That tremendous event, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, when Jesus commanded him, "Come forth," is recorded in the eleventh chapter of John's Gospel. A study of this chapter reveals that although he was aware of the serious condition of his friend, Jesus evidently waited deliberately until Lazarus had died before going into Judea to the place where Lazarus and his sisters were living. This could only mean that Jesus intended to prove beyond any shadow of doubt the mighty power of the Christ to raise Lazarus from the dead. Moreover, he may have intended to prepare his disciples' thought for the further and even mightier demonstration of his own resurrection from the grave.

A study of some of the Greek words used in the original text will prove most illuminating in understanding the moving account of the raising of Lazarus. When Mary and Martha sent to Jesus saying (verse 3), "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick," the Greek word phileis, which means "lovest humanly," is used, whereas in verse 5 where we read, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus," the Greek word for "loved" is agapa, meaning "loved divinely," thus showing that Jesus' love for the family transcended mere human affection.

In verse 33 we read that when Jesus saw Mary and the Jews weeping "he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled." The Greek word rendered "groaned," as also in verse 38, is embrim, which means literally "deeply moved." In most other references to groaning in the New Testament the Greek word is stenazo, which means "to murmur or sigh."

If we turn to verse 35 we find the shortest and perhaps the most poignant verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept." Here a Greek word is used which appears in no other place. It is dakruo, which means literally to shed tears. In other references to weeping in the New Testament the Greek word is klaio or a derivative klauthmos, which means to break forth or wail. In the nineteenth chapter of Luke it is recorded that Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Here the word is klaio. So it would appear that Jesus was deeply moved and shed tears at the tomb of Lazarus, but over Jerusalem he broke forth and wailed at its rejection of the Christ, and over what lay before the city and its inhabitants in the future. Jesus' statement, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth," makes it clear that to him death was a state of sleep.

Mary Baker Eddy emphasizes this point where she writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 75): "Jesus restored Lazarus by the understanding that Lazarus had never died, not by an admission that his body had died and then lived again. Had Jesus believed that Lazarus had lived or died in his body, the Master would have stood on the same plane of belief as those who buried the body, and he could not have resuscitated it." What, then, was the condition from which Jesus called Lazarus with that irresistible command, "Lazarus come forth"? It was from the mesmeric sleep or dream of material sense which seemed to have culminated in what is called death.

Today the Christ, Truth, has come to the world once more through the teaching of Christian Science and is bidding us to come forth from the pit or cave of believing that there is life and intelligence in matter into the sunlight of spiritual sense where health, harmony, and freedom are to be found.

The Scriptures record instances where well-known Bible characters have come forth from caves and pits into which either they had been cast or had fallen. Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brethren and later into a dungeon by Potiphar in Egypt. But he came forth from both these dark experiences, and in the latter instance his spiritual perception not only gave him freedom and the friendship of Pharaoh, but led to the salvation of Egypt and of his own family.

Elijah fled before the fury of Jezebel and found shelter in a cave. But he was told (I Kings 19:11), "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord." He had to come forth from the cave, and then it was that he heard "a still small voice" and saw at the same time that God was not in all the disturbances that seemed to surround him.

Jonah disobeyed the Word of God and fell into a pit, the belly of a whale, or "the belly of hell" as it is expressed in Jonah (2:2). But when he declared, "I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord," he was cast out on the dry land.

Jesus allowed himself to be placed in a pit, or tomb, in order that he might prove to his followers, by his resurrection, that his life was indestructible and deathless. This demonstration led his disciples to a more impersonal recognition of the Christ and enabled them to start upon their mission of preaching and healing as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

Mary Baker Eddy underwent a dark experience when through an accident she was brought to the very valley of the shadow of death. But in that hour the glorious light of Truth dawned upon her waiting thought, and she came forth healed and with a spiritual vision of God's presence and power which enabled her to cherish and to present to the world what she has referred to as the babe of spiritual healing. She says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 370): "In different ages the divine idea assumes different forms, according to humanity's needs. In this age it assumes, more intelligently than ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish. This is the babe that twines its loving arms about the neck of omnipotence, and calls forth infinite care from His loving heart."

Did not the Bible characters referred to, and also Mrs. Eddy herself, find loving care when they seemed to undergo a dark experience? Did they not come forth from pits and caves with enhanced spiritual vision? And so if any of us should seem to fall into a pit or undergo a sharp experience, let us not be discouraged or dismayed. but know instead that right where we are, there God is. God recognizes no problem or dark passage; so we can know that nothing can separate us from God or deprive us of healing which demonstrates "infinite care from His loving heart." Thus we can gain and maintain a positive rather than a negative attitude towards a problem.

Should we be tempted to wonder, "Oh, why, why has this trouble happened to me?" it maybe helpful to submit to what Mrs. Eddy describes on page 462 of Science and Health as the anatomy of Christian Science, and to see if there has been some lack of wisdom on our part or some failure to grapple and deal with some fault of character.

If so, then we may have learned a useful lesson and seen the necessity of becoming more alert and watchful. Having taken mental stock, we turn unreservedly to God and adopt the positive position of claiming the ever-presence of the Christ with us.

If it should seem difficult to do this and to realize our true unity with God in the midst of a seeming problem or dark human experience, we have the mental argument of Truth versus error to fall back upon. Backed with the firmament, or spiritual understanding, that Christian Science gives us of the positive, true nature of good and the negative, unreal nature of evil, we can mentally rebuke the lie and affirm what we know to be true in the face of all material sense testimony to the contrary. This mental argument, like a rope ladder let down to one fallen into a pit, will enable us to climb out step by step into the sunlight of peace and harmony.

"Lazarus, come forth." This command of our Master, which had to be obeyed, is ringing down the centuries commanding men to come forth from the paralyzing grip of material sense. This call of the Christ, Truth, appertains to each one of us today. Mrs. Eddy by her example and in her writings makes the way quite plain so that we may enter upon our task of coming forth with confidence and joy.