Week 44 · Day 5: The Miracles of Jesus
Lazarus, Come Out
Jesus weeps before he calls a dead man by name.
What the labels mean
- Scripture explicitly says
- This states what the biblical text itself says, in the passage being read.
- Direct quotation or allusion
- One part of Scripture quotes or clearly alludes to another. The citing reference is named so you can check it.
- Canonical theme
- A connection across the whole Bible. The passages develop the same theme; one is not quoting the other.
- Interpretive conclusion
- A conclusion drawn from the text. The reasoning is given so you can weigh it against the passage.
- Application
- A step, prayer or question for the reader. Not a claim about what the passage states.
Today’s verse
Loading John 11:43…
John 11:43
Today’s focus
The truth of the day
John records that Jesus deliberately delayed coming, staying two more days after hearing Lazarus was sick, in verse 6, and then arrived after Lazarus had already been dead four days. The delay was not indifference; John has already told us in verse 5 that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
Jesus weeps at the tomb in verse 35, even though he already intends to raise Lazarus moments later. His grief and his power over death are shown together, not as contradictory but as both true of him at once.
Today’s reminder
Scripture explicitly says- A delay from Jesus is not evidence of his absence or his indifference.
- Jesus grieves real loss even when he knows the outcome will be reversed.
- He calls people by name; the miracle is personal, not generic.
Deeper insight
What the passage says in its own setting
Martha's confession in verse 27, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who comes into the world, comes before she has seen Lazarus raised. John places genuine faith prior to the sign that confirms it, which fits his stated purpose in 20:31.
Jesus' statement in verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life, is made to Martha specifically about her brother's death, not as an abstract claim. The sign that follows demonstrates the claim in the most concrete way John's Gospel offers before the cross.
Christ connection
Where this leads to Jesus
Canonical themeLazarus was raised to a life that would end again; John 11:25 has Jesus claiming to be the resurrection itself, a claim his own resurrection in John 20 demonstrates in a way Lazarus' return to life did not.
Reflection
ApplicationWhere have you interpreted a delay from God as neglect, when Scripture allows for another explanation?
Today’s action
ApplicationBring one grief you are carrying to Jesus in prayer today, naming it specifically rather than in general terms.
Today’s prayer
ApplicationLord Jesus, You wept at a tomb You were about to empty. Let that be enough to trust You with my own grief, even before I can see what You intend to do with it. Amen.
Another layer