Jesus then went to the tomb of Lazarus with Mary, Martha, and the rest of the mourners. Deeply moved by their grief, Jesus wept with them. The Jews with her were also weeping and mourning. When Mary met Jesus, she was grieving with strong emotion over her brother’s death. The town of Bethany was not far from Jerusalem, where the Jewish leaders were plotting against Jesus. Jesus had not yet entered the village, most likely to avoid stirring up the crowd and calling attention to himself. Martha then went and told Mary that Jesus wanted to see her. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus said these crucial words: “I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus told Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” But Martha thought he was talking about the final resurrection of the dead. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Martha discovered that Jesus was on his way, she went out to meet him. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days. Jesus knew that he would do a great miracle for God’s glory and, therefore, he was not in a hurry. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard the news, he waited two more days before going to Lazarus’ hometown of Bethany. Lazarus was one of Jesus Christ’s closest friends, so close that we’re told Jesus loved him.

The story takes place in John, chapter 11. Through this story of Lazarus, the Bible delivers a powerful message to the world: Jesus Christ has power over death, and those who believe in him receive resurrection life. Jesus ordered that the gravestone be rolled away and raised Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead and in his tomb for four days. Instead of hurrying to see Lazarus, Jesus remained where he was for two more days. When their brother fell ill, the sisters sent a messenger to Jesus to tell him Lazarus was sick. Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were dear friends of Jesus.

Story of lazarus outside of the bible