JOHN 11:1–44, THE RAISING OF LAZARUS
JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE WHO CONQUERS DEATH
Introduction
This Gospel passage marks a decisive moment in the public ministry of Jesus. It is the final and greatest sign in the Gospel of John before the Passion. The raising of Lazarus reveals both the deep humanity of Jesus and the fullness of his divine authority. Set in the context of friendship, sickness, grief, and death, this narrative prepares the way for the cross by revealing why Jesus must die: because he gives life. What begins as illness ends in resurrection, and what appears as delay becomes the revelation of God’s glory. The story invites every believer to move from sorrow to faith, from fear to trust, and from death to life in Christ.
Bible Passage (John 11:1–44)
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly. As soon as Mary heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. When she came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became deeply troubled and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept.
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”
Background
This miracle takes place near Jerusalem and directly contributes to the decision of the authorities to put Jesus to death. It fulfills Old Testament hopes that God alone has power over life and death. In Jewish belief, the soul was thought to remain near the body for three days; the fourth day confirmed irreversible death. By waiting four days, Jesus leaves no doubt: this is not healing, but resurrection.
Opening Life Connection
All of us experience moments when God seems silent or late. We pray, we wait, and still the situation worsens. Like Martha and Mary, we may say, “Lord, if you had been here…” This Gospel speaks directly to such moments, inviting us to trust that God’s delays are not denials, and that even death does not have the final word.
Verse-by-Verse / Phrase-by-Phrase Reflection
When the sisters send the message the one you love is ill, they appeal not to Jesus’ power but to his love. Love is the foundation of this entire miracle. Jesus responds with a mysterious assurance: this illness is not to end in death. He does not deny death, but he denies its finality. Everything that follows unfolds for the glory of God, revealing who Jesus truly is.
Jesus’ deliberate delay is striking. Though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, he waits. Love sometimes allows suffering so that faith may mature. His words about walking in the light reveal that he acts according to divine timing, not human urgency.
When Jesus says Lazarus is asleep, he redefines death. For him, death is not annihilation but a state from which he can awaken a person. Declaring Lazarus has died, Jesus adds, I am glad…that you may believe. The miracle is meant not only to restore Lazarus, but to deepen the disciples’ faith.
Martha’s encounter reveals faith mixed with pain. Her words Lord, if you had been here express both trust and disappointment. Jesus leads her beyond belief in a distant future resurrection to a present reality: I am the resurrection and the life. Resurrection is not merely an event; it is a person. Martha’s confession of faith stands among the greatest in the Gospel.
Mary’s grief draws forth Jesus’ deepest emotion. Seeing her weep, Jesus wept. These tears reveal a Savior who fully enters human suffering. God is not distant from our sorrow; he stands beside our graves and cries with us.
At the tomb, Jesus commands take away the stone. Faith requires cooperation. Even when the situation seems hopeless and unpleasant, Jesus calls for trust. When he cries Lazarus, come out, the power of divine life breaks the silence of death. The command untie him and let him go shows that restoration is both God’s work and the community’s responsibility.
Jewish Historical and Religious Context
Jewish mourning included loud weeping and community presence. Burial in caves with stones was common. Resurrection was believed by Pharisees at the end of time, but not as an immediate act. Jesus transcends these beliefs, revealing himself as Lord over death itself.
Catholic Tradition and Teaching
The Church sees this sign as a preview of Christ’s own resurrection and the promise of eternal life. It strengthens faith in bodily resurrection and underlines the sacramental life, especially Baptism and the Eucharist, through which Christ already shares resurrection life with believers.
Historical or Saintly Illustration
The Church has always proclaimed hope in the face of death. Saints faced martyrdom and illness with confidence, trusting that Christ who raised Lazarus would also raise them. Their peaceful deaths became powerful witnesses to resurrection faith.
Application to Christian Life Today
This Gospel calls us to trust Jesus even when prayers seem unanswered. It invites us to remove the stones of doubt, bitterness, and fear that block God’s life-giving power. It also calls us to help “untie” others—freeing them from despair, guilt, and isolation.
Eucharistic Connection
In the Eucharist, Christ the Resurrection gives us his living Body. Each Communion strengthens our hope that death does not triumph. The One who cried “Lazarus, come out” continues to call us from sin to life and from fear to hope.
Messages / Call to Conversion
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Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, present even in my darkest moments.
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I am called to trust God’s timing, even when I do not understand.
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I will remove obstacles of doubt so that God’s glory may be revealed.
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I will share in freeing others from despair through compassion and faith.
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I resolve to live each day with hope in the resurrection.
Outline for Preachers
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Context of illness, delay, and divine purpose
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Human experience of grief and unanswered prayer
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Key phrases explained: the one you love is ill, I am the resurrection and the life, Jesus wept, Lazarus, come out
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Jewish beliefs about death and resurrection
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Catholic teaching on resurrection and eternal life
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Witness of Christian hope in death
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Eucharist as pledge of resurrection
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Call to conversion: trust, faith, and hope
