Lazarus Restored to Life

John 11:20-29, 32-35, 38-44

GOLDEN TEXT: “I am the resurrection, and the life.”—John 11:25

IN A previous lesson we had an illustration of divine power operating through Jesus for the opening of blind eyes. Today’s lesson reveals that this same power is capable also of awakening the dead. Thus we have the assurance that when the Kingdom of Christ is established nothing will be able to prevent the free flow of God’s promised blessings to all the families of the earth, for all that are in the grave shall hear the voice of the divine Life-giver and shall come forth.—John 5:28

There are several points of vital interest in connection with the awakening of Lazarus. When he became seriously sick his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus, supposing that He would come to their aid at once; for Jesus loved them, even as they loved Him. But the Master tarried where He was for two days, and then announced to His disciples that Lazarus was sleeping and that He proposed to go and awaken him out of sleep. They misunderstood the import of what Jesus said, supposing that He referred to natural sleep, and observed that it was a good thing for a sick man to sleep.

Then Jesus said to them plainly that Lazarus was dead. From this we learn that death, from the divine standpoint, is merely a sleep from which there is to be an awakening. This, the Scriptures reveal, is due to the redemptive work of Christ, apart from which there would be no hope of an awakening. Paul affirms that in such an event those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (I Cor. 15:18) The “sleep” illustration of death also shows that the dead are unconscious, and will remain so until the resurrection.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she hurried to meet Him. Gently she chided Him for not coming sooner, saying, “If Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Even so, Martha had such confidence in the Master that she quickly added, “But I know, that even now, whastsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.”—Verses 21 and 22

Jesus’ reply was reassuring, but left a question in Martha’s mind as to when she might expect her brother to be awakened. While Mary is given the credit of being the one of these two sisters who sat at Jesus’ feet and learned of Him, yet in this hour of trial Martha manifested a good understanding of the Messianic hope which centered in Him, and which He taught. Partly as an expression of her faith in the divine plan, and partly to draw from the Master a further expression of what she might expect Him to do at that time, she replied, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”—Verse 24

Martha had learned that during the last thousand-year day in the divine plan—the Millennium—all the dead would be awakened and be given an opportunity to accept the Kingdom laws and live forever. She knew that Lazarus would come forth at that time regardless of what Jesus had in mind concerning him then. And after all, this was the important consideration. Should Lazarus be awakened from death then, it would be only for a short time, and he would go back into the tomb again to await the time when all shall hear the voice of the Son of man and come forth. If Jesus granted the extra blessing of giving their brother back to them temporarily, she would, of course, appreciate it.

The dialog continued. Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” This was His way of reminding her once again that the “resurrection at the last day” to which she referred would be accomplished through Him. Then He further enlarged upon the work during the time of the general resurrection, saying, “He that [then] believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”—Verses 25 and 26

Truly this was a wondrous revealment of truth! Jesus asked Martha if she believed it, and she replied that she did because she believed that He was the Christ, the promised Messiah. This was the very work that God had promised the Messiah should do. This was the manner in which all the families of the earth were to be blessed, namely, by being awakened from the sleep of death and given an opportunity to accept the provision of life made for them through the Redeemer, and to live for ever.

While this was the wondrous program to be carried out in the resurrection at the last day, as indicated by Martha, yet she was not to expect any such far-reaching blessing at that time. If Jesus desired to do so, He could then awaken Lazarus, even as he had awakened others, but the time had not come when the world could have everlasting life.

Jesus asked to be shown to the tomb of the dead Lazarus. When He met Mary, and other members of the family, all of whom were weeping, He wept also, thus revealing His heart of sympathy for the sin-cursed and dying world. This scene of sorrow was quickly turned into one of joy when the Master called Lazarus forth from the tomb. He didn’t call him down from heaven, nor up from a creedal hell or purgatory—places which do not exist—but from the tomb, the death condition. How greatly the family must have rejoiced to have their beloved Lazarus with them again.

Like the other miracles of Jesus, this, too, was merely an illustration of what is to be done on a planet-wide scale during the thousand years of the Kingdom reign. This will be one of the means by which God will fulfill His promise to wipe away tears from all faces; for, when the Kingdom work is complete, there will be no more death.—Rev. 21:4

QUESTIONS:

In what sense is death properly spoken of as being asleep?

What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the resurrection, and the life”?

How will God wipe away tears from off all faces?

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