Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
Jesus groaning within Himself again came to the grave, a cave in the rock closed by a massive stone laid upon its entrance. He came there together with Martha, Mary, and the comforting friends after asking where he was laid and being answered to come and see. Lazarus had already lain there four days and begun to decay, so the work could not be dismissed as deception when the stone was openly rolled away before the expectant company. He came in tender sympathy and peculiar affection for the Bethany family He loved, to give their buried brother back to them. His groaning was burdened also by the unbelief of professed believers who mistook His tears and doubted His power, and by the sight of death under Satan's power which He would ransom by tasting death for every person. He had deliberately delayed until burial made this His greatest crowning miracle, commanding human hands to roll away the stone in obedient faith before His word broke death's slumber as undeniable proof He is the Son of God, drawing many to believe while hardening others to seek His death.
Coming to the Grave
Jesus groaned within Himself again as He came to the grave, which was a cave cut in rock closed by a massive stone laid upon and covering its entrance. He came to the tomb together with Martha, Mary, and the friends who had come to comfort them, after being moved with grief and trouble at the sight of their distress and at Mary's cry that her brother would not have died if He had been there. Having groaned in spirit and been troubled, He had asked where they had laid him, and they had answered come and see, and all proceeded together to the grave.
Lazarus had been buried there four days and his body had begun to decay and see corruption, with corruption already beginning its work, so that the raising could not be explained as deception. He had been dead four days before Christ called him from the tomb, yet was called back to life and health by a word. The stone was then rolled away openly and deliberately so all would be given a chance to see that no deception was practiced, before a surprised and expectant company standing around the sepulcher to see what would follow, while the cold and silent body lay in its rocky grave and the cries of the mourners were hushed.
His coming was moved by tender sympathy and love, for He was bound to the family at Bethany by peculiarly tender associations with His heart knit to them by a strong bond of affection, and He loved Lazarus and his sisters and cared about the grief of Mary and Martha. Lazarus of Bethany was among His most steadfast disciples, strong in faith from his first meeting, deep in love for Him, faithful and greatly beloved by Him. He came to work His most wonderful work for one of them and to give their buried brother back to them.
His groaning was burdened not by love for Lazarus alone but by groaning over the unbelief and blind infidelity of those who professed faith in Him. The onlookers mistook His tears for mere human love and sorrow and whispered that He who opened the eyes of the blind must have been unable to keep Lazarus from dying, when they should have believed in Him. Weighed down by their infidelity, He approached the tomb and with authority commanded the stone to be rolled away.
The death before Him brought home the reach of Satan's power and the limits of whom He could rescue from death. Lazarus was permitted to die and be laid in the tomb before He arrived, by divine wisdom with purpose in the delay, so that the resurrection would give crowning evidence that He was the Son of God. In raising him He knew He would pay the ransom for that life on the cross, for every rescue brought Him closer to humiliation and death, which He would taste for every person.
Crowning Miracle's Witness
Jesus stayed away from Bethany by divine wisdom so that Lazarus would die and be laid in the tomb before He arrived, making the raising His greatest and crowning miracle, worked openly before a crowd of witnesses. Though He could have moved the stone by a word, He commanded that human hands roll it away and waited for obedience, showing that human faith and action must do all that can be done to prepare the way before divine power completes the work. Martha objected because she thought He only wished to look upon the dead and was unwilling to have the decomposing body exposed after four days, showing faith slow to grasp His promise, and He gently reproved her not to doubt His power or reason against His requirements but to believe and take Him at His word so she would see the glory of God.
By a word He then called Lazarus back to life and health, demonstrating His character as Saviour and Lifegiver and breaking the slumbers of the dead. The act was a clear public demonstration of divine power and convincing, undeniable evidence that He is the Son of God, revealing the Father and proving His divinity, Messiahship, and authority, a proof pressed home even to Nicodemus. Many believed and glorified God and minds were powerfully affected and drawn, while the leaders feared losing the people's confidence, and those rejecting the light answered with greater hatred and hardened unbelief and sought to destroy Him, making the miracle the final test to the nation.
Lazarus was restored to mortal life but remained subject to death and decay, distinct from those raised to everlasting immortality at Christ's resurrection. He had no conscious experience to report from death because the dead know nothing, and his witness came from being restored to life to testify that Christ is the Son of God and to urge the people to consider what they would gain by putting Him to death. His coming to the grave fulfilled His mission as the Pattern Man just as certainly as toiling as a carpenter, walking on the sea, and dying as sacrifice to lift the race to new life, standing with His other compassionate mighty works of healing sickness, giving sight, hearing, and speech, feeding the hungry, stilling the sea, casting out devils, and teaching wisdom, yet rejected by hearts blinded by prejudice and hatred.
Jesus groaning within Himself again came to the grave, a cave in the rock closed by a massive stone laid upon its entrance. He came there together with Martha, Mary, and the comforting friends after asking where he was laid and being answered to come and see. Lazarus had already lain there four days and begun to decay, so the work could not be dismissed as deception when the stone was openly rolled away before the expectant company. He came in tender sympathy and peculiar affection for the Bethany family He loved, to give their buried brother back to them. His groaning was burdened also by the unbelief of professed believers who mistook His tears and doubted His power, and by the sight of death under Satan's power which He would ransom by tasting death for every person. He had deliberately delayed until burial made this His greatest crowning miracle, commanding human hands to roll away the stone in obedient faith before His word broke death's slumber as undeniable proof He is the Son of God, drawing many to believe while hardening others to seek His death.
Coming to the Grave
Jesus groaned within Himself again as He came to the grave, which was a cave cut in rock closed by a massive stone laid upon and covering its entrance. He came to the tomb together with Martha, Mary, and the friends who had come to comfort them, after being moved with grief and trouble at the sight of their distress and at Mary's cry that her brother would not have died if He had been there. Having groaned in spirit and been troubled, He had asked where they had laid him, and they had answered come and see, and all proceeded together to the grave.
Lazarus had been buried there four days and his body had begun to decay and see corruption, with corruption already beginning its work, so that the raising could not be explained as deception. He had been dead four days before Christ called him from the tomb, yet was called back to life and health by a word. The stone was then rolled away openly and deliberately so all would be given a chance to see that no deception was practiced, before a surprised and expectant company standing around the sepulcher to see what would follow, while the cold and silent body lay in its rocky grave and the cries of the mourners were hushed.
His coming was moved by tender sympathy and love, for He was bound to the family at Bethany by peculiarly tender associations with His heart knit to them by a strong bond of affection, and He loved Lazarus and his sisters and cared about the grief of Mary and Martha. Lazarus of Bethany was among His most steadfast disciples, strong in faith from his first meeting, deep in love for Him, faithful and greatly beloved by Him. He came to work His most wonderful work for one of them and to give their buried brother back to them.
His groaning was burdened not by love for Lazarus alone but by groaning over the unbelief and blind infidelity of those who professed faith in Him. The onlookers mistook His tears for mere human love and sorrow and whispered that He who opened the eyes of the blind must have been unable to keep Lazarus from dying, when they should have believed in Him. Weighed down by their infidelity, He approached the tomb and with authority commanded the stone to be rolled away.
The death before Him brought home the reach of Satan's power and the limits of whom He could rescue from death. Lazarus was permitted to die and be laid in the tomb before He arrived, by divine wisdom with purpose in the delay, so that the resurrection would give crowning evidence that He was the Son of God. In raising him He knew He would pay the ransom for that life on the cross, for every rescue brought Him closer to humiliation and death, which He would taste for every person.
Crowning Miracle's Witness
Jesus stayed away from Bethany by divine wisdom so that Lazarus would die and be laid in the tomb before He arrived, making the raising His greatest and crowning miracle, worked openly before a crowd of witnesses. Though He could have moved the stone by a word, He commanded that human hands roll it away and waited for obedience, showing that human faith and action must do all that can be done to prepare the way before divine power completes the work. Martha objected because she thought He only wished to look upon the dead and was unwilling to have the decomposing body exposed after four days, showing faith slow to grasp His promise, and He gently reproved her not to doubt His power or reason against His requirements but to believe and take Him at His word so she would see the glory of God.
By a word He then called Lazarus back to life and health, demonstrating His character as Saviour and Lifegiver and breaking the slumbers of the dead. The act was a clear public demonstration of divine power and convincing, undeniable evidence that He is the Son of God, revealing the Father and proving His divinity, Messiahship, and authority, a proof pressed home even to Nicodemus. Many believed and glorified God and minds were powerfully affected and drawn, while the leaders feared losing the people's confidence, and those rejecting the light answered with greater hatred and hardened unbelief and sought to destroy Him, making the miracle the final test to the nation.
Lazarus was restored to mortal life but remained subject to death and decay, distinct from those raised to everlasting immortality at Christ's resurrection. He had no conscious experience to report from death because the dead know nothing, and his witness came from being restored to life to testify that Christ is the Son of God and to urge the people to consider what they would gain by putting Him to death. His coming to the grave fulfilled His mission as the Pattern Man just as certainly as toiling as a carpenter, walking on the sea, and dying as sacrifice to lift the race to new life, standing with His other compassionate mighty works of healing sickness, giving sight, hearing, and speech, feeding the hungry, stilling the sea, casting out devils, and teaching wisdom, yet rejected by hearts blinded by prejudice and hatred.