Lazarus! Come forth!!

A) The Valley of dry bones: - Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Lord took Ezekiel’s spirit to a valley which was filled with very dry bones. After death, the human body starts to decay slowly. It takes years for the body to be decomposed and to become individual dry bones. The reason that the bones are not decomposed is because of the high content of calcium in the bones which resists decomposition. Once in this valley many people lived joyfully, but all of them were killed violently (…these slain…v9) at the same time (as all the bones in the valley are dry uniformly). These dry bones represent The House of Israel or the Nations of Israel, which once was dwelling peacefully in the grace and favour of God, has now become dead. They say:
1. Our bones are dried
2. Our hope is cut off
3. We are cut off
There was no hope for the Israel. They were all dead and rotten. Now, the Lord speaks: “I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live” (v5).
B) The Resurrection of Lazarus: - John 11:1 – 44
Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha (v5). When he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed in the same place, which was only 18 miles away from Lazarus’s place. He stayed there for two days (v6). Isn’t this interesting to us? Why should Jesus ignore Lazarus, whom he loved very much? Though Jesus stayed very near (just 18 miles) to his house, he did not come to his house to heal his sickness. Some of us may think Jesus was playing a double role. Or is he playing a hide and seek game? Certainly NOT! Absolutely he was NOT neglecting them. Jesus was WAITING in time to demonstrate greater love and power to them!
In those days, the people had an idea that the dead man’s spirit wandered around the sepulcher for about 3 days, trying to return to the body. These first 3 days were called “Days of Weeping”. When the decomposition sets in on the 4th day, the dead man’s spirit would leave the grave. Then, the people would beat their breasts in loud lamentation for another 4 days, making 7 days of mourning. As you can see, people believed in those days that on the 4th day, the dead person’s spirit would leave the grave and would not return back. In their view, there is NO HOPE / NO CHANCE for the return of the spirit of Lazarus and the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus came there ONLY 4 days after the death of Lazarus. Just at that (RIGHT) time, Jesus came to his tomb (v39). People thought he was TOO LATE! But he was NOT! He came there in HIS right TIME (Ecc.3:11).
Jesus really wants to make sure that the miracle / the deliverance / the healing / the resurrecting power that he provides is NOT humanly possible. It MUST be beyond the human realm and human comprehension. In other words, ONLY Jesus has the power to do anything in this world (Behold: I am the Lord! The God of all flesh; Is there anything too hard for me? Jer.32:27). So, on the 4th day, when people believed that there is no way Lazarus could be raised, Jesus raises him from the death! This is the RIGHT TIME for god, but NOT the right time of people (as the people wanted Jesus to heal him, while he was alive, but sick (v21, 37). This point is of practical importance in our life. We want Jesus to come and help us in OUR time; but He comes and helps us only in HIS time! But after witnessing the resurrecting power of CHRIST in our life, then we shall say it was the will of God to undergo pain in life so that the power of God is experienced in our life. Indeed, the JOY that Martha & Mary had immediately after the resurrection of Lazarus from death was million times more than in a situation where Jesus would have just healed him when he was sick. The people were able to see the resurrecting POWER of God and their FAITH increased tremendously.
C) The Resurrection of JESUS: - Matt.28: 1-4; Mark 16: 1-5
Jesus prophesied in Matt.12:40 “As Jonas was 3 days & 3 nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the son of man be 3 days & 3 nights in the heart of the earth” So, Jesus was dead for 3 full nights and 3 full days. Jesus was put in the grave Wednesday just before sunset and was resurrected at the end of Saturday after sunset. His resurrection took place sometime between Saturday sunset and dawn Sunday. But it was well before day light on Sunday, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb to present spices. No verse says he was buried Friday sunset. Ideally, Good Friday should be changed to Good Wednesday.
Following the death of Jesus, his body was kept in a new tomb, the opening of which was closed by a huge stone and sealed. The stone was so huge that they (Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome) wondered how to roll the stone away and to go into the tomb to present sweet spices to his body (Mark 16:3). But the tomb was sealed (a cord was stretched across the stone and an official seal with clay was fastened at each end. So, if the grave was open, it could be detected) and guarded (a guard of 4 soldiers, which was changed every 3 hours!). Hence given this situation, from people’s point of view, there is no way Jesus’ body could be raised from the death. Anyone would think this is the end of Christ. Jesus was dead and his tomb was closed by a huge stone and sealed. Roman soldiers were guarding the tomb day and night. This is a similar situation at some point in our life, when we have no hope/ no future! I believe most of us who walk close with God have experienced such things. Everything seems to be doomed and tombed. There is silence & darkness everywhere. Most of the suffering takes place in darkness. Nobody knew what you were going thru’. The 3 days and 3 nights seem so long. Time seems to pass very slowly during those days. People think this is the end. We are ruined. But in that hopeless situation, the RIGHT time in god’s terms, the resurrecting power of Christ will come down from heaven and roll away the heavy & sealed & guarded stone (the problem in life) in a flash of a second like a lightening!