"38Then Jesus, again deeply moved within Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was laid against it.
"39Jesus said, "Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him,"Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."(John 11:38–39)     

Jesus stands before the tomb of His friend Lazarus, deeply troubled within Himself because of the great sorrow of the people around Him and their weeping. He then begins to carry out what He came for: to raise Lazarus from the dead. What people saw as impossible, Jesus would confront before their eyes and reveal His glory.

The large crowds who had come from Jerusalem and the surrounding regions—even if they did not fully believe the common teachings—were certainly influenced by the prevailing popular thought at that time: that the spirit remains hovering around the body for three days after death, seeking to return to it, but then departs once the body decays and begins to smell. And Lazarus, on the fourth day, was in that very condition, as even his sister testified.

So Jesus came to raise him on the fourth day, to overturn every false idea and to reveal to all who were present His power and His glory. For He is the One who is able to restore life and raise the body, because He is its Maker. He came to grant this resurrection as a sign pointing to His own resurrection, which would take place a short time later.

Before everyone, He asks them to take away the stone. How great is this mighty Creator God, who will raise a dead man from the decay and corruption of his body with a power capable of giving life in the very midst of death. Yet at the same time, He uses this moment to teach us that we can be partners with Him in His work. He is willing to involve human beings in His great deeds so that they may witness them and testify to them.

Could not the One who raises the dead with a word also roll away a stone with a word? Indeed, He is able. But He chose to make us understand that we have a role to fulfill, and that we must do it. We can roll away the stone, but raising the dead belongs to the Lord of life alone. Work in the Kingdom of God requires effort and diligence from us, as followers of Christ—without slackness or laziness—so that we may roll away many stones from tombs filled with death, allowing the life of Christ to enter and raise them.

We must remind ourselves every day that the world around us needs our work in spreading the Word of God—His love, His mercy, and His forgiveness. We are to proclaim to everyone that God has prepared redemption for humanity through Jesus Christ. We call, we preach, and we teach so that stones may be removed from hearts that are dead, so that the Lord Jesus may come and fill them with life and light.