The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead: A Profound Display of Divine Power and Love

The narrative of Lazarus’s resurrection, recorded in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John, is one of the most compelling and miraculous accounts in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. This event was a revelation of Jesus’s identity as the Son of God, the “Resurrection, and the Life,” and a precursor to His own triumph over death. It unfolded in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, and involved a family whom Jesus deeply loved: Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. This miracle, performed openly, forced a response from believers and unbelievers alike and hastened the plot against Jesus’s life, while confirming His claim to deity.

The Sickness, Death, and Jesus’s Intentional Delay

The story begins with a message sent to Jesus, who was across Jordan, stating, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3). This simple plea from Martha and Mary conveyed their distress and their implicit trust in Jesus’s ability to heal. Yet, Jesus’s response was unexpected. Upon hearing the news, He declared, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (John 11:4). Despite His love for the family, Jesus remained in the same place for two more days. This delay, seemingly cruel to human understanding, was purposeful, designed to magnify God’s glory and deepen the lesson for His disciples and for all who would later read this account.

Jesus then announced His intention to return to Judaea. His disciples, aware of the recent attempts on His life in Jerusalem, questioned this decision. Jesus explained His understanding of Lazarus’s condition: “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). The disciples, misunderstanding His euphemism for death, thought He meant natural sleep, to which Jesus plainly stated, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14). He then revealed the divine purpose behind His delay: “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him” (John 11:15). This delay was not indifference but an act of divine wisdom, allowing death to fully take hold so that the resurrection would be undeniable, leaving no room for doubt about the extent of Jesus’s power. It ensured Lazarus had been dead for four days, past the point where, as Matthew Henry notes, the Jews fancied that the soul hovered about the grave, thus proving the miracle was not a resuscitation but a true resurrection from corruption.

At the Tomb: The Dialogue of Faith and Doubt

Upon Jesus’s arrival in Bethany, Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days. Martha, ever the proactive sister, met Jesus first. Her words expressed both sorrow and unwavering faith: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee” (John 11:21-22). Jesus’s response to Martha is one of the most pivotal declarations in all of scripture:

Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

John 11:23
KJV

Martha, thinking of the general resurrection at the last day, affirmed this belief. But Jesus clarified His unique identity:

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

John 11:25-26
KJV

Martha’s confession, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (John 11:27), is a model of true faith, acknowledging Jesus’s divine personhood and His power over death.

Mary, upon hearing of Jesus’s arrival, came to Him, falling at His feet with the same lament as her sister: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:32). Witnessing her grief and the weeping of the Jews who accompanied her, Jesus was deeply moved, groaning in spirit and troubled. This display of emotion, culminating in “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), reveals His true humanity and His compassion for human suffering, even as He knew He was about to conquer the very cause of their sorrow.

Arriving at the tomb, a cave with a stone covering its entrance, Jesus commanded, “Take ye away the stone” (John 11:39). Martha, ever practical, objected, citing the decay of Lazarus’s body after four days. Jesus gently reminded her, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). This moment reinforced the necessity of faith, even when circumstances seem impossible.

The Command and the Resurrection

With the stone removed, Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed, not as one asking for power He did not possess, but as one acknowledging His Father and ensuring those present understood the source of His authority:

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 11:42
KJV

Then, with a loud voice, Jesus issued the command: “Lazarus, come forth.” (John 11:43).

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

John 11:44
KJV

Lazarus, a man dead for four days, whose body had begun to decay, walked out of the tomb, alive and whole. This was not a resuscitation, but a resurrection, a clear demonstration of Jesus’s absolute sovereignty over life and death. Augustine observed why Christ named him: “He calls him by name, that He may not bring out all the dead.” The call showed Jesus’s deliberate and precise power.

Reactions and Theological Implications

The raising of Lazarus had immediate consequences. Many of the Jews who witnessed it, or heard of it, believed on Jesus (John 11:45). However, others, filled with fear and opposition, reported the miracle to the Pharisees. This undeniable sign intensified the Jewish leaders’ plot to kill Jesus, as they feared His growing influence would lead to Roman intervention and the destruction of their nation (John 11:48). Ironically, Caiaphas, the high priest, unwittingly prophesied Jesus’s atoning death, stating it was “expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not” (John 11:50). This plot extended even to Lazarus: the chief priests consulted that they might put him also to death, because “by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus” (John 12:10-11).

The miracle carries these implications:

  • Jesus as the “Resurrection and the Life”: Jesus is not a channel for life or resurrection but its source and embodiment. He holds the power to bestow life, both physical and eternal, and to conquer death itself.
  • Demonstration of Divine Power: The raising of Lazarus, particularly after four days, eliminated any possibility of natural recovery or deception. It was a supernatural act, proving Jesus’s divine nature and His authority over the natural order and the spiritual realm.
  • Foreshadowing of Christ’s Own Resurrection: This miracle was a powerful preview of Jesus’s own victory over death. Just as He called Lazarus from the tomb, so too would He, by His own power, rise from His grave, confirming His claims and establishing the foundation of Christian hope.
  • Call to Belief: The entire event, from Jesus’s delay to His final command, was designed “to the intent ye may believe” (John 11:15). It challenged those present, and challenges us today, to place our faith in Him as the one who truly has the words of eternal life.
  • Compassion of Christ: Jesus’s weeping, despite knowing He was about to perform the miracle, highlights His empathy and identification with human suffering. He grieves with those who grieve, even as He possesses the ultimate solution to their sorrow.

Conclusion: The Enduring Message of Hope and Life

The raising of Lazarus from the dead is a cornerstone miracle, powerfully attesting to Jesus’s unique identity as God incarnate. It was a tangible, undeniable sign that He possessed authority over the ultimate enemy—death itself. For those who believe, Lazarus’s resurrection is a comfort: in Christ, death is not the end but a gateway to eternal life. It calls us to trust in Him, the “Resurrection, and the Life,” for He alone holds the keys of death and of hell, and offers true and abundant life to all who believe.