Everybody had heard that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Wherever Jesus went He attracted a crowd and the celebration dinner in Bethany provided an extra reason - Lazarus was there as well. So, large numbers of people came to see the living and the Life Giver together. After four days in the tomb, what will Lazarus look like, they wondered.
 
The Chief Priests had already agreed that Jesus should be arrested and killed (John 11:50, 57). But now Lazarus had also become a problem. His very existence proved that Jesus was the Messiah. Nobody else could raise the dead. So they decided that Lazarus needed to be killed as well. His positive witness, his spoken testimony, and his very obvious new life trumpeted the greatness of Jesus to anybody who saw or heard Lazarus. It was not that Lazarus was great, but that his new life proved the greatness of Jesus
 
The power of positive witness is amazing. When we trust in Jesus, we become new people: our new life and its explanation will do two things. Firstly, it will attract people to Jesus. They will observe you, listen to you, see how you live, and note your values and motivation. They will ask you questions and some will put their trust in Jesus. Secondly, it will attract criticism, envy, resentment or even hatred; in some parts of the world lives may be in danger. As Jesus said, those who believe in Him are like cities on a hill and lamps in a house (Matthew 5:14-16); they are obvious and cannot be ignored. So today, at work, remember who you belong to and don't be frightened and diminish your witness. Who you are, what you do and what you say ... are God's tools for inviting more people to put their trust in Jesus.