In our daily devotionals, we are meditating on the supernatural acts of the Lord Jesus. Today, we focus on the raising of 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 believe, you will 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” (John 11:38-44).
Christ's beloved friend, Lazarus, was dead, but Jesus had now arrived at the tomb and commanded the disciples and those gathered there to roll away the stone from the entrance. Although still in disbelief, Martha advised against removing the stone, fearing the overpowering stench of death since Lazarus had been dead for four days (v. 39). There likely was not an airtight seal because it was merely a rock-hewn stone. We must ask ourselves, at what moment did the miracle occur? As they rolled the stone aside, the foul odor likely emanated from the decomposing body inside the tomb. The Lord looked up to heaven and prayed to His Father before calling out to Lazarus in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (v. 43). If He hadn't explicitly called Lazarus by name, the witnesses at the tomb might have seen all the dead in the area rise from their graves
The Scriptures tell us that many Jews were present to witness the miracle and placed their faith in Him after what they saw (John 11:45). Can you imagine gazing at the crowd around the tomb in that moment? As they heard Jesus' command, I'm sure some caught the scent of the decomposing body and scoffed at the idea of Lazarus emerging from that tomb, as the Israelites did not practice Egyptian embalming techniques. However, they did wrap the body in aromatic spices. Merrill Tenney, in his book, The Reality of the Resurrection, discusses the customary procedure for burial:
The body would have been washed and straightened before being bandaged tightly from the armpits to the ankles in strips of linen about a foot wide. Aromatic spices, often of a gummy consistency, were placed between the wrappings or folds. They served partially as a cement to glue the cloth wrappings into a solid covering. After the body was enclosed, a square piece of cloth was wrapped around the head and tied under the chin to keep the lower jaw from sagging.[1]
One thing is certain: when Lazarus arrived at the tomb door still wrapped in grave clothes, there were gasps of astonishment and screams of delight. Death has been and is conquered! We have a Savior who overcomes death and the grave!
I wish John had told us more about the celebration afterward at Martha’s. Rather than the typical funeral where they reminisced about Lazarus’s life, everyone eagerly listened to his experience of dying and being in heaven. I wish I could have been a “fly on the wall” at that gathering! I would have loved to hear their conversation and witness the relief and joy of the sisters as they wept and embraced their brother. I’m sure Lazarus and the family enjoyed recounting the entire episode, from when they thought they had lost him to when he emerged from the tomb at Jesus’ command. There must have been quite a praise party for the Lord. It will be the same for us at the resurrection of God's people; we will behold the face of Jesus when we, too, are raised from the dead. What a day that will be! I hope to see you on that day! Keith Thomas
Taken from the complete study of the series on the Gospel of John, study 22, Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead.
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[1] Merril C. Tenney, The Reality of the Resurrection (New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers, 1963, Page 117.