The miracle that helped propel Jesus’ ministry into the national spotlight still carries a message for believers today.
In a recent teaching from John 12, Rabbi Kirt Schneider pointed to the raising of Lazarus as evidence that God continues to work supernaturally and that miracles remain a powerful witness to the truth of the Gospel.
“The people were coming because they were hearing what He did,” Schneider said.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem before His crucifixion, many in the crowd had witnessed or heard about Lazarus being raised from the dead.
“They wanted to see this prophet that had raised somebody from the dead,” Schneider said.
Signs and Wonders Follow the Gospel
Schneider said the growth of the early church was connected not only to preaching but also to God’s supernatural power.
“The Gospel of the Kingdom spread in the first-century church, and the Gospel of the Kingdom continues to be spread today when the Word of God and the Word of the Kingdom of Heaven is proclaimed, followed by signs and wonders,” he said.
He pointed to Jesus’ earthly ministry as the model.
“Everywhere Jesus went, He did three things: He preached the Gospel. He preached the Word. He healed the sick. He did miracles, and He performed healings and signs and wonders.”
According to Schneider, that pattern has not changed.
“The same way that the church began with the Word being preached and then it being confirmed with signs and wonders, this is the way the Gospel is still penetrating the earth today,” he said.
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When God Confirmed the Message
Schneider recounted the story of missionaries who spent years preaching in India with little response before discovering teachings on healing and miracles.
After returning with renewed faith in God’s supernatural power, the results were dramatically different.
“They began to declare healing over people,” Schneider said.
“People started getting healed. Signs and wonders and miracles took place.”
“From there, the Gospel exploded in India,” he said.
God Is Still a Miracle Worker
At the heart of Schneider’s message was a simple truth about God’s nature.
“God by nature is a miracle worker,” he said.
“By nature, the God that you have a relationship with is supernatural.”
Schneider pointed to the miracles recorded throughout Scripture as evidence that believers should continue to expect God to move today.
“All these miracles are what cause people to wake up and look up and pay attention,” he said.
Don’t Be Trapped in the Natural World
Schneider concluded by encouraging believers facing difficult circumstances to keep their eyes on God’s power rather than their limitations.
“Don’t be trapped in the natural world,” he said.
“There are answers for you and I beyond the natural world.”
He urged Christians to trust God for healing, deliverance and breakthrough.
“Believe God, beloved, to work wonders in your life,” Schneider said.
The lesson of Lazarus remains just as relevant now as it was 2,000 years ago.
“The same One that Jesus bore witness to, His Father, that was doing the miracles through Him, He’s at work in your life,” he said.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
