Jesus was not surprised because he knew that they were all crying about Lazarus. Lots of people had come to Mary and Martha’s house. What did all this mean? How did Jesus know that Lazarus was dead? How could you “wake up” a dead person?įinally, Jesus and the disciples arrived in Bethany. The disciples were very confused while they were travelling to the town of Bethany.
I have to go wake him up.” When he saw the disciples did not understand, he explained, “Lazarus is dead.” Jesus said, “Don’t worry this sickness will not end in death.” Jesus kept teaching the people for two more days before he travelled to Bethany.Īfter the two days had passed Jesus told the disciples, “We have to go to Bethany because Lazarus has fallen asleep. When the messengers found Jesus they asked him to hurry to Lazarus’ house because he was very sick. “Jesus can help Lazarus get better.” So Mary and Martha sent a messenger to find Jesus. “Let’s send someone to go and get our friend Jesus,” the sisters said. Mary and Martha were very worried about their brother. One time, when Jesus was far away preaching about God, Lazarus got sick. Jesus liked to go to Bethany and visit his friends. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were brothers and sisters. Jesus had some very good friends named Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. Perhaps he even floated out of the tomb? Jesus had to tell the onlookers to take his grave clothes off and let him go (verse 44). He would have been wrapped in all of those burial clothes. It has been humorously noted that Jesus had to call Lazarus by name because if he had not then who knows how many people would have walked out of the tombs that day!Ĭhildren love the picture of Lazarus hopping out of the tomb but could not actually move around a lot.
Imagine how she and the others felt when Jesus called for Lazarus to come out (verse 43). She knew the body would smell after this time had passed. The ever-practical Mary was shocked when Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled back. He raised Lazarus to show the glory of God. He did not raise Lazarus to make his friends happy. He knew that it was the will of the Father that Lazarus would die and that his raising up from the dead would show God’s glory (verse 40). That would have meant his friends would not have had to be sad. Jesus could have raised Lazarus from a distance or even prevented his death. Even though he knew that Lazarus would be raised, he also knew Mary and Martha were disappointed he hadn’t come before Lazarus died. Jesus empathised and shared this moment of sorrow with his friends. This in contrast to the word used for a quieter shedding of tears when Jesus “wept” in verse 35. Mary’s “weeping” in verse 33 means loud wailing. It was Jewish custom to have three days of very heavy mourning then four of heavy mourning, followed by lighter mourning for the remainder of 30 days. It was usual for friends and family to visit and offer comfort at a time like this. The tombs had a small entrance that was closed by rolling a big stone against it. There might be a number of niches in the tomb where the bodies of family members were placed. Months after today’s story, Jesus’ body would be prepared in this same way ( John 19:39-40 and 20:3-7). The linen strips were then wrapped around the body over the clothing. They placed a cloth over the head and wrapped the hands and feet separately in strips of linen. The body was washed and anointed with spices. It was customary for a person to be buried on the same day as they died. This was the amount of time that Lazarus was dead before Jesus came to him. Add the travelling time of the messengers and Jesus together with the two days and you come up with four days. Jesus waited two days to go to Lazarus because he knew that this sickness would not end in death (verse 4). Lazarus must have died just after Mary and Martha sent messengers to tell Jesus of his sickness. It was a small settlement at the edge of the Judean desert on the slope of the Mount of Olives.Īt the time Lazarus got sick, Jesus was preaching on the eastern side of the Jordan near the place where John the Baptist had baptised him. This is not the woman in Luke 7:36-50.īethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem. John identifies Mary as the one who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil and wiped them with her hair ( John 12:1-8). Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha, are mentioned in Luke 10:38-42. It is another Lazarus in Jesus’ story in Luke 16:19-31. In fact, despite the fact that Jesus was very good friends with him, we only read about Lazarus in John chapters 11-12. This story is only recorded in the gospel of John.
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