Lazarus

Jesus demonstrated his authority, and the nature of the kingdom of heaven with miracles. John suggests that “If every one of them were written down … even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25) He healed blindness, sickness, paralysis, leprosy, and in one case, death. (By contrast, modern faith healers tend to limit themselves to shortening legs by an inch or so.)

The remarkable thing about the resurrection of Lazarus is that Jesus seems to have chosen to allow Lazarus to die, despite being friends of Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha: “when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days” When he arrived, Martha said “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Some of those around her said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. (John 11:41-44)

Not everyone was pleased. The Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin, lamented:

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” (John 11:47,48)

Jesus would be at odds with the Jewish authorities throughout his ministry. For his part, he would call out the hypocrisy of the Jewish teachers. For their part, they would see him as a blasphemer and a political threat.