Continuing in John 11: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he was in the tomb for 4 days! When he called Lazarus from the tomb after the stone was rolled away, Lazarus shuffled out, bound from head to toe in strips of cloth, with a cloth over his face. That was their custom. (And we will soon see that done with Jesus' body as well.)
Verse 45 provides us a segue to what happened next! Many of the Jews there that day believed in Jesus because of what he just did - that they saw with their own eyes, after hearing Jesus in a booming outdoor voice command Lazarus to come forth. He didn't have to be loud, but he had to be sure the people heard - for their sake, not God's. Verse 46 continues: 'But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done' - and their response was to plot to kill him!
So after all the good things he had done, and John names some of them....:
1. John 2. His first miracle of turning water into wine. Not just a few bottles, but I have heard it said the estimate was likely 120 - 180 gallons!
2. John 4. "emotional and spiritual healing" for the Samaritan woman
3. John 4:46. Healing the official's son - long distance, I might add!
4. John 5. Healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been blind, lame, and paralyzed for 38 years
5. John 6. Feeding the 5,000+ from 5 loaves and two small fish, with 12 baskets full left over.
6. Also John 6. Walking on water from shore to the disciples in the middle of the lake - and calming the storm
7. John 9. Healing the man blind from birth by Jesus making mud with his spit and dabbing it on the man's eyes, and telling him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam
After that, in John 10:32 Jesus asked the Jews who intended to stone him, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?" (He eluded their grasp.)
8. John 11. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
...and their response was, as I said, to hatch a plan to kill him. Heartbreaking!
It is really HARD to imagine, or is it, when we look at our own world today. Lord, have mercy!
John 11:25-26 states, Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die...."And of course we know he was talking about ETERNAL life. And then - after weeping - he raised Lazarus from the dead!
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