Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. (39) Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. (40) Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (41) Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid, and Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. (42) And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. (43) And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. (44) And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Reader! let you and I, by faith, take our stand also at the mouth of the cave. Never, surely, excepting in the instance of the triumphs of Jesus himself over death, at his own resurrection, was there such a marvellous work ever wrought upon earth! Oh! what an unanswerable testimony did it carry with it of Christ's power! And, oh! what a precious pledge it afforded of the great purpose of Christ's mission, in thus bringing life and immortality to light by his sovereignty and grace. And I beg the Reader to have a special regard to what Jesus said, when addressing his Father. Not to seek aid, for the Lord thanks his Father for having, in what was past, heard him. And every little in this miracle proved it to be solely his own. But it was wrought as God-Man; as the Resurrection and the Life. And it became a full confirmation of what the Lord Jesus had before said, that as the Father had life in himself, so had he given to the Son to have life in himself; and had given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. John 5:26-27. See the Commentary on those verses.