weakness of faith.

Christ is our life

The Lord’s words to Martha provide us with our fifth ‘I am’ saying of the Lord Jesus as recorded by John. He told His friend, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life’. These words of the Saviour are not bound by place or time. They are here, now and ever effectual. Martha expressed her belief that resurrection would be a future event for all the saints of God, a last day experience. However, the Lord is telling His church that our spiritual life with Him means more than that. It is His life in our soul now. He who is the resurrection and the life has already defeated death. He has destroyed its power and banished the sting of death for believers for ever more. 

Believers never die

The Lord’s words to Martha, and by her to us, tell us it is our Lord Jesus Christ who is the efficient cause of all physical and spiritual resurrection. It is He, Himself, who has power over all life, natural and spiritual. This is part of the Lord’s Mediatorial role. He said of His own life, ‘I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again’ and this power extends to all life. By His death Christ has gained eternal life for all who were given to Him by His Father. In our conversion He bestows that life by His Spirit so that those who are partakers of His resurrection life, and believe in Him, shall never die.

Knowing Christ is life eternal

Our Lord Jesus has given to each believer everlasting life. That means what it says. We shall not die. Our bodies will grow old or sick and be laid in their graves but only for a short time while our souls live on in His presence. Then, after a short time, our physical remains shall be required again and the same voice of Christ that called upon Lazarus to ‘come forth’ shall command our own dust to rise from the earth and our spirits will return to our raised and renewed bodies. 

Ever with the Lord

As believers we must not fear death, nor even the process of dying. Our Lord Jesus Christ will honour His promise never to leave us nor forsake us. Both our body and soul is precious to the Lord Jesus and He who has redeemed our spirit to everlasting life by His death will reclaim our bodies, too. Our bodies shall not be lost but guarded and preserved unto that great day when ‘the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord’.

Amen.