John 11:17 “Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.”
It is important for us to know that “Lazarus” “had lain in the grave four days already” to emphasize that he was truly dead, and that he had not simply swooned from the heat or his sickness. It appears that they had buried him immediately without embalming his body. So important is this lesson on raising the dead to life again, that Paul wrote, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (I Corinthians 15:19). There were a lot of folks gathered to see what the Lord did, and the firsthand account spread quickly. And the news of it is still spreading in our day and is filling our hearts and minds with that blessed “hope” of Eternal Life, which pushes back those dark clouds of misery that so often settle upon us and would overwhelm us if there were no “hope” (Hebrews 11:1).