Lazarus would not have been able to walk well. Jesus: “Did I not say that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” He thanked God and shouted, “Lazarus, come forth!”īasically, a mummy shuffled out of the tomb, arms, legs, body, and head bound in woven cloth. Passover was nearly upon them, anyone opening the tomb would be unclean. Pragmatic Martha argued it would smell–he had been dead four days. Jesus went to the tomb and ordered the stone to be taken away. Several sneered: “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” While Jesus wept in sympathy, the religious officials who had followed Mary came upon them and shook their heads. Mary flung herself at Jesus and chided him–“if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus wept for Lazarus The Jewish mourners standing by were sympathetic, “she is going to the tomb to weep there.” She left Jesus, returned to the house, and whispered in Mary’s ear that Jesus had come.Īs typical of Mary, she jumped up and hurried to meet him. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. Jesus replied with the Gospel: “I am the resurrection and the life. (Note: this is what a devout Jewish woman believed before Jesus was resurrected from the dead). Martha: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Mary and Mary’s reactions to Lazarus’ deathīut when Martha got the news Jesus was near, she went to greet him, displaying her disappointment with words: The house was crowded with people including religious authorities who had come down from Jerusalem–probably because they respected Lazarus, or they hoped to catch his close friend Jesus. “the sickness was not unto death.” Pity the confused disciples.) (Jesus knew Lazarus was dead, but did not tear his clothing, even though he loved him because.

His sisters and other mourners were sitting shiva, still wearing the mourning clothes they tore when they heard the news of his death. What good it would do, then, to go to Judea?īy the time they got to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead and in the tomb four days. Off they went, with the men now wondering I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.” That made no sense to his disciples who argued if the man was asleep, he’d get better. “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” They protested, the Pharisees had threatened to stone Jesus if he returned to the area around Jerusalem–Bethany was nearby, basically the suburbs. On the third day, Jesus told his disciples it was time to go back to Judea. “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Jesus got the message, telling those with him, Jesus and his disciples were out on the eastern side of the Jordan River, when Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha sent word Lazarus, “he whom you, love is sick.” What’s the hurry? You probably know the story (found in John 11). The story has come up in my life three times this week and since this is about the time it happened nearly two thousand years ago, I thought it worth examining. Rembrandt’s depiction Why did Jesus raise Lazarus of Bethany from the dead?

Lazarus raised from the dead