Up From the Grave!

             My time in the ministry has lead me to many funeral homes over the past 40 or so years. I have had the honor of viewing many people laying in a casket as a family member stands by and receives the well wishes and thoughts of a long line of people who wish to convey their condolences to the family. As I have stood there looking at the lifeless body in the casket I particularly look to see if the chest moves at all. I sometimes ask myself if they are really dead. Of course, it is a dumb question. They have been embalmed and they are dead. Then I sometimes think of the account in John 11 where the Lord Jesus Christ is summoned to Bethany because one of His friends is dead. John 11:43-44 says, “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” 

           The whole chapter is devoted to this account and tells us many different aspects of the main characters especially Mary and Martha. A lot of people were there and Lazarus had been in the grave long enough that Martha declares that Jesus shouldn't move the stone away because by now his body would stink. We know what happened in the next few moments. The Lord Jesus Christ called Lazarus from the grave and he came out, alive! Raising the dead has to be one of the miracles that really gets the attention of those that are present. People may be skeptical about some miracles as to whether they are real or not, but this one shows a man, dead for four days, wrapped in grave clothes suddenly appearing upright outside of the tomb. He had died, but now he is alive. This is Who are Master is! This is the power that the Lord Jesus Christ has over even death and the grave. Not only can He cure the hiccups and every other malady known under the sun, but He can also raise the dead from the grave. He also cast out demons, made the lame to walk, the blind to see and the dumb to talk. He cured hearing disorders and issues of blood that the physicians couldn't accomplish. He walked on water and fed over 5,000 men and their families with a meager amount of a few fish and a few loaves. Most of all, He rose from the dead after being crucified on a cruel cross. His tomb was also empty and has become the symbol of victory for every believer past, present and future. Because He arose from the dead, we too shall rise. Death has no victory over us anymore. There will come that day when the graves themselves will be thrust open as the occupants rise to meet the Lord in the air and then we that are alive at that time will join them at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ for His church. As we meditate on this fact, what comes to mind today that is a concern for you? Are you concerned about a headache? Are you bothered by not having enough food on the table? Are you having trouble with a family member or a neighbor? Maybe you think that no one loves you for who you are. May we be reminded about the famous passage that Martin Luther called as the golden text of the Bible, John 3:16 which begins, “For God so loved the world...” Are you a part of the world? Of course we are and so then God loves each and every one of us, so much that He sent His Son to provide a way of salvation for us all. Your chest may not move in the casket, but one day, your body will bust out of the grave, that is, if you know Him as your Lord and Savior. Praise God today for the wonderful gift of salvation.