While Jesus was still in the Jordan valley, a message was sent to him that the brother of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) was ill. He is not mentioned in the other gospels. In Luke's reference to Martha and Mary, the location of their village home is not mentioned but John says that it was in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem (Mark 11: 1). Jesus' response to the news about Lazarus (11:4) was similar to his response to the affliction of the blind beggar (9:3); 'this has happened in order to bring glory to God and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory'. This does not only mean that the divine power would be revealed in the raising to life of Lazarus which would follow Lazarus' imminent death (11 :38-44) but that this last and greatest sign would lead to the ultimate witness that Jesus was the Son of God, the witness of his own death and Resurrection. From 11:45-52 and 57, we find that it was the raising of Lazarus which made the Sanhedrin decide that Jesus must be killed as soon as possible because of the uncontrollable influence he was having amongst the ordinary people.

Lazarus raised from the dead

After two days Jesus told the disciples that they should return to Judaea, that is, to the Jerusalem area (11:7). They were alarmed, knowing how attempts had been made to arrest him and kill him '(11:8). Jesus' reply meant that the only real danger for a person was in the darkness of sin and in separation from 'the Light of the world' (11:9-10). His next words to the disciples were misunderstood by them (11: 11-13) but after he had explained that Lazarus was dead, he then indicated that something was about to happen which would bring deeper belief to his disciples (11: 14- 15). The disciple Thomas, mentioned here for the first time, showed courage in calling the rest of them to go back to Jerusalem with Jesus (11 : 16) but his words had a double meaning which the Church later understood (Mark 8:34-37, Romans 6:5-8, Colossians 2:20).