Raising Lazarus
Preaching
Preaching The Miracles
Series II, Cycle A
1. Text
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.1 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.2 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."3 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."4
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,5 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.6 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."7 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"8 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.9 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."10 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him."11 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right."12 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.13 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.14 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."15 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."16
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.17 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,18 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.19
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.20 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.21 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."22 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."23 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."24 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,25 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"26 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."27
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."28 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.29 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.30 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.31
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."32 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.33 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."34 Jesus began to weep.35 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"36 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"37
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.38 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."39 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"40 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me.41 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."42 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"43 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."44
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.45
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
This Mary anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. She and Martha send a message to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus of Bethany, the one whom Jesus loved, is ill.
Second Point Of Action
When Jesus hears this, he says the illness does not lead to death but is for God's glory.
Third Point Of Action
Although Jesus loves Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, he stays away another two days.
Fourth Point Of Action
Jesus' Conversation With Disciples: Jesus tells his disciples he wants to go to Judea again. The disciples warn him his life is in danger there. The Jews want to stone him. Jesus responds with the daylight and light metaphor. He tells the disciples Lazarus is not dead but asleep. He goes there to awaken him. The disciples tell Jesus if Lazarus has fallen asleep, then Lazarus will be all right. Jesus says plainly that Lazarus is dead. For their sakes, he is glad he was not there so they might believe. He says let them go to him. Thomas tells the other disciples they should all go to die with Jesus.
Fifth Point Of Action
At Bethany, Jesus finds Lazarus has been dead four days and that many consoling Jews have already come from Jerusalem.
Sixth Point Of Action
Conversation With Martha: Hearing about Jesus' arrival, Martha comes to meet him. Mary stays at home. Martha says if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died. She expresses faith in God's giving Jesus whatever he asks. Jesus says her brother will rise again.
When Martha answers that she knows Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day, Jesus tells her he is the resurrection and the life. When he asks if she believes this, she tells him she believes.
Seventh Point Of Action
Martha returns to the house telling Mary privately that Jesus asks for her.
Eighth Point Of Action
Mary quickly goes to Jesus. The consoling Jews follow Mary, thinking she goes to the tomb to weep.
Ninth Point Of Action
Kneeling at Jesus' feet, Mary repeats Martha's words: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus is greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved at the weeping.
Tenth Point Of Action
When he asks where they have laid Lazarus, the Jews invite Jesus to see for himself. Jesus begins to weep. Some praise love for Lazarus. Others scoff.
Eleventh Point Of Action
At the tomb, a cave with a stone lying against it, Jesus is greatly disturbed again. When he tells them to take away the stone, Martha mentions the stench of one already four days dead. Jesus reminds Martha he had told her that if she believed, she would see the glory of God.
Twelfth Point Of Action
After they remove the stone, Jesus prays and with a loud voice commands Lazarus to come out.
Thirteenth Point Of Action
When Lazarus walks out of the tomb, Jesus tells them to remove the strips of binding cloth and the face cloth.
Fourteenth Point Of Action
The writer of John reports that many Jews believed in Jesus.
3. Connecting Points -- Conversations
According to the Gospel called John, this miracle reveals the sixth sign of Jesus' acts that tell us God is with us. (See "Sign" in Cycle C, Miracle 3, "The Wedding At Cana.") Some scholars believe the healing of Lazarus may have been the reflective construction of later writers. The text is packed with study material juxtaposing life with death, hope with despair, and light with dark. For the writer of John, the text of 1:4 -- "[I]n [God] was life, and the life was the light of all people" -- expresses the crux of God, creation, and God's continuing presence.
Unlike in most miracle stories, the storyteller avoids a terse summary form. Extra, painstaking details fill 45 verses. For example, the storyteller makes certain the hearer knows who Lazarus, Martha, and Mary are in the first two verses and again at the tomb (John 11:39). The following conversations accept this story on the good faith of those who told it to illustrate lasting truths.
Interviewing Mary Of Bethany
Asker: Mary of Bethany, the teller of this story wants us to remember you first as the woman who anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair.
Mary Of Bethany: I did what I could. My spontaneous act comforted Jesus. Nard, as you may know, is fragrant. People of our day associated this costly herb with the love poems of the Song of Solomon. One whiff and Jesus could have construed my action as that of a lover. Martha, Lazarus, and I were not surprised when he defended such extravagance. Few people knew the conversations we shared with Jesus. We understood. Jesus' thoughts concentrated on his burial.
Asker: The storyteller wanted listeners to know that both you and your sister had sent for Jesus when Lazarus was ill. Because you were close, did you expect Jesus to do the extraordinary for your family?
Mary Of Bethany: When we sent for Jesus, Lazarus was alive. I knew Jesus would do all he could. I had no expectation for miracles at Lazarus' tomb. Resurrection beliefs of my day were fine as distant theory. Dead is dead. I was in deep grief for the loss of my brother before Jesus arrived.
Martha and I were close to Jesus and to our brother. While we expressed ourselves differently, we did not quibble. We four shared an abiding friendship. We could count on each other. So our first thought was to summon Jesus.
Asker: You spoke the same words as your sister upon meeting Jesus: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus answered Martha with words that led her to the reason for all of this. However, when I heard you say these sole words to Jesus, I heard only your devastation.
Mary Of Bethany: Jesus did not answer these words of my soul with explanations. We connected with compassion. Have you never found yourself wordless when meeting those who suffer? Only a hug or touch of the shoulder could express what was happening within your souls. My moaning words struck something deep within Jesus. Despite all he was, my grief undid Jesus at that moment.
Asker: Many Jews who heard about Lazarus' death consoled you and Martha. They stayed with you while Martha greeted Jesus. We sense that your emotions were more in control of you than your reason.
Mary Of Bethany: I feel deeply. Jesus lived by what he taught. He recognized our temperamental differences. He accepted Martha and me as we are.
Interviewing Martha
Asker: Martha, why did you tell Mary that Jesus was calling for her?
Martha: I knew she would respond to Jesus. This is a story about how people grieve. It is about preparatory grief for our loss of Jesus. The resurrection of Lazarus is a prelude to hope. Through Lazarus' death and resurrection, Jesus revealed the truth: Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Asker: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." These words came from your mouth, rebuking and stern.
Martha: Sometimes grief speaks harshly. I waited for Jesus. I believed he would rush to Lazarus' side. I did all I could to keep my brother alive. By the time Jesus heard the news, it was too late. Then he waited two more days before deciding to come. Jesus let his friend down. Despite my grief, I was furious.
Asker: When Jesus told you Lazarus would live again, you said, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." In the silence within such a conversation, I also hear your heart shouting, "What does that have to do with my despair over a death that you could have prevented?" Still, you addressed Jesus as Lord.
Martha: I always addressed Jesus as Lord.
Asker: Martha, you are as complex as your sister. Your voice gruffs at first hearing. You appear concerned only with the mechanics of living. Then you show your heart. Was the expression of Jesus' face at your lecturing what caused you to soften your voice? "But even now," you said, "I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." What a clear faith statement.
Martha: Jesus knew me well. He knew how to help me understand what was happening. At the tomb, I was the pragmatic Martha again speaking earnestly about the stench. Jesus summoned me to the heart. He reminded me, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
Asker: Surprises fill this story. Your personality suggests a person of little reflection. However, you do not slight the things of the soul. Typically, those closest to someone are the first to disparage the unusual and last to see another's strength. Close to Jesus, you had an important role. You said the words of affirmation: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Martha: Believe. Someone speaks this little word eight times in telling this story.
Interviewing Jesus
Asker: As a child, the most memorable thing I learned about this story was that it contains the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept" [John 11:35 RSV]. Lazarus' death moved you, Jesus, despite your knowing it would happen. Were you thinking about your impending death? With these two words, we realize that the God/person who was to die on the cross has the same feelings as anyone else.
Jesus: I wept. There is a time to be overcome by grief. There is a time to weep.
Asker: It was not your compassion that cried out but the grief of having lost a good friend. Those around you followed your tears. Some cried with you. "See how he loved him," they said. Some hid their feelings with scorn. "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man do something here?" they scoffed. Somehow, we did not expect you to cry from your own sense of loss. We constrain our leaders, oncologists, and ministers to keep their emotions to themselves lest they yield to their feelings. Yet your tears brought us closer to you. Your humanity awakened our own.
Jesus: This was not the death of a stranger. This was not an "I see you believe, therefore be healed" miracle of someone I never met. The tenderness lay in the friendship. Those who encounter the death of someone close stare at their own mortality.
Asker: My emotions ran high at the reading of this miracle. Instead of rushing to Lazarus' side, you hedged, "But --." What was going on here? Did your courage lapse? Your friend was seriously ill. From the start, an objective storyteller clarified your intent. While this illness was not to kill the spirit of Lazarus, the episode pointed to God's glory so that the Son of God might be glorified. Does this miracle, as did "The Man Born Blind," also from John, hang on the "so that"?
"Do something," Mary and Martha begged. These also are our urgent, commanding words when God is the only one left to whom we can turn. Our anger is as real as theirs when you seemingly let Lazarus die "so that." How could you make a point about God at the expense of another's life? Is loyalty one-directional? How can God not intervene when God has the power to intercede? Why does God let suffering exist? How can God be choosy about to whom a miracle happens and to whom one does not happen?
Jesus: Emotions run high at the death of someone close. As perceptive as we are, our limitedness cramps understanding. We are not taking away death here. Lazarus was undeniably dead. We are taking away its sting. We are most teachable in the midst of great despair. John tells this story as a sign of God's presence. God is available to the entire variety of persons. Despite the dying of the physical body and despite the loss, resurrection happens. When it seems as if God does not get there in time, we may be measuring by human time. Lazarus was undeniably dead. That was the point.
Asker: Is belief what this miracle is all about, Jesus?
Jesus: Belief is what this miracle is all about. Listen to the heart of the story, the essential "belief" words separated from the rest:
"For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe...."
"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" [Martha] said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
... [M]any of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him....
We gain courage by focusing on the hope of the light rather than the despair of the dark. This entire story is preparation for a new meaning of resurrection.
4. Words
Glorified (See Cycle C, Miracle 5.)
Lazarus Of Bethany
Only the Gospel named John mentions Lazarus of Bethany.
Lazarus means "one whom God has helped." Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus was present at the supper at which his sister Mary had anointed Jesus in their house before Passover.
Scholars wonder about this miracle's authenticity.1 Unlike the widow's son at Nain and Jairus' daughter, Lazarus had been dead four days. Such a miracle would have been spectacular; however, the other Gospels speak nothing of it. Also, Luke wrote about Mary and Martha but said nothing about Lazarus. While this story may have been designed to make a point, we study it here to glean further insight into Jesus' miracles.
Martha
Martha was sterner and more distant than her sister Mary.
The writer of Luke suggests that Mary lived with Martha. "[A] woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her home" (Luke 10:38). Details distracted Martha. The practical housekeeper, she made sure Jesus had provision for his physical needs. She was the chider. She hovered over her younger sister. She reminded Jesus of the stench at the tomb of Lazarus. Other writings about Martha are found in Luke 10:38ff and John 12:1ff.
While Gospel writers emphasize that Jesus loved both sisters, seeking the kingdom of God was more important to him than any other value. His message to Martha was to seek that first and let other things find their place. (See Luke 10:40-42.)
Mary Of Bethany
The Gospel named Luke presents Mary as the contemplative sister. Mary appeared indifferent to the "mundane matters" Martha focused on. John presents her as grieving inconsolably over her brother's death. She was thankful for the restoration of Lazarus. She recognized Jesus' power and was deeply devoted to him. These words by the Psalmist could have been her words: "[M]y soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning" (Psalm 130:6).
At Mary and Martha's pre-Passover dinner for Jesus, Martha served. While Martha fed the body, Mary nurtured the soul. The writer of Luke says Mary "sat at [Jesus'] feet and listened to what he was saying" (Luke 10:39). The writer of John reports that Mary anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume made of pure nard, an herb whose aromatic roots were used for medicinal purposes. (See John 11:2.) When Judas Iscariot suggested the perfume was wasteful, Jesus said Mary bought it for his burial.
The writer of Mark does not name the woman who broke open an alabaster jar of "very costly ointment of nard" and poured the ointment on his head (Mark 14:3). Is the woman's action symbolic of an ordinary person's recognition of Jesus' power?
While her anointing is reminiscent of the divine anointment of Old Testament leaders, Jesus points to the burial of his body. In the Gospel called Mark, Jesus says, "She has performed a good service for me.... She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial" (Mark 14:6, 8).
5. Gospel Parallels
While this healing miracle has no gospel parallel, cross-references given below may offer further insight to its meaning.2
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.1
For Jesus, Bethany was a place of rest and care for his physical needs (see Matthew 21:17, Matthew 26:6, Mark 11:11 and 12, Mark 14:3, and John 12:1). It was also the site of important events. At Bethany, John the Baptist told about Jesus' coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit. (See John 1:28.) Here Jesus blessed the disciples before his ascension. (See Luke 24:50.) Other Bethany references include Mark 11:1, Luke 19:29, John 11:1, and John 11:18.
Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.2
This refers to the Johanine story. (See John 12:3ff. See Mark 14:3 for parallel anointing.) The writer of Luke presents another possible parallel because of story similarity. However, scholars disagree about the identification of "a woman in the city, who was a sinner" as either Mary Magdalene or Mary of Bethany.3 See Luke 7:37-38.
So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."3
The writer of John says that "Jesus loved ... Lazarus" (John 11:5). To his disciples, Jesus called Lazarus, "our friend" (John 11:11).
But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."4
The writer of John also gives the "so that" reason for the malady of the man born blind: "he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him" (John 9:3). See Cycle A, Miracle 2, "The Man Born Blind" in John 9:1-41.
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,5 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.6
No cross-reference.
Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."7
See John 10:40.
The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"8
In two other passages, the writer of John mentions Jews wanting to stone Jesus for the blasphemy of making himself God. After Jesus said he and the Father are one, they took up stones. When Jesus asked for what good work from the Father they were going to stone him, they answered that his making himself God when he was only a human being was the problem, not good works.
(See John 10:31.) In the second passage, Jesus had said that "before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58ff).
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.9 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."10
For more on the light metaphor, see John 9:4, John 12:35, and 1 John 2:8-11.
After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him."11 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right."12 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.13 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead."14
See Matthew 9:24, Matthew 27:52, Mark 5:39, and Luke 8:52 for further use the sleep image for one who has died.
"For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."15
No cross-reference.
Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."16
For other references to Thomas, see Matthew 10:3, John 14:5, and John 20:24-28. In the last, note the parallel of Thomas' response when Christ showed himself after his resurrection.
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.17
See John 11:39.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,18 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.19
For other references to burial practices, see 1 Samuel 31:13,1 Chronicles 10:12, Job 2:11, and John 11:31.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.20
See also Luke 10:38-42.
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."21
See John 11:2 and John 11:32.
"But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."22
For other references about God's hearing us, see John 9:31 and John 11:41-42.
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."23 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."24
For other references to resurrection hope, see Daniel 12:2, John 5:28, and Acts 24:15.
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,"25
See John 1:4, 5:26, 6:39-40, and 14:6. See also Revelation 1:18.
"... and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"26
See John 5:24, 6:47, 6:50-51, and 8:51.
She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."27
For other proclamations that Jesus is the Messiah, see Luke 2:11, Matthew 16:16, John 1:49, and John 6:14.
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."28
"Teacher" as a title for Jesus is used in Matthew 26:18, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:11, and John 13:13.
And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.29 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.30
See John 11:20.
The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.31
See John 11:19 and 11:33.
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."32
See John 11:2 and 11:21.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.33
For other references to Jesus' being troubled, see John 11:38, John 12:27, and John 13:21. Jesus was concerned that our hearts are not troubled. See John 14:1 and 14:27.
He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."34
On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene did not know where they had laid Jesus. See John 20:1-18.
Jesus began to weep.35
See also Luke 19:41.
So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"36
See John 11:3.
But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"37
See John 9:7.
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.38
For parallels at the time of Jesus' death, see Matthew 27:60, Mark 15:46, Luke 24:2, and John 20:1.
Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."39 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"40
See John 2:11, 11:4, and 11:24-27.
So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me."41
See John 17:1 and Matthew 11:25.
"I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."42
See John 12:30, John 17:21, and 1 John 5:14.
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"43 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."44
For reference to the burial cloths at Easter, see John 19:40 and 20:7.
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.45
For other expressions of belief in Jesus by the crowds, see John 2:23, 7:31, and 12:17.
____________
1. See The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible, Volume 3.
2. Cross-references are from the self-pronouncing reference RSV edition of The Holy Bible (Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company), 1962. Texts are from the NRSV.
3. See "Mary" in The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible, Volume 3.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.1 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.2 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."3 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."4
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,5 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.6 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."7 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"8 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.9 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."10 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him."11 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right."12 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.13 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.14 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."15 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."16
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.17 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,18 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.19
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.20 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.21 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."22 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."23 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."24 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,25 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"26 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."27
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."28 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.29 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.30 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.31
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."32 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.33 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."34 Jesus began to weep.35 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"36 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"37
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.38 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."39 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"40 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me.41 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."42 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"43 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."44
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.45
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
This Mary anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. She and Martha send a message to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus of Bethany, the one whom Jesus loved, is ill.
Second Point Of Action
When Jesus hears this, he says the illness does not lead to death but is for God's glory.
Third Point Of Action
Although Jesus loves Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, he stays away another two days.
Fourth Point Of Action
Jesus' Conversation With Disciples: Jesus tells his disciples he wants to go to Judea again. The disciples warn him his life is in danger there. The Jews want to stone him. Jesus responds with the daylight and light metaphor. He tells the disciples Lazarus is not dead but asleep. He goes there to awaken him. The disciples tell Jesus if Lazarus has fallen asleep, then Lazarus will be all right. Jesus says plainly that Lazarus is dead. For their sakes, he is glad he was not there so they might believe. He says let them go to him. Thomas tells the other disciples they should all go to die with Jesus.
Fifth Point Of Action
At Bethany, Jesus finds Lazarus has been dead four days and that many consoling Jews have already come from Jerusalem.
Sixth Point Of Action
Conversation With Martha: Hearing about Jesus' arrival, Martha comes to meet him. Mary stays at home. Martha says if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died. She expresses faith in God's giving Jesus whatever he asks. Jesus says her brother will rise again.
When Martha answers that she knows Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day, Jesus tells her he is the resurrection and the life. When he asks if she believes this, she tells him she believes.
Seventh Point Of Action
Martha returns to the house telling Mary privately that Jesus asks for her.
Eighth Point Of Action
Mary quickly goes to Jesus. The consoling Jews follow Mary, thinking she goes to the tomb to weep.
Ninth Point Of Action
Kneeling at Jesus' feet, Mary repeats Martha's words: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus is greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved at the weeping.
Tenth Point Of Action
When he asks where they have laid Lazarus, the Jews invite Jesus to see for himself. Jesus begins to weep. Some praise love for Lazarus. Others scoff.
Eleventh Point Of Action
At the tomb, a cave with a stone lying against it, Jesus is greatly disturbed again. When he tells them to take away the stone, Martha mentions the stench of one already four days dead. Jesus reminds Martha he had told her that if she believed, she would see the glory of God.
Twelfth Point Of Action
After they remove the stone, Jesus prays and with a loud voice commands Lazarus to come out.
Thirteenth Point Of Action
When Lazarus walks out of the tomb, Jesus tells them to remove the strips of binding cloth and the face cloth.
Fourteenth Point Of Action
The writer of John reports that many Jews believed in Jesus.
3. Connecting Points -- Conversations
According to the Gospel called John, this miracle reveals the sixth sign of Jesus' acts that tell us God is with us. (See "Sign" in Cycle C, Miracle 3, "The Wedding At Cana.") Some scholars believe the healing of Lazarus may have been the reflective construction of later writers. The text is packed with study material juxtaposing life with death, hope with despair, and light with dark. For the writer of John, the text of 1:4 -- "[I]n [God] was life, and the life was the light of all people" -- expresses the crux of God, creation, and God's continuing presence.
Unlike in most miracle stories, the storyteller avoids a terse summary form. Extra, painstaking details fill 45 verses. For example, the storyteller makes certain the hearer knows who Lazarus, Martha, and Mary are in the first two verses and again at the tomb (John 11:39). The following conversations accept this story on the good faith of those who told it to illustrate lasting truths.
Interviewing Mary Of Bethany
Asker: Mary of Bethany, the teller of this story wants us to remember you first as the woman who anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair.
Mary Of Bethany: I did what I could. My spontaneous act comforted Jesus. Nard, as you may know, is fragrant. People of our day associated this costly herb with the love poems of the Song of Solomon. One whiff and Jesus could have construed my action as that of a lover. Martha, Lazarus, and I were not surprised when he defended such extravagance. Few people knew the conversations we shared with Jesus. We understood. Jesus' thoughts concentrated on his burial.
Asker: The storyteller wanted listeners to know that both you and your sister had sent for Jesus when Lazarus was ill. Because you were close, did you expect Jesus to do the extraordinary for your family?
Mary Of Bethany: When we sent for Jesus, Lazarus was alive. I knew Jesus would do all he could. I had no expectation for miracles at Lazarus' tomb. Resurrection beliefs of my day were fine as distant theory. Dead is dead. I was in deep grief for the loss of my brother before Jesus arrived.
Martha and I were close to Jesus and to our brother. While we expressed ourselves differently, we did not quibble. We four shared an abiding friendship. We could count on each other. So our first thought was to summon Jesus.
Asker: You spoke the same words as your sister upon meeting Jesus: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus answered Martha with words that led her to the reason for all of this. However, when I heard you say these sole words to Jesus, I heard only your devastation.
Mary Of Bethany: Jesus did not answer these words of my soul with explanations. We connected with compassion. Have you never found yourself wordless when meeting those who suffer? Only a hug or touch of the shoulder could express what was happening within your souls. My moaning words struck something deep within Jesus. Despite all he was, my grief undid Jesus at that moment.
Asker: Many Jews who heard about Lazarus' death consoled you and Martha. They stayed with you while Martha greeted Jesus. We sense that your emotions were more in control of you than your reason.
Mary Of Bethany: I feel deeply. Jesus lived by what he taught. He recognized our temperamental differences. He accepted Martha and me as we are.
Interviewing Martha
Asker: Martha, why did you tell Mary that Jesus was calling for her?
Martha: I knew she would respond to Jesus. This is a story about how people grieve. It is about preparatory grief for our loss of Jesus. The resurrection of Lazarus is a prelude to hope. Through Lazarus' death and resurrection, Jesus revealed the truth: Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Asker: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." These words came from your mouth, rebuking and stern.
Martha: Sometimes grief speaks harshly. I waited for Jesus. I believed he would rush to Lazarus' side. I did all I could to keep my brother alive. By the time Jesus heard the news, it was too late. Then he waited two more days before deciding to come. Jesus let his friend down. Despite my grief, I was furious.
Asker: When Jesus told you Lazarus would live again, you said, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." In the silence within such a conversation, I also hear your heart shouting, "What does that have to do with my despair over a death that you could have prevented?" Still, you addressed Jesus as Lord.
Martha: I always addressed Jesus as Lord.
Asker: Martha, you are as complex as your sister. Your voice gruffs at first hearing. You appear concerned only with the mechanics of living. Then you show your heart. Was the expression of Jesus' face at your lecturing what caused you to soften your voice? "But even now," you said, "I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." What a clear faith statement.
Martha: Jesus knew me well. He knew how to help me understand what was happening. At the tomb, I was the pragmatic Martha again speaking earnestly about the stench. Jesus summoned me to the heart. He reminded me, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
Asker: Surprises fill this story. Your personality suggests a person of little reflection. However, you do not slight the things of the soul. Typically, those closest to someone are the first to disparage the unusual and last to see another's strength. Close to Jesus, you had an important role. You said the words of affirmation: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Martha: Believe. Someone speaks this little word eight times in telling this story.
Interviewing Jesus
Asker: As a child, the most memorable thing I learned about this story was that it contains the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept" [John 11:35 RSV]. Lazarus' death moved you, Jesus, despite your knowing it would happen. Were you thinking about your impending death? With these two words, we realize that the God/person who was to die on the cross has the same feelings as anyone else.
Jesus: I wept. There is a time to be overcome by grief. There is a time to weep.
Asker: It was not your compassion that cried out but the grief of having lost a good friend. Those around you followed your tears. Some cried with you. "See how he loved him," they said. Some hid their feelings with scorn. "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man do something here?" they scoffed. Somehow, we did not expect you to cry from your own sense of loss. We constrain our leaders, oncologists, and ministers to keep their emotions to themselves lest they yield to their feelings. Yet your tears brought us closer to you. Your humanity awakened our own.
Jesus: This was not the death of a stranger. This was not an "I see you believe, therefore be healed" miracle of someone I never met. The tenderness lay in the friendship. Those who encounter the death of someone close stare at their own mortality.
Asker: My emotions ran high at the reading of this miracle. Instead of rushing to Lazarus' side, you hedged, "But --." What was going on here? Did your courage lapse? Your friend was seriously ill. From the start, an objective storyteller clarified your intent. While this illness was not to kill the spirit of Lazarus, the episode pointed to God's glory so that the Son of God might be glorified. Does this miracle, as did "The Man Born Blind," also from John, hang on the "so that"?
"Do something," Mary and Martha begged. These also are our urgent, commanding words when God is the only one left to whom we can turn. Our anger is as real as theirs when you seemingly let Lazarus die "so that." How could you make a point about God at the expense of another's life? Is loyalty one-directional? How can God not intervene when God has the power to intercede? Why does God let suffering exist? How can God be choosy about to whom a miracle happens and to whom one does not happen?
Jesus: Emotions run high at the death of someone close. As perceptive as we are, our limitedness cramps understanding. We are not taking away death here. Lazarus was undeniably dead. We are taking away its sting. We are most teachable in the midst of great despair. John tells this story as a sign of God's presence. God is available to the entire variety of persons. Despite the dying of the physical body and despite the loss, resurrection happens. When it seems as if God does not get there in time, we may be measuring by human time. Lazarus was undeniably dead. That was the point.
Asker: Is belief what this miracle is all about, Jesus?
Jesus: Belief is what this miracle is all about. Listen to the heart of the story, the essential "belief" words separated from the rest:
"For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe...."
"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" [Martha] said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
... [M]any of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him....
We gain courage by focusing on the hope of the light rather than the despair of the dark. This entire story is preparation for a new meaning of resurrection.
4. Words
Glorified (See Cycle C, Miracle 5.)
Lazarus Of Bethany
Only the Gospel named John mentions Lazarus of Bethany.
Lazarus means "one whom God has helped." Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus was present at the supper at which his sister Mary had anointed Jesus in their house before Passover.
Scholars wonder about this miracle's authenticity.1 Unlike the widow's son at Nain and Jairus' daughter, Lazarus had been dead four days. Such a miracle would have been spectacular; however, the other Gospels speak nothing of it. Also, Luke wrote about Mary and Martha but said nothing about Lazarus. While this story may have been designed to make a point, we study it here to glean further insight into Jesus' miracles.
Martha
Martha was sterner and more distant than her sister Mary.
The writer of Luke suggests that Mary lived with Martha. "[A] woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her home" (Luke 10:38). Details distracted Martha. The practical housekeeper, she made sure Jesus had provision for his physical needs. She was the chider. She hovered over her younger sister. She reminded Jesus of the stench at the tomb of Lazarus. Other writings about Martha are found in Luke 10:38ff and John 12:1ff.
While Gospel writers emphasize that Jesus loved both sisters, seeking the kingdom of God was more important to him than any other value. His message to Martha was to seek that first and let other things find their place. (See Luke 10:40-42.)
Mary Of Bethany
The Gospel named Luke presents Mary as the contemplative sister. Mary appeared indifferent to the "mundane matters" Martha focused on. John presents her as grieving inconsolably over her brother's death. She was thankful for the restoration of Lazarus. She recognized Jesus' power and was deeply devoted to him. These words by the Psalmist could have been her words: "[M]y soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning" (Psalm 130:6).
At Mary and Martha's pre-Passover dinner for Jesus, Martha served. While Martha fed the body, Mary nurtured the soul. The writer of Luke says Mary "sat at [Jesus'] feet and listened to what he was saying" (Luke 10:39). The writer of John reports that Mary anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume made of pure nard, an herb whose aromatic roots were used for medicinal purposes. (See John 11:2.) When Judas Iscariot suggested the perfume was wasteful, Jesus said Mary bought it for his burial.
The writer of Mark does not name the woman who broke open an alabaster jar of "very costly ointment of nard" and poured the ointment on his head (Mark 14:3). Is the woman's action symbolic of an ordinary person's recognition of Jesus' power?
While her anointing is reminiscent of the divine anointment of Old Testament leaders, Jesus points to the burial of his body. In the Gospel called Mark, Jesus says, "She has performed a good service for me.... She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial" (Mark 14:6, 8).
5. Gospel Parallels
While this healing miracle has no gospel parallel, cross-references given below may offer further insight to its meaning.2
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.1
For Jesus, Bethany was a place of rest and care for his physical needs (see Matthew 21:17, Matthew 26:6, Mark 11:11 and 12, Mark 14:3, and John 12:1). It was also the site of important events. At Bethany, John the Baptist told about Jesus' coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit. (See John 1:28.) Here Jesus blessed the disciples before his ascension. (See Luke 24:50.) Other Bethany references include Mark 11:1, Luke 19:29, John 11:1, and John 11:18.
Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.2
This refers to the Johanine story. (See John 12:3ff. See Mark 14:3 for parallel anointing.) The writer of Luke presents another possible parallel because of story similarity. However, scholars disagree about the identification of "a woman in the city, who was a sinner" as either Mary Magdalene or Mary of Bethany.3 See Luke 7:37-38.
So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."3
The writer of John says that "Jesus loved ... Lazarus" (John 11:5). To his disciples, Jesus called Lazarus, "our friend" (John 11:11).
But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."4
The writer of John also gives the "so that" reason for the malady of the man born blind: "he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him" (John 9:3). See Cycle A, Miracle 2, "The Man Born Blind" in John 9:1-41.
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,5 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.6
No cross-reference.
Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."7
See John 10:40.
The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"8
In two other passages, the writer of John mentions Jews wanting to stone Jesus for the blasphemy of making himself God. After Jesus said he and the Father are one, they took up stones. When Jesus asked for what good work from the Father they were going to stone him, they answered that his making himself God when he was only a human being was the problem, not good works.
(See John 10:31.) In the second passage, Jesus had said that "before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58ff).
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.9 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."10
For more on the light metaphor, see John 9:4, John 12:35, and 1 John 2:8-11.
After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him."11 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right."12 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.13 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead."14
See Matthew 9:24, Matthew 27:52, Mark 5:39, and Luke 8:52 for further use the sleep image for one who has died.
"For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."15
No cross-reference.
Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."16
For other references to Thomas, see Matthew 10:3, John 14:5, and John 20:24-28. In the last, note the parallel of Thomas' response when Christ showed himself after his resurrection.
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.17
See John 11:39.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,18 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.19
For other references to burial practices, see 1 Samuel 31:13,1 Chronicles 10:12, Job 2:11, and John 11:31.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.20
See also Luke 10:38-42.
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."21
See John 11:2 and John 11:32.
"But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."22
For other references about God's hearing us, see John 9:31 and John 11:41-42.
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."23 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."24
For other references to resurrection hope, see Daniel 12:2, John 5:28, and Acts 24:15.
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,"25
See John 1:4, 5:26, 6:39-40, and 14:6. See also Revelation 1:18.
"... and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"26
See John 5:24, 6:47, 6:50-51, and 8:51.
She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."27
For other proclamations that Jesus is the Messiah, see Luke 2:11, Matthew 16:16, John 1:49, and John 6:14.
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."28
"Teacher" as a title for Jesus is used in Matthew 26:18, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:11, and John 13:13.
And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.29 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.30
See John 11:20.
The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.31
See John 11:19 and 11:33.
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."32
See John 11:2 and 11:21.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.33
For other references to Jesus' being troubled, see John 11:38, John 12:27, and John 13:21. Jesus was concerned that our hearts are not troubled. See John 14:1 and 14:27.
He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."34
On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene did not know where they had laid Jesus. See John 20:1-18.
Jesus began to weep.35
See also Luke 19:41.
So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"36
See John 11:3.
But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"37
See John 9:7.
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.38
For parallels at the time of Jesus' death, see Matthew 27:60, Mark 15:46, Luke 24:2, and John 20:1.
Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."39 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"40
See John 2:11, 11:4, and 11:24-27.
So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me."41
See John 17:1 and Matthew 11:25.
"I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."42
See John 12:30, John 17:21, and 1 John 5:14.
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"43 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."44
For reference to the burial cloths at Easter, see John 19:40 and 20:7.
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.45
For other expressions of belief in Jesus by the crowds, see John 2:23, 7:31, and 12:17.
____________
1. See The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible, Volume 3.
2. Cross-references are from the self-pronouncing reference RSV edition of The Holy Bible (Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company), 1962. Texts are from the NRSV.
3. See "Mary" in The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible, Volume 3.
