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Lazarus of Bethany
The friend Jesus raised from the dead after four days in the tomb — and whose resurrection sealed Jesus' own fate.
Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and a close friend of Jesus. He lived in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem. When he fell ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus: “ Lord, the one you love is sick” (John 11:3). By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.
The Raising
The raising of Lazarus, narrated in John 11, is the seventh and greatest of the signs recorded in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus wept at the tomb — one of the shortest and most affecting verses in Scripture: “ Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Then he called Lazarus out, and Lazarus came out, still wrapped in his burial cloths.
The miracle is unique among the signs in John because it is explicitly a resurrection — the restoration of a dead man to life. It is also the immediate trigger of the plot to kill Jesus: John 11:53 says, “ From that day on they plotted to take his life.” The chief priests also considered killing Lazarus (John 12:10), because his existence was undeniable evidence that Jesus possessed the power he claimed.
“ 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 11:43-44Later Life
The New Testament tells us nothing about Lazarus’ later life. Later tradition — unreliable but persistent — claims he was martyred, or that he fled to Cyprus, or that he lived quietly in Bethany until his death. The silence of Scripture is itself notable: the man whose resurrection had such dramatic consequences fades from the narrative once his role is done.
Sources
- John 11:1–44; 12:1–11.
- Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, vol. 2 (Hendrickson, 2003), 837–877.
- Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John I– XII (Anchor Bible, 1966), 420–437.