Lazarus

the friend Jesus raised

Who was Lazarus?

The brother of Martha and Mary, from Bethany. John 11:1-2
Jesus loved him very much. John 11:5
Jesus raised him from the dead. John 11:43-44

The name: “Lazarus” is a short form of Eleazar, a Hebrew name that means “God has helped.” Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Lazarus”
From: Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha John 11:1
Feast day: July 29: Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

What the Bible says

John 11:1-2

¹Now there was a certain man sick, named Lazarus, of Bethania, of the town of Mary and Martha her sister. ²(And Mary was she that anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair: whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

John 11:5

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus.

John 11:43-44

⁴³When he had said these things, he cried with a loud voice: Lazarus, come forth. ⁴⁴And presently he that had been dead came forth, bound feet and hands with winding bands; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them: Loose him, and let him go.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Lazarus

With Jesus. He was a friend of Jesus. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. John 11:5, 11
With Jesus. He fell ill, and his sisters sent word to Jesus. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. John 11:3, 17
With Jesus. When they told Jesus, he said that this illness would not end in death. He said it was for the glory of God. John 11:4
With Jesus. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, went out to meet Jesus. Jesus told her that he is the resurrection and the life, and that whoever believes in him will live. John 11:20, 25-26
With Jesus. Jesus wept. Then he told them to take away the stone, and he cried out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come forth.” John 11:35, 39, 43
With Jesus. Before he called Lazarus, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and gave thanks to the Father. He said it out loud so that the people would believe the Father had sent him. John 11:41-42
With Jesus. Lazarus came out with his hands and feet tied with burial bands. Jesus told them to untie him. John 11:44
With Jesus. Many of those who saw the miracle believed in Jesus. Some went to tell the Pharisees about it. John 11:45-46
With Jesus. Six days before Passover, Lazarus was at table with Jesus in Bethany. John 12:1-2
With Jesus. Many people went to Bethany. They did not go only for Jesus: they also wanted to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John 12:9
With Jesus. The chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, since he was the reason many people believed in Jesus. John 12:10-11
Afterward. According to Tradition: A French tradition says he became bishop of Marseille. It is a late legend with no solid basis. Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Lazarus of Bethany”

Words of Lazarus

The Gospels don’t record a single word of his.

What they were like

Jesus loved him dearly: his sisters sent Jesus word that the one he loved was sick. John 11:3, 5

The greatest thing that happened to him

He had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus called him. He came out with his hands and feet tied with burial bands. John 11:17, 43-44

Not to be confused with

In a parable, Jesus tells of a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores. He is a character in a story Jesus told, not the brother of Martha. Luke 16:19-20; NABRE note on Jn 11, 1-44

In the Church today

Feast day: July 29, Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (memorial). General Roman Calendar; Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America (USCCB); Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, decree of January 26, 2021 (Prot. N. 35/21)

In art, recognized by: Coming out of the tomb wrapped in burial bands From Jn 11, 44; this is how Christian art shows him

Lazarus in art

What people ask

What did Lazarus say after he was raised?

The Gospels don’t record a single word of his, before or after. John 11:44; John 12:2

Did Lazarus die again?

The Bible doesn’t tell of his death. The Church teaches that he returned to “ordinary earthly life,” and that at some point he would die again. Catechism 646

How many days was Lazarus dead?

When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. John 11:17, 39

Why did they want to kill Lazarus?

Because he was the reason many people believed in Jesus. The plan came from the chief priests. John 12:10-11

Did Jesus weep for Lazarus?

Yes. When Jesus saw Mary and the people with her weeping, he wept. The people there remarked how much he had loved Lazarus. John 11:33-36

Why did Jesus wait two days before going to Bethany?

The Bible says he stayed two more days where he was. Then he told his disciples that he was glad he had not been there, so that they might believe. John 11:6, 15

Where is Lazarus buried?

The Bible does not say. There are different traditions: one from the Greek Church says his body was taken to Constantinople; another, from France, places it in Autun. The Catholic Encyclopedia says the French tradition has no solid basis. (Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Lazarus of Bethany”)

Daily life He was from Bethany, the village of his sisters Martha and Mary. John 11:1 What came next The chief priests wanted to kill him too, because he was…

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Who Lazarus is connected to

Martha · brother and sister
Mary of Bethany · brother and sister
Jesus · raised him from the dead

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

See Lazarus on the map