Sermon Central
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The Threat Of A Miracle Worker Series
Contributed by Scott Maze on Jul 17, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: If Lazarus were roaming the streets of North Dallas, some business-minded person would say, “We need to get this guy on Joe Rogan. And, let’s trademark ‘Texas Lazarus BBQ’ before someone else does.”
Murder in America is not new for our times. Because of the proliferation of so much crime, we are oftentimes given a behind-the-scenes view of those who committed murder. We see the crime from the point of view of the one who committed the crime in documentaries. Most of you do not know the name of James Holland. Holland is a Texas Ranger who some described as Scotland Yard in a Cowboy Hat. He has previously served on the protective detail of Governor George W. Bush. But he’s better known as the “serial killer whisper.” Why? Because he elicited ninety-three confessions from serial killer Samuel Little over some 650 hours with the inmate. Holland listened to Little describe how he strangled all these women over sixteen months. To make the seventy-nine-year-old serial killer comfortable to confess, Holland has talked over grits, Dr. Pepper, and even Braums’ milkshakes while hearing all the grisly details. Families of the victims have praised the Texas Ranger for his work. Do you have what it takes to listen to the Point of View of a murder, much less a serial killer? The Bible gives us a POV of Jesus’ murders, a snippet of a preview into what they were thinking. Listen carefully to the voice of Caiaphas, who sought to orchestra the murder of Jesus Himself. And it’s a miracle of all things that pushes them in the direction of killing Jesus.
Find John 11 with me, if you will.
Yes, a miracle was the tipping point in solidifying the resolve of those who murdered Jesus. We drop in on a story of Jesus raising a dead man back to life after he lay in his tomb for four days. The Bible gives listening ears as if we are eavesdropping on one of Jesus’ murders. Watch for the murder’s point of view.
Today’s Scripture
When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death” (John 11:43-53).
Lazarus is famous around the world and in the portals of heaven. Now, the place where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead was called Bethany in Jesus’ day. Today, they have renamed the town to an Arabic name meaning “the place of Lazarus.” Again, Lazarus is famous. But he’s not famous because he did anything to distinguish himself. He’s famous only because of this amazing miracle! Even all these years later, the people at the Cleveland Clinic have what they know as “The Lazarus Effect.” The Lazarus Effect is when someone a healthcare provider has declared dead suddenly regains blood flow and appears to come back to life.1
Sermon Preview
1. Does This Make Sense to You?
2. Dead Men Tell No Tales
Watch for three take-aways in today’s message.
1. Does This Make Sense to You?
“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done” (John 11:45-46).
1.1 What Would You Have Written?
If you were writing the story, what details would you have included immediately after Lazarus rose from the grave? If you were in charge of writing the Gospel of John, what would be the first thing you would have reported? In our day, we would love a snapshot where Lazarus embraces his sisters, Mary and Martha. Someone would likely ask him, “How does it feel to be alive again after all this time?” Surely, we would enjoy Lazarus telling his story over a meal with family and friends (see John 12:1-8).
