Paper 168 Overview: The Resurrection of Lazarus

This Paper details the profound event of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after four days in the tomb, representing the most significant demonstration of divine power during Jesus' earthly ministry. Jesus deliberately delayed his journey to Bethany after hearing of Lazarus's illness, allowing for a more dramatic demonstration of his power over death, though this action was challenging for Martha and Mary to understand. The resurrection served as both a powerful testimony of Jesus' divine nature and as a catalyst that accelerated the Jewish leaders' determination to eliminate him.

The Sanhedrin's reaction to this miracle was swift and severe, leading to their formal decision to seek Jesus' death, making this event pivotal in the progression toward his crucifixion. Additionally, Jesus used the journey after the resurrection to teach his disciples important truths about prayer, divine response, and the spiritual nature of God's interaction with believers. Lazarus himself would later flee to Philadelphia to escape persecution, where he became a significant figure in the early church.

Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived in Bethany, having been buried late Sunday afternoon and sealed in his tomb on Thursday morning. Martha and Mary had sent word to Jesus concerning their brother's illness and were perplexed by Jesus' message that the "sickness is really not to the death," especially when Lazarus died shortly after their messenger left for Philadelphia. The sisters experienced conflicting emotions, with Mary giving in to grief while Martha maintained hope for Jesus' arrival.

Lazarus and his sisters were wealthy and respected residents of Bethany, owning extensive vineyards and olive orchards, and their status was further evidenced by their possession of a private burial tomb. Many friends from Jerusalem and nearby villages had come to comfort the sisters, and Martha had posted a young boy to watch for Jesus' approach. When word came that Jesus was nearing the village, Martha rushed to meet him while Mary remained at home with their visitors, many of whom were secretly hostile to Jesus.

When Martha met Jesus, she fell at his feet saying, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died," yet she expressed no criticism of Jesus' delay. Jesus lifted her up and declared, "I am the resurrection and the life," to which Martha affirmed her belief in him as the Deliverer and Son of God. Mary soon joined them, also falling at Jesus' feet with the same words Martha had spoken, and Jesus was deeply moved by their grief and the mixed intentions of the mourners present.

At the tomb, Jesus wept, demonstrating his genuine human affection for Lazarus and his sisters, though his emotions were complex. He was troubled by the presence of insincere mourners, hesitant about bringing Lazarus back to face persecution, and conscious that this act would intensify the opposition against him. The narrative reveals that Jesus' Personalized Adjuster had already arranged for Lazarus's Thought Adjuster to remain nearby after death, suggesting divine foreknowledge of the resurrection that would occur, though the exact extent of Jesus' human consciousness of this plan remains unknown.

As approximately forty-five mortals stood before the tomb, Jesus commanded them to remove the stone sealing the entrance, prompting Martha's concern about decomposition after four days. Jesus reminded her of his promise that she would see God's glory if she believed, after which the stone was rolled away. While the humans present saw only the shrouded form of Lazarus, a vast assembly of celestial beings had gathered, ready to participate in this extraordinary event upon Gabriel's command.

After a prayer of thanksgiving to the Father, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" In just twelve seconds, the previously lifeless body began to move, and Lazarus stood alive at the tomb entrance. Jesus instructed them to remove his grave clothes, and while most observers fled in fear, the apostles and sisters remained. Martha explained to a bewildered Lazarus that he had been dead since Sunday and was now restored to life on Thursday. Lazarus recalled nothing of these four days, as "time is nonexistent to those who sleep the sleep of death," and though many believed in Jesus because of this miracle, others became more determined to destroy him.

The resurrection of Lazarus solidified faith among many believers but intensified opposition from religious authorities in Jerusalem. By one o'clock the following day, the Sanhedrin convened to address what they perceived as the growing threat posed by Jesus. After heated debate, certain Pharisees proposed an unprecedented resolution calling for Jesus' immediate execution without trial, declaring him a danger to all Israel.

This extreme measure prompted fourteen members of the Sanhedrin to resign in protest, with five more eventually expelled for harboring sympathetic views toward Jesus. The Sanhedrin later summoned Lazarus and his sisters to testify, and despite acknowledging the reality of the resurrection, the council officially attributed it to "the power of the prince of devils." The high priest Caiaphas articulated the leadership's position with the now-famous declaration that it was "better that one man die, than that the community perish," while Jesus, aware of these developments, remained calm and continued his planned journey to the Pella encampment.

During their journey from Bethany to Pella, the apostles questioned Jesus about resurrection and the seeming contradiction between his statement that Lazarus's sickness was "not really to the death" and the fact that Lazarus had indeed died. Jesus took this opportunity to provide profound insights about the nature of prayer and divine response, explaining that finite human requests are always filtered through the wisdom and perspective of the Infinite.

Jesus outlined ten principles regarding prayer, including that prayer is limited by finite understanding while answers reflect infinite wisdom; that apparent delays often lead to better answers; that some prayers are so vast they can only be answered in eternity; that answers may await the petitioner's spiritual growth; that all true prayers receive spiritual answers, though not necessarily material ones; and that sincere faith grants God the right to answer according to divine wisdom rather than human desire. He emphasized that genuine prayer is never truly unanswered, even when the answer differs from what was expected or comes at a time far beyond the present.

Following his resurrection, Lazarus remained at his home in Bethany, becoming a center of attention for many believers and curious observers until the time of Jesus' crucifixion. The Jewish leaders, recognizing that Lazarus represented living proof of Jesus' power, determined to eliminate him as well, reasoning that killing Jesus would be futile if the most dramatic evidence of his divine power remained alive to testify.

When Lazarus received warning of the Sanhedrin's death decree against him, he fled through Jericho and across the Jordan River to Philadelphia, where he found safety with Abner, whom he knew well. Martha and Mary subsequently sold their Bethany properties and joined their brother in Perea, where Lazarus became the treasurer of the Philadelphia church and a strong supporter of Abner in his theological disputes with Paul and the Jerusalem church. Lazarus ultimately lived until age sixty-seven, dying of the same illness that had taken his life earlier in Bethany.