Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Jesus spoke these words to Martha to lift her faith and turn her trust to himself as the source of resurrection and life and to his power to raise her brother. She first took the promise to mean only the resurrection at the last day, but it carries a double meaning of the raising of Lazarus then about to take place and the general resurrection of all the righteous dead. The raising of Lazarus is a representation and pledge of that larger resurrection, giving assurance that the resurrection of all the righteous dead will be accomplished by the Saviour's power. The promise declares Jesus to be the Author of the resurrection who, though soon to die on the cross, stands as conqueror of the grave with the keys of death and the right and power to give eternal life to everyone who believes in him. His raising of the dead shows him as one ever touched by human woe who exercises divine power in compassion for the bereaved, and his restoring of Lazarus to Mary and Martha brought the sisters unspeakable joy.
Words to Martha
Jesus spoke to Martha to encourage her faith and to turn her thoughts and trust to himself as the source of resurrection and life and to his power to raise her brother. She first took the promise to mean only the resurrection at the last day. The words were not meant to promise an immediate change but carried her hope past a present restoration and fixed it upon the resurrection of the just.
The promise has a double meaning, the raising of Lazarus about to take place and the general resurrection of all the righteous dead. The raising of Lazarus is a representation and pledge of that larger resurrection, giving assurance that the resurrection of all the righteous dead will be accomplished by the Saviour's power.
In its setting, Jesus delayed going to Bethany by divine wisdom, and Lazarus died and was laid in the tomb before Jesus arrived. He had been in the grave four days when Jesus called him out. His body had begun to decay.
Jesus' tears at the grave show his sympathy for the bereaved, and his raising of the dead shows him as one ever touched by human woe who exercises divine power in compassion and sympathy for the bereaved. His restoring of Lazarus to Mary and Martha brought the sisters unspeakable joy and encouraged confidence that he could act with divine power to heal and restore.
Resurrection Power and Witness
The promise declares Jesus to be the Author of the resurrection, who though soon to die on the cross stands as conqueror of the grave with the keys of death and the right and power to give eternal life to everyone who believes in him. The rising promised is a literal resurrection from death in direct conflict with Satan's power over disease and death. In his immediate presence disease is always rebuked and he cannot witness suffering or death without combating it and bringing relief, so Lazarus was permitted to die in order that his resurrection would be the last and crowning evidence to the Jews that Jesus is the Son of God.
Giving Lazarus life again cost Jesus his own life, for every such rescue brought him deepest humiliation and he must pay the ransom on the cross of Calvary and taste death for every man. He wept at the grave because though strong to save the whole world he could not save everyone Satan had laid low in death, but only the many, all who would avail themselves of coming back to loyalty to God through his sacrifice for sin and transgression. Lazarus was called out of the tomb after four days but was restored only to mortal life: he was not given immortality and remained subject to death and decay. This is distinct from the everlasting life given to those raised at Christ's resurrection.
Those raised at Christ's resurrection were raised to everlasting life as first fruits and as a symbol of the final resurrection of the righteous. Their raising points to the time when at his return his voice will call the dead in Christ from their graves to glorious, immortal life to be with the Lord forever. Lazarus had no conscious experience from the time he was dead to recount. Breaking the slumbers of the dead by this promise belongs with healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, walking upon the sea, silencing the storm by a word, casting out devils who acknowledged him to be the Son of God, and holding thousands by words of wisdom.
Raising the dead to life fulfilled his mission as the Pattern Man just as certainly as toiling as a carpenter at Nazareth hiding his divine mission, treading the waves on the Sea of Galilee, and dying on the cross as man's sacrifice to lift up the whole race to a new and perfect life. The raising demonstrated his character as Saviour and Lifegiver and his divine power and authority, revealed the Father through the works he did, and was convincing proof of his divinity and identity as the Son of God and the Messiah. It was meant to strengthen faith in the vital connection between the Father and the Son and to encourage confidence that Christ could act with divine power to heal and restore, and it was compelling evidence to Nicodemus. The raising was his crowning miracle, drew a large enthusiastic crowd to see Jesus, led many to believe in Jesus and glorify God, and brought joy to his followers.
Yet even this power over death could not reach hearts blinded by prejudice and insane hatred who resolutely rejected the light. Some who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened in unbelief, and the religious leaders who witnessed it did not recognize his authority.
Jesus spoke these words to Martha to lift her faith and turn her trust to himself as the source of resurrection and life and to his power to raise her brother. She first took the promise to mean only the resurrection at the last day, but it carries a double meaning of the raising of Lazarus then about to take place and the general resurrection of all the righteous dead. The raising of Lazarus is a representation and pledge of that larger resurrection, giving assurance that the resurrection of all the righteous dead will be accomplished by the Saviour's power. The promise declares Jesus to be the Author of the resurrection who, though soon to die on the cross, stands as conqueror of the grave with the keys of death and the right and power to give eternal life to everyone who believes in him. His raising of the dead shows him as one ever touched by human woe who exercises divine power in compassion for the bereaved, and his restoring of Lazarus to Mary and Martha brought the sisters unspeakable joy.
Words to Martha
Jesus spoke to Martha to encourage her faith and to turn her thoughts and trust to himself as the source of resurrection and life and to his power to raise her brother. She first took the promise to mean only the resurrection at the last day. The words were not meant to promise an immediate change but carried her hope past a present restoration and fixed it upon the resurrection of the just.
The promise has a double meaning, the raising of Lazarus about to take place and the general resurrection of all the righteous dead. The raising of Lazarus is a representation and pledge of that larger resurrection, giving assurance that the resurrection of all the righteous dead will be accomplished by the Saviour's power.
In its setting, Jesus delayed going to Bethany by divine wisdom, and Lazarus died and was laid in the tomb before Jesus arrived. He had been in the grave four days when Jesus called him out. His body had begun to decay.
Jesus' tears at the grave show his sympathy for the bereaved, and his raising of the dead shows him as one ever touched by human woe who exercises divine power in compassion and sympathy for the bereaved. His restoring of Lazarus to Mary and Martha brought the sisters unspeakable joy and encouraged confidence that he could act with divine power to heal and restore.
Resurrection Power and Witness
The promise declares Jesus to be the Author of the resurrection, who though soon to die on the cross stands as conqueror of the grave with the keys of death and the right and power to give eternal life to everyone who believes in him. The rising promised is a literal resurrection from death in direct conflict with Satan's power over disease and death. In his immediate presence disease is always rebuked and he cannot witness suffering or death without combating it and bringing relief, so Lazarus was permitted to die in order that his resurrection would be the last and crowning evidence to the Jews that Jesus is the Son of God.
Giving Lazarus life again cost Jesus his own life, for every such rescue brought him deepest humiliation and he must pay the ransom on the cross of Calvary and taste death for every man. He wept at the grave because though strong to save the whole world he could not save everyone Satan had laid low in death, but only the many, all who would avail themselves of coming back to loyalty to God through his sacrifice for sin and transgression. Lazarus was called out of the tomb after four days but was restored only to mortal life: he was not given immortality and remained subject to death and decay. This is distinct from the everlasting life given to those raised at Christ's resurrection.
Those raised at Christ's resurrection were raised to everlasting life as first fruits and as a symbol of the final resurrection of the righteous. Their raising points to the time when at his return his voice will call the dead in Christ from their graves to glorious, immortal life to be with the Lord forever. Lazarus had no conscious experience from the time he was dead to recount. Breaking the slumbers of the dead by this promise belongs with healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, walking upon the sea, silencing the storm by a word, casting out devils who acknowledged him to be the Son of God, and holding thousands by words of wisdom.
Raising the dead to life fulfilled his mission as the Pattern Man just as certainly as toiling as a carpenter at Nazareth hiding his divine mission, treading the waves on the Sea of Galilee, and dying on the cross as man's sacrifice to lift up the whole race to a new and perfect life. The raising demonstrated his character as Saviour and Lifegiver and his divine power and authority, revealed the Father through the works he did, and was convincing proof of his divinity and identity as the Son of God and the Messiah. It was meant to strengthen faith in the vital connection between the Father and the Son and to encourage confidence that Christ could act with divine power to heal and restore, and it was compelling evidence to Nicodemus. The raising was his crowning miracle, drew a large enthusiastic crowd to see Jesus, led many to believe in Jesus and glorify God, and brought joy to his followers.
Yet even this power over death could not reach hearts blinded by prejudice and insane hatred who resolutely rejected the light. Some who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened in unbelief, and the religious leaders who witnessed it did not recognize his authority.