King james bible story of lazarus4/30/2024 ![]() Then Jesus stayed two days where He was before suggesting going back to Judea, where Lazarus was but also where Jesus’ enemies had also recently tried to stone Him (John 11:5–8). He started by saying that the illness would not lead to death rather, it would be for God’s glory (John 11:4). Jesus then puzzled His disciples and friends. Once, an urgent message came from Bethany to Jesus: His friend Lazarus had become ill, and Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to come and heal him, for he was near death. These three siblings were friends and disciples of Jesus, and they were people Jesus loved (John 11:5). The second Lazarus, also called Lazarus of Bethany, was the brother of Mary and Martha. The Lazarus in Jesus’ story does not appear anywhere else in the Bible, and we do not know when in the timeline of history he may have lived, if he was a real person. Either way, Jesus’ teaching on the reality of heaven and hell is clear. Because of these details, the story of Lazarus and the rich man could be a true account, relating the actual fates of Lazarus and the unbelieving rich man. However, Jesus uses actual names in the story, He does not interpret the story, and neither does He add a moral to the end. Some Bible scholars believe that Jesus was telling a parable, that is, a fictional story not meant to be a literal account. Both men died, and Jesus tells of how Lazarus was taken to “Abraham’s side,” a place of comfort and rest, while the rich man went to “Hades,” a place of conscious torment (Luke 16:22–23). He often stayed at the gate of a rich man in hopes of getting scraps from his table. Lazarus was very poor, probably homeless, and definitely a beggar (Luke 16:20). The first Lazarus is the subject of a story told by Jesus (Luke 16:19–31). The longest is, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (v 44)-for the liberty of those whom Jesus has released from death goes on forever.There are two men called Lazarus in the Bible. The story of Lazarus contains the shortest verse in the bible, “Jesus wept” (v 35), and also the longest. ![]() What a curious reversal of custom: Normally the authorities go after killers on the loose, but here they were concerned about someone who went around raising the dead. The restoration of Lazarus to life came at the price of Christ’s freedom, for after this great work “Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews,” as “from that day on they plotted to take His life” (vv 53-4). Somehow in the photograph I appear almost to be levitating, literally floating out of the tomb! Instantly I felt revitalized, filled with joy, and went on to have a wonderful day. ![]() Raising my arms, I shouted, “Hallelujah!” as my wife snapped my picture. As I emerged from the tomb I recalled an old adage-“Act your way into a feeling”-and decided to try it. The morning I visited this site I hadn’t slept well and was facing a long day ahead. Was there, perhaps, a considerable delay between Jesus crying in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (v 43) and the astounding result? Imagine the heavily bandaged man awakening and then having to get himself up those stairs. In the first photograph of the interior, note the flight of stone steps leading down into the tomb. While this traditional tomb cannot be proven authentic, it is part of an ancient cemetery that does certainly date from the first century. By the end of that century a church had been built there, followed by a succession of churches to accomodate the regular flow of pilgrims. Simply put, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (v 5).Įarly in the fourth century Eusebius testified that a cave-tomb in Bethany was venerated as the site of the raising of Lazarus. These friendships stand out as the only ones we see Him enjoying outside His formal ministry. The family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus may have been closer to Jesus even than His own disciples. Jesus would often have walked over the hill to visit or stay with His friends there. The modern town of Bethany (called in Arabic al-Eizariya, the place of Lazarus) is still right where John says it was, “less than two miles from Jerusalem” (v 18) on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus replies, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (vv 39-40) Martha, the ever-practical sister of Lazarus, covers up her emotions by expressing concern about the odor: “He has been dead four days,” or as the King James Version puts it, “He stinketh”. What are your feelings? Impossible to describe: horror, dread, a sliver of mad hope. Then someone comes and says, “Take away the stone.” You’ve had the funeral, buried your loved one in the cemetery, and finally had a granite tombstone beautifully carved and placed over the grave. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
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