New Testament · New Testament
Lazarus of Bethany
“Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.”John 11:43-44
Biography
Lazarus of Bethany was the brother of Mary and Martha and one of Jesus's closest friends. When he fell ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus, who deliberately delayed two days before going to Bethany. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus wept at the tomb, then called Lazarus out of it — the last and greatest of the seven signs in John's Gospel. After the resurrection, many Jews came to believe in Jesus because of what had happened to Lazarus, and the chief priests began plotting not only to kill Jesus but to kill Lazarus too.
Spiritual Lesson
Lazarus is the person Jesus loves who is allowed to die. His story is for those who have prayed and waited and found that Jesus seemed to arrive too late. The 'delay' was not indifference; it was intentional — so that the resurrection glory would be unmistakable. Jesus wept before he raised him, entering grief before dissolving it. And then Lazarus walked. His continued existence became such a threat that the authorities wanted to kill him again — a resurrection that costs something is a real resurrection.