JESUS RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD !!!

Lazarus was already a friend of Jesus and a believer. Many were believing that Jesus was the Son of God, The Messiah, and yet, what that all meant was not completely clear to many. The resurrection of Lazarus makes that clear. As you read the passage in John chapter 11, you see that all along the course of
this incident, the followers are expecting the natural course to happen. Jesus was given word that Lazarus was sick, but he knew that Lazarus had already died as he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

The disciples are still thinking about the natural course of events because they say, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”

Even when Jesus tries to make this plain by saying, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Now, there should have been at least 2 things the disciples should have grasped from this. First. what Jesus said about waking Lazarus pertained to more than just waking up from a nap. Second, there was more for them to believe.

If you are going to use miracles to prove something, a before state and an after state that requires a miracle. When Jesus asks that the stone to Lazarus' tomb be rolled away, his sister immediately objects and reacts with the words, "He already stinks." So, there is already an established before state of death. They knew that he stunk. He was in the grave for 4 days. Furthermore, he was wrapped in burial linens. Wrapping in burial linens was done much like how the Egyptians had done things with their burials. Usually within the first 48 hours, the orifices of the body is at least stuffed with spices, salt or some other drying agent, then wrapped with strips of cloth.

Jesus looks up to heaven and thanks God for hearing him, then he calls Lazarus to come out. Lazarus not only came out burial linens and all, but he lived for another 30 years becoming a Bishop in Cyprus.

The rest of Lazarus' life was mentioned in additional accounts of history. A church is present in Cyprus today founded on the tomb from the 2nd time he died, which is inscribed with the words, “Lazarus four days dead and friend of Christ”.

So what was it that the disciples still needed to believe? The proof is there, so what is the lesson?

The lesson can be summed up when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

The resurrection of Lazarus is a well attested to miracle. It is acommpanied with achealogical evidence and an inscription in stone that he has been dead 4 days and raised from the dead, confirming the gospel accounts.

Some will believe when they witness a miracle. Others will always dismiss a miracle no matter how well it is proven.

http://ringofchrist.com/early-christian-history/st-lazarus-in-cyprus/
http://blogs.christianpost.com/confident-christian/what-evidence-will-satisfy-hard-core-unbelief-10198/
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Lazarus
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+11&version=NIV
http://christianthinktank.com/mq12.html