Raising Lazarus

Story Snapshot

When Jesus' friend Lazarus dies, Jesus arrives four days later to find the family grieving. Deeply moved, He declares Himself the resurrection and the life. At the tomb, He weeps, then calls Lazarus by name, and the dead man walks out, still wrapped in grave clothes. This great sign points to Jesus' power over death and deepens both faith and opposition.

Main Characters

Story Summary

Lazarus, whom Jesus loved, fell sick, and his sisters Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus. Yet Jesus deliberately stayed where He was two more days, saying the sickness would lead to God's glory. By the time He arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. Martha met Jesus and said that if He had been there, her brother would not have died, yet she still trusted Him. Jesus told her that her brother would rise again and declared, I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live. Martha affirmed her faith that He was the Christ. When Jesus saw Mary and the mourners weeping, He was deeply moved and troubled, and He wept. Coming to the tomb, a cave with a stone across it, He asked that the stone be removed. Martha protested about the odor, but Jesus reminded her she would see God's glory. After praying aloud so the crowd would believe, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave clothes, and Jesus told them to unwrap him and let him go. Many who saw it believed in Jesus.

Timeline

• The SicknessLazarus falls ill and his sisters send for Jesus.
• The DelayJesus waits two days before going.
• The DeathLazarus dies and is buried.
• The DeclarationJesus says He is the resurrection and the life.
• The WeepingJesus is deeply moved and weeps.
• The CommandJesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb.
• The RaisingLazarus walks out alive, and many believe.

Themes

What This Story Means

The raising of Lazarus is the climactic sign in John's Gospel, revealing Jesus' power over death itself and pointing ahead to His own resurrection. Jesus' declaration, I am the resurrection and the life, is one of the great statements of who He is: eternal life is found not in a doctrine but in a relationship with Him. The account also reveals Jesus' deep compassion; though He knew He would raise Lazarus, He wept with the grieving, showing that God enters into our sorrow. The miracle strengthened the faith of many and hardened the opposition of others, setting in motion the events leading to the cross. The passage teaches that Jesus holds power over death, that He shares in our grief, and that trusting Him is the way to life beyond the grave.

Bringing It Home

• Trust Jesus as the source of resurrection and eternal life.
• Bring your grief to Jesus, who weeps with you.
• Believe even when God's timing seems delayed.
• Let Christ's power over death give you hope.

Key Verse

Did You Know?

• Jesus wept, the shortest verse in many English Bibles.
• Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus arrived.
• This sign intensified the plot against Jesus' life.

Read Next

What This Shows Us About God

• God has power over death itself.
• God enters into and shares our grief.
• God works even through delay for greater glory.

What This Shows Us About People

• Grief is real, and Jesus honors it.
• Faith trusts God even when His timing confuses us.
• Signs of God's power call for a response of belief.

A Question to Sit With

Do I trust Jesus with my griefs and my hope beyond death?

Prayer

Lord, You wept with the grieving and called the dead to life, declaring Yourself the resurrection and the life. Help me trust You with my sorrows and my hope beyond the grave. Thank You that in You, death is not the end. Amen.