Back from the Dead: A Story About Lazarus - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

BACK FROM THE DEAD!
A story about Lazarus

by Rosemarie Ann Haas

Mary kicked the dust around with her sandal and groaned. "Why
hadn't Yah'shua come when they told Him that Lazarus was sick? He
might have been able to do something then."

Mary was angry. Yah'shua stayed away for two more days in the same
spot He had been. He said He loved her and her family. It had been
three whole days since Lazarus died. Yah'shua had STILL not come.

A rabbit scampered out from underneath some bushes on the side of
the dusty road and Mary jumped. "Why? Why? Why?" She sat on a large
stone, buried her face in her hands, and began to cry. Soon she
felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her sister,
Martha.

Martha gave her a weak smile and knelt beside her, placing an arm
around her sister's shoulder. "We do not need to cry," she said
quietly.

Mary shook her head and turned slightly. Martha looked up at her
and said, "Maybe it was for the best."

The other woman stood angrily. "No, it wasn't! Yah'shua didn't come.
He let Lazarus die, and you say it may have been for the best! Our
own brother! Martha, how could you even SAY such a thing?" Mary ran
down the road toward their house, weeping, leaving Martha behind in
a cloud of dust.

That night, Martha tossed in her sleep, thinking of what her sister
had said. No, Yah'shua had not come. He STILL had not come. But Martha
KNEW he loved them. He loved her, Mary, AND Lazarus. He wouldn't
just abandon them. Martha smiled to herself. No, he wouldn't. He
would come.

The crickets chirped outside Mary's window loudly, and the tense
woman turned restlessly in her blankets. "How did Martha act so
calmly about everything? Didn't she love Lazarus? Yes, of course,
she did! But what about Yah'shua? He still had not come. Why? If He
had been there, Lazarus would not have died. But it doesn't matter
now," she thought to herself. "He's gone, and so is Yah'shua."

* * *

"Oh, thank you, Hannah!" Martha said with half a smile. So many
people had come this morning to give food and other gifts to the
mourning family. It had now been four days since Lazarus had died
and was buried. Martha hung her head.

Mary still would not open up and barely spoke to anyone. Perhaps
she wasn't really angry, just hurt. Martha felt hurt, too, but knew
that no matter what, Yah'shua would not fail her. She only wished that
Mary felt the same.

She looked over at her sister, who sat alone in the corner of the
room, mixing some food in a bowl. Martha sighed heavily, then put
on a smile as someone else walked in, holding a jar.

"Rahab! How nice to see you," she smiled at her friend.

"Shalom, Martha! I brought some fruit in here for you. You can
keep the jar," Rahab smiled warmly and gave her friend a hug. "I'm
sorry about Lazarus. He was such a wonderful man."

Martha gave her a weak smile. "Thank you, Rahab. I appreciate your
thoughtfulness."

She walked her friend outside, who then turned to her and said,
"Oh, and I was told to tell you that Yah'shua is on his way. He should
be here this morning."

Martha told her, "Thank you," and went down the road to meet Him.
She sat down on the side of the road and waited patiently,
thinking.

Mary was just hurting. She wasn't really angry, only hurt. Martha
couldn't really BLAME her; she was hurt, too. If Yah'shua had been
there, he wouldn't have died. She KNEW it! It was all she could
think about.

Suddenly Martha looked up at the sound of voices coming from just
around the bend. She got up and ran around the corner to see Yah'shua
and his disciples walking solemnly up the road. She ran to Him and
fell at His feet weeping.

"My Lord," she said through sobs. Yah'shua reached down and helped her
up. "My Lord," she repeated, trying to speak through her tears. "If
only You had been here. My brother would not have died."

"Your brother will live again," Yah'shua said with quiet confidence.

"Yes, yes. I know that he will rise again at the resurrection. I
know that, but he has been dead four days now," Martha said.

Yah'shua looked into her eyes and said, "Martha, I am the
resurrection; I'm the life. If you believe in Me, even if you were
dead, you would live again. And whoever lives and believes in Me
will never die. Do you believe this?"

Martha wiped her eyes and nodded. "Yes, Lord. I believe you are the
Son of Yahweh, who has come to this world."

Martha soon turned and ran back to her house. She ran inside and
found Mary among some other women, comforting her. She pulled her
sister aside and told her privately that Yah'shua was coming and
wanted to see her.

Mary looked at Martha for a moment, then ran out of the house.
Martha followed. Soon the other women followed them also, thinking
they were going to the grave to weep.

When Mary found Yah'shua, she ran to him, tears flowing. She fell to
His feet and cried, "Lord, if You were here, Lazarus wouldn't have
died!" Mary began to weep again and her sister and the other woman
wept with her and tried to comfort her.

Yah'shua looked on and groaned inside. It hurt Him to see them so sad.
He asked where they had buried him, and they took Him there. Then
He wept with them. The others there talked among themselves saying,
"Look at how much He loved him! He cries over his death."

When they came to the grave, which was a cave with a stone covering
it, Yah'shua said, "Take the stone away."

"But, Yah'shua," Martha objected. "He has been dead four days now; his
body will stink."

Yah'shua turned to her and said, "Didn't I tell you that if you
believed, you'd see the glory of Yahweh?"

Strong men took the stone away. Then Yah'shua looked up toward Heaven
and prayed: "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I know
that You hear Me always, but because of people that stand by, I
said it, that they may believe You have sent Me."

When Yah'shua had said these words, all was silent. Then He cried with
a loud, authoritative voice, "LAZARUS, COME FORTH!"

Suddenly, Lazarus walked out of the dark cave, still wrapped from
head to foot in bandages, which were considered grave clothes then.

"Take the wrappings off, and let him go," Yah'shua said with a smile.

Many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which
Yah'shua did, believed on Him.

* * *

THINK!
Who were Lazarus' sisters?
Did Yah'shua come right away when He heard Lazarus was sick?
Why do you think He waited?
How many days had Lazarus been dead?
Why was Mary angry?
When Martha went to meet Yah'shua, what did Yah'shua tell her?
Did Martha understand what Yah'shua said?
Why did Yah'shua weep?
Why didn't Martha want them to take away the stone from the grave?
What might have happened if Yah'shua had said, "Come forth!" and not
called Lazarus by name?

REMEMBER:
Yahweh weeps with us when we hurt.

A VERSE TO LEARN
"...I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

LET'S PRAY

****************************************************
Dear Yahweh, thank You that You care enough to weep for
me. Help me to show others how much I care. Thank
You for giving me eternal life. In Yah'shua' Name. Amen.
****************************************************

CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
John 11:1-45

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