Dear church,

John 12:10-11 tells us, “The chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.”
 
Now, Bethany was like Middletown Springs, VT, a tiny village where everyone knew everyone. They knew Lazarus got sick, he died, and his family and the villagers buried him in a tomb. They also witnessed Jesus who was deeply saddened by his friend’s death weep, they saw him come to the tomb and instructed the people there to take away the stone laid across the entrance. They saw and heard Jesus call out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out” and to their astonishment they witnessed the miracle happen – the dead man came out alive, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  This image has been seared into their mind – no, questions asked, Lazarus was dead, now he is alive, and he is walking around telling his story!
 
The Jewish leaders had a problem in hand, they had a dead man walking and he was talking.  Lazarus is exhibit ‘A’ of Jesus’ awesome power and his claim that Jesus claims that he is the Son of God.  If you let a man like Lazarus run around telling his story, pretty soon everyone ends up believing in Jesus. The Jewish leaders will lose their standing in society.  So, the solution is simple, let’s destroy the evidence and kill Lazarus.
 
Folks, things haven’t changed much.  Each one of us who have been raised from our Spiritual death are alive in Christ!  We are living evidence of the power of God that raises people from the dead.  The world wants to destroy us, they don’t want us to go around proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness (death) into his marvelous light (eternal life).  If you take a stand for Jesus, someone won’t be happy. You may get in trouble.  In some parts of the world, people may want to kill you and you may pay with your life for being a Christian. So, don’t be surprised if people reject you or want you out, it’s an honorable thing, it shows your faith is real.  So, be bold, be strong, proclaim His miracle in your life, stand up for truth.  As a believer the worst that can happen is the best that can happen, why?  Our future rests on the faithfulness of God who raised Jesus from the dead.
 
Be Encouraged,
Mathews