THE PENULTIMATE PROOF OF JESUS DIVINITY

Jesus performed many miracles during His time on earth. He showed His authority over the natural world when He walked on water and calmed the storm. There were creative miracles of turning water into wine. He healed and raised the dead to life. The question is, what was the primary purpose of His miracles. The pinnacle of all Jesus miracles was the raising of Lazarus. This miracle clearly shows the primary purpose of Jesu's miracles during His time on earth.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” John 11:1-3

The sisters message to Jesus was emphatic of His love for their brother not the other way round. This love is a brotherly love indicating that Jesus had a genuine human friendship connection with Lazarus. However, He delayed until Lazarus died. 

But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:5

In the account of Lazarus’s death, Jesus had enough time to prevent his death as He had the message in time to go to Bethany to heal Lazarus. If He loved Lazarus why didn’t He prevent the death of His friend by healing him.

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to” John 11:14-15

The Glory of God is greater than the sufferings of the Bethany family. The supreme goal of God is His glory. The reason why Jesus delayed for Lazarus to die was because He wants to display His glory so that His disciples will believe in Him.

On the other side of this Jesus had a divine love for Lazarus and his sisters. The divine love of Christ is linked to His glory. God's love requires trust in Him but the default of the human heart tends to focus on immediate human trials. The divine love of God fulfils God’s purposes and foresee greater things than the pain of a person,

The primary goal of the works of Jesus miracles is not for our comfort but for His glory. The display of His glory becomes our comfort and joy. Knowing and experiencing the power of God strengthens our faith. This experience are perfectly realised in times of suffering. The glory of God and believer's joy are intertwined in the way God works His purpose out.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

As Jesus arrived at Bethany He made this grand declaration to Martha of who He is and the gift that He gives to those who believe in Him. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus was a demonstration of what He will do for believers.

Even though believers will die physically they’ll certainly rise again on the last day to live forever. Lazarus died and He was raised to life, though Lazarus died again, he will be raised alongside other believers on the last day. When He arrived at the grave Jesus gave the unthinkable command. He asked that they should opened the grave of a dead man whose body had already began to stink. In response to Martha’s concerns, Jesus said these words.

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”John 11:40

If Lazarus was healed of his sickness it would have been another routine healing. However, Jesus allowed pain and suffering on the Bethany family and worst of it all death on Lazarus.

He was on the grave for four days, this was to dismantle the superstition of the day. Jesus displayed His glory and if one believes they will see that He is God and gives eternal life. The penultimate miracle of Jesus life on earth was to finally show His disciples and those who will later become His disciples who He is. This miracle pointed to His final and greatest miracle which was His own resurrection. 

However, the raising of Lazarus was a revival not a resurrection. The true resurrection and the ultimate proof of His glory that He is God was His own resurrection. The cornerstone of Jesus claims and works were confirmed by His own resurrection. Nonetheless, if He didn’t rise from the dead, then He would have been a fraud but also the faith of all His followers are pointless. However, the truth is, God vindicated Jesus and raised Him from death.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

The purpose of the gospel of John was for his readers to believe that Jesus is God who comes from the Father. In John 1:14 he professed that they have seen the glory of Christ and the way Jesus showed this glory for us to believe is by pointing to Himself through His word and works. The historical accounts of Jesus found in the canonical gospel is for people to believe that He is God and Him only gives eternal life. Unfortunately, not all believed and not all will believe in Him. Therefore, see the glory of Christ and believe in Him.