Lazarus (God is help) is the subject of a miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death. This illustration helps to understand Jesus' divine authority over death. Lazarus is introduced as a follower of Jesus, who lives in the Town of Bethany near Jerusalem. Jesus had a deep love for this family. Lazarus is the brother of the sisters Mary and Martha. The sisters sent word to Jesus, who was at that time across the Jordan River, that their brother was sick. They entertained the hope that Jesus would cure him. Jesus, instead of going to Bethany immediately, or curing Lazarus by indirect means, He stayed where he was for two more days. Upon his arrival in the vicinity of Bethany, Lazarus had expired and had been dead for four days.
Jesus took the occasion to stress the resurrection. Upon arriving at the tomb, Christ ordered that the stone sealing its entrance be taken away. Then in prayer to his heavenly Father, Jesus showed that a purpose of the forthcoming miracle was "in order that they (the crowd present) might believe that you sent me forth." Jesus then called the dead Lazarus out of the tomb or cave, and he emerged.
The miracle moved many to put Faith in Jesus, but also caused the chief priests and Pharisees to plot his death, because many Jews were believing in Him.
In the Gospel of Luke, a symbolic figure appearing in the vivid account of the afterlife of the well-known parable "the rich man and Lazarus," is also named Lazarus. The parable tells about of the relationship, in life and in death, between an unnamed rich man dressed in purple and fine linen that lived in luxury every day and a poor beggar named Lazarus who was laid at his gate and was covered with sores that even the dogs came and licked them, longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire." But Abraham replied,"Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you can't, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." He answered, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have 5 brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." Abraham replied: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." "No, father Abraham,"he said,"but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." He said to him, "if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
Both accounts are interrelated because it shows Lazarus as a symbolic figure of the spiritual friendship that Jesus has with his followers. Being a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, Jesus showed his divine power over death. On the other hand, Jesus' enemies dressed in purple and fine linen symbolize the false chief priests and the Pharisees that even seeing Lazarus alive, they plotted against Jesus and Lazarus to kill them. The Scripture does not show evidence to the effect that the plot against Lazarus was carried on. Instead Lazarus' resurrection served well as part of Jesus' ministry, both to illustrate the power of the Son of God and to increase the Faith in Him.
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