Three Words
John 11:41-43 KJV
(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 thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Just before this incredible moment when Jesus caused His friend to rise from the dead, out of His humanity and His grief He wept. So it’s not like Jesus was just this optimistic weird person who never was affected by what might appear to be a time for mourning or despair. Yet there was something other than Jesus’ feelings and His ability to assess the situation that rose up in Him, bringing life to a body that had been dead. Three words would come out of His mouth with power that would defy the finality and impossibility of the situation. If He were somehow drawn into the drama of the moment and dissuaded from His true purpose by conversation that declared anything other than the message of those words, Lazarus may have just remained inside the tomb.
There is so much verbiage going on around us on a continual basis. Cell phones are connecting people all over the world, and when the phone isn’t held against the ear, a text is either being read or keyed into its keyboard. The media on radio, television and internet are constantly presenting a message, while emails, blogs and billboards never cease to make their declarations. Stories, transactions, reactions, propositions, and endless ideas are taking the form of communicated words and given the power to condemn, affirm, deny, discourage, inspire, motivate, etc. One word or phrase can completely change the day’s perspective from bright to dark and visa-versa. One sour or bitter word can turn an otherwise positive dialogue into a crushing and sleep depriving blow. So many interchanges include natural habits in conversation that consist of profane and damning words or speech content that is anything but positive, just an honest perspective of a circumstance in life. While not realizing it, however, there really is accountability for each word spoken, and a power resides in each word that is being cast about so freely and frivolously that will either bring life or death.
I believe this is a significant part of Jesus’ emotional reaction to the scene where Lazarus’ death was being mourned and Jesus was being held responsible for the death because of His late arrival. Not only was He moved by the death of a good friend, but He remembered something He had spoken to Martha about believing that was obviously not being evidenced at that time. While there was a reference to words that Jesus had spoken, the impact of His words continued to be the focus as Jesus turned to His Father and revealed a deep awareness that His words were heard and acknowledged by His Father. He knew and verbally confirmed to Him the significance of what He was about to do- speak three life-giving words. He did not enter into any attempts at comfort or consolation that might otherwise be deemed appropriate, and He didn’t participate in remembering or wishing conversations that were probably going on around Him, because there was significance in every word He would utter, and there was no way the power of those three words were going to be decimated by any death-confirming utterances. His awareness of word power was such that He was more emotionally moved by death inflicting language than the death itself. His words would overcome death in Lazarus, but the words of defeat, failure and death coming out of mouths around Him were embracing and forming this same content in the lives of those from whom the words were spoken. If only they could embrace His words of life and belief as He Himself had done through love for and relationship with His Father, what He had spoken could actually begin to take place in their life.
There are just a few words waiting for the right time to come out of our mouth and bring life to an otherwise death situation. For those words to actually bring the life they would command, though, they will have to be untainted by words of death, defeat and doubt. This may require a whole new culture adjustment with a whole new set of vocabulary words, but hanging out with Jesus in the secret place of worship will naturally bring about this change. Where words of mourning, sorrow, anger, depression and discouragement might otherwise be the natural reaction to life’s encounters, a new natural response will be influenced by the love of God. Where there had been a fearful and desperate reaction to a circumstance, there will be a greater aversion for the words that empower it than the situation itself. Life words will disable and expel any death words as a Father of life and love is truly embraced with a passionate and loving heart. Then, at that moment when the impossibility of death’s tomb is open before us, the words of empowered purity will be unhindered by doubt formed by a single word of death. Lazarus will come forth.
Proverbs 18:21 KJV
(21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
