Lazarus of Bethany was sick, and his sisters sent for Jesus. John tells us Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. Yet Jesus stayed two more days. He said the sickness was for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified. When He arrived, Lazarus had already been buried four days.

Martha told Jesus that God would give Him whatever He asked. Jesus said her brother would rise again. Martha thought He meant the last day. Then Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He asked, Do you believe this? Martha said yes, she believed He was the Christ. When Mary came weeping, Jesus was deeply moved. Jesus wept. Even though He knew He would raise Lazarus, He shared their sorrow.

At the tomb, Martha worried there would be a bad smell. Jesus reminded her that if she believed, she would see God's glory. He thanked the Father, then called, Lazarus, come out! Lazarus came out, and Jesus told them to unwrap him. Many believed. The council feared the Romans and decided Jesus must die. Caiaphas said it was better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.

John 11 records the seventh and greatest sign in John's Gospel. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. When word came that Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed two more days. His love did not hurry, because He planned something greater than healing. By the time He reached Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. Many believed the soul left the body for good after three days. No one could doubt that Lazarus was truly dead.

Martha met Jesus with grief and faith mixed together. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Martha answered with one of the greatest confessions in the Bible: You are the Christ, God's Son. When Mary wept, Jesus was deeply moved and troubled. Jesus wept, the shortest verse in the English Bible. The Lord of life grieved death, the enemy that entered through sin.

At the tomb, Jesus prayed aloud so the crowd would believe the Father sent Him. Then He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out bound in grave cloths, and Jesus said, Free him, and let him go. This sign pointed to Jesus' own resurrection and the final resurrection of all who believe. Yet it also led to the cross. The council feared losing their place. Caiaphas, the high priest, said one man should die for the people. John explains that he prophesied without knowing it: Jesus would die for the nation and to gather God's scattered children into one.