What is happening in this passage where Jesus raises Lazarus?

In this scene, Jesus has come to the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who has been dead for four days. The body is in a cave with a stone over the entrance. Jesus tells the people to take away the stone. Martha worries about the smell because the body has already begun to decay. Jesus gently reminds her about believing and seeing the glory of God. He then prays out loud to the Father so the crowd will know he is sent by God. After that, he cries with a loud voice, calls Lazarus out, and Lazarus walks out still wrapped in graveclothes.

Why did Jesus tell them to take away the stone from Lazarus’s tomb?

Jesus could have moved the stone by his own power, but he chose to involve the people standing there. By asking them to roll away the stone, he made the situation completely open and public so everyone could clearly see that Lazarus was really dead and really raised. It also showed that people have a part in God’s work, even if what they do is simple. Their action did not cause the miracle, but it put them in a place to see what God was about to do and to have their faith strengthened.

Why was Martha worried that Lazarus would stink after four days?

Martha’s concern shows how final the situation looked to her. Four days in the tomb meant real decay had started, and there was no human hope left. She believed in Jesus, but in this moment she looked more at the facts she could see and smell than at his power. Her words show the normal human way of thinking, where we often limit what God can do by what seems possible to us. Jesus answers her by pointing her back to faith and to the promise that she will see the glory of God if she believes.

What does Jesus mean by “if you believe, you will see the glory of God”?

When Jesus speaks of seeing the glory of God, he is talking about seeing God’s power, goodness, and presence shown clearly in what is about to happen. He reminds Martha that faith comes before sight. She is called to trust him even when everything looks hopeless. As she believes, she will see God work in a way far beyond what she expected, by raising a man who has been dead four days. This shows that belief is not just agreeing with ideas about God but relying on Jesus himself and watching God act through him.

Why did Jesus pray out loud before calling Lazarus out of the tomb?

Jesus lifts his eyes and thanks the Father for hearing him, then says he is praying out loud for the sake of the people standing there. He wants them to know that what is about to happen is not a magic trick or just human effort, but the work of the Father through the Son. His prayer shows the close relationship between him and the Father, and it invites the crowd to believe that he has been sent by God. The prayer also models thankful trust, as he thanks the Father before the miracle is even seen.

What is the significance of Jesus crying with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth”?

The loud cry shows both authority and clarity. Jesus is not whispering a private wish but commanding a dead man to rise. His word is enough to bring life where there is none. The fact that Lazarus comes out at once, even though he is wrapped in graveclothes, shows that death and all its signs must obey Jesus. This call also gives a picture of how powerful his voice is in giving life, both in raising the body and in calling people out of spiritual death to respond to him.

Why did Lazarus come out still bound in graveclothes, and what does “Loose him, and let him go” mean?

Lazarus comes out of the tomb with his hands, feet, and face still wrapped in burial cloths. This proves he really had been dead and buried according to the usual customs. Jesus has already given him life, but he now tells the others to loosen the graveclothes and set him free. This shows two things: first, the reality and completeness of the miracle, and second, that God often involves other people in helping someone walk in the new life he has given, removing what still clings from the old state.

What does this passage teach about Jesus’ power over death?

This passage shows that Jesus is not just comforting people at a funeral; he commands death itself. Lazarus has been dead long enough that no one expects change, yet Jesus simply speaks and life returns. By thanking the Father and then calling Lazarus out, he reveals that he shares in God’s power over life and death. The miracle points ahead to the wider hope of resurrection for all who belong to him. It tells us that death, as final as it feels, is not beyond the reach of Jesus’ voice and authority.

How can this story of Lazarus help someone who feels their situation is hopeless?

The scene at the tomb shows a situation that looks completely finished. The body smells, people are mourning, and hope seems gone. Into that place, Jesus walks, feels deeply, prays, and speaks life. For someone who feels stuck in grief, sin, or despair, this passage says that no situation is too far gone for him. It also shows that honest feelings and faith can exist together, as Martha struggles yet still talks to Jesus. While this story does not promise every problem will be fixed right away, it points to a Savior who can bring real life where we only see loss.

John.11.38

John 11:38

KJV

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Jesus Raises Lazarus

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Cross References

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