What Is a Miracle?
My mother died with Alzheimer’s. It started when she was only 59. She was a brilliant nurse and mother of five. This disease got worse and worse, and she at times didn’t even know our names. I prayed for a miracle but didn’t get the miracle I was looking for. I wanted her to be like she was before Alzheimer’s, but the miracle I got was her death. She was no longer in pain or anguish. In death she was finally restored to what I had been praying for.
When Lazarus died, many assumed that Jesus was too late. (John 11:32) Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days before Christ arrived, but Jesus turned this moment of anguish into a miracle when He raised Lazarus from the dead. (v. 38) “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.” (v. 40)
When Jesus arrived at the home of Mary and Martha, the sisters of the deceased, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. (v. 17) Four days were significant in that warm climate, and his body would have been severely decomposed. (v. 39) If Jesus had left immediately and resurrected Lazarus, naysayers could have easily denied this resurrection, saying that Lazarus had been in a coma. This was also significant because in that day some Jews believed that the soul hovered over a body for three days, hoping to reenter. But after four days, even that hope would have expired.
Jesus offers us new life through Him, just as Jesus raised Lazarus from death to life. Because Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross, Christ paid the penalty for our sins and offers us forgiveness when we accept His gift of grace. We are freed from the bondage of our sins, renewed by His everlasting love, and given the opportunity to change the course of our lives.
A miracle might be being physically restored as we were before, like in the case of Lazarus. A miracle might also be living without pain in the presence of the one who died for our sins. Think about how God has turned your life around and then use these times to bring others closer to Jesus.
Prayer – Father, sometimes I take for granted how You’ve transformed my life. Thank you for never giving up on me. Amen!
John 11:40 – “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Photos by Ali Afzal & Kelly Sikkema, courtesy of Unsplash
