John 11:14 “Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.”
In this simple and plain declaration, “Lazarus is dead”, the Lord emphasized that Lazarus’ soul/spirit had departed his body and now his body had begun returning to the earth from which it was made. Then, He begins to explain why all this is happening. He tells them, “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there”; that is, it is for your benefit that “I was not there”. The implication is, that if the Lord had been there, “Lazarus” would not have died; but, it was necessary for “Lazarus” to truly and surely die; so that they and we could learn this vital lesson. That is, “to the intent ye may believe” that the full power of the Resurrection rests in Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “Lazarus is dead” “nevertheless let us go unto him”; but, some of His disciples missed the point; for, “Thomas” said “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). But, our Lord would soon burn through the fog of human doubt and plainly demonstrate that He is The Christ, The Son of the Living God and that He has the power to raise the dead to life, even those in the tombs whose bodies are in decomposition. Therein is our blessed Hope of Eternal Life in our Resurrected Bodies.