Raising of Lazarus of All

¶ … Raising of Lazarus

Of all the miracles ascribed to Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the raising of Lazarus from the dead is clearly the most inspiring and "miraculous." For Christians, all of the promises prescribed by God are fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Lazarus, for it represents "the final and definitive action by God for the sake of the human race and illustrates His divine power in what we have come to recognize as reality" (Fuller 87). The raising of Lazarus also represents the culmination of New Testament theology and symbolizes the ultimate transformation of all things connected to the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Thus, for Christians, whether of the Catholic faith, Greek Orthodox, or some other Eastern sect, the resurrection of Lazarus as a miracle proves that God's love for mankind is all-inclusive, meaning that, like Lazarus, all believers will someday conquer death by being risen and transformed.

In order to fully understand the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead, the tale itself must first be explored before commencing on the commentary. When news reached Jesus that his friend Lazarus was desperately ill, he was on the eastern side of the Jordan River a few miles from Jerusalem where his enemies had threatened to kill him. Two days later, he declared his intention to return to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, which was only about two miles from Jerusalem.

At first, Jesus's disciples were quite alarmed and reminded Jesus that just a short time before some Jews had tried to stone him. But Jesus replied, "Our friend Lazarus sleepth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep" (John, 11:11). According to John, the disciples thought that Jesus meant that Lazarus was actually "sleeping," but in reality, he was referring to the fact that Lazarus was dead. Exactly how he knew this can only be explained via supernatural means.

At Bethany, Jesus discovered that Lazarus had not only died but had already been laid to rest in his tomb. As soon as Martha, the sister of Lazarus, heard that Jesus had arrived, she ran out to meet him with tears in her eyes and said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died" (11:21), "But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee" (John, 11:22). And Jesus reassured her that her brother would return from the dead (" Thy brother shall rise again," 11:23) and that anyone who had faith in God's power would never die.

Deeply moved by these words, Martha confessed her faith, then hurried off to tell her sister Mary that Jesus had come. Immediately, Mary rushed to see Jesus and threw herself at his feet, weeping. This act apparently greatly distressed Jesus and then asked her where Lazarus had been laid to rest. He was then taken to the tomb of Lazarus, being a cave with a large stone rolled in front of the opening. When Jesus ordered that the stone be removed, Martha reminded him that Lazarus had been buried for four days, meaning that the tomb would be filled with the odor of decay. But Jesus replied, "Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (11:40).

The stone was then rolled away and Jesus, looking skyward, thanked God for answering his prayer and then shouted, "Lazarus, come forth" (11:43). And as the onlookers watched, the figure of Lazarus, bound head to foot in white burial clothes, slowly emerged from the darkness of the tomb ("And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin"). Jesus then said, "Loose him, and let him go" (11: 44).

Thus, this account from the Gospel of John on the resurrection of Lazarus ends.

Afterwards, John mentions that many of the Jews who had witnessed this miracle believed in Jesus; however, others went to the Pharisees to inform them of Jesus's actions. Fearing that Jesus might create a popular uprising which the Romans would quickly suppress, the Pharisees held a meeting, and the high priest Caiaphas announced "Ye know nothing at all; nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (11:49-50).

As Robert H. Fuller points out, "the raising of Lazarus from the dead is one of the most dramatic acts Jesus ever performed" (156). Although the Gospel of Luke relates that Jesus restored life to the son of the widow of Nain and the Gospel of Mark the daughter of Jairus, these acts were performed soon after the deaths of the people involved. Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus raised him, but according to Jewish belief, "a dead person's spirit hovers over his/her body for three days before departing which indicates that the Gospel of John may be mistaken" (Keller 167).

Also, the Gospel of John relates that Jesus revealed the significance of Lazarus's death when he said, "This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God's glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified" (Keller 178). Thus, it appears that Jesus "intended all along to show the glory of God through a public demonstration of his power over the dead, yet the death of Lazarus and his coming back from the dead foreshadowed Jesus's own fate on the cross and his subsequent resurrection" (Fuller 140).

Perhaps most important of all, the story of Lazarus give some much meaningful context to one of Jesus's most direct and theologically significant statements, uttered while speaking to Martha who insisted that had he arrived earlier, her brother would not have died in the first place. She went on to state her belief that Lazarus would be resurrected on the last day, namely the final day of judgment.

When Jesus did not contradict the traditional doctrine that Martha expressed, he make it abundantly clear that eternal life is possible not after death in the distant future, but through him, in the present. He said, "I am the Resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Therefore, to anyone who heard this statement and still doubted its validity, the physical resurrection of Lazarus symbolizes the ultimate proof" (Keller 213).

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John contain no significant word for miracle, for they speak of "signs, a wonder or portent, or a work of power" (Lightfoot 156). However, the idea of "signs" as something that legitimizes the ministry of Jesus Christ or proves his divinity is basically rejected unless the "sign" is recognized as one from God Himself, such as the central miracle of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as expressed in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the four main disciples.

Historically, there is no doubt that Jesus was viewed as a great healer who could make the blind see, the crippled walk and cure certain ailments, such as leprosy. Yet these "miracles" are not unique, for they can be found in other stories connected to the literature of other cultures, such as the Greeks and the Rabbinic Jews.

In essence, it is clear that Jesus fully understood that his "miracles" symbolized the arrival of the kingdom of God on earth and the triumph of the Spirit of God over Satan, His arch-nemesis and the original "fallen angel." In his words, Jesus said, "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Matthew, 12:28 & Luke, 11:20).

Thus, the "miracles" associated with Jesus Christ cane be seen as true signs of the kingdom of God when faith, being "a belief in something which cannot be supported by any empirical evidence" (Keller 213), is essential to the experiences, be they "miraculous" healings, walking upon the waters, or the raising of the dead. This concept is fully developed, especially in the Gospel of John, so that faith in Jesus Christ and his "miracles" is required for the "signs" or "works" to be adequately understood and appreciated. Also, it is imperative that not just the "work" be believed but also for the believer to have what is now referred to as a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ that supports and evidences all that he did" (Lightfoot 245).