Gospel Outreach International

This Bible study explores the profound narrative of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, addressing the fundamental question: “How should Christians express passion and deep emotion in their faith?” Through examining Jesus’s own display of deep feelings and His miraculous power over death, this study challenges believers to move beyond bland, lifeless Christianity toward a passionate relationship with Christ that reflects the depth of God’s love and power.

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. John 11:38

• Deep Feelings - Jesus was deeply moved and wept, demonstrating that passionate emotion is not only acceptable but necessary in Christian faith, contrary to the perception of Christianity as bland and lifeless
• Demand to Open - Jesus commanded them to remove the stone from Lazarus’s tomb, despite protests about the smell, teaching the importance of obedience even when God’s commands seem unwise to human understanding
• Doubt and Faith - The disciples forgot Jesus’s earlier promise that they would see God’s glory, illustrating how quickly doubt can creep in after receiving divine promises
• Personal Calling - Jesus called Lazarus specifically by name rather than issuing a general command, emphasizing God’s individual relationship with each person and His intimate knowledge of us
• Command to Come Forth - The resurrection demonstrated Jesus’s absolute authority over death, foreshadowing the future general resurrection when all will respond to His voice
• Freedom from Bondage - The instruction to unbind Lazarus symbolizes how new Christians need help from fellow believers to remove the restraints of their former life and grow spiritually
• Deadly Intent and Political Maneuvering - The religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus revealed their priority of maintaining political power over recognizing divine truth, with the high priest unknowingly prophesying Jesus’s sacrificial death
• Discretion in Ministry - Jesus withdrew from public ministry when threatened, teaching that believers should use wisdom and not unnecessarily seek persecution

When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” John 11:43

This study powerfully illustrates Jesus’s humanity through His deep emotional response to Lazarus’s death, while simultaneously revealing His divine authority over death itself. The miracle serves as both a demonstration of Christ’s power and a preview of the resurrection hope available to all believers. Perhaps most striking is how Jesus combines profound compassion with absolute authority - He weeps with those who mourn, yet commands death to release its grip. This reminds us that our Savior is not distant or detached, but intimately involved in our sorrows while possessing unlimited power to transform our circumstances. The study challenges us to embrace both the emotional depth and confident faith that Jesus modeled, living with passion for God while trusting completely in His promises.

Bible References

• John 11:38-57
• Isaiah 43
• Numbers 27:18-21
• John 11:34-38