Who was Lazarus and where does he feature in the Gospels? Why was he so important to Jesus? What transformative event changed his life and death and that of his family?
In John’s Gospel, Lazarus is a disciple of Jesus and the brother of Martha and Mary who live together in the small town of Bethany nestled in the olive groves east of Jerusalem. The Gospel repeatedly describes him as loved by Jesus (John 11:3,5,36) and once as Jesus’ friend (John 11:11). This has led some scholars to suggest Lazarus was the Beloved Disciple of the Fourth Gospel (John 13:21-26; 19:25-27; 20:2-10). Yet we know little of his life and none of his words are recorded. However, their parents are dead and Lazarus as the only man in the house is the only one who can provide long term security for his unmarried sisters. That they are troubled after his death, and disappointed that Jesus had not been able to attend to him beforehand, is not surprising.
The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is the longest narrative in the Gospel other than the passion of Jesus. It is the last Great Sign recorded in John revealing Jesus as the promised Christ and the one with power over sickness and death (John 11:25). It is the occasion of the fifth “I am” saying in verses 25-26a “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” This elicits from Martha the remarkable statement of faith equalled only by Peter in John 6:69 – “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” It marks the end of Jesus’ public ministry and leads into his Passion (John 11:45-53; 12:10-11; cf. Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47-48).
We are told Lazarus was four days in the Tomb (John 11:6, 17, 39) emphasising the reality of his death. It was the common belief of Jewish teachers at the time that the life force of the dead person remained present for three days and then dissipated leaving the truly dead. Jesus arrives after four days but before the reality of Jesus’ power this death is not ultimate, it serves a divine purpose. In the Gospel a distinction is made between the resuscitation of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus in the details of the two accounts. This is symbolised in Lazarus needing to be unwrapped from the grave clothes that bound him, while Jesus’ wrappings are neatly left behind him who, by God’s power, is the agent of his own Resurrection.
While we have no words of Lazarus, his living presence, back in his own home in Bethany just two miles from Jerusalem where he could easily be visited, was far more powerful than any narrative. The Jerusalem rulers see this as a most dangerous situation. If the Roman authorities came to believe that Jesus was a messianic claimant to the Throne of a renewed Israel and was now in Jerusalem, for the great feast of Passover and gathering crowds of followers, their intervention would be quick and decisive. And so, we are told the Sanhedrin begins to plan Jesus’ death and the death of Lazarus.
Jesus spends his last days before his imprisonment going from days of challenge in Jerusalem to evenings surrounded by friends and family at Bethany. We are told they prepare a dinner in his honour. Lazarus is present at this shared meal where Mary his sister anoints Jesus for his coming death with exquisite and expensive perfumed oil. News and speculation would have been going backwards and forwards to Jerusalem just two miles away. The atmosphere in Jerusalem must have been increasingly tense. Yet here in Bethany surrounded by groves of olive trees, the family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus sustain Jesus and his disciples within the circle of their friendship and the generous hospitality of their comfortable home.
Fleur Dorrell
