Wednesday 13 August 2014
- Bible Book:
- John
“He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” (vv. 43b-44)
Background
As miracles go, they don't get much more miraculous than this.But, unlike Jesus' first miracle in John's Gospel (turning waterinto wine - John 2:1-11), the mood of the narrative here isheavy with angst and grief.
Jesus is described as "greatly disturbed" (v. 38). Lazarus hasbeen dead so long that his body has begun to decay and Martha warnsJesus not to open the tomb for fear of the stench that will escape.We cannot know what it was like for Jesus and for those with him onthat day, but the narrative is clear that the act of raisingLazarus was seriously costly.
Although I've described this as a 'miracle', the word used inJohn's Gospel for such acts is "sign". In John's Gospel, each signperformed by Jesus points to a great reality, a greater truth aboutwho Jesus is and what he is going to do for humanity. And perhapsnone more so than the raising of Lazarus.
So here we see a foreshadowing, a mere hint of what is to come -and of the price that Jesus might pay to 'unbind' humanity and setit free.
To Ponder
- Do you believe in miracles? Why? Or why not?
- Have you ever encountered a person or situation that you feltwas beyond redemption? What happened?
- What 'signs' have you witnessed of God's work in yourlife?