Voice of Command

March 23 Voice of Command John 11:38-44

“His divine power is the better shown by the fact that He did not touch with His hand but only cried with His voice. At the same time He commends to us the secret and wonderful efficacy of His Word. For how did Christ restore life to the dead by His Word? Therefore, in raising Lazarus He exhibited a visible sign of His spiritual grace which we daily experience by the perception of faith.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 5:16

Still deeply moved, Jesus approached Lazarus’ tomb. This would have been a simple cave cut into the hillside, sealed by a large rock. Jesus asked that the stone be removed. Typically, Martha objected. Some commentators suggest that Martha was afraid that Jesus would become ritually unclean if He came into contact with a dead body; this would have prevented Him from celebrating Passover fully. Martha’s objection was, however, probably rather more pragmatic. She voiced her concern that, after four days the odor from the tomb would be foul. As usual, Martha saw the practical side of things. But Jesus insisted and so the stone was rolled away, probably by some of those who had come to mourn Lazarus’ passing.

This was not the first time that Jesus had been involved in the raising of the dead. He had restored Jairus’ daughter and the widow of Nain’s son, but as far as we know He had never brought back to life someone who had been in the grave for four days. Neither had He performed the miracle in such a public place. So, Jesus prayed. He did not pray for Lazarus to be raised, instead Jesus thanked the Father for already having heard Him. His words bore witness to His identity. Jesus tied the miracle to belief in His mission. God had sent Him; He did nothing that was contrary to His Father’s will. Those who watched were made aware that this was God’s validation of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. It was tangible proof that He was the Resurrection and the Life.

With a loud voice, Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. This was the voice of authority, the very Word of God issuing a command. He used His friend’s name, one feels, because if He had not, every tomb would have burst open. Then, blinking and shuffling, Lazarus emerged. Doubtless his sisters ran to him to remove the loose cloths with which they had bound his body. “Take off the grave clothes,” came the voice of the One who had to be obeyed, “and let him go.” Among the crowds gathered there, amazement was mixed with fear.

There are some obvious parallels between the raising of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus. There are some clear similarities, but there are also some differences. Both were encased within a tomb, but Jesus needed no human agency to rise. He left His grave clothes behind; He would not need them again. Lazarus would; he rose as a mortal and so would die again. Jesus rose with a spiritual body then ascended to be with His Father. The raising of Lazarus anticipates the general resurrection of the dead, but it is only a pale shadow of Christ’s resurrection. Both were miracles, but only one shattered the stranglehold of death. Lazarus’ resurrection was a major talking point, to be sure; but Christ’s resurrection changed everything, and we have not stopped talking about it. We have really only heard of Lazarus because we have heard of Jesus. Today, millions of people put their trust in Him and long for the day when that voice of command will summon them to rise up and inherit the Kingdom that will never end.

But a dark and lonely road waited to be walked before Jesus could know the still, quietness of the tomb. He would walk it, though, not as a victim, but as a victor.

For further reading: Psalm 119:1-24