A couple of weeks ago I read John 11. This chapter talks about the death and resurrection of Lazarus. There were several things that really struck me about this chapter. Things I keep thinking about and turning over in my mind. I have reread this chapter several times, so I thought I would post some of my observations here to share with you all!
1. Jesus knew that Lazarus was going to die. He didn't hurry back because it was part of God's plan. I believe that death and sickness are from the enemy, but in this instance God knew this was going to happen and planned it in such a way that He would be glorified through the resurrection of Lazarus. So....my question is, did God plan for Lazarus to die? Was it not from the enemy since God knew He was going to resurrect him?
2. Jesus loved Lazarus and was deeply moved by his death. He wept. He mourned for Lazarus. This is interesting to me for a few reasons. I love this because it is a really human picture of Jesus....he had relationships, he loved his friends, he felt pain and loss when his friend died. He wept. But the other side of this is that He knew that Lazarus was going to die, and He knew He was going to raise him from the dead....so why was He weeping? Because He knew the pain and suffering his friend had experienced? Because He knew His friend had to experience passing from life to death for the Glory of God? Because Mary and Martha had experienced the pain and sorrow of the death of their brother? Or some other reason?
3. Okay, this is the amazing part. Jesus tells them to roll away the stone and calls Lazarus out. Keep in mind, Lazarus has been in the grave for 4 days now. But Jesus insists, so they roll away the stone and Jesus calls Lazarus "Lazarus, come out!" And, the scriptures say, the dead man came out. He had strips of linen wrapped around his hands and feet and a cloth over his face. So Jesus says "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
AMAZING!! First of all, if I was there I think I would have peed my pants when the dead guy wrapped in linen walked out. I wonder if it smelled? Everyone expected it to because a body in the grave for 4 days would surely be decaying. And he really was dead, until Jesus resurrected him. But that wasn't my point. The phrase from this chapter that keeps running through my mind is where Jesus says to take off the grave clothes. Isn't that interesting? Doesn't that seem like it would be obvious? But he had been dead, people had never seen a resurrection before, they were probably stunned, maybe they didn't believe it was true, or maybe they didn't know if it would last? I wonder what Lazarus was thinking or feeling? The more I thought about this phrase, the more I thought about my life, like Jesus was saying this to me....Tiffany, take off your grave clothes...
It says in scripture that we are new creations, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Cor. 5:17 I have heard it said often, that we die to self and live for Christ.
So maybe this is a stretch of this story, but I think it is significant. Lazarus, you are not in the grave anymore, death has no part of you anymore, you have new life, so take off your grave clothes and put on clothing of life! If Jesus is telling me to do this as well, what are my grave clothes? What pieces of my old life, the life I am dying to am I still wearing and carrying around w/ me? What death or grave markings do I still hold on to? What things do I need to shed and replace with the clothing of a new creation? Are you still wearing your grave clothes?
4. After this amazing event, the pharisees started plotting to kill Jesus. During this time the high priest prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation and for the scattered children of God...to bring them together and make them one.
I've got to admit, I think I just don't understand. Maybe I missed something. God used one of the men who would be responsible for putting Jesus to death to prophesy truth? How could these words come out of his mouth and he not see them for what they are? Or was it that it made sense to him that Jesus would die without the knowledge that he would be resurrected? Does God still do this type of thing today? Are we this blind and ignorant sometimes?!
So those were my main questions and observations. The resounding question I hear is regarding the grave clothes. So I will leave you with that verse.
"Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go.""
John 11:44b