Digging Deeper: He’s Alive!
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
John 11:38-44 (ESV)
HE’S ALIVE!
There is power in words.
Some speeches have changed the course of history. Others are only a few words long, yet they change the course of a life:
“I do.”
“You’re fired.”
“It’s a boy.”
And in three short words, Jesus changed everything for a grieving crowd in Bethany:
“Lazarus, come out.”
When Jesus spoke those words, death obeyed.
A man who had been dead for four days walked out of his tomb, still wrapped in grave clothes.
It was a miracle—a moment of divine power breaking through into ordinary life.
But as stunning as it was, this wasn’t the main event.
This miracle wasn’t the finale.
It was a sign—a preview—pointing to something even greater.
Lazarus came back to life that day, but he would eventually die again.
His resurrection was temporary.
But Jesus’ resurrection? It was final. Eternal. Complete victory over death.
When Jesus rose from the grave, He didn’t come out wearing grave clothes.
He folded them and left them behind (John 20:7).
He didn’t just step out of death—He defeated it.
That’s why Jesus could cry out, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
The old way of life, the curse of sin, and death itself—finished.
From that moment on, nothing would ever be the same.
The voice that raised Lazarus—the same voice that spoke creation into existence—will one day call every believer out of the grave.
Lazarus is living proof:
Death doesn’t get the final word.
But this story isn’t just about Lazarus.
It’s about us.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1 that we were all “dead in our trespasses and sins.”
Not just “messed up” or “in need of improvement”—dead.
And yet, Jesus didn’t leave us in the tomb.
He called us out by name.
Even today, Jesus speaks life into places of spiritual death.
He still says, “Come out.”
And when we respond, we are raised to spiritual life.
Yes, we may still carry traces of the grave—habits, doubts, fears—but Jesus gently helps us remove those grave clothes.
He teaches us how to walk in freedom.
The resurrection of Lazarus is a stunning miracle.
But it’s also a promise:
Jesus is not finished with dead things.
He brings life—even still.
Sellers Hickman serves as College & Teaching Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their two daughters. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.