John wrote about 7 signs that would point to Jesus as being the Son of God. The last sign was the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. This sign marked the moment when the religious crowd determined to have Jesus killed. It was also the moment that Jesus transitioned from public ministry to private ministry. He knew He had little time left—it is believed that He raised Lazarus a mere one week before His crucifixion—and wanted to spend it with His disciples.

Lazarus was dead for four days before Jesus arrived. Mary and Martha had sent messengers to bring Jesus quickly, but Jesus waited. How often does it feel like God does not move on our timetable? He always waits to the very last minute to intervene. He does this so that we will know that it was He who saved us; we did nothing; it was all Him. Mary and Martha both wanted to know why He waited so long, but, at the same time, they both had faith that He would still be able to do something miraculous!

When Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus, He was angry! He was not angry at anyone for having lack of faith; He was angry at death. The Greek translates to Him being angry like a war horse preparing to go into battle. He was gearing up for His fight against death. He was angry at all that death had taken and the pain it had caused to His creation. He was going to defeat it, and raising Lazarus was the precursor event!

Jesus said three things when He raised Lazarus. The first was “Remove the stone!†The stone represents something that has been blocking us from God. This is not an image of Salvation. If it were, it would be salvation by works. Jesus commanded people to remove the stone. This stone is something—a habit, a thought, a situation, etc…—that hinders us from coming to God. In these moments, there are two sets of people who come around us: those who are negative and lamenting with us and those who are called by God to remove the stone! These people speak into our world and help us to push through into what God has for us.

The second thing He said was, “Lazarus, come forth!†Jesus called Lazarus by name. Jesus knows your name; He knows your circumstances. He is calling you to come forth! God can call us, but if we do not decide to move, we do not leave the tomb! We can lie on our backs and lament our situation, or we can choose to get up when God calls us and get out of our tombs!

Lastly, Jesus said, “Loose him!†Lazarus was bound at his feet, his hands, and his face. God wants to loose these areas of our lives. Our hands are the conduit for God’s power. When we lay our hands on people, God moves! Our feet carry us forward. God is moving forward. He wants us to move forward. When we start moving and walking in faith, it is not pretty! We are shuffling and stumbling but trying and moving. There is still some stuff hanging off of us; we are not all perfected and dolled up; we are fresh out of death! God wants to loose our feet so we can move! Lastly, the face; God wants us to see again. He wants to restore our vision so we can see what our resurrection is all about!

There is so much more in the story of Lazarus; so much about faith and revelation and life and doubt! Jesus was preparing for His battle. He gave a preview with Lazarus. He brought life; He makes us ALIVE!