Lazarus: Come Out of That Tomb | Bible Stories Retold

That's how long Lazarus had been in the tomb when Jesus finally showed up. Everybody said the same thing. You're too late. They were wrong. Lazarus lived in the village of Bethany with his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus loved all three of them, and he often stayed at their home. When Lazarus got sick, the sisters sent word to Jesus. "Lord, the one you love is sick." When Jesus heard it, he said, "This sickness is not going to end in death. It's for the glory of God." And then he did something strange. He stayed right where he was for two more days. Then he told his friends, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I'm going to wake him up." They didn't understand, so he said it plainly, "Lazarus is dead." By the time Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. The house was full of people who had come to mourn. Martha heard Jesus was coming, and she went out to meet him. "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died." That's honest grief. She wasn't pretending to be fine. Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." "I know," she said, "On the last day." And Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if they die." "Do you believe this?" Martha answered, "Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Then Mary came, and she fell at his feet. She said the very same words, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died." She was crying, and so was everyone with her. When Jesus saw it, he was deeply moved. Where have you laid him? Come and see. And then comes the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus' web.

Some in the crowd said, "Look how much he loved him." Others said, "He opened the eyes of a blind man." Couldn't he have kept this man from dying? "They came to the tomb, a cave with a stone across the opening." "Take away the stone," Jesus said. Martha spoke up, "Lord, by now there's a bad smell. He's been dead four days." And Jesus said, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you'll see the glory of God?" So they rolled the stone away. Jesus looked up and prayed. He thanked his father, so the crowd would know who had sent him. Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And the man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped in strips of linen, and a cloth covered his face. And Jesus said to the people standing there, "Unbind him and let him go." [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]