Lazarus, Come Forth

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/GRd2s)

“And when He had thus spoken, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth’!”

John 11:43

If He can make the decaying ear to hear, He can also melt the heart of stone.

Lazarus.

Interesting, his name meant “God has helped.”  Only an omniscient and omnipotent God could lead parents to give their newborn infant such an appropriate name—especially in light of what happened in today’s Manna.  But, we must remember He is always there. . .behind the scenes. . .orchestrating the events of history. . .weaving a beautiful mosaic or tapestry of our lives if we love Him.

And, the Good News is He’s still doing it today.

In your life.  And, in mine.

Although the only other use of this name found in the Bible is that of the beggar “laid at the rich man’s gate, covered with sores, who craved just the crumbs from the rich man’s table” (Lk. 16:19-31), the Lazarus in our story lived in the small town of Bethany with his two sisters, Mary and Martha.  Later on, after his being raised from the dead, we find him sitting at supper with Jesus (Jn. 12:1-2) and then being the focus of an assassination plot by the chief priests (Jn. 12:9-11).

But the focus of our Manna is on the fact that Jesus demonstrated His great Resurrection Power that day by speaking to the four-day-old, dead ear of Lazarus.  The fact that Martha told Jesus “Lord, by this time he stinks” (v.39) would seem to indicate that death’s decay was quite evident and its stench quite noticeable as they stood near the tomb’s stone covering.

And, we must remember that the Jews believed anyone could be raised within the first three-day period.

But, on the fourth day “all bets were off.”

So, once again, Jesus demonstrated His desire to “confound the minds of the wise” (I Cor. 1:27) and stretch the faith of the doubtful or unbelieving.  He also demonstrated His Power to do the impossible (Gen. 18:13; Lk. 1:37), which He still desires to do today.

Oh, dear Pilgrim, if the Lord could make dry, brittle, bleached-out-in-the-sun bones live again (Ez. 37:1-14), can’t He still do the same today, whether it be figuratively or literally?  Assuredly He can.  And, if this One Who seemed to delight in disrupting every funeral He attended by raising the deceased back to life again, can’t He still touch a life that’s dead in its trespasses and sin and transform it by His Great Love and Power?

Assuredly He can (Eph. 1:1-10).  Hallelujah!!

Never believe your ears have so longed listened to the world’s cries that they can no longer hear His still, small Voice.  Truly, He specializes in bringing dead ears to life and setting “dull-of-hearing ears” on fire (Heb. 5:11-14; Acts 2:1-4).  Glory!!

By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated June 17, 2010