And Jesus, “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth”.  The raising of Lazarus is the single greatest earthly miracle Jesus ever performed.   It was also the most costly, for it led directly to the Cross. This astonishing miracle was performed for three basic reasons:   First, to present Christ’s glory and power as John 1:14 shows us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,(and we beheld his glory…”.  Secondly, to confirm the faith of the disciples; the way forward will be hard and dangerous and they need to see this miracle to increase their faith.    And lastly, it would set in motion Christ’s journey to the cross, as John 11:53 states, “from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.”   Up until this point we have seen people working with Jesus to make a miracle happen.  They filled the water pots, they donate a small portion of bread and fish, they take up their mats, and they in some way express faith in Christ’s ability. But in this story, Lazarus doesn’t cooperate.  Lazarus’ body has become a rotting corpse; so much for God needing our cooperation.  On that day in Bethany Christ acts alone, intervening in human affairs, doing what only God can do, raising a dead corpse back to life.    There are many life applications we can draw from this amazing story.   But for us today let’s consider the matter of hope.  This is one of the most hopeless cases in the Bible.  Yet, even in the face of absolute hopelessness, the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates His power to step into any situation and transform that situation into a time of blessing.  That’s just what Jesus does. He walks into hopeless situations and He brings hope. He is still doing that today.  Maybe you find yourself in the midst of a hopeless situation; some physical ailment, a rebellious child, a financial crisis, or perhaps the betrayal of a friend or espouse.  Whatever it is, bring it to the Lord and watch Him work it out for His glory and your good. He knows what He is doing, and you can trust Him.