So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

 ………..When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” the man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  

– John 11:38, 39, 43-44

Notes:

When Jesus approached Lazarus who had recently died, a great stone hindered Him from entering in the tomb and raising Him back to life.  He ordered the stone to be removed, but Martha’s (Lazarus sister) response was that he had been dead nearly four days, and his dead body would smell.  When the stone was finally removed and rolled away, Jesus spoke with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”, and resurrection power broke forth inside the tomb, and the man who was once dead, was given the breath of life once again.  I don’t know all what God is saying here, but surely one thing He is saying is that we as the Body of Christ cannot be afraid of the stench that oozes from those that are spiritually dead around us, and thereby creating a wall of separation between us and them.  

When we as a Church put up walls of separation between the lost people of this world, it actually hinders God’s resurrection power from entering into their tombs.  When we are afraid of letting prostitutes and drug addicts in our churches, the stone of Lazarus is put up, and we hinder God’s delivering and transforming power for them.  When we are afraid to approach a homeless person with alcohol on his breath and share with him that God cares for him, we put up the stone of Lazarus. 

Willing To Take the Challenge?

In order for the resurrection power of Jesus to reach this dying world and for Him to breath His life into the dead, we must roll away the stone of separation between the drug addicts, the drunks, the prostitutes, the broken, the homeless, the homosexuals, the “freaks”, and the outcasts of society.  Once we do, we will begin to hear the words of Jesus proclaimed once again, “you who are dead, come forth!”, and see the glory and love of God break forth like the dawn in their lives.