When Jesus receives the news that his friend Lazarus is sick, he makes no immediate action.
Again– like both the wedding at Cana, and his encounter with the royal official– Jesus will choose his own time. Lazarus’ illness will not lead to death, but rather to glory, and it’s from this story that the theme of glory moves to the foreground.
Jesus tells his disciples before leaving for Judea that Lazarus is dead, and “for your sake, it is good that I was not there, so that you may believe.” Once again, like all the signs, the disciples, and everyone else, are invited to believe into Jesus.
As Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb by name (cf. John 5:25), Lazarus emerges from the tomb, still bound by his grave wrappings. This is a powerful illustration of what Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does for all his own– he calls his sheep by name, and gives them eternal life– life that is beyond the power of death to touch.
