Lazarus of Bethany

LAZ-uh-rus · Also called Lazarus

The brother of Martha and Mary whose death and resurrection in John's Gospel is presented as the climactic sign that provokes the religious leaders into finally moving to kill Jesus.

Life and work

Lazarus lived in Bethany with his sisters Martha and Mary, and John notes that Jesus loved this family (John 11:5). When Lazarus fell seriously ill, the sisters sent word to Jesus, who was some distance away — yet Jesus deliberately stayed two more days before setting out, telling his disciples that the illness was 'for the glory of God.' By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

At the tomb, Jesus wept (John 11:35) even though he knew what he was about to do, then ordered the stone rolled away and called, 'Lazarus, come out.' Lazarus emerged still wrapped in his grave cloths, and Jesus told the crowd to unbind him. It is one of the most dramatic miracles recorded in any Gospel and is presented in John as the turning point that hardens the chief priests' resolve against Jesus.

The aftermath is what makes Lazarus's story unusual: John reports that because many Jews were believing in Jesus on account of Lazarus, the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too, 'since on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus' (John 12:9-11). Being raised from the dead, in other words, made Lazarus himself a marked man. He appears once more reclining at a dinner in Bethany shortly before Jesus's crucifixion (John 12:1-2).

Places: Bethany, a village near Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives.

Questions and debates

John 12:9-11 records that the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus, because his resurrection was drawing large numbers of people to believe — a striking and rarely discussed detail showing the political fallout of the miracle extended to Lazarus personally.

Extra-biblical evidence

Lazarus's raising is recorded only in the Gospel of John; no other first-century source mentions him, and later traditions about his life after these events (including legends placing him in Cyprus or France) are far later and not historically verifiable.

Scripture references

John 11:1-44 — Dies and is raised by Jesus after four days in the tomb
John 12:1-2 — Reclines at a dinner in Bethany with Jesus
John 12:9-11 — Chief priests plot to kill him because of his resurrection

Reflect

Jesus delayed two days before coming to Lazarus, and the delay wasn't absence — where does God's timing feel painfully slow to you right now?

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