“Lazarus, come out”

John 11:45-53

Have you ever observed something and after you wonder, can I believe what my eyes have seen?  While vacationing in Christchurch, New Zealand with Joe and Barb Whitehouse, Joe and I were watching a street performance of some real talented people, and they had performed many acts that were amazing, but the final act was hard to believe, did we really see that woman get inside of a very small box?  Now I know that is a weak comparison to what Jesus did at the tomb of Lazarus, a man who was dead for four days and Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out” and not only did he come out but after those standing t unbound him he went home very much alive.  And I had a problem believing a young lady could fit into a very small box on a street corner in Christchurch, can you imagine those standing there trying to process what they have witnessed?

Picking up the story in verse 45,46, “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.”  Many and some, and yet all saw and heard the same thing, and one must wonder why did some not believe, and I believe it came down to a choice.  And this was it; common sense tells us that after a guy has been dead for four days, he’s a goner, and the enemy of their soul might have said, “that’s one slick dude, but do not believe in him, Lazarus was not dead, in fact I bet if we examined the tomb we find some wine skins and a few falafels and pita bread.”  Yes, reasoning or what many would call the sound mind principle, and the enemy who is still speaking these same lies into the heart of unbelievers, was identified in John chapter 8:42-44, when Jesus spoke to another group of Jews.  This group had told Jesus they had only one Father – even God, and Jesus replied in this way; “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God an I am here.  I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.  Why do you not understand what I say?  It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”  

Do you understand that if you had been there you would have been in one of those groups!  Not much has changed since that time, many in the church are like these, they are religious but they do not want any authority over them, they fear the Spirit of God, because His ways are not their ways and His thoughts are not their thoughts.  So what did “the some” do, they ran to the religious guys, the chief priests and the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done. 

One would think these religious guys, the chief priest and the keepers of the law would say praise God, but that is not what happened, they saw Jesus as competition, as a threat, not that much different than today, when a person is led by the Spirit to begin a new work and some of your church members are led by the Spirit to leave and at best, you do not support their actions.  These guys took it a step further; they came up with a plan to kill the giver of life.  Religions end game is always to kill!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice