📖 Biblical Definition
Lazarus of Bethany was the brother of Martha and Mary, a family whom Jesus loved deeply (John 11:5). When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus, but Jesus deliberately delayed His arrival until Lazarus had been dead four days. At the tomb, Jesus wept (John 11:35). Jesus then declared: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). He commanded: "Lazarus, come out" — and the dead man walked out of the tomb (John 11:43-44). This miracle is the climactic sign in John's Gospel, demonstrating that Jesus has absolute authority over death itself. It was also the immediate provocation for the Sanhedrin's decision to kill Jesus (John 11:53) and to kill Lazarus as well, "because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus" (John 12:11). Lazarus is a living parable of spiritual resurrection — the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The brother of Martha and Mary; raised from the dead by Jesus after four days in the tomb.
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LAZ'ARUS, n. [Heb. God has helped.] Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary, whom Jesus raised from the dead after four days, the greatest sign in the Gospel of John.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 11:25-26 — "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
• John 11:35 — "Jesus wept."
• John 11:43-44 — "He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.' The man who had died came out."
• John 12:11 — "On account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Lazarus is reduced to a proof of Jesus' compassion while the theological significance of his resurrection is ignored.
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The raising of Lazarus is often treated sentimentally — focused on "Jesus wept" as proof that God cares about grief — while ignoring the theological earthquake of the event. Jesus' claim "I am the resurrection and the life" is not a comforting platitude but an exclusive, divine claim of absolute authority over death. The four-day delay was deliberate: Jewish tradition held that the soul lingered near the body for three days, so by day four there was no possibility of a natural explanation. Some scholars treat the account as allegorical rather than historical, denying the literal resurrection — which guts the Gospel of John of its central argument.
Usage
• "Lazarus came out of the tomb at Christ's command — a picture of how every believer is raised from spiritual death by the sovereign voice of the Son of God."
• "Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus, then raised him from the dead — He enters our grief and then destroys its cause."