Raising of Lazarus
Jn 11: 1-44
3 quoted or paragraphed verses from Scripture
12 "Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved."
27 "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."
Why this Scripture is Important
The rising of Lazarus is important because this shows the power of Jesus. This was the first event of someone being raised from the dead. Lazarus was dead for four days. Lazarus was also Jesus’ friend. On the way to heal Lazarus the Jews in Juda wanted to stone Jesus. Jesus responds in verse 9 that "if one walks by night, he stumbles." Jesus is the light by which we should walk. Jesus showed great courage in going back and helping out his friend. He knew that Lazarus had died, but Jesus also knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead.
Martha, Lazarus' sister tells Jesus in verse 27 that she knows Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Her faith in him and confidence in his divine power is known here. The raising of Lazarus shows the great power of Jesus to heal or bring a dead man back to life. It also points to Jesus' coming death and resurrection. Out of all of the miracles Jesus has done this one really shows why he is the son of God.
The people in the cities all over the Roman Empire would tell of this story. Some people would think it’s fake and others would think it’s real. The people that saw the scene would react and tell everyone that they knew. Others would see the man Lazarus walk around and know his story. The people that saw what Jesus did would know he is the Son of God. Some of those who were against Jesus used this miracle in building a case against Jesus leading to his passion and death. This would be one of his last great signs that he is the Messiah.