Lazarus was an ordinary guy, the brother of two very different sisters. His claim to fame was he died, but Jesus raised him from the dead. He’d been lifeless in a tomb, wrapped in grave clothes and ended up walking out unassisted. His story is really anything but ordinary. He was dead and now alive.
If you think about it, in a spiritual sense, every Jesus follower has died and been raised. I was once spiritually dead, but now I am alive in Jesus. Your story probably reads similarly.
Raised from the dead (physical death that is) was Lazarus’ story. His new life drew attention to the miracle working Jesus. When you read John 12:9-11, you learn of the importance nuance in His story. Just take a look for yourself.
“When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus too, for it was because of him that many people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.”
Did you catch it? People believed because of what they’d witnessed in Lazarus. When they saw him, his story pointed them to Jesus. I call this the Lazarus effect. He lived His story in such a way as to influence others. Isn’t this something we all want?
While my story is no where near as incredible as his, I want the narrative of my life to encourage another to consider Jesus. May the experiences of my life be addressed and handled in such a way that it would speak well of Jesus. May we all demonstrate the Lazarus effect.
