Raising of Lazarus

Text and Narrative

The account is recorded in the Gospel of John 11:1-44. When Lazarus of Bethany fell ill, his sisters Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus. After hearing the news, Jesus remained where he was two more days and then set out for Judea. By the time he arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25). Martha confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God (John 11:27). Seeing those who were weeping, Jesus wept with them (John 11:35). He then had the stone that closed the tomb taken away and called out, "Lazarus, come forth." Lazarus came out, bound hand and foot with graveclothes.

Background

The text states that Bethany was "about fifteen furlongs" from Jerusalem (John 11:18), a distance of about 3 kilometers (roughly 2 miles); the village is known to have stood on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. The name Lazarus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Eleazar and is commonly interpreted to mean "God has helped." The tomb was a cave with a stone laid across its entrance (John 11:38). Through the detail that four days had passed since his death and through Martha's remark that the body would already stink, the text emphasizes that Lazarus was truly dead.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The Gospel of John presents Jesus' miracles as "signs" that point to who he is. This event stands at the climax of those signs and is commonly counted among the seven signs of the Gospel of John. The accompanying saying, "I am the resurrection, and the life," is one of the "I am" sayings in John.

The event is also a turning point leading into the Passion narrative. Afterward, the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the council and plotted to put Jesus to death. The high priest Caiaphas said that it was better for one man to die for the people (John 11:49-53). The chief priests even sought to kill Lazarus as well (John 12:10). Thus a sign that gave life becomes the occasion of Jesus' death. The Old Testament records Elijah and Elisha restoring dead children to life, and the Gospels contain other accounts such as the raising of Jairus's daughter.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Resuscitation and resurrection: Many interpreters call this event a "resuscitation" and distinguish it from resurrection. Resuscitation refers to a return to life in a mortal body, whereas resurrection refers to life in a body that will never die again. At the same time, these interpreters read the event as a sign that foreshadows the resurrection on the last day (John 5:28-29). The text does not say how Lazarus later died.
• Historicity: The event does not appear in the Synoptic Gospels. On this basis, some critical scholars regard it as a theological composition of the Gospel of John. Evangelical scholars generally regard it as an event that actually took place.
• Jesus' tears: John 11:35 is frequently cited as evidence of Jesus' genuine human emotion.
• Later traditions: This Lazarus is a different person from the Lazarus in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The Western church had a tradition identifying Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene, but the text provides no basis for this. There is also an Eastern tradition that Lazarus later became a bishop on Cyprus and a Western tradition that he traveled to southern France. Both are extrabiblical accounts.

In the Korean Church

John 11:25-26 is frequently read at funeral services and memorial services and is often used as a sermon text. The Orthodox Church observes the day before Palm Sunday as Lazarus Saturday. Korean Protestantism has no special observance commemorating this event.