Zoe Marie Hoffman

Lazarus Zoe Marie Hoffman

Many people of this time period had different viewpoints about rebirth(a period of new life, growth, or activity) however, the truth is this occurrence happened and could not be denied. To this day, thousands of people still visit the site where Lazarus was once buried. The name Lazarus can be found two times in the Bible; The first being in Luke 16 and the second being in John 11. The Lazarus mainly focused on in this paper refers to John 11. Lazarus and his sisters (Mary and Martha) lived in Bethany which was southeast of Mt. Olive and about 3km from Jerusalem. When Lazarus became ill, Mary and Martha sent a messenger to the other side of the Jordan River where Jesus and His disciples had secluded for their safety. When the messenger arrived where He was, he told Him what had happened to Lazarus. After the messenger explained Lazarus' condition, Jesus waited four days before going to the scene. This was done so that he could test the disciples' faith. When the disciples asked Jesus why He was going back to Judea (where He was once threatened to be stoned), He told them that Lazarus had become ill and had died. When Jesus arrived, Mary fell at Jesus' feet and wept. The Bible also makes reference here in this passage that Jesus wept; however, it was because of the disciples' unbelief. To emphasize the miracle of Lazarus, he appears in John one last time. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to a feast in Bethany where Mary anointed him. Lazarus was also present at this banquet to testify about Jesus' power. In fact, because of Lazarus' resurrection many people began to follow Jesus.