The Resurrection of Lazarus. An Exegetical Study

Academic Paper , 2023 , 7 Pages , Grade: 88

Theology - Biblical Theology

The paper focuses on the seventh miracle of Jesus in John's Gospel. What it says to modern readers, and how they should respond to it, has been elaborated in this paper.
Many have interpreted the resurrection of Lazarus without considering its context. They disregarded both the historical and literary contexts of this miracle of Jesus. In this paper, the writer seeks to exegete and explain this sign by considering both the literary and historical contexts. John proves in his account that Jesus is the Son of God, and by believing, one would be saved. The paper focuses on the seventh miracle of Jesus in John's Gospel. What it says to modern readers, and how they should respond to it has been elaborated in this paper.

The Resurrection of Lazarus

The Gospel of John is one of the four Gospels in the New Testament that give accounts of what Jesus did and taught. John’s Gospel is a bit different in content when compared to the Synoptic Gospels, to wit, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John discusses the preincarnate Word but focuses on Jesus’ few days before His crucifixion and resurrection. To this end, the reader of John’s Gospel will not find any parables in this book. Right from the onset, the writer seemed to prove the divinity of Jesus. To help him do that, John relied on the testimony of John the Baptist and other testimonies. John the Baptist testified that Jesus preexisted before He came to earth (1:30,31).

Apart from the Baptist’s testimony, John used the seven signs of Jesus to prove His divinity. Each of these signs revealed the glory of the incarnate Word and that He is superior, powerful, and wonderful. John also points to the seven “I am” sayings of Jesus to prove His divinity. According to John’s Gospel, Jesus is the bread of life, the door, the good shepherd, and many more. John did not leave room for his readers to guess or presuppose the purpose of his Gospel. He made it clear that “you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). That is, it is not enough to hear that Jesus is the Messiah. It is only when what you have heard about Him has led you to faith that it will be enough.Thus, John made his purpose for writing the fourth Gospel clear in the closing chapters of the book. Adeyemo (2010) noted that the purpose of John's Gospel is to provide a unique perspective on Jesus' life and teachings, emphasizing his divine nature and encouraging belief in him as a source of salvation.

The focus of this paper is to write about one of the signs of Jesus, specifically, the raising of Lazarus. The reason why the author included it in this Gospel would be given fair treatment. Its initial context and larger context would be explored. That is, as it is one of the seven signs John employed, it will not be wise to treat it alone without giving room for the rest of the signs John used to prove Jesus’ divinity.

Jesus transformed water into wine in John 2. The first of the seven signs points to the deity of the Lord Jesus. This is why John says that Jesus revealed His glory through the sign. He also offered healing to the blind and the lame. Jesus once again purified the temple and declared that it would be a house of prayer. These are just a few of the evidences John cited to support his contention that Jesus is the Son of God and that those who believe in him will have eternal life. Bethany was the site of the seventh sign. Jesus was eighteen miles from Bethany, near Jerusalem, when He heard Lazarus was unwell (Adeyemo, 2010). Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus that “the one you love is sick.” Some scholars, such as Adeyemo and Kruse, conclude that the message they sent was a polite request for Jesus to come and heal their brother.

Nonetheless, from the words of Mary and Martha, it seems to suggest that Jesus knew their brother and had deep concern for him. This might be the reason why they referred to Jesus as “the one you love is sick.” Thus, they were stating the obvious fact about the relationship between Jesus and their brother, and to some extent, their own relationship with Him. Adeyemo (2010, p. 2800) suggested, “The sisters must have known about the healings Jesus had done in Jerusalem,” which is nearer Bethany, where they stayed. This might be their reason for inviting Jesus to minister healing to their dying brother. They might have heard about or experienced the healing power of Jesus. This might be the reason why they were confident and positive that Jesus could minister healing to their dying brother.

Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was not mentioned in any of the Gospels before this. To this end, one writer argues, “This is the first reference to Lazarus, and the evangelist does not expect his readers to know who he is; so he explains that he is from Bethany, the village of Mary and Martha, adding later that he is the brother of these two sisters (2–3)” (Kruse, 2017, p. 246). Therefore, it seems to suggest that with the addition of Mary and Martha, John might have thought his readers already knew who they were from other sources since he had not mentioned them to his readers prior to this. From the succeeding verses, John would later broaden his description of Mary. One can therefore argue that John was aware his readers might have read or heard about the other Gospels or from oral tradition since he included that Mary poured perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped it with her hair. Although in the Gospel account of Luke, another Lazarus is mentioned, it was Jesus who mentioned it in His parables.

“The raising of Lazarus is found only in John’s Gospel” (Durken, 2017, p. 2068). The Synoptic Gospels are silent about it. Nevertheless, John the apostle, when proving the divinity of Jesus to his audience, added this miracle to his points. John has chosen a miracle story that epitomises Christ’s mission and fate. Christ came to give life to the lifeless and save those who were in the bonds of the enemy. In this story, Lazarus died and was buried. Jesus gave life to him and set him loose. “With superb dramatic form, the Lazarus story (11:1–44) sums mission and fate. With superb dramatic form, the Lazarus story (11:1–44) sums up Jesus’s career. It is the ultimate sign. Jesus, the source of life (10:28; 11:25), now gives life to one man” (Burge & Hill, 2012, pp. 1577-1578).

It is because He is the life-giver that He was able to give life to Lazarus, pointing to the ultimate life He would give to all who would believe in Him for eternal life. It is the ultimate sign because it is the last of the seven signs John used to defend Jesus’ divinity. Gaebelein et al. (1984, p. 114) pointed out, “The account of the raising of Lazarus is the climactic sign in the Gospel of John. Each of the seven signs illustrates some particular aspect of Jesus' divine authority, but this one exemplifies his power over the last and most irresistible enemy of humanity-death.”

John might also have added this sign to show the superiority of Jesus over death and the devil. Through His sermons and miracles, Jesus demonstrated that He has power over nature. He fed five thousand people and walked on the sea. He healed the sick. Nonetheless, the followers of Jesus did not believe that He had power over death. Even when He told them, they doubted. “Jesus had said on a previous occasion that a time would come when all who were in their graves would hear his voice (John 5:28). This occasion was a single demonstration of that authority” (Gaebelein et al., 1984, p. 121). The perfect opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate His authority and superiority over death to His followers had finally come. This might be the reason why Jesus delayed two days when He heard Lazarus was unwell.

In addition, John the apostle might have added this sign to show the point of Jesus' ultimate death. Although Caiaphas did not know the full measure of God’s plan for Jesus, he predicted, “It is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11:50). So in the story of Lazarus’ death, Jesus’ own is predicted. As Lazarus died and rose again, Jesus would also die and rise again in a couple of chapters ahead. Therefore, John, perhaps, used Lazarus’ resurrection story to point out to his readers that there is a resurrection that exceeds that of Lazarus, so they should anticipate it. This is why, from the onset, John stated that the signs were pointing to Jesus’ glory (John 2:11). In these signs, Jesus manifested His power and brought glory to the Father. For this reason, some scholars have argued, “Woven into this story are hints of Jesus’s own passion. He too will die and come forth. The Lord of life will lay down his life and return from the grave like Lazarus” (Burge & Hill, 2012, p. 1577). The story of Lazarus, therefore, seems to be a shadow of the resurrection story of the Lord of Glory.

When Jesus came to Bethany, Mary and Martha both told Jesus that if He had come earlier, their brother would not have died. Thus, they knew Jesus to be the healer but not as one who could raise the dead. “Their hope is in a healing miracle because resurrection is so far beyond their comprehension” (Burge & Hill, 2012, p. 1578). Jesus corrected them, declaring Himself to be the resurrection and the life. Thus, He was calling them to faith. Later, some of the Jews were divided about what to make of the resurrection. Even in the face of Lazarus’ resurrection, a section of the Jews disbelieved. The Pharisees finally decided to put Jesus to death. Objectively, the obvious response to the sign they witnessed would have been for them to trust in Jesus, but since they had been blinded by hatred and envy, many of the Jews and their leaders rejected Jesus and plotted to kill Him. It was not only Him they decided to kill, but also Lazarus. Lazarus coming back to life was evidence that Jesus had power over death. To this end, they wanted to remove the evidence from the scene so that their disbelief would be tenable. Likewise, John paints the picture that the world would be divided because of Jesus. That is, some will respond in faith, but others will respond in disbelief. Although enough evidence has been provided about who Jesus is, people are still not convinced, like some Jews. They will continue to reject Jesus, not on the basis that there is not enough proof. Rather, it is the opposite.

But just as Mary and Martha needed to respond in faith upon meeting Jesus, so is John calling his readers to respond in faith. By trusting and putting one’s faith in Jesus, security and assurance are guaranteed. Thus, Jesus does not fail nor disappoint. He is not a wishful thinker who cannot fulfil His promises. He has compassion and can empathise with those who are mourning, like Mary and Martha. To this end, John writes about Lazarus' resurrection with all the emotions to show that Jesus can save to the uttermost and cares for His people.

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• Course: Gospel of John
• Grade: 88
• Author: Michael Yaw Tano (Author)
• Publication Year: 2023
• Pages: 7
• Catalog Number: V1344471
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346852199
• Language: English
• Tags: Exegetical Commentary, Gospel, sign, Jesus Christ, John