specially His tenderness and sympathy.
What a revelation we would have missed if John had been silent, but the
emotion of His own heart had been too deep to allow any such omission.
"Jesus wept." As Professor Austin Phelps declares, "The shortest verse
in the Bible is crowded with suggestions."

While John is our guide to the tomb of Lazarus, and more than that, the
sincere mourner with the afflicted sisters, he is yet more the disciple
of Jesus, receiving new and lasting impressions of divine truth and of
his Master, which are embodied in his story.

John recorded seven miracles of our Lord. The first was that of turning
water into wine. The last was the raising of Lazarus. In both of them He
points us to the same glorious purpose. He says that in the first,
Christ "manifested forth His glory," and that the second was "for the
glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." And now
standing with Martha by the yet unopened tomb, John hears their Lord
remind her of His assurance that if she believed, she "should see the
glory of God." That hour had come. The Lord had commanded, "Take ye away
the stone." John was most attentive to every act of the passing scene.
His eyes glanced from the stone to his Lord. As soon as the command
concerning it was obeyed Jesus lifted His eyes upward, and said,
"Father"--calling upon Him with whom He was to be glorified.

John had stood at the bedside of the only daughter of Jairus, and heard
the command, "Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise." By the bier of the
widow's only son he had probably heard that other, "Young man, I say
unto thee, Arise." And now standing by the open door of the tomb of the
only brother, was He not listening for a like command? He had not long
to wait. The prayer of his Lord was ended. The tone of prayer was
changed to that of command. "He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come
forth. And he that was dead came forth." John describes his appearance.
He was "bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound
about with a napkin." When Jesus saith unto them, "Loose him and let him
go"--away from the excitement and curiosity of the heartless
mourners--who was so ready as John to obey the command, while welcoming
his friend back to life? Who could so fittingly escort him from the
darkened tomb to the relighted home, with the sisters still weeping--but
for joy.

In John's old age when he recalled this resurrection scene, he seems to
have had a s