Jesus Raises Lazarus

John places the raising of Lazarus near the end of Jesus' public ministry, as the last and greatest sign before his Passion (Jn 11:1–44). It is a story about friendship, grief and faith, and about who Jesus really is.

Lazarus lived in Bethany, a village about two miles from Jerusalem, with his sisters Martha and Mary. John tells us plainly that Jesus loved all three. So when Lazarus fell seriously ill, the sisters sent word, trusting that the news alone would bring him.

Jesus' response is surprising. He stays where he is for two more days. He tells his disciples that this illness will end not in death but in God's glory, and that Lazarus has 'fallen asleep' and he is going to wake him. The disciples take him literally, so Jesus tells them plainly that Lazarus has died. Going back to Judea is dangerous, since some there had recently tried to stone him (Jn 10:31). Thomas says, with gloomy courage, that if Jesus is going, they may as well go and share his fate.

By the time they arrive, Lazarus has been in the tomb four days. That detail matters: no one could doubt that he was truly dead.

Martha meets Jesus on the road. Her words mix grief and faith: her brother would have lived if Jesus had come, and yet she still trusts that God will grant whatever Jesus asks. Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise, and she agrees, thinking of the resurrection at the end of time. Then Jesus reveals something more: he is the Resurrection and the Life, and whoever believes in him has a life death cannot destroy. Martha answers with one of the great professions of faith in the Gospels: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the one the world has been waiting for.

Mary comes next and kneels at his feet in tears. Seeing her grief, Jesus is shaken to the depths, and he weeps. The crowd notices how much he loved his friend. This matters: Jesus is truly God, yet also truly human, and he feels sorrow as we do (CCC 470).

At the tomb, Jesus has the stone removed and prays aloud to his Father so that the crowd will believe. Then he calls Lazarus out with a loud voice. Lazarus comes out, still bound in burial cloths, and Jesus tells them to set him free.

Lazarus would die again one day; he came back to ordinary life. Jesus' own Resurrection would be different: he rose to a new, glorious life that can never die (CCC 646). The raising of Lazarus is a sign pointing ahead to Easter, and to the promise that all who belong to Christ will rise.