For many who follow Jesus, He found them when they were lying in the gutter, deep in depression, literally imprisoned, or even when they were ready to end it all and just die. Jesus then spoke gently to each one, offering hope, lifting them up, and began to heal their many physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wounds. These people went from a death-like state, to being brought back to life. One could say that He has done that for every single one of us who call him LORD.

Today’s Scripture is about Lazarus, a man who literally died, but then Jesus gave him his life back:

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”… He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days… So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Why would Jesus wait a few days before bringing Lazarus back? He had allowed his friend to suffer and die. He allowed the family to mourn and grieve, for a time. Perhaps He did this for the disciples to experience just how much power is in the name of their Lord Jesus. Perhaps it was the ultimate example of what was to come as his own death was pending, which would lead to his resurrection from God the Father. Lazarus was resurrected: the physical, visible, walking and talking evidence of Jesus’ power over death and giving someone their life back! There was no denying what Jesus had done, because the religious leaders of the day at this point wanted to kill Lazarus for his obvious testimony of Jesus having the ability to do the impossible. Little did they or anyone else know, or understand, that this was a foreshadowing of what was very soon to come.

Jesus predicted his death, walked willingly towards it, suffered mercilessly at the hands of man, and after forgiving them, died.
BUT, He walked out of that grave!! God the Father accepted Jesus’ horrific, bloody sacrifice, and raised him back to life! Jesus purposefully went through this that we too could walk out of that deadly grave of despair and depression, release us from those heavy chains of addictions, and unwrap those dirty cloths that bound us in spiritual death.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
Luke 24:5-6

If you cannot say that you have been brought back from the brink of death or suffering or hopelessness, then know that Jesus is reaching out His hand for you NOW. You have heard the truth. Let Him set you free; free to live with hope, joy, and the knowledge that you too can be brought back to life, in Jesus’ name! HE wants to take away that stone from before you, that heavy stone that the enemy uses to hold you back, to keep control of you, and that prevents you from freedom in Christ. DO NOT believe nor accept what the enemy says: that you are not seen or known by Jesus. Instead, know that HE LOVES YOU, and desires that you enjoy this life that He offers! A life of peace, mercy, acceptance, hope, growth, faith, freedom, and grace.

Enjoy a deep breath of life that we each take for granted. Know that you have been called from the grave, and as a living, breathing child of God, celebrate this gift by honoring the One who gave it to you.
Walk in a manner worthy of that calling.

If you have recently responded to Jesus’ call to “Come forth!”, WELCOME to the land of the living!!

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
Colossians 2:13-14

Food for thought: Your life is not promised for tomorrow, so how will you live it today?

Fun facts: The word ‘mummy’ refers to the dead body of a person or an animal that has not decayed due to specific natural or artificial conditions. The word ‘mummy’ is from the Persian/Arabic word mummiya, meaning ‘tar’ or ‘bitumen’.

Photo by: Kari Wiseman and Altared Editz – Dead Man called to Life

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