Raising Lazarus: The Pharisees(Jewish leaders) had long been opposed to Jesus, performing signs and wonders on the Sabbath. Jesus was also considered to be guilty of blasphemy for claiming to be God incarnate.
The Jewish leaders viewed Jesus as an evil man. He was assumed to be using the devil and sorcery to achieve these feats. The false charges mounted as time went by and the Pharisees began plotting their actions against Him.
They were already considered putting Jesus to death, but there was one more event that sent the Jews over the edge. Then Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus waits to visit Lazarus
He had been given notice of Lazarus, his dear friend, being ill, but rather than going to him immediately, He chose to go back into Judea instead. When He and His disciples arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead four days.
Upon His arrival, Jesus was greeted by Martha, Lazarus’ sister. She lamented that had Jesus been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus told her to take Him to the tomb. Interestingly, the shortest verse of the Bible is recorded during that moment. “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
But why did Jesus weep. He knew what was about the happen. Lazarus would be restored to life, but He wept. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were longtime friends. They were close. Jesus could have been reacting to their grief and misery.
Or, knowing that death meant that Lazarus’ spirit would go to God, did Jesus weep because he knew what He was about to take away from Lazarus? He moved forward.
Jesus Raises Lazarus
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. 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.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous 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 place and our nation.”
Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. (John 11:38-54)
The stage was set for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus
The stage was being set for the final week of Jesus’ life as a man living on earth. Soon after, Jesus and His disciples went to Jerusalem for the Passover, His betrayal, and the end of His life. The Jews were waiting and had instructions for anyone who saw Jesus to inform them, so He could be arrested and prosecuted.
Raising Lazarus from the dead could not be tolerated
Raising Lazarus was the climactic moment that accelerated the confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leadership. This profound miracle not only showcased Jesus’ divine authority but also deepened the animosity of the Pharisees. They saw it as a direct challenge to their power and authority.
Jesus’ deliberate delay in visiting Lazarus and His subsequent act of bringing him back to life served to demonstrate His profound connection to His followers and His mastery over death itself.
The dramatic events following Lazarus’ resurrection set in motion the final sequence of Jesus’ earthly journey, culminating in His crucifixion. As tensions soared, Jesus withdrew to prepare for the inevitable conflict. The Pharisees solidified their resolve to eliminate what they saw as a grave threat to their nation and their positions.
The stage was thus set for the final and most pivotal chapter of His life. Leading to the ultimate sacrifice and Jesus being raised from the dead, changing the course of history.