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Jesus' dear friend Lazarus has died and been in a tomb for four days (long enough to start decomposing). Jesus does not tell Lazarus' sister Martha what He is about to do. Instead, Jesus chooses to reveal something far more important about Himself before He calls Lazarus to come forth from the tomb.

John 11:25

This is one of the seven recorded occasions when Jesus chose to use the very specific term "I AM" that God used on Mount Sinai when speaking to Moses from the bush (Exodus 3:14). This unique term "I AM" spoken by Jesus was understood by all Jews that Jesus was claiming complete equality with their God. This was considered blasphemy and punishable by death. As a direct result of His claim during the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees and chief priests plotted to take Jesus' life (John 11:53) and later to kill both Jesus and Lazarus (John 12:9-11).

The two definite articles are powerful in Jesus' declaration that He himself is the ONLY resurrection and the ONLY life. Jesus uses the emphatic "I AM" and definite articles again in another declaration of Himself. John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Jesus is not one way among many, but the one and ONLY way to the Father.

Stones can be written on by the finger of God as He did with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31:18 and Exodus 34:1). Stones can also cry out at His request which is the objective of this stone. Luke 19:40: "'I tell you,' he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”