Lazarus
Four days in the tomb, he walked out when Jesus called his name.
New Testament · 1st century · John · Also known as Lazarus of Bethany, Brother of Martha and Mary
About Lazarus
Lazarus of Bethany was the brother of Martha and Mary, and Jesus loved him. When he fell ill, his sisters sent word: "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." Jesus waited two days, and by the time he arrived Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. Jesus wept, then stood at the tomb and cried, "Lazarus, come forth." He came out, still bound in grave clothes. Many believed in Jesus because of him, so the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too. Scripture records no words from him at all.
Lazarus has no recorded words, so this guide speaks about him. He is different from Lazarus in Jesus’ parable of the rich man (Luke 16). In John’s Gospel, raising Lazarus is the last great sign before Jesus’ own death, and it sets the plot against Jesus in motion.
The story
He whom thou lovest
Lazarus of Bethany was sick. His sisters sent to Jesus: "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." Jesus said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God." Yet "he abode two days still in the same place where he was."
John 11:1-6
Our friend sleepeth
"Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." When the disciples misunderstood, "Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead." When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days.
John 11:11-17
Lazarus, come forth
At the tomb, a cave with a stone across it, Jesus prayed and "cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 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 11:38-44
Sought to put Lazarus to death
Six days before Passover, Lazarus sat at table with Jesus in Bethany. Many came to see him, and believed in Jesus. "But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."
John 12:1-11
Key moments
- Falls ill: "He whom thou lovest is sick." (John 11:3)
- Dies: Four days in the grave. (John 11:17)
- Jesus weeps: At his tomb. (John 11:35)
- Raised to life: "Lazarus, come forth." (John 11:43-44)
- Targeted by the chief priests: Because many believed. (John 12:10-11)
Questions about Lazarus
Why did Jesus wait before going to Lazarus?
John says Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and yet "he abode two days still in the same place." Jesus had said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby," and later told the disciples, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe." John presents the delay as purposeful, even though it brought real grief.
Did Lazarus say anything after he was raised?
No words of Lazarus are recorded, before or after. John tells us only that he came out bound in grave clothes, that he later "sat at the table" with Jesus, and that many believed because of him. Scripture says nothing about what he experienced while he was dead.
Is this the same Lazarus as in the rich man story?
No. In Luke 16 Jesus tells a parable about a rich man and "a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores." That Lazarus is a character in a story. Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Martha and Mary, appears in John 11–12. The parable even ends with the words, "neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Connected people
- Martha: Sister
- Mary of Bethany: Sister
- Jesus: Friend
- Thomas: "Let us also go, that we may die with him"
Read it yourself
Start with John 11–12.