Reflections of Grace
COME OUT
Scripture
John 11:38-44
38Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”41So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”43When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”44The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Reflect
- 1.Martha hesitates, saying that by this time there will be an odor after Lazarus death. What "stone" have you left in place because you believe your situation is too far gone, too ruined, or too dead for God to do anything about it?
- 2.Jesus's response: "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" Where in your life have you stopped expecting God's glory because too much time has passed or too much damage has been done?
- 3.Jesus calls out to Lazarus. How does the reality that the same Jesus knows your name and calls you personally change the way you respond to his voice today?
Exposition
We are experts at giving up, aren't we? A relationship sours for years, and we seal the tomb. A dream dies after repeated failure, and we roll the stone. A habit feels impossible, and we stop expecting change. Martha knew this logic. Lazarus had been dead four days. The stench was real. She was just being practical. The tomb is sealed. It's over.
But Jesus does something scandalous. He doesn't pray first or weep again. He simply says, "Take away the stone." Martha objects, and Jesus answers with the most important question you will ever face: "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
But Jesus prays, loud enough for the crowd to hear, then shouts into the darkness: "Lazarus, come out!"
This gives us hope for the places we have already labeled hopeless. Jesus may not always work according to our timing or expectations, but he is never powerless before what we fear most. His voice still calls people out of darkness, sin, shame, despair, and death. The Lord of life still stands before sealed places.
So bring him what feels too late. Bring him what feels buried. Bring him what you cannot fix. And when he calls you forward, take the step. Grace does not leave you in the grave. Jesus calls you into life.
Prayer
“Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life, and your voice breaks the silence of every tomb. Forgive me for sealing off the dead places in my life and calling it wisdom. Give me the reckless faith to roll away the stone, even when it stinks. Speak your command into my deepest death. And then send me to unbind others with the same grace you have shown me. I am coming out. Help me. Amen.”
LWNRA · Daily Word