Lazarus, come out

This is it! The moment we have been waiting for. Jesus has come to the grave of Lazarus. Too late by the opinion of most, but God is always on time. There is no doubt about Lazarus' deadness, he has been dead for four days. He is beginning to stink as Mary says. Jesus responds to her.

John 11:40

Jesus said to her,"Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"

This refers back to verse four where Jesus says that this “Is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”. It also parallels Romans 6:4.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

It is a reflection of conversion and baptism, that we died to sin, and raised to life through the glory of God. So by this we see His glory, it is that which raises us.

Next they move the stone and Jesus prays.

John 11:41–42

So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."

He prayed so that the people around Him would know that the Father sent Him. That He is His Son and the Messiah.

John 11:43–44 

⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." ⁴⁴ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

This is awesome! The Lord of the earth reaches beyond death and calls Lazarus back to life! A minor thing to point out before moving on is that Lazarus is bound up in the same way Jesus will be when He dies.

John 19:40

So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

John 20:7

and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.

The really interesting part is how this parallels our salvation.

Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV)

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Wow, we were dead in our sins. Like Lazarus was dead. Lazarus couldn't bring himself back to life. It was beyond impossible for him to do that. Then Christ saw him, in his death. He loved him and by the power of the Spirit and the glory of the Father He raised him up out of his death into new life. Lazarus was set free of his wrappings of death, and his stink. Just like this we are only saved through the power of Christ and His grace. How awesome is His love for us! Another interesting thing to note was that Jesus asked that Lazarus be unbound. He could have easily made the cloth fall off on its own, He probably did this to let the people dispel any doubts that they had by actually having to touch him.

This is a great passage, Christ showing His power by just speaking Lazarus to life, His divinity by speaking to the Father so that they may know that He was the son of God. All of this was for God's glory, and to verify that this truly was the messiah that had come, and would later raise others from their spiritual death by His death and resurection.