Christ the Creator according to John 11
Dr. Rafat Amari
The effect of Jesus’ miracles is a clear sign of His divinity and His identity as the long-awaited Messiah.
In an open place exposed to public gaze, Jesus performed the raising of Lazarus, a sign equivalent to the creation of Adam. Because Jesus did this miracle openly and not in secret, He was famous in His generation.
Jesus performed miracles in the city and in the suburbs, so news of the miracle spread immediately to the Roman rulers and religious leaders. This caused the religious elders to take serious note of Jesus and made them afraid for their future.
John records in chapter 11 and verses 47 and 48 of his gospel that after the resurrection of Lazarus, the religious elders said, “What are we accomplishing? Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
Our train of thought continues in John 12:17 through 19 with these words, “Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet Him.”
In John 12:20 through 22, John tells us that the miracle caused some Greeks from a far-away culture to seek Jesus after He had raised Lazarus from the dead. This confirms that an outstanding sign had happened, moving those even of a far culture to approach Jesus in order to see and to worship him
This unique sign also influenced public opinion toward the Nazarene. Jesus had no need to publicize Himself. The people went out to meet Him carrying olive branches, crying out “ Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The Bible tells us in John 12:17 through 19, “ Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet Him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
The results of the miracle and its effects on different classes of people and different nationalities who thronged the city show that the miracle was genuine. It was not a passing bit of news spread by one individual in a later generation and attributed to an earlier generation, as often happens with the propaganda of false prophets.
When the people saw Jesus’ miracles, they received Him voluntarily, without compulsion caused by the sword. Ordinary people had seen for themselves what had happened in the city of Jerusalem.
The account, according to John 11:18, tells us that Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem. The miracle took place under the eyes of a crowd made up of Romans, Jews and Greeks. Jesus was in a cosmopolitan center in intense contact with important civilizations.
John 11:19 tells us that “Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.” This confirms that the family had many social contacts. The loss of this young man, who was the hope of his family, was disastrous news which had spread among the community, drawing friends and distant relatives alike.
Jesus’ friends were not the only people talking about the miracle, and the disciples were not the only spectators. The works of Jesus were not recorded by one individual alone or by a small group of people. Rather they were witnessed by friends and foes alike. They had stirred the whole city, and made Jesus to be received with cheering and singing by the ordinary people as the Messiah about whom the Old Testament had prophesied that he would do great miracles when he came.
The facts about Jesus and documentation of His miracles should stir us to believe in Him. He is a real person, able to work in our situation as He worked among His friends and disciples while He lived on earth. There is no problem greater than the capacity of Jesus to intervene and resolve it.
How do you receive the intervention of Jesus in your own life? The first thing you need to do is to strengthen your relationship with Him. If you have not yet accepted Him as your personal Savior, you can do so now by praying and asking forgiveness based on what He did on the Cross for you. He has promised to take away your unrighteousness and your sins and give you His righteousness.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Rafat Amari. All Rights Reserved.