Fallen Asleep: Waking Up or Transformation

Biblical Commentary
Fallen Asleep: Waking Up or Transformation

By Dr. JK Woodall

When Jesus arrived at the grave of Lazarus, He told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” (John 11:11). The disciples, thinking Lazarus was simply resting, responded, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better” (John 11:12). Their misunderstanding was rooted in a limited perspective, one bound by human logic and a natural understanding of death. Yet Jesus, as the Lord, was speaking of something much deeper. To Him, Lazarus was not dead, but alive. Jesus was preparing to reveal a profound truth: in His presence, death is not the end but the beginning of life.

The conversation between Jesus and His disciples is pivotal because it highlights the gap between human perception and divine reality. The disciples struggled to comprehend that, in the hands of the Lord, death could be reversed and transformed into life. Jesus, knowing their confusion, clarified: “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (John 11:14-15). He needed them to witness this miracle, not just for Lazarus’ sake, but for their own faith journey.

The Lord’s Perspective: Speaking Life Into Death

As they approached the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus knew His disciples still had difficulty seeing beyond the natural realm. To them, a tomb was a place of finality—a symbol of death. But to Jesus, it was a temporary resting place. When He said Lazarus was “sleeping,” He was speaking from His divine perspective. In His eyes, death was nothing more than sleep, a state from which He could awaken anyone by the power of His word.

Jesus wasn’t simply offering comfort in a moment of grief; He was making a declaration about His authority over life and death. The same Lord who had spoken the world into existence (John 1:1-3) was now speaking life into what appeared to be the ultimate end. His words, however, were more than a command for Lazarus—they were an invitation to the disciples to see beyond the tomb, beyond the grave, and into the life-giving power of God.

The Struggle to See Life in the Tomb

This interaction between Jesus and His disciples foreshadows a greater challenge they would face just days later: seeing life in the tomb of Jesus Himself. If they struggled to comprehend the reality of life at the tomb of Lazarus, how would they understand what would happen at Jesus’ own tomb? The raising of Lazarus was a sign meant to prepare them, yet even then, their human limitations made it difficult for them to grasp the fullness of life that Christ would bring.

Jesus’ miracle at Lazarus’ tomb was not just about calling a man back from the dead—it was about revealing that death is not an obstacle to God’s plan. In fact, death is part of the process of transformation. This event was a prelude to the ultimate victory Jesus would achieve over death in His own resurrection. The disciples’ struggle to see life at Lazarus’ tomb mirrors the challenge we all face when confronted with circumstances that seem beyond hope.

If We Cannot See Life in Lazarus’ Tomb, How Will We See Life in Christ’s?

The tomb of Lazarus was a foreshadowing of another, more significant tomb: the one Jesus Himself would occupy. Jesus knew that if His disciples could not see life in what appeared to be a lifeless situation with Lazarus, they would struggle even more to believe when He lay in His own tomb. Jesus was preparing them, teaching them that the presence of death is not the absence of life. What seems dead to us is alive in the hands of God.

When Jesus stood before Lazarus’ tomb and called out, “Lazarus, come forth,” He wasn’t just performing a miracle; He was demonstrating His mastery over death. The disciples needed to witness this, to understand that life in Christ cannot be extinguished by death. But even after seeing Lazarus rise, they would still find it difficult to fully believe in the resurrection power of Jesus when He Himself was placed in the grave.

It wasn’t until after Jesus rose from His own tomb that the disciples fully grasped the depth of His words. In both cases, the lesson was the same: life, not death, has the final word in the kingdom of God. Just as He called Lazarus forth from the grave, Jesus would rise by His own power, transforming the grave from a symbol of defeat into a gateway to eternal life.

Seeing Life in What Appears Dead

For us today, the lesson remains: we must learn to see life where we perceive death. Jesus continually calls us to look beyond the natural, to see with the eyes of faith. What looks dead—a relationship, a dream, a calling—is not dead to Jesus. He sees life where we see only lifelessness, and He invites us to trust in His ability to bring forth life from even the most hopeless situations.

In the same way that Jesus declared Lazarus to be asleep, He speaks to the dead areas of our lives, saying, “This is not the end; life is still here.” We may struggle, like the disciples, to understand His words, especially when faced with circumstances that seem final. Yet Jesus calls us to believe—to see life, not death, as the final state. When we view our lives through the eyes of Christ, we discover that what we thought was dead is merely sleeping, waiting for the voice of the Lord to call it forth into newness of life.

Conclusion: From Death to Life, From Sleep to Awakening

The story of Lazarus is more than a miracle of resurrection; it is a call to see life in what we may perceive as dead. Jesus, who spoke life into Lazarus’ tomb, would later conquer His own grave, transforming death into life for all who believe. The challenge for us is to open our eyes, to see with faith, and to trust in the life-giving power of Jesus.

As we stand before the tombs in our own lives—places that seem lifeless and beyond hope—let us remember that Jesus does not see death as the final state. To Him, death is sleep, and sleep is an invitation to awaken to the transformation that only He can bring. Just as He called Lazarus from the grave and walked out of His own tomb, He calls us to believe in the life that is always present, even when we can’t yet see it.