By Christopher Dryden
Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”
So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
John 11:40-44 NLT
What will give glory to God?
Imagine operating on that basis. Every decision you make, every word you say, every act you commit is based on that principle. As you imagine that and learn to operate like that, you’ll be in tune with what it is to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. As that becomes your modus operandi, it should open your eyes to see the rule of God as the norm. The rule of God that sees His rule that fulfils His mandate to give good news to the poor, the blind to see, the captives set free, and the prisoners liberated.
As Jesus operates on that principle on earth, He is sensitive to an episode where His close friend is sick to the point of death. He’s established a reputation for healing. He’s established a reputation for compassion. It makes sense to observers that at the news of His friend's sickness, He’ll come quickly to the rescue. It’s not different from what the devil expected of Jesus when He emerged from fasting – you have the power; do the quick thing and sort it out. Jesus operated to different standards. Jesus operated to please His Father. Jesus operated to answer the question – what will give glory to God?
God received glory when He showed through His Son that His mission is not just about healing; it’s about new life. It’s the sign of a life that defeats death. It’s hinted at in a man being brought back to life from death by the power of God. A man who isn’t just temporarily dead. This is a man who is dead and buried. His corpse should be rotting. His body should stink. There’s no hope. Jesus presents the glory of God, saying that though this man is dead, he shall live by the power of God, who gives new life.
Lazarus is a hint, a precursor, a taste. Lazarus would die again, as is the case for all who are born in this life. Yet, because of Christ, he tasted something that Jesus would fulfil later. A fulfilment that is the centre of faith for all who believe. It is not faith in the crucified but in the resurrected. Faith in the one who didn’t just come back from death, but defeated death and offers that as the promise to all those who believe.
The invitation is there for those who follow Jesus to operate by a new way of thinking under the rule of God. The invitation is to see the glory of God by asking that base question every day:
What will give glory to God?
Ask: How did God get glory from Lazarus coming back from the dead?
Seek: Do you operate based on seeking the glory of God? How can you learn more about that from this episode?
Knock: Think about the people in your life who need to know and experience the new life that Jesus Christ offers. Identify three people and pray that they will hear the good news, place their trust in Christ and experience the life that defeats death.
