The light shines on the third sibling in this saga, the one who set it in motion. This is the story of Lazarus, the over-indulged little brother, the darling of the two sisters. (I’m using poetic licence here, assuming what is not written in the text).

Why was Lazarus not mentioned when Jesus visited the home in Bethany? Was his resistance to Jesus so great that he went AWOL when Jesus arrived? Was Lazarus among those already condemned because he refused to believe in Him?

I ask these qestions because of the deliberate way in which John described the outcome.

Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus would not die and yet, his death was for God’s glory. How would He work out this riddle?

John 11:4 NIV
[4] When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Was resurrection from physical death the best way to glority the Father? I suggest that Lazarus died, not only a physical death but also a spiritual death in those four days in the grave. Did he have a taste of hell? Did Jesus allow him a near death experience specifically to shake him out of his unbelief? What transformed him from a constant absentee to one who was present in the company at a dinner in Jesus’ honour? Why did John take pains to write, in John 12, that Lazarus was present at the table with Jesus?

John 12:1-2 NIV
[1] “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. [2] Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.”

Without specifically saying so, was John declaring that Lazarus had become a believer? How better to reveal God’s glory than to present a man, separated from Jesus through his unbelief, transformed by grace through his encounter with death!

So, is it possible that Jesus, through the use of this opportunity, and under the Father’s direction, reached deep into the heart of this man whom He loved? Understanding his reservations, and leading him, through a horrifying encounter with hell, to faith and a new life back in his body, Jesus called him out, and Lazarus emerged from the tomb.

In this mighty miracle, Jesus declared, not only His power over death but His promise of resurrection for all who believe in Him by defeating His own death.

Once again, as He so often did, He magnified His name, “I am… Yahweh…”, this time, the resurrection and the life, by confirming it with a demonstration of God’s power working through Him.