Gods Sabbath

T HE R ESURRECTION OF L AZARUS

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The widow’s son had been dead only a few short hours when his funeral cortege was met by Christ just outside the village. In those days, when the poor could not afford embalming fluids, they dared not delay a burial very long because of the rapid on set of decay. The Pharisees would have argued that Nain was an obscure little village where there were no competent witnesses to confirm that the youth was really dead. They would have maintained that the young man had simply fallen into a deep co ma which was accepted by the villagers in their apparent igno rance as being actual death. Then they would have alleged that Christ just happened to arrive on the scene at the opportune mo ment when the youth was just regaining consciousness. They would have maliciously charged that Jesus had recognized and seized the opportunity to make it appear that He had the power to raise the dead. In this way, the wonderful evidence of Christ’s supremacy over death and the grave was made of none effect. The same arguments, no doubt, were circulated in respect to the young girl’s resurrection. She had been dead only a few mi nutes, the whole affair took place in a small private bedroom with no expert witnesses present, and so again there was no incontro vertible proof that a true restoration to life had been effected. Therefore, as Christ’s time on this earth drew towards its close, the vital demonstration, which the Saviour must furnish before His ministry could be completed, still remained to be given. Obviously, another resurrection was required under very dif ferent circumstances from the previous two. Whereas both of them had been hidden from general sight, a resurrection was now needed under full public scrutiny. A well-known person had to be raised, but not one of the patriarchs such as Abraham or David for instance, because no one living in the time of Christ could positively identify them. Finally, the evidence of death had to be so absolute that no one could deny it. The question to be determined was upon whom would Christ bestow His gift of life? Who fulfilled the specifications? In some respects, John the Baptist would have qualified. He The Specifications Required