Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passages of Scripture. Reread them. From memory, determine the central points.

1. Jesus approaches Bethany where four days before, Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had died. Martha, having gone out to meet Jesus, returns and informs Mary that Jesus is calling for her.
2. On her way to meet Jesus, Mary is followed by some of the Jewish leaders. She finds Jesus, falls on her knees and laments that if Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died. Jesus is deeply moved by those in grief, and asked where Lazarus had been laid.
3. When Mary says, “come and see” Jesus weeps. Observers ask, well, if a blind man can be healed why not Lazarus?, thus displaying their opposition to Jesus.
4. For a second time, verse 38, Jesus is “deeply moved.” Jesus directs that the stone laid on top of the burying place be moved. Martha, the ever practical one, points out that after four days there will be a bad odor.
5. Jesus reminds her He told her that if she believed she would see the glory of God in action. Reminds us of our need to be reminded as well.
6. The stone is lifted off, Jesus lifts up His eyes and thanks the Father for hearing Him. This He did so that the miracle that is to follow would be a witness to the fact that the Father had sent Him, and was then the Messiah of Israel.
7. With a loud voice, Jesus commands Lazarus to come out of this burial place. John then states Lazarus come out, bound with the burial clothes. Jesus simple directs he be unbound.