John 11:39-44 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I 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." 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."
First, we need to remember EVERY bit of salvation is from Jesus. He did all the work. He does all the saving. Second, I never want to read into the Scripture what is not there.
Keeping in mind that the resurrection of Lazarus is symbolic of our spiritual resurrection, salvation, I think we can learn a lot from what Jesus told those around Him to do. These points are not what God needs us to do because He cannot, but they do give some indication of the kinds of things He wants us to do.
1. Move the Rock (vs 39)
Jesus gave Lazarus life, but He had people move the rock so that Lazarus wouldn't remain in the grave. Can you imagine the account if Lazarus had been raised, but not released?
We are called to help one another remove barriers that stand in the way of living for Christ (burdens, sins, distractions...etc). These will be things that are uncomfortable to remove...like the rock that would reveal the smell of death.
2. Take Off the Grave Clothes (vs 44)
Lazarus was alive, but he was still dressed like a dead man. People were called to remove these clothes.
Salvation is NEW life, the old is gone. We can't be alive and still live like we're dead. Discipleship is teaching people God's word so that the living live like the living.
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