April 24 – Lazarus – John 11:1 thru 12:36
Not much is known about Lazarus. We do know Jesus loved Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. One cannot read this story without realizing that Jesus waited two days after Mary and Martha asked Him to come heal sick Lazarus. It seems His procrastination of going to see Lazarus weighed on Mary and Martha. By the time Jesus gets to the tomb where they buried Lazarus, he had been dead four days. Jesus calls for an action of faith to roll away the stone so Lazarus can walk out. If there was no faith, nobody would have rolled away the stone. Jesus calls Lazarus to come out, which he promptly does. Jesus performed this miracle for the reason stated in 11:42. Jesus’ desire was for the people to believe that Jesus was sent from God. This is another miracle Jesus used to bring people to Jesus. Notice in 12:9 that people came to see Jesus, but also they wanted to see Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. What miracle can God do in your life that could be used to bring souls to Him? What action of faith is God asking of you before a miracle is revealed?
