In John 11, Jesus came to Lazarus’ tomb and
commanded the people “Roll the stone away!”
If I had been there, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I would have objected like Martha who said,
“He’s been dead for 4 days! It’s gonna
stink!”
I’m also not sure that I would have heard
Jesus tell Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the
glory of God?”
However, there must have been some people
there that had some kind of faith because “they” rolled the stone away. After the stone was removed, Jesus commanded
Lazarus to “Come out!” And he did.
The scriptures do not record this, but I am
convinced that everyone there must have been astonished when Lazarus emerged.
I am
so much like Martha. I make “the good
confession” that Jesus is LORD, but when I read about something that Jesus
said, I tell Him, “That’s impossible!”
I am
convinced that the reason why I often do not see the glory of God is that I am
unwilling to be obedient to what Jesus says and to “remove the stone”. If I truly believe that Jesus has been given
all authority (Matthew 28:18) and confess that Jesus is LORD (Philippians 2:11), Paul says that out of the tomb of my
old life, a new creation will emerge (II Corinthians 5:17).
Pray
with me that we will always hear the voice of Jesus, that we will be obedient
to Him, and that we will all behold His glory, the One and Only, the One who
comes from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
