Lazarus

Lazarus lived in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, with his sisters Mary and Martha. The family was dear to Jesus; Scripture says, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." When Lazarus fell gravely ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus, expecting He would come immediately. Instead, Jesus deliberately delayed two days.

By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. Martha met Jesus on the road, expressing both faith and disappointment: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

At the tomb, Jesus wept—demonstrating His genuine grief even knowing what He was about to do. He commanded the stone to be removed, then cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" The dead man emerged, still bound in grave clothes. Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go." This miracle caused many to believe, but it also intensified the religious leaders' determination to kill Jesus.

The raising of Lazarus became so influential that the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many Jews were believing in Jesus on account of him. Scripture mentions Lazarus dining with Jesus shortly before the crucifixion, a living testimony to Christ's power. Tradition holds that Lazarus later served as a bishop on Cyprus, but little is certain about his later life.