It Would Take a Miracle

·31 min·3 clips

Why did Jesus become deeply angry and then weep at his friend's funeral?

Pastor Craig Smith opens by asking listeners which Gospel miracle they would want to witness, mentioning the feeding of the 5,000 and the Transfiguration. He defines a miracle as an event inexplicable by natural laws, citing Wikipedia, and argues Jesus's miracles were billboards proving his identity. The episode focuses on John 11, where Jesus's friend Lazarus dies. Jesus delays visiting, stating the sickness is for God's glory. Upon arrival, Lazarus has been dead four days. Martha and Mary express grief, and Jesus declares, 'I am the resurrection and the life.' Jesus becomes deeply troubled and weeps at the tomb. He commands the stone rolled away, prays aloud, and calls Lazarus out, who walks out alive. Smith notes Lazarus later became a target for Jewish leaders as a walking billboard. The pastor draws three takeaways: Jesus enters our grief, eternal hope is in Jesus as a person, and we must keep an eye on heaven. He shares personal losses over the past year and discusses the tension between praying boldly for miracles and trusting God when answers are no. Smith encourages shifting from 'what-if' fears to 'even-if' faith, referencing Job's trust. He closes with Peter's declaration in John 6:68, urging listeners to cling to Jesus even in darkness.

As heard by us

A Lazarus sermon that finds Jesus' nearness beside his tears.

The Vail Church Podcast frames Lazarus as a story about Jesus' unsettling closeness to suffering: angry at sin's damage, moved by the grief before him, and willing to weep with people mourning someone they love.

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Why you'd press play

When grief asks why Jesus came later, this message stays close to Jesus' anger, tenderness, and tears at Lazarus's tomb.

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