John 11:39b “Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.’”
HE STINKETH
My wife has a very sensitive nose. If I walk outside for a second and walk back in the house, she will say, “You smell. Have you been outside?” I mean, come on, I was outside for like a minute. I kid her that she should have worked at a perfume factory. She has the best olfactory senses in the world. Lol
But even I could have smelled Lazarus. He had been dead four days inside a sealed tomb. If you have ever smelled a dead body, well, let’s just say you won’t soon forget it. But Jesus wanted to make sure that everyone knew Lazarus was dead. Some Jews believed the spirit “hung around” for three days after death. Jesus waited four on purpose.
TEACHING MOMENT
Have your children ever come in the house after a long day in the yard playing and smelled to high heaven? What a perfect time to talk about this story. “Johnny, you smell like Lazarus!” “Who is that, Mom?” Then you can tell him the story and how Jesus raised him from the dead.
Another cool thing about the story to tell them is that Jesus called Lazarus by name. He didn’t want every stinking corpse in the cemetery to wake up. Lol. That would have been quite a sight. No, He called the one He was seeking. He calls us by name too. Even when we are stinking He calls us by name. Pretty cool, huh?
I know I have more “stinking” days than “smell good” days. I tend to let my flesh win more than it should. I let my own desires control me when I know my spirit should. I don’t know about you, but I had rather smell good than stink any day.
A Moment In Time 