Miracle of Rebirth: the Story of Lazarus

John 11:17-44 Inspired by a Reflection by Padi Richard Egmalis

How do you react to stories of people who were supposedly dead but have come alive? How will people usually react in this day and age?

Most will react with disbelief. Some with curiosity. Or indifference. Some might even investigate with the attempt of disproving it, because let’s face it. Miracles such as these are hard to come by these days. It is almost, if not always, impossible. Or so we thought.

The story of Lazarus shows us that it is possible. Lazarus was dead, but he came back to life. And guess what. It is continually happening, even now. That is, if we look at the story from another perspective.

As soon as sin entered the world, we know for a fact that we all died--not physically, but spiritually. Our relationship with God was cut off. We were banished from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23). Just as Lazarus was lifeless, sealed in a tomb, with a bad smell because of decomposition, we too are lifeless, sealed in this world thinking this is all there is to it, the stench of sin all around us.

If Lazarus is lifeless, then he wouldn't be aware of his condition, right? He wouldn't be aware that he was dead, sealed in a tomb, and emanating a bad smell. It is so with us. We cannot know the condition we are in, because we are lifeless.

Now comes the good part. Jesus Christ, an ordinary carpenter in the eyes of the people during his time, came to where Lazarus lay. Take note, he was the one who went to Lazarus (John 11:11). Not the other way around.

Lazarus was dead. How can he ask for help?

So there, Jesus was, outside the tomb. Here, I'd like to make a reference to the reflection by Padi Egmalis. The first thing Jesus said was to take away the stone (John 11:39). Who took away the stone? It wasn’t Lazarus, obviously. It was the people around him. His community, as Padi said. I’d like to think of these people as believers, other members of the church of Christ, the faithful, who trust God enough to obey a command that seems preposterous. Roll away the stone of a dead man’s tomb? Surely that doesn’t make sense. Yet these people obeyed, and took away the stone, simply because they had faith in the one who issued the command.

Now the next thing Jesus said, was for Lazarus to come out (John 11:43). And voila, he did. He was dead, but was now alive. His eyes were opened, his lungs filled with air, and he was able to stand up and walk. Lazarus was alive. Lazarus was saved.

So it is with a person born again. He is dead, yet with one word from the Lord, he comes to life. It was through Christ’s drawing that he is able to walk out of the tomb and into the light. He is saved, not by his own doing, but by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But does it end there? Lazarus was alive, yes, but he still had cloths bound around him. He was free, yet not totally free. He could move, but he couldn’t run yet. And he probably didn’t feel very healthy--he was stuck in the tomb for four days. Jesus, therefore, commanded that he be unbound (John 11:44). Apparently, he wasn’t meant to be a walking mummy.

So it is with a person born again. Jesus Christ calls him out of the tomb, but the journey is not over. Far from it. So what’s going to happen? The Lord has opened his eyes, and he has seen his need for a Savior, but what is he to do next? He must work out his salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). He must strive to be Christ-like (1 John 2:6). He must become a slave to righteousness and not to sin (Romans 6:18).

But is he alone? No. Jesus’ command of unbinding only tells him that he is not to walk this path alone. There will be people to help him remove his cloths. But is he to remain passive as other people do the work for him? No, of course not. If one is bound, one struggles to free himself from it, right? It’s difficult, but he must continue to do so, knowing that the freedom that comes with it is worth his struggle. And so he must strive to remain on the path of righteousness. It is not an easy road. It is a narrow, difficult road, but it is the road that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:14).

Notice how Jesus played a central role in Lazarus’ story. He was the one who commanded that the stone be rolled away. He was the one who commanded Lazarus to come out. He was the one who commanded that he be unbound.

And so it is with our Christian life. Jesus Christ is in control, and nothing that happens, happens without his command. This is something that we need to understand, because we cannot go into the far end—thinking that WE saved ourselves, that WE saved other people by bringing them to Christ. Jesus came to us first (John 15:16).

We prayed and we wept, but JESUS CAME TO US and not the other way around.

And so to end this pretty long reflection, I would like to leave a word of encouragement to those who believe. Right now, there may be some of us who are at a loss. Those who believe in Christ, but don’t know how to proceed next. Those who think they already believe in Christ, but do not manifest this belief in their lives. Those who work for God’s glory by sharing the good news, yet feel discouraged out of lack of response. Those who believe, but struggle with unbelief because of the overwhelming things happening in this world right now.

For many of us, we may not know where we are and who we are supposed to be. But for those who believe and have seen, we must press on, no matter how difficult. We must continue to roll away stones for other people, no matter how hopeless we think the situation is. We must continue to remove binding cloths—those still on ourselves and those on other believers. We may not see it with our human eyes, but rebirth is happening all around us. We must not lose hope. And through it all, we must continue to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, without whom, everything we do is useless.

To God be the glory, forever and ever, amen.