Friday, April 11—Day 38

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.
John 11: 32-44

The One Who Gives Life to the Dead
“Lazarus, come forth.” What strange thing to say to a dead person!

Don’t be mistaken, Lazarus really was dead, not just sick or playing a gag. He was dead, in the tomb, being mourned by his sisters, and even Jesus himself. One minute Jesus is deeply moved, troubled, and weeping over his dead friend and the next he says “remove the stone” and “Lazarus, come forth”.    

The reason that Lazarus cannot obey this command is clear. He is dead. He cannot even hear the command. But, when Jesus speaks, something happens: “The man who had died came forth.”

Why?  How?  The key is that the speaker of these words is no mere human, but God in the flesh. The giver and sustainer of life, who upholds the universe by the word of his power, speaks life into the dead man. When Jesus says “Lazarus, come forth,” the same word that commands this dead man to do the impossible grants him the ability to obey that impossible command. Lazarus really was dead, until the life-producing word of Jesus came to him.  

For our music selection, the David Crowder Band performs the familiar hymn “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” which contains the following line:

“He Speaks and listening to His voice

New life the dead receive”

This line captures two essential elements to this resurrection story and our two visual artists capture both these elements as well.  

1.  He Speaks

The first essential element is the fact that Jesus is the one speaking. Rembrandt places Jesus as the focal point of the entire event in his painting. Highlighted and nearly in the middle of the scene, the Christ stands tall with his hand raised up. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha are all in the scene, but the emphasis lands on Jesus, the one “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Romans 4:17).

2.  Listening to His voice, new life the dead receive

The second element to the story, of course, is the effect of these words on Lazarus. Van Gogh, in contrast to Rembrandt, highlights Lazarus and his sisters. In fact, Jesus is not found in his painting at all. He is emphasizing the resurrection in this story, which is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and resurrection to come later in the Gospel of John.

Do not fail to notice that Lazarus is painted with a short, red beard. This bearded Lazarus looks a bit like Van Gogh in his self-portraits. This painting helps us to apply this resurrection story. Jesus’ life-giving words take each of us, dead in our sin and trespasses, and shines “in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Jason Oakes, Associate Professor, Talbot School of Theology

Prayer
Lord Jesus, only you give life to the dead. Your word alone accomplishes all that you purpose. You alone have the power to lay down your life and take it up again. Give us your grace so that we can know your love, believe your word, obey your commands, and trust your promises. Amen.