Lazarus - The Gospels

In this Bible Story, the sting of death is thwarted when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. With tears in his eyes and a booming voice, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb and back to life. This story is inspired by John 11:1-53 & 12:9-11. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is John 11:43 from the King James Version.

Episode 204: Lazarus, one of Jesus’ close friends and the brother of Mary and Martha, was dying. As they sat by their brother, they sent word for Jesus to come at once to visit His friend. When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. But this could not stop what God had planned for that day. Jesus comforted Lazarus’ sisters and went to the tomb of His friend. Then after having the stone rolled away, He called for Lazarus…and Lazarus came out of the tomb.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. And when he thus had spoken, he
cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. John
eleven forty three. Thank you God that the story of
Lazarus serves as a reminder that death no longer has
power over my soul. Through the life of Jesus, you

(00:25):
continually display for me the fact that I can no
longer that I can conquer anything, including the goliath of death. Therefore,
I will not be afraid to live my life to
the fullest because I know that I will not die,
but I will simply transition into my heavenly home when

(00:46):
my time comes. I declare that I will not live
with regret or remorse, but instead I will maximize every
opportunity that I am given. I will love with an
intense and compassionate heart, and I will live out the
purpose and plans that you have for me.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Lord.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
In the same way, Jesus, that you called forth Lazarus
from the tomb, I now call forth from the tombs
in my life the dreams and visions that have died
because of fear and doubt. I thank you Lord that
as I place them in your hands, you will breathe

(01:30):
new life and new strategy into every dream and vision
You've given me in Jesus name, Amen, Thank you for
praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible Bible
story brought to you by Bible in a Year dot

(01:50):
com Lazarus.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
In our last story, we learned about Jesus's stories of
thankfulness and humility. Now we see Jesus weep at the
sting of death. However, death would not have the final
word against Jesus. Through his friend Lazarus, Jesus would display
ultimate power over death itself. Inspired by the Gospels.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we
discovered the importance of gratitude when Jesus healed the ten
lepers and one man returned to give thanks. As a result,
the thankful man received a greater, deeper spiritual restoration, and
not just the healing of his body. We also heard

(02:49):
what Jesus says about prayer, both the value and the
necessity of persistence in prayer, trusting God to always hear
us when we cry out to him, but also that
we would pray with humility as we approach God. Today,
we'll hear how Jesus experiences grief when his dear friend
Lazarus dies. But in this time of sorrow we see

(03:10):
how Jesus demonstrates his power over death. Because only Jesus
can raise the dead, the one who is the resurrection
and the life, his friend lives again. And it's one
of the most powerful stories in all of the Bible.
So let's listen now.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
It was late and the winter air bit like a
snake in the night. Coughing In his bed lay Lazarus.
His once happy and bright demeanor was replaced by a
pale shell of his former self. Beside one side of
his bed was his sister Mary, the woman who had
once wiped Jesus's feet with ointment and tears. On the
other side was Martha, his other sister. They tended to

(03:53):
their brother, exchanging concerned looks and tears of worry. We
should send for him, Mary whispered. Martha nodded and went
downstairs to send one of her teenage sons go and
find Jesus. She ordered, do not rest until you find him.
The boy nodded and ran into the cold winter darkness.

(04:14):
A day had passed and Jesus was ministering in a
town over thirty miles away from Bethany where Lazarus lay
sick in his bed. Jesus was just about to enter
into a synagogue when a boy bumped into him. The
boy staggered back, then looked to see that he had
found Jesus, my lord. He shouted out of breath, Lazarus,

(04:34):
your dear friend is sick and dying. Jesus nodded and
sent the boy on his way. Then he began to
go back into the synagogue. His disciples stopped him and asked, Jesus,
why don't you go to heal Lazarus, because this illness
does not lead to death, It leads to the glory
of God, Jesus replied. Two days passed and the disciples

(04:57):
were packing up their things to follow Jesus. We are
going back to Judea, Jesus said plainly. The disciples were confused,
since many of Jesus's enemies were in Judea. Rabbi, the
religious leaders are waiting for you there to stone you,
they warned. Jesus slung his pack over his shoulder and
began walking. He waved for the disciples to follow. Hurry.

(05:20):
He said, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. We are
going to wake him up. The disciples were confused. Lazarus
has died, Jesus said plainly, and for your sake, I
am glad I did not heal him. For now you
get to see what happens next. So Jesus kept walking.
The disciples were frozen. There were many violent men in

(05:41):
Judea waiting to harm them. Thomas grabbed his walking stick, sighed,
and began walking after Jesus. Well, I guess we are
going to die with him. The men chuckled and followed
Jesus to Judea. After a few days journey, Jesus had
made it to Bethany, which was a small town near Jerusal.
By that time, Lazarus had been dead for days. Jesus

(06:04):
walked closer to the home of Mary and Martha. He
saw them weeping outside the house. Martha and Mary saw
Jesus approaching, and Martha ran out to him. If only
you had been there, she wept, he would have. Martha
could not contain her tears. Even now, I know that
you do the will of God, and whatever you ask

(06:26):
of God will be given to you. Jesus hugged Martha
and allowed her to cry for a while. He led
her to the bench where Mary sat silently. Your brother
will rise again, Jesus said, in a comforting tone. Martha
wiped her eyes and said, yes, of course, we know
that he will have a life after this one. The

(06:46):
day of the resurrection will come for him. I am
the resurrection and the life, Jesus said, whoever believes in me,
even though he may die, would experience life everlasting. You
leave this. Martha nodded, Yes, Lord, I believe you are
the Christ, the living son of God. Jesus gave a

(07:07):
brief smile and walked to Lazarus's tomb. Jesus placed his
hand against the large stone blocking the entrance to the tomb.
Its cold surface sent chills down Jesus's spine. He thought
of his friend Lazarus. He thought of his smile, his gifts,
his personality. Jesus slammed his fist against the stone and wept.

(07:29):
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he fell to his
knees beside the tomb. Jesus wept with the sorrow of
a god who created life. It was not supposed to
be this way. Mankind was supposed to experience life, not death.
Death was the true and final enemy, an enemy Jesus
was determined to defeat. Jesus stood to his feet, his

(07:52):
eyes were filled with holy fury and purpose. Roll away
the stone, he ordered to the servant. But Lord, the
rotting body will surely stink, Mary yelled. Jesus's eyes darted backwards.
Did I not tell you that if you believed in me,
you would see the glory of God. Jesus turned to
the servant and said, please roll away the stone. The

(08:16):
heavy stone was rolled away, and a devastating odor seeped
from the cave entrance. The disciples and others stepped back
and covered their noses, but Jesus lifted his eyes to
heaven Father, thank you that you have heard me. You
always hear me. Then Jesus fixed his gaze on the
cave and yelled, Lazarus arise. Jesus spoke with a voice

(08:40):
like the wind, the same breath that breathed life and
a mankind spoke into the cave, and, like the atom
so many generations ago, Lazarus emerged from the dust. He
was covered in cloth and bound at his arms. Jesus
ordered for him to be untied, and the sisters ran
towards him in joy. Jesus came so that all would

(09:01):
have life and live more abundantly. Like Moses against Pharaoh,
Samson against the Philistines, and David against Goliath, Jesus saw
death as an unwelcome adversary. He would go against it
with purpose. It would be his joy to endure the
sting of death, so that no one would ever have
to again.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
In today's reading, we meet a man and his family
by the name of Lazarus. He had two sisters by
the name of Mary and Martha, and they were close
friends of Jesus. Lazarus was dying in bed, so they
sent word to Jesus that his friend Lazarus was deathly sick.
Jesus was at least one day's journey away, but when

(09:50):
the messenger arrived and gave him the news, Jesus was
not alarmed. He sent the boy back with encouraging words.
Lazarus sickness was not leading to death but for God's glory. Jesus'
words are a reminder to trust God and his plan
and his timing, even when he seems to delay and

(10:10):
things don't get better. He could have simply spoken a
word and Lazarus would have been immediately well, but because
he knew there was a greater purpose unfolding, Jesus did
not rush to heal or to raise his friend from
the dead. He remained where he was for two more days.
Then he told the disciples that they were going to

(10:32):
Judea to Lazarus and his sisters. This was a dangerous decision,
and the disciples knew it. They reminded the Lord that
there were people in Judea who wanted to kill him.
Why would we go back? Here? We see something that
was always characteristic of Jesus. He was courageous and compassionate,

(10:53):
and he always moved according to plans. There are no
accidents or coincidences with God, and he is God. We
saw this when he walked through the Samaritan town and
encountered the woman at the well. We saw it again
with his intentional desire to cross into Galilee and heal
a man possessed by a legion of demons. From an

(11:14):
outsider's perspective, his actions, his timing, his directions sometimes seemed
ill advised, but Jesus always moved on God's timetable according
to divine plan He was never in a hurry, and
he was never late, and he wasn't afraid. He was
there to do the will of the Father, that God

(11:34):
would be glorified in him and through him. He and
the Father worked in perfect unity and concert. Jesus then
tells his disciples to hurry, saying that their friend Lazarus
is asleep and they need to go and wake him up.
They didn't understand what he was talking about, so he
made it very plain to him. Lazarus is dead. But

(11:55):
then he says he is happy for this because it
will help the disciples to believe. Now, how is this possible?
How could the death of this man, his dear friend,
A loss like this lead to faith and believe. When
we face sickness or illness or death, trials and challenges
that come our way, we are often tempted to pray

(12:16):
that all the bad things would just go away, or
of course, never happen. But as Jesus' words remind us,
there is a purpose in our pain, in God's divine plan,
and always when we face trials and test and dark
times and even death, we may experience the power of God.
After a couple of days of walking, Jesus and his

(12:37):
disciples were met outside of town by Martha, the sister
who gave him the news that indeed Lazarus was dead.
She wept. She mourned that if only Jesus had been there,
her brother would not have died. But she also demonstrates
her faith in him, saying that she knows that even now,

(12:58):
God will give Jesus whatever he ask of him. Jesus
tells Martha that her brother will rise again. She misunderstands
and is even skeptical, thinking that Jesus is speaking of
the resurrection in the future. She wasn't expecting Jesus to
actually raise her brother from the dead. But Jesus says

(13:18):
to her in John eleventh, twenty five and twenty six,
I am the Resurrection in the life. Whoever believes in Me,
though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who
lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you
believe this? Martha professed her faith then and there, saying
that he is the christ Son of the Living God.

(13:39):
So she went and called her sister Mary. Jesus went
with the two sisters to the tomb, where all the
mourners were gathered in great sorrow. Lazarus had been dead
for close to four days, and this was significant to
the Jews. That meant that this man's spirit was no
longer in his body. In other words, he was dead, dead,

(14:00):
and dead some more. What really happened in the text
now is powerful. When Jesus saw the tomb and witnessed
the sorrow of those who had lost a friend, a brother,
and neighbor, he was moved to the point of his
own tears. Jesus wept, And why did he weep? Well,
he certainly is weeping for Mary and Martha and his

(14:22):
friends and all who wept that day. But in effect,
Jesus is showing his compassion and shedding his tears for
the love of God that he feels for all people.
He sees and knows your heart when you sorrow, when
you grieve, when you're hurting in your pain. Jesus knows
when you cry. And here's it recry to him. Then

(14:47):
Jesus did something supernatural, startling. He asked for the stone
to be rolled away from the tomb, despite the protest
of Mary, who knew the decomposing body would smell by now.
But Jesus then prayed to the Father and thanked him
for hearing his prayer. Then he spoke to Lazarus, saying
out loud, arise, come forth, and his friend walked out

(15:08):
of the tomb to the astonishment. To the amazement of
everyone there, it was clear that there was no force,
no power over which this man Jesus did not have authority.
For even a dead man whose spirit had left his body,
could be brought back to vibrant, abundant life at the
command of Jesus. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

(15:32):
Soon it would be Jesus himself who died and was
buried behind a stone in a tomb. But Jesus, the
Resurrection in the life would conquer the grave. There is
no grave that could hold our Lord. And he came
out alive, conquering sin, death and hell, and conquering death
for all who will believe in him. For we can

(15:53):
have eternal life by putting our faith in Christ. Dear God,
we thank you for today's trom in this story, that
you have such power over death, and you call us,
like Lazarth to rise and come to you. And we
come to you, Lord, We come to you in faith
and belief because you are the Resurrection and the Life.

(16:15):
Amen and Amen. Thank you for listening to Today's Bible
in a year. I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
You can download the Prey dot com app and make
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if you appreciate this podcast, please share it with someone else.
I also want to encourage you to go to Jack

(16:36):
Graham dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org for we
have resources that are free and available for you so
that you may know Christ and grow in Him. Let
me also invite you to something very special with myself
and my wife deb As. We are planning two trips
in twenty twenty four. One is to Israel, departing April,

(16:58):
the first to go to the land the Bible and
to walk where Jesus walked is a trip of a lifetime.
And then an Alaskan cruise adventure in the summer of
twenty twenty four in which we will have wonderful times
of friendship and fellowship, will have worship services and experiences
around God's word and seeing the wonders of God's creation.

(17:19):
So two opportunities in twenty twenty four to travel with
us to Israel or to Alaska or both. You can
go to Prestonwood dot org for information. God bless you.
This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare

(17:40):
solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality