THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

The account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is a powerful depiction of how God first draws us toward Him, and then gives a resurrected soul; which is what occurs to the Christian who becomes born again. In the Gospel of John, we read:

"Then Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever you ask of God, God will grant it.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother shall rise again.' Martha replied, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, even though he may dead, he shall live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said unto Him, 'Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.' And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, 'The Teacher has come and is calling for you.' As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, 'She is going to the tomb to weep there.' Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!' And some of them said, 'Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?' Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, 'Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.' Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?' Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.' Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out, bound hand and foot, with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'"
John 11:21-44

"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has He made alive together with Him."
Colossians 2:13

"Jesus answered and said to him, Very, assuredly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"
John 3:3

"Marvel not that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"
John 3:7

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, who lives and abides for ever."
1 Peter 1:23

The raising of Lazarus is a picture of how God resurrects us from a state of spiritual death into a state of spiritual life. Dead Lazarus is a picture of our spiritual condition before we are born again. When Jesus shouted out with a loud voice, "Lazarus come forth!" Lazarus, even though he was dead corpse, could not resist that call and had to come forth.

"And you has he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. In which in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:1-6

When God calls and draws us towards Him, we cannot resist. We do not go to Christ of our own accord. Because we are spiritually dead, we are totally incapable of going to God on our own. He is the one who does all the work in drawing us towards Him. Jesus said;

"No man can come to me, except the Father who sent me, draws him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:44

When Jesus stated, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me, shall never die." he was not speaking about physical death, but rather spiritual death. "He that believes in me, even though he is dead, he will live:" A physically dead person cannot believe in God. And Jesus did not mean that he who believes in Him shall never die a physical death, but rather we who believe in Him, although we are spiritually dead, we shall live and never die a spiritual death.

Truly, the account of the raising of Lazarus is one of the most beautiful accounts of how God draws a spiritually dead sinner into His Holy presense.