chhas.blogg.se - Who was lazarus

Just who was this man?īefore He went to the tomb to call him forth, the Lord said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. It is out of compassion that Jesus did most of what He did but He raised one from the dead and they sought to kill him. It is not enough to just say the Lord loved him. Of all the people that experienced the power of God miraculously, how many were sought to be killed? Each time someone had an encounter with the Lord, they would run off and tell others about what He had done, despite warnings not to and people believed in Jesus on their account but they wanted to kill Lazarus. It is wonderful to know that Jesus can raise the dead, HALLELUJAH.īut look closely now. Many of us do not even know the first part of this statement and only mention or are aware of the latter. Lazarus was a man whom the Lord loved and raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. In this light, Lazarus’ unique relationship with Jesus is most likely one of the most overlooked and under-studied topics in the Gospels.Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. John used phileo when recording the love between the Father and Son in John 3:35. John continues to use phileo throughout his Gospel when referring to the disciple whom Jesus loved, including at the resurrection. The love that is mentioned in John’s Gospel regarding Lazarus and the Beloved Disciple is phileo – a deep affection, a love of a dear friend, or a brotherly love.

The mentioning of the disciple “whom Jesus loved” is used only after the raising of Lazarus in the Book of John.

Being the only one friend/disciple of Jesus who was a recipient of a healing miracle.

Being the only disciple or person who was to be killed with Jesus.

Being the only person Jesus was willing to be stoned for.

Being the only person who Jesus personally cried and grieved for.

Being the only person named by a group of people exclaiming, “See how he loved him.

Being the only named person in scripture as “he whom you love” (Jesus loved everyone, but this phrase is unique.

Since the oral tradition was circulated among early believers it would have been advantageous not to name Lazarus as part of the inner group of disciples. Women followed Jesus into Jerusalem (Luke 23:49) If Mary was was near Jesus before his death then it is plausible to believe Lazarus was there as the beloved disciple. If Lazarus was to be killed with Jesus according to John 12:10, then it was smart for the writer of John to name Lazarus as the disciple whom Jesus loved. We know that Jesus’ movement involved families: James and John were brothers, Mary and Martha were sisters, and several early church leaders were related by birth or marriage. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem. Mary and Martha are likely a part of the group as Mary anointed Jesus and was in proximity to Jesus before he entered Jerusalem (Mark 14). Early Church leader Hippolytus of Rome identifies both Marth and Mary as being present at the resurrection ( In Cant 25 6). Most forget that “other women” (Luke 24:10) are mentioned as the first evangelists of the resurrection of Jesus. Mary and Martha are key to understanding the mystery of the beloved disciple: they are Lazarus’ sisters. If we are to rely on the tradition of the identification of the beloved disciple, what about the internal evidence of scripture? Surprisingly, scripture does offer dramatic clues to the mystery of the beloved disciple.īased on John’s gospel, the only gospel that mentions this “beloved” disciple we read of five instances: Despite the fact John does not self-identify nor names himself as the writer of the Gospel of John or the beloved disciple, we have relied on tradition and church history.

Irenaeus and Eusebius both identified the beloved disciple as John as early as the second and fourth century respectively. Scholars, such as Raymond Brown, have written heavily upon John as the one whom Jesus loved. The identity of the “beloved disciple” or the one John calls “disciple whom Jesus loved” is unnamed and has remained a mystery. However, upon closer study, there is another follower of Jesus that is a stronger candidate that you have likely not considered: Lazarus. Traditionally, John the Gospel writer was the disciple whom Jesus loved.