Today, Sunday, September 7th, 2025, as I reflect on this day of rest, my heart turns to one of the most moving accounts in the New Testament: the raising of Lazarus (John 11). This story is not only a testimony of the Savior’s love for His friends, but also a powerful witness of His divine authority over life and death.
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The Scripture
When Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick, He did not go immediately.
He waited.
To those around Him, the delay might have seemed strange, even painful.
By the time He arrived, four days had already passed. Yet, the scriptures tell us: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). The Son of God mourned with those who mourned.
Then, after praying to the Father, He cried out with a loud voice:
“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
And he that was dead came forth” (John 11:43–44).
What a powerful command! In Spanish we read: “Lázaro, ven fuera”, but in English it feels even stronger: “Come forth.” It sounds as though He was commanding life itself to return.
Earlier, He had declared to Martha:
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
This is the heart of the gospel: in Christ there is victory over physical death,
and hope of eternal life.
Teachings from Prophets and Apostles
This miracle was not just an act of compassion; it was also a profound testimony of who Jesus Christ is.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that the raising of Lazarus had at least three divine purposes:
1. To confirm Christ’s divine Sonship and Messianic mission.
2. To provide dramatic evidence that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
3. To show that those who believe in Him will never die spiritually.
President Thomas S. Monson bore witness of the comfort that comes from this truth:
“The darkness of death can be dispelled by the light of revealed truth.
‘I am the resurrection and the life’…
This declaration brings the peace the Savior promised.”
President Ezra Taft Benson testified with power:
“The power to resurrect rests in Christ because He is God, even the Son of God. And because He lives, we shall live also (John 14:19).”
These prophetic voices echo the message of Bethany:
Christ is not only the Master over death—He is the very source of eternal life.
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Like Lazarus, each of us may sometimes feel trapped in our own “tombs”:
• The tomb of fear.
• The tomb of sorrow.
• The tomb of sin, or of hopelessness.
But the voice of Christ calls us today with the same power:
“Come forth.”
Come forth from discouragement, from the weight of the past, from spiritual death. Step into the light, into new life in Him.
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On this Sunday, as we remember Jesus weeping with those who wept and then calling His friend back to life, we can hear the same invitation in our own hearts:
“Come forth.”
The Savior lovingly calls each of us to leave behind the darkness and walk toward the light of His gospel. And as we respond in faith and obedience, we can know with certainty that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
🌿 Reflection:
Today I ask myself—and I invite you to do the same: From what tomb is Christ calling you to come forth?
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